Tour Operations Cycle Overview

Study Notes

Tour operations encompass all activities involved in preparing and executing a tour package as outlined in the itinerary. This includes managing costs, achieving client expectations, and attaining set objectives.
Customer satisfaction is paramount, meaning fulfilling client expectations and delivering services arranged by intermediaries.
Objectives are defined during the planning stage, considering target market, tour organization, operational area, destinations, and involved communities.
Tour itinerary provides a detailed journey plan, including locations, travel arrangements, and information valuable to travelers.

Tour planning defines the objectives of the operation, which can include customer satisfaction, destination and community endorsement, organizational promotion, or profit generation.
Itinerary development involves crafting an itinerary and choosing suppliers to deliver the tour package services effectively.
Contracting rates entails negotiating and compiling rates from identified suppliers that offer more advantageous terms than standard published rates. Contracted rates offer potential discounts through negotiation.
Costing and pricing determine the expenses of tour package components, activities, and services based on the potential number of travelers.
Quotations are prepared for ad-hoc tour packages based on a minimum number of participants and specific requirements. This process doesn't apply to regular tour packages.
Reservations and confirmations involve placing requests for available space or services and securing confirmation.
Field operations execute all traveler activities, starting from arrival until departure.
Billings and accounting prepare invoices for deposit payments and remaining balances, collect payments from clients ideally before arrival, and process payments due to suppliers.
Evaluation assesses the organization's performance against actual results. Destination or community promotion success is measured by visitor arrival increases or decreases.

Tour planning aims to determine the objectives of a tour, which may include customer satisfaction, destination and community endorsement, organizational promotion, or profit generation.
Destination-oriented objectives are linked to local government units or client-based leisure entities.
- Consider accessibility to the destination: How easy is it to get there?
- Assess costs: How much does it cost to reach the destination?
- Evaluate mobility within the destination: How easy is it to get around?
- Explore alternative transportation options: Are there alternatives if a preferred mode is unavailable?
- Quantify and assess accommodation and facilities: How many and what types of accommodation and amenities exist?
- Analyze food and beverage options: What variety of food and beverage options are available?
- Evaluate support industries: Are there souvenir, handicraft, or other supporting industries in place?
- Determine the development level of the destination: What stage of development is the destination in?
- Assess the overall appeal: What makes the destination attractive?