T/601/1753 Operations Management of LCB Tours

Task 1: 

Demonstrates the leaflet that is to be presented to the product development team

For this purpose, you are required to conduct the analysis with the help of supporting material for example- the prospectus of the tour operator, textbooks, and online resources

AC 1.1 identify the effects of current and recent trends and developments on the tour operators industry.

Types of Tour Operators

• Inbound Tour Operators
• Domestic Tour Operators
• UK Outbound Tour Operators
• Specialist Tour Operators

Current/Recent trends and developments

• Integration (Horizontal and Vertical)
• Advancements in technology
• Rise and fall of inflation
• The effect of Brexit on Tourism.
• Low-cost Carriers
• Increased environmental awareness and Responsible tourism. 

Task 2:

Here you need to present information gathered in form of a design that will relate to the packaging holiday and will be prepared in the form of PowerPoint presentation.

AC 2.1 what are the stages and timescales involved in developing holidays?

• Market research
• Planning and scheduling (determine destinations, hotels, capacity, dates, etc.)
• Contracting (negotiation with suppliers).
• Costing the holiday.
• Financial Evaluation and Pricing.
• Creating the brochure.
• Advertising
• Operation and Execution
• Post Tour Management

AC 2.2 Explain various types of the operator's regulators and analyse the suitability of different methods of contracting for different components of the holiday

• Fixed Contract:
• allocation
• ad-hoc

AC 2.3 Show the calculation for the selling price for the holiday from the information provided.

(fixed and variable costs, direct and indirect costs, load factors, mark-up, profit margins, seasonal flexing, competitive pricing, skimming, special offers, discounting strategies, currency exchange).

The presentation should address the task below in the following order:

• Introduction
• Regulatory bodies e.g. (Association of British Travel Agents, Association of Independent Tour Operators, Federation of Tour Operators, UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) )  
• Details of All-inclusive tour, including itinerary, days, times, and destination.
• Stages and timescale involved in developing holiday packages
• Suitability of different methods of contracting.
• Give information about hotels in your chosen destination.
• Show price details, and a brief comparison to other tours
• Conclude your presentation.   

Task 3:

You are working with the marketing department team of the tour operator, where the requirement from you is to review the brochure that is associated with the selling of luxury holidays. You need to evaluate the decision with respect to planning decisions which are taken for designing the brochure, analyse the options to a traditional printed brochure and how different methods used are suitable to sell different types of tour operators. You are further required to gather the lavish holiday brochures from two different tour operators.

AC 3.1 How planning decisions are taken for the purpose of designing any specific brochure.

Do an analysis of Brochures from different tour operators and also do the ratings on

• Cost - design of brochure, distribution, quality of prints, number of copies, wastage.
• Deciding the format - two-folds, three or more like a booklet.
• Target market and budget - Target markets determine the design and quality; budget determines the quality and design and volume required.
• Determining print specifications - nature of the destination; target markets; budgets; style of the font; size
• Timescales and stages of production - deadline of the launch, if it's a new destination; season-ability; requirements/demands of target markets/travel

AC 3.2 Inspect the suitability of various options for a traditional brochure for different types of tour operator.

• E-brochure
• IPad/Android Applications
• Outdoor media (billboards, tube, TfL busses)
• Internet
• Social Media
• Radio/ TV Advertising
• Press (newspapers, magazines)
• Travel fairs (WTM, ITB)

AC 3.3 Examine the suitability of different methods of distribution used to sell a holiday for different types of tour operator

• Direct Distribution
• Two level Distribution
• Through social network website
• Government website
• Online travel agencies
• Visitor information center
• Review sites
• Voucher sites
• Concierge services

AC 4.1 what are the different strategic decisions, that different tour operators made 

• Pricing Strategies
• Surcharge policy
• Positioning and image/branding
• Choice of product in relation to customer portfolio
• Distribution decisions

AC 4.2 Provide a comparative view of the tactical decisions (two examples) that could be taken by a chosen tour operator in different situations.

• Tactical Responses
• Tactical Pricing
• Tactical Marketing