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What is a tour operator and how does it work?

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The tour operator is an integral component of tourism , yet many people are unclear about what a tour operator actually is or what they do.

In this article I will explain what a tour operator is and why tour operators are important. I will also talk about what the difference between a tour operator and a travel agent is, as well as the different types of tour operators.

What is a tour operator?

Definitions of tour operator, importance of tour operators, the difference between a tour operator and a travel agent, what does a tour operator do, products and services sold by tour operators, inbound tour operators, outbound tour operators, domestic tour operators, ground tour operators, the association of independent tour operators, the tour operator: to conclude.

Tour operators are inextricably linked to the package holiday model. The tour operator is the person or organisation who creates the package. A travel agency is then used to sell the package holiday.

In the chain of distribution , the tour operator is represented by the term ‘wholesaler’. This is because the tour operator is responsible for purchasing products of services in bulk and then redistributing them as a packaged product to consumers.

To put it simply, a tour operator is the person or organisation who takes the individual elements of a holiday (e.g. transfer, hotel, transport) and packages these together.

The types of package vary. Most commonly, tour operators are associated with mass tourism and the traditional package holiday market. However, tour operators do also play an important role in the production of niche tourism products and services too.

If you’re looking for a formal definition of a tour operator with a reputable source, you may want to reference Polyther, who in 1993, defined the tour operator as;

‘[an organisation or person] who has the responsibility of putting the tour ingredients together, marketing it, making reservations and handling actual operation’.

Similarly, Holloway (1992) states that;

tour operations undertake a distinct function in the tourism industry, they purchase separate e lements of tourism products/services and combine them into a package tour which they sell directly or indirectly to the tourists .

The Organisation for Economic and Cultural Development (OECD) define a tour operator as follows;

‘Tour operators are businesses that combine two or more travel services (e.g., transport, accommodation, meals, entertainment, sightseeing) and sell them through travel agencies or directly to final consumers as a single product (called a package tour) for a global price. The components of a package tour might be pre-established or can result from an “a la carte” procedure, in which the visitor decides the combination of services he/she wishes to acquire.’

Tour operators are an important part of the tourism industry .

Tour operators make the logistics of organising a holiday much easier for the consumer. This makes people more likely to travel, more often.

Tour operators have a lot of power. If they choose to sell holidays in a particular location, for example, then that location will receive many of the associated positive and negative economic impacts of tourism .

Tour operators are often vertically or horizontally integrated with other organisations, such as travel agents and airlines. This allows for easier management and distribution of products.

Tour operators typically build holidays en masse. This means that economies of scale play a key role in driving down prices- the more you produce the cheaper the product becomes! This is obviously beneficial to the consumer and helps travel agents to have a competitive advantage when selling holidays.

Many people are not aware that a travel agent and a tour operator are actually two totally different organisations and they are not aware of the difference between a tour operator and a travel agent.

In fact, it is quite easy to understand this difference!

A tour operator is the organisation which puts the different elements of a holiday together. And the travel agent is the organisation who sells it to the consumer.

Whilst this differentiation is pretty easy to comprehend, it is easy to understand why people get tour operators and travel agents confused. This is largely because many organisations will operate under the same company. For example, TUI has a tour operator and a travel agent (and an airline too). As a result, many people do not realise that in actual fact, there are two separate organisations doing two separate jobs.

parked boat

Ultimately, a tour operator is responsible for putting the different elements of a holiday together into a commodified package.

To do this, there are a number of different roles and responsibilities that tour operator staff will have. This includes:

  • Data analysis- which destinations will sell best, how many holidays should they sell etc
  • Assessing suitability of accommodation, transfer and transport options
  • Liaising with stakeholders e.g. coach operators, airlines, hoteliers and resort representatives
  • Negotiating contracts
  • Confirming reservations with airlines/hotels
  • Managing and responding to customer feedback
  • Undertaking market research
  • Production of marketing material
  • Providing pricing information
  • Handling bookings, invoicing and issuing of tickets
  • Working with travel consultants from different travel agencies to put holiday packages together

Tour operators have a number of products and services that they sell, depending on their specific business model, business intentions and target market. A tour operator will typically package together two of more elements to form a packaged product, which is then sold at an inclusive price.

Examples include:

  • Package holidays
  • Accommodation
  • Information on destinations
  • Representative service in resorts

Types of tour operator

Tour operators come in all shapes and sizes. Some are large, multinational organisations and other are small, independent business.

Different types of tour operators develop products for different types of tourism . This can include the mass market, niche tourism market, special interest tourism, the luxury market, tailor-made products and dynamic packages .

great wall of china

There are four different types of tour operators, which I will explain below.

  • Inbound Tour Operators
  • Outbound Tour Operators
  • Domestic Tour Operators
  • Ground Operators

The tour operator. types of tour operators.

An inbound tour operator is one who facilitates inbound tourism .

The aim of an inbound tour operator is to bring tourists in to a particular country or countries.

Inbound tour operators will often collaborate with local travel agencies and transport operators to facilitate travel arrangements for their customers.

Inbound tour operator example: A group of German tourists conduct a tour of China, encompassing a visit to Shanghai , Hangzhou and the Yellow Mountains . The tour operator who organises their travel is Chinese-based company China Highlights . This company is based locally in China and they offer local, Chinese tours.

An outbound tour operator is one who facilitates outbound tourism .

The aim of an outbound tour operator is to send tourists out of a particular country or countries.

Outbound tour operators will often collaborate with foreign travel agencies and transport operators to facilitate travel arrangements for their customers.

Outbound tour operator example : A family of four from Liverpool, UK want to book an all-inclusive summer sun holiday in Alicante. They book through TUI , the largest tour operator in Britain, who specialises in outbound travel. They are based in the UK, but they work with foreign partners to facilitate holidays overseas.

A domestic tour operator is one who facilitates domestic tourism .

The aim of a domestic tour operator is to organise travel within a particular country or countries.

Domestic tour operators will often collaborate with domestic travel agencies and transport operators to facilitate travel arrangements for their customers. Domestic tour operators will often also serve the inbound tourism market.

Domestic tour operator example : A group of twenty-something boys from Chicago want to travel to Florida for the spring break holiday. They want to do a tour of the local attractions in the area and have some time to relax on the beach . They organise their travel through the tour company, Trek America . Staff at this company are experts in domestic travel within the USA.

A ground tour operator is an organisation who dopes the ground work as grass roots level.

Many tour operators do not have connections in all places around the world, therefore they build a network of connections to help them run their business.

Essentially, some of the work is passed on to a third party, known as a ground operator. This work may include negotiating local contracts, liaising with local suppliers and providing market data, amongst other things.

This is especially common for small tour operators.

You may also hear ground tour operators referred to as handling operators or handling agents.

Ground tour operator example : A backpacker wants to ‘give something back’ and book a volunteer tourism holiday in Kerala. She wanted to use a known and trusted tour operator to book her trip so she booked it with Intrepid Travel . Intrepid Travel create and sell adventure holidays all over the world, and it is impossible for them to have contacts and every staff in every corner of the globe. Therefore they work with local ground operators, who do the work on the ground. In this instance, the ground organisation is Iris Travel – a tour operator based in Kerela, India.

The Association of Independent Tour Operators , abbreviated as AITO, is a travel industry trade group (like  ABTA  or ATOL) based in Britain. They launched in 1976.

The AITO represents around 120 independent  tour operators  across 200 countries.

These tour operators provide access to a huge range of activities including city breaks, safaris, luxury holidays and much more. The AITO is based in Twickenham, south-west London.

The AITO does a variety of things. Most importantly, you can be reassured that your holiday is well-protected thanks to the Association of Independent Tour Operators.

They assess every member financially as well as by their own business practice code before granting membership; this means that you are guaranteed clear and accurate descriptions of holidays as well as tour standards that are consistently monitored.

Tour operators are an important part of the tourism industry, and with AITO, you have added security when booking your travels through a tour operator. Hopefully after reading this article you are now confident with what a tour operator is, how these organisations work and the different types of tour operators operating the market.

If you liked this article, why not take a look at these too?

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  • 10 jobs in travel and tourism that will be BIG in 2022 and beyond
  • What does the World Travel and Tourism Council do?

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What Does a Tour Operator Do?

Find out what a Tour Operator does, how to get this job, salary information, and what it takes to succeed as a Tour Operator.

tour operator what does it do

The Tour Operator plays an essential role in the travel and tourism industry by designing, organizing, and conducting tours and travel packages for individuals or groups. They ensure that the travel experience is seamless, enjoyable, and enriching, taking care of logistics such as transportation, accommodation, and itinerary planning. By maintaining strong relationships with various stakeholders including hotels, guides, and transport services, they are able to curate experiences that meet the diverse needs and preferences of travelers. Their expertise in understanding destinations, cultural nuances, and local attractions enables them to create packages that offer more than just a visit, but a deep dive into the essence of the place. Through meticulous planning and coordination, the Tour Operator ensures that each journey is memorable, safe, and aligned with the expectations of their clients.

Tour Operator Job Duties

  • Design and develop diverse tour packages to meet the interests and requirements of different groups of tourists, including itinerary planning, accommodation selection, and transportation arrangements.
  • Negotiate contracts with service providers such as hotels, transportation companies, and activity providers to secure the best rates and services for tours.
  • Market and promote tour packages through various channels, including online platforms, travel expos, and partnerships with travel agencies, to attract potential customers.
  • Provide detailed pre-tour information to clients, including travel tips, itinerary details, and necessary preparations, to ensure they are well-prepared for the trip.
  • Lead and manage tours, ensuring all aspects of the tour run smoothly, from coordinating transportation to managing schedules and addressing any issues that arise.
  • Offer insightful and engaging commentary on the cultural, historical, and natural significance of tour destinations to enhance the client’s experience.
  • Handle financial transactions related to the tour, including collecting payments from clients, managing budget allocations for different aspects of the tour, and settling accounts with service providers.
  • Collect feedback from clients post-tour to assess the quality of the experience and identify areas for improvement in future tour offerings.

Tour Operator Salary & Outlook

Tour Operator salaries vary based on experience, niche market expertise (e.g., adventure, luxury, cultural tours), language skills, and the complexity of tours managed. Additionally, the size and reputation of the employing company, along with the individual’s negotiation skills and client satisfaction rates, significantly influence earnings.

  • Median Annual Salary: $51,975 ($24.99/hour)
  • Top 10% Annual Salary: $80,500 ($38.7/hour)

The employment of tour operators is expected to grow faster than average over the next decade.

This growth is driven by increasing global travel demand, a rising interest in unique, personalized travel experiences, and the expansion of the middle class in emerging markets. Tour operators, adept at crafting tailored itineraries and navigating complex travel logistics, are essential in meeting these evolving consumer preferences.

Tour Operator Job Requirements

Education: A Tour Operator typically has diverse educational backgrounds, with many having completed some college courses, often in tourism, hospitality, or business management. High school diploma holders also qualify, ideally with subjects focused on geography, history, and languages. Those with Bachelor’s or Associate’s degrees usually major in travel, tourism management, or related fields, enhancing their understanding of global cultures, travel regulations, and customer service essentials. Education in marketing and communication is also beneficial for this role.

Experience: Tour operators often come from diverse backgrounds, with many entering the field with minimal to moderate experience. A significant portion starts with less than a year’s experience, indicating on-the-job training is common and crucial. This training encompasses customer service, itinerary planning, and safety protocols. Some individuals transition into the role with no prior experience, learning entirely through structured training programs offered by employers. Experience in travel planning, group management, and cultural knowledge is beneficial, highlighting the importance of adaptability and a keen interest in travel and culture. Continuous learning and skill development are key components of succeeding as a tour operator.

Certifications & Licenses: Certifications and licenses for Tour Operators may vary by location but generally include a business license and, in some cases, a tour operator license. Specialized certifications such as the Certified Tour Professional (CTP) offered by the National Tour Association can enhance credibility but are not universally required. No specific certifications or licenses are universally mandated across all regions or types of tour operations.

Tour Operator Skills

Itinerary Planning: Selecting destinations and activities that align with clients’ preferences and comfort levels is crucial for tour operators. They must have a comprehensive understanding of local attractions, cultural nuances, and logistical considerations to craft journeys that are both leisurely and adventurous, ensuring a seamless and enriching travel experience.

Risk Management: Tour operators are tasked with identifying potential hazards and taking preventative actions to safeguard their clients’ safety and satisfaction. A meticulous attention to detail and the ability to foresee and address risks, ranging from natural disasters to health emergencies, are imperative for ensuring secure travel experiences.

Supplier Negotiation: Achieving favorable terms with hotels, transportation providers, and local attractions is critical for the profitability and competitiveness of tour packages. Effective negotiation skills, informed by an understanding of market trends and strong relationships, are necessary to secure deals that benefit both the company and its clients.

Customer Service Excellence: Handling inquiries, complaints, and special requests with patience and positivity is essential. Tour operators must efficiently resolve issues and proactively enhance the customer’s experience, transforming potential challenges into opportunities for outstanding service.

Destination Knowledge: Deep familiarity with the destinations offered is required, encompassing local customs, language nuances, and lesser-known attractions. This enables the creation of tours that are engaging, culturally enriching, and provide travelers with a memorable and authentic experience.

Multilingual Communication: The ability to communicate fluently in multiple languages facilitates effective interaction with a diverse clientele. It ensures that all participants fully comprehend the itinerary, safety instructions, and cultural nuances, allowing for more personalized and engaging experiences that foster a deeper connection between tourists and their destinations.

Tour Operator Work Environment

Tour operators often find themselves in a dynamic work environment, where the office can range from a traditional desk setting to the great outdoors, depending on the day’s needs. The workspace is equipped with standard office tools and specialized software for planning and booking tours, requiring a good grasp of technology.

Work hours can be irregular, with peak seasons dictating longer days and the possibility of work on weekends and holidays. The dress code tends to be casual but may require formal attire for meetings with partners or clients.

The role is inherently social, involving constant interaction with clients, vendors, and team members, making a collaborative and adaptable culture crucial. Travel is a significant component, offering opportunities to explore new destinations but also demanding flexibility and resilience.

Health and safety are paramount, especially when conducting tours, necessitating knowledge of first aid and emergency procedures. The pace can be fast, balancing multiple tours and clients, requiring excellent organizational skills and a calm demeanor.

Professional development is encouraged, with many companies offering training in new destinations, languages, or tour management software, supporting career growth within the industry.

Advancement Prospects

Tour operators can advance their careers by specializing in niche markets, such as eco-tourism or adventure travel, to cater to specific client interests and stand out in the industry. Developing a deep understanding of a particular region or type of travel can lead to becoming a sought-after expert, potentially opening opportunities for higher-level positions within larger travel companies or the foundation for a successful independent business.

Progression can also come from embracing technology, utilizing digital marketing, and social media to enhance customer engagement and expand market reach. This digital proficiency can lead to roles in digital strategy or marketing within the travel sector.

Leadership roles are another advancement path. With experience, a tour operator can transition into managerial positions, overseeing teams, or entire operations. This might involve strategic planning, financial management, and business development responsibilities, contributing to the broader success of a travel organization.

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Tour Operators

Tour operator is an organization, firm, or company who buys individual travel components, separately from their suppliers and combines them into a package tour, which is sold with their own price tag to the public directly or through middlemen, is called a Tour Operator .

More precise tour operators are primarily responsible for delivering and performing the services specified in a given package tour. They can provide these services themselves as some have their own cars and coaches, hotels, and other travel-related services or can obtain these from the other suppliers. That is why they are called manufacturers of tourism products .

Tour operators are sometimes called wholesalers but this is partially true because a wholesaler buys goods and services in bulk at his own account to prepare a tour package and then retails it through the travel agencies or directly to clients. However, a tour operator who has his own one or more tourists products components, (SOTC, TCI, Thomas Cook, Indo Asia KUONI formulates a new tourist product for example ‘ inclusive tours .’

Tour operators generally offer a variety of package tours to cater to the needs of different kinds of travelers.

Definitions of Tour Operator

Poyther (1993) defines, “tour operator is  one who has the responsibility of putting the tour ingredients together, marketing it, making reservations and handling actual operation.”

Holloway (1992) stated that tour operations undertake a distinct function in the tourism industry, they purchase separate elements of tourism products/services and combine them into a package tour which they sell directly or indirectly to the tourists.

Today, tour operators have become highly competitive. They endeavor to achieve a high volume of turnover, and maximum International and domestic market share by effectively operating. Moreover, the success of many developed and developing nations as tourists destinations depend heavily on a tour operator’s ability to attract tourists, development and promotion of tourism plant, diversification of tourism product and their social responsibilities to develop a remote and backward area.

Types of Tour Operators

Tour operators are basically categorized into four types . These are categories on the basis of their nature of the business and its operations.

Inbound Tour Operators

Outbound tour operators, domestic tour operators.

  • Ground Operators

These are also known as incoming tour operators . Technically, the operators who receive guests, clients/tourists, and handle arrangements in the host country are c alled inbound tour operators . For example, a group of American Tourists is coming through TCI Ltd. to India and the company makes arrangements and handles the group in India then TCI is called an inbound tour operator.

Incidentally, the inbound traffic to the country for the last two decades has been decreasing. Essentially the tour operators need to adopt innovative marketing strategies and should introduce a special interest tour to cater the special needs of Japanese, Americans, French and British people.

Tour operator who promote tours for foreign destinations, maybe business tour or leisure tour is called outbound tour operators . For example a group of American tourists going to a trip of India and Thomas Cook handle arrangement in America like as ticket reservation, hotel booking etc. then Thomas Cook is called Outbound Tour operators in the context of America.

Domestic tour operators are those who assemble, combine tourist components into inclusive tours and sell it to the domestic travelers. In general, these tour operators provide travel services within the tourist’s native country.

The domestic tour operators operate within the boundary of the home country and offer package tour to the travelers viz. Domestic inclusive tours or independent tours.

Ground Operators/Destination Management Companies

These are commonly known as handling agencies and their main function is to organize tour arrangements for incoming tourists on the behalf of overseas operators. Let us take the case of India as a destination that – has a varied culture.

When a tour operator himself promotes beach holidays, wildlife holidays, adventure tours, heritage tours at the different places, the difficulty arises. It is the ground operator then who by handling the incoming travelers in the same season but at different places ensures that the entire operation is according to the package tours or agreements.

Sometime when a handling agency is at a prominent tourist place i.e., Delhi and it has to make arrangements to Goa, then it contracts (If it has no office of its own) with a local operator (known as excursion agent) to handle the arrangement on his behalf.

Why Ground Operators?

Obviously, the tour operation companies do not have close contact with suppliers, governments, destinations and so on. It leaves no choice with the companies but to appoint handling agencies at the destinations.  The main reasons are:

  • Introduction of new products or plant to promote an exotic destination.
  • Lack of Government regulations.
  • Lack of personal contract.
  • Language problem.
  • The company cannot establish its own branch.

Recognizing the very fact that the reputation, performance, and profitability of tour company in its own market largely depends on the efficiency and effectiveness of ground operators, it has because necessary for the company to consider various factors before the selection of a handling agency, they are:

  • Size of business
  • Professional staff
  • Length of business
  • Area of operation/Product line
  • Market share

Functions of Ground Tour Operators

Over the years of functions and activities of the destination, companies have changed drastically to cope with the changing environment of the tourism industry. In fact, today’s destination companies have become more professional and are bound to provide personalized travel services to the tourists. The following functions are performed by ground tours operators:

  • Land arrangement
  • Contract and Negotiate with other vendors
  • Handling of Arrival and departure procedure
  • Planning and organizing local package tour
  • Escorting the tourists
  • Providing market information
  • Costing and pricing package tour

Practically, if we see the working of the travel agencies and tour operators in the industry we find that most of the organizations are performing different types of activities like the retail travel agency , wholesale travel agency, and tour operators.

The travel agency business is no longer an amateurism. Over the last two decades, the pattern and structure of travel agencies have changed to meet tough challenges in the international market. Today, small-scale agencies are finding the travel industry increasingly complex.

Thus, the small and medium scale travel agencies are disappearing or merging or falling instead of rising. On the other hand, a new concept has also emerged i.e. tour operation business . The tour operation business is new but a maturing business at the global level.

Functions of Tour Operator

A tour operator is an organization, firm, or person who is responsible for the actual arrangement of transport and accommodation facilities on any tour or vacations. They are also responsible for operating and providing vacation through contracting, booking, and packaging together of the various components of the tour such as hotel, transportation, meals, guides, optional tours, and sometimes flights.

A tour operator is like a service provider, providing the most convenient option for tourists to stay, visit, as well as leave from the city. A tour operator owns a high volume of travel services across carriers, services, and accommodation. Some most important functions of the tour operators are following as:

Planning a Tour

The most important functions of the tour operators are planning a tour. Tour operators plan a tour and make tour itinerary which contains the identification of the origin, destination and all the stopping point in a traveler’s tours. A prospective tour operator also gives advice to intending tourists in various types of tour programmes, which they may choose for their leisure or commercial travel.

Making Tour Package

Tour operator buys individual travel components, separately from there suppliers and combines them into a package tour. Tour operators make tour package by assembling various travel components into a final product that is called tour package which is sold to tourist with own price tag. Making tour packages is also an important function of Tour Operator.

Arranging a Tour

Tour operators make tour package and also arrange a tour according to tourist demands. Tour operators arrange the tour package and various tourists activities to provide the best experience to tourists/traveler.

Travel Information

Whatever the size of tour operators, it has provided necessary travel information to the tourists. This task is utterly difficult and very complicated. A tour operator must give up-to-date, accurate and timely information regarding destinations, modes of travel, accommodation, sightseeing, immigration, health and security rules about various permits required to travel in a particular area etc.

Reservation

It is a very important function of all type tour operators and travel agencies. Tour operator makes all the reservation by making linkages with accommodation sector, transport sector and other entertainment organizations to reserve rooms, and seats in cultural programmes and transportation.

Travel Management

Tour operators manage tour from beginning to the end of the tour. A tour operator has the responsibility to look after the finer details of a vacation or tour such as hotel, accommodation, meals, conveyance etc. Tour operators provide travel guide, escorting services and arrange all travel related needs and wants.

Evaluate the Option Available

Tour operators evaluate all available options to provide a unique or unforgettable travel experience to tourists during their journey. Tour operators evaluate the various options available for a tour package and provide best of them to tourists.

Tour Operators makes tour packages and promote them into various tourists markets at domestic as well international level. Tour operators promote a travel destination to attract a large group of tourists at domestic as well as international level. In the promotion of tourist destination, tour operators play a key role. Travel agencies or tour operators are called as image builder of a country.

Sales and Marketing

Tour operators do sales and marketing of tourist products. Tour operators buy individual travel components, separately and combine them into a tour package, which is sold with their own price tag to the public directly. Tour operators do marketing of tourist destinations and tourism product to attracts the attention of the tourists/travelers.

Taking Care of Glitch

Tours operators are also called handling agencies which handles tour package and take care of all the glitches and problems arises during a tour package. Tour operators fix the glitches and provide the best available alternative to tourists during their journey.

Importance of Tour Operators

Tours operators play a key role in the tourism sector. Tour operators create tourist products, promote them a finally sold them to tourists.

Tour operators provide the best and competitive price to the tourist. Tour operators negotiate with suppliers of tourism products such as hotels, airlines and provide the best possible price to the tourist. Tour operators buy tourist products in bulk and get huge discounts from suppliers. So that they provide tourist products at a cheap price.

Tour operators organized a tour in the best way. They personalize and make sure each and every component of the tour is well-taken care. Tour operators provide the best travel experience during a tour. Tour operators save tourists time and money.

Tour operators provide immediate support systems at the host country as well as a foreign land. When tourists travel to a foreign land and things get uncertain, maybe its a health or loss of documents and need to return back or change of travel plan. A qualified tour operator takes care of all these unseen events with efficiency.

Tour operator caters to the needs of tourists on the based on their taste of travel. Tour operator provides all the best available option according to tourist needs and demands

Difference between Travel Agent and Tour Operator

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between tour operators and travel agents what exactly makes them different. The main difference between a Travel agent and Tour operator are following as:

  • A travel agent is a person who has full knowledge of tourist product – destinations, modes of travel, climate, accommodation, and other areas of the service sector. He acts on the behalf of the product providers/principals and in return get a commission.
  • Tour operator is an organization, firm, or company that buys individual travel components, separately from their suppliers and combines them into a package tour, which is sold with their own price tag to the public directly or through middlemen.
  • Tour operators are like wholesalers and travel agents are the retailers.
  • A tour operator makes the package holidays up and the travel agents sell them on.
  • Tour operator taking up the bulk of the responsibilities and his fee is obviously much greater than a travel agent.
  • A tour operator has the responsibility to look after the finer details of a vacation or tour such as hotel, accommodation, meals, conveyance, etc.

The wholesale travel agencies may offer or operate the package tours or may specialize in developing tours for inbound as well as outbound travelers. They are often referred to as tour operators, but there is a difference between Wholesale Travel Agencies and Tour operators .

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What Tasks Do Tour Operators Commonly Handle?

Tour operators are essential to crafting successful travel experiences. They meticulously plan every detail, from creating engaging itineraries to managing logistics, ensuring clear communication , prioritizing safety, and enhancing cultural experiences.

This blog delves into their vital roles, highlighting how they transform simple travel plans into extraordinary, unforgettable journeys.

Join us to discover the behind-the-scenes expertise that makes every trip seamless and enjoyable.

What Tasks Do Tour Operators Handle?

1. itinerary planning.

tour operator what does it do

Tour operators carefully plan travel itineraries to maximize tourist experiences.

For example, they may craft a week-long itinerary for exploring historical landmarks, including guided tours of famous monuments and cultural sites.

They aim to strike a balance between providing a diverse and engaging experience while also ensuring a smooth and enjoyable travel flow for tourists.

2. Logistics and Booking

tour operator what does it do

Handling all logistics, tour operators book accommodations, transportation, and activities.

For instance, they might arrange hotel stays, get accommodation, book flights, and secure museum tickets.

Tour operators organize transportation, such as flights, ground transportation (buses, trains, cars), and even internal transfers between destinations.

3. Customer Communication

tour operator what does it do

Maintaining clear and timely communication with customers is vital. Tour operators send pre-trip information, answer queries , and provide updates.

For instance, they might send travelers detailed instructions and trip reminders before departure.

4. Safety and Emergencies

tour operator what does it do

Traveler safety is paramount. Tour operators develop safety protocols and handle emergencies, such as coordinating medical assistance or rearranging plans due to unexpected weather conditions.  

Tour operators develop contingency plans to address unforeseen circumstances, including evacuation procedures if required.

Regular training of staff and guides in first aid and emergency response further enhances their readiness to handle any situation.

5. Cultural Enrichment

tour operator what does it do

Tour operators educate tourists about local cultures and customs, enhancing their travel experience.

For example, they may arrange authentic cultural demonstrations, like traditional dance performances or cooking classes.

Cultural enrichment involves enhancing travelers' experiences by introducing them to local customs, traditions, and authentic cultural activities during their journeys.

Tour operators play a key role in facilitating these meaningful encounters, allowing tourists to immerse themselves in the culture of the destinations they visit.

What can help tour operators?

Online booking software is essential for tour operators, streamlining their operations and saving time. Here's how:

  • Automated Bookings : It automates reservations, reducing manual effort and speeding up confirmation processes.
  • Centralized Management : Offers a single platform to manage all bookings, from flights to tours, ensuring real-time tracking and reducing overbooking errors.
  • Time-Saving Features : Includes automated emails, reminders, and easy itinerary generation, freeing up time for operators to focus on customer service.

Key Features to Look For:

tour operator what does it do

  • User-Friendly Interface : Easy navigation for efficient management.
  • Integration Capabilities : Compatibility with various platforms for seamless operations.
  • Customization : Flexibility in package and pricing adjustments.
  • Real-Time Updates : Keeps track of availability to prevent overbooking.
  • Analytics Tools : Provides insights for better business decisions.
  • Mobile Compatibility : Ensures management on the go.

In short, the right online booking software can significantly enhance tour operators' efficiency, allowing them to concentrate on creating memorable travel experiences.

Tour operators play a crucial role in the travel industry, working tirelessly to create memorable journeys.

Their dedication to detail, commitment to safety, and focus on providing enriching experiences are key to successful trips.

They expertly handle everything from itineraries to communication, making travel dreams come true. Remember to appreciate these hardworking professionals who make your adventures possible.

FAQ Section

1. how do tour operators create travel itineraries that cater to different interests and preferences.

Tour operators often conduct thorough market research and use their destination knowledge to design diverse itineraries. They may offer various tour packages to accommodate different interests, such as cultural, adventure, or leisure-focused trips.

2. What safety measures do tour operators have in place to ensure travelers' well-being during their journeys?

Tour operators prioritize safety by developing comprehensive safety protocols. This includes partnering with reputable service providers, monitoring weather conditions, and having contingency plans for emergencies, such as medical support and evacuation procedures.

3. How can I communicate with my tour operator before and during the trip to address any questions or concerns?

Tour operators maintain open lines of communication with travelers. They typically provide contact information for inquiries and emergencies and may use email, phone, or dedicated customer support platforms to address traveler questions and provide updates during the journey.

4. How do travel agents utilize customer service skills in the tourism industry?

Travel agents in the tourism industry leverage their customer service skills to provide personalized and efficient services.

They focus on understanding the specific needs and preferences of each client. This ensures that all travel package details are tailored to offer an enriching experience.

These travel agents work very closely with clients, offering guidance and expertise in destination knowledge, which is crucial for planning a successful itinerary.

5. What role do travel consultants play in supporting local communities through tourism?

Travel consultants play a vital role in promoting and supporting local communities within the tourism industry.

By designing travel packages that include visits to local attractions and businesses, they help distribute tourism benefits to smaller, often rural communities.

Their planned itineraries often focus on cultural immersion, allowing travelers to gain a better understanding of the local way of life. In addition, they contribute to the local economy.

6. How has the booking process evolved in travel agencies?

In the last 20 years, travel agencies have seen a significant evolution in the process of booking flights and accommodations.

With the advent of advanced booking systems and online platforms, agents can now offer a wider range of options and more competitive prices to their clients.

The integration of data from airlines, hotels, and other service providers into their systems allows agents to efficiently manage reservations and customize travel packages to suit different budgets and preferences.

7. In what ways do travel and tourism companies use marketing and websites to enhance their business?

Travel and tourism companies increasingly rely on marketing and websites to enhance their business.

A well-designed website serves as a one-stop-shop for clients to browse travel options, access brochures, maps, and detailed information about destinations and events.

Effective marketing strategies, including online advertising, website, and social media engagement, help these companies reach larger groups, showcase their services, and highlight the unique aspects of their travel packages, ultimately driving bookings and increasing revenue.

8. What are the responsibilities of agents in managing group travel and ensuring a budget-friendly vacation?

Agents specializing in group travel manage the complexities involved in organizing trips for large groups. This includes coordinating with various service providers, handling group reservations, and ensuring logistics are in place.

They also focus on keeping the vacation within budget, negotiating costs with airlines, hotels, and other vendors to offer the best value for money.

Their skills in planning and attention to details are essential in ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience for all group members.

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What is a Tour Operator?

Embarking on a journey to a new destination is an exciting adventure that brings with it the promise of discovery, cultural immersion, and unforgettable experiences. While the allure of wanderlust beckons, the complexities of planning a seamless trip can sometimes be daunting. This is where tour operators step in to create a bridge between your travel dreams and reality. In this blog, we’ll delve into the world of tour operators, highlighting their benefits and comparing them to traditional travel agencies.

A tour operator is a travel professional or company that designs, organizes, and sells comprehensive travel packages that include various elements such as transportation, accommodation, activities, meals, and more. These packages are carefully curated to offer travelers a hassle-free and well-structured experience. Tour operators work closely with local suppliers, hotels, transportation providers, and guides to ensure that every aspect of your journey is thoughtfully planned and executed.

The Benefits of Choosing a Tour Operator

Expertise and Local Insight: Tour operators possess in-depth knowledge of the destinations they offer. They have the ability to craft itineraries that showcase the must-see attractions as well as hidden gems that might go unnoticed by the average traveler.

Saves Time and Effort: Planning a trip can be time-consuming and overwhelming. Tour operators take the burden off your shoulders by handling all the logistics, from booking accommodations and arranging transportation to organizing activities.

Tailored Experiences: While group tours are popular, tour operators also offer customized itineraries for travelers who prefer a more personal touch. They consider your preferences, interests, and travel style to create a journey that suits you perfectly.

Seamless Transitions: Moving from one location to another can sometimes be tricky, especially in unfamiliar places. Tour operators ensure smooth transitions between destinations, taking care of transportation and minimizing any potential stress.

Access to Exclusive Experiences: Tour operators often have established relationships with local guides and suppliers, granting you access to unique experiences that might not be available to independent travelers.

Safety and Support: Traveling to a foreign country can present unexpected challenges. Tour operators provide a safety net, offering assistance and support in case of emergencies or unforeseen circumstances.

Tour Operators vs. Travel Agencies

While both tour operators and travel agencies play pivotal roles in the travel industry, they differ in their approach and scope:

Tour Operators: As discussed, tour operators focus on crafting comprehensive travel packages that encompass various aspects of a journey. They specialize in creating cohesive experiences, handling everything from accommodations to activities.

Travel Agencies: Travel agencies primarily assist with booking individual components of a trip, such as flights, accommodations, and car rentals. They offer flexibility but often require travelers to assemble these components into a coherent itinerary themselves.

Why Choose a Tour Operator?

Holistic Experience: Tour operators offer a complete, well-rounded experience that takes the stress out of planning.

Local Insights: Their expertise ensures that you gain insights into the culture, history, and lifestyle of your destination.

Time and Effort Savings: With all the logistics managed for you, you can fully immerse yourself in the journey without worrying about details.

Peace of Mind: The support and assistance of a tour operator provide a safety net, enhancing your sense of security while traveling.

Exclusive Access: Tour operators often provide access to unique experiences that are carefully curated to enhance your journey.

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In the realm of travel, tour operators emerge as true architects of unforgettable experiences. With their dedication to crafting seamless journeys, local insights, and personalized touch, they stand out as ideal partners for turning your travel dreams into reality. When considering your next adventure, think beyond the conventional travel agency and embrace the benefits of choosing a tour operator. Your voyage awaits – let Juniper guide you on a path to remarkable discoveries.

Thanks for checking out Juniper Tours’ Travel blog! We hope you enjoyed your read and if you’re looking for more content please check out our other blog posts ! If you’re looking for help planning your next travel adventure then book a FREE travel consultation with one of our Travel Specialists today!​

Schedule a Free Travel consultation today!​

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What is a Tour Operator: A Travel Definition

What is a tour operator.

When looking to work in the travel industry the big decision is between whether you want to be a tour operator or a travel agent. So, what is a tour operator?

Definition of a Tour Operator

A tour operator controls, books and devises the whole trip. They create a package holiday by combining all elements such as hotel, airport transfers, activities, restaurants, tours and such like. A tour may not include all of these elements, the list is purely an example.

The Difference between a tour operator and a travel agent is that a tour operator makes the package and can sell direct to consumer. A travel agent sells the packages created to the consumer.

In essence, the different roles do what they say on the label-

A tour operator – operates the tour

A travel agent – is purely an agent for holidays selling tours that are provided.

Creating a Package Holiday

Tour operators create a package holiday. The Definition of a Package Holiday means the arranged combination of at least two of the following components:

  • Accommodation
  • Other tourist services that account for a significant proportion of the package.

The most common package holidays that the consumer sees are accommodation and flights, accommodation and airport transfer or entire bespoke tours. A tour operator does not always sell flights, they can also be purely ground-based.

Cycling holidays, yoga retreats, wellness holidays, detox retreats, skiing holidays, hiking breaks, theatre breaks, cookery escapes are all examples. This list is far from exhaustive.

All package holidays are subject to Package Travel Regulations .

Niche Tour Operators

The reason tour operating began was to offer packages to untouched parts of the world. The layman didn’t have access to make arrangements in less well-known areas of the world. In today’s world we have the internet and so the world has become very small and incredibly accessible. However, there is a bigger demand for niche tour operators today than ever before.

The travel industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and travel is now seen as a necessity in people’s lives, especially millennials. Niche tour operators offer some fabulously unusual trips such as seeing orangutans in Borneo to driving holidays in Albania to photography tours in the North Pole – every corner of the world can be discovered. It is an incredibly exciting time for the travel industry. The question may not simply be what a tour operator is, but what they can offer.

Starting As A Tour Operator

If you are looking to start as a tour op. there are a plethora of options to enable you to develop and expand your business – more so than ever before. The fundamental point of running your business successfully is to appreciate that consumer protection is the key in travel.

If you’d like to discuss this further, please get in contact with one of Protected Trust Services’ (PTS) lovely staff members by calling 0207 190 9988 . Or, you can visit our member support and travel trust account pages to learn more about how we protect you.

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Tour Operator Software

How does the travel industry actually work?

A traveller exploring an alleyway with pink buildings, and the words Understanding the travel industry.

You may be new to the travel industry, investigating a career in travel or just trying to research a bit about the industry ahead of your next adventure. There’s a mass of information out there and it can be overwhelming to wrap your head around. Lucky for you, our team of travel experts have been hard at work to give you a bird’s eye view of the travel industry as a whole .

The travel industry has gone through many evolutions with a variety of external factors contributing to who has access to travel, where they are travelling to and what the travel industry looks like overall.

A few important travel industry statistics

Let’s start by setting the scene…the travel industry is HUGE and the numbers certainly prove it .

In 2022, the travel industry contributed 9.5% GDP with a traveller purchasing a ticket; employed 320 million people globally with a tour guide telling a story; and 969.4 million international tourist arrivals with a traveller excited to explore the city they are in.

Source: Statista

A brief history of the travel industry

We are fortunate to live in a globalised world meaning that travel is reasonably accessible. At the press of a button, most people are able to book a flight and jet off to wherever our wallets will take us. 

But, it hasn’t always been so easy. To help you understand how the industry has developed to the point it has today and where it might head in the future, here is a travel industry timeline.

Before the mid 20th century, travel was reserved for the extremely wealthy. It was expensive and it was time-consuming (can you imagine having to travel on a boat for 3 weeks…. or 3 months!). The concept of a ‘travel industry’ had not yet formed; it was more a collection of hotels, restaurants and coachlines who all operated independently from one another.

1950 – 2000

After the Second World War, travel suddenly started to become accessible for many more people due to the development of commercial airlines. Although they were originally still very expensive,  costs started to reduce over the years and more people were able to invest in seeing the world.

The industry grew and grew, and many saw a gap in the market for people wanting to travel but not having the knowledge, or time to organise it themselves – travel agents and tour operators started to establish themselves!

2000 – 2019

The travel industry has undoubtedly boomed, and the way that people travel is almost unrecognisable from the early 20th century. With smartphones, we now have unlimited apps at our fingertips, specifically designed to make every aspect of travel easier. 

For travellers, there are websites and apps to help them plan their travel, help them while travelling and to give them inspiration for their next trip! For travel agents and tour operators, itinerary software has streamlined much of their processes, from itinerary planning to customer relationship management. Now all this technology is amazing, and helps our lives in many ways, but has also resulted in fragmentation of the travel industry with travellers choosing to plan and manage their trips themselves or online increasingly.

 2020 and the future of travel

Due to the pandemic and the pause in travel, both countries and travellers worldwide re-evaluated travel and how it should be conducted. Countries who experienced over-tourism considered ways to encourage more sustainable travel in their destinations . For travellers, Covid triggered them to start thinking about their bucket list destinations and working with travel designers to plan and book them. This resulted in tourism returning with a significant rise in 2022, although the industry is indicating it might be plateauing in 2023/2024 .

How does the industry actually work?

You may be thinking to yourselves, how does travel actually function as an industry . How does it all fit together? You are not alone, it’s a complex industry notorious for its jargon, terminology and abundance of acronyms!

A diagram explaining the travellers journey from inspiration to destination, which involves intermediaries like tour operators, travel agents, DMC's and Suppliers.

As you can see there are a few key players to remember:

Tourism Boards and Government organisations: Usually run or overseen by local or national governments. These boards set in place regulations for the other players in the industry. They also market countries or cities as tourist destinations for potential travellers

Suppliers/Vendors: Suppliers (or Vendors) are the hotels, the restaurants and the activity providers that travellers eat, stay and partake in on their travels. Travellers may liaise with and purchase from suppliers directly if they are organising their own travels, or communications with suppliers may be managed entirely by a middle-man (AKA, the tour operator, travel agent, travel wholesaler or DMC).

Tour Operators: Tour Operators design itineraries, often tailor made, for their customers, liaising with suppliers to organise and book the travel itinerary (partially or start to finish)

Travel Agents: Travel agents liaise with tour operators to book packages and tours for their clients. As such, tour operators will often focus on a certain destination or market area, whereas travel agents can focus on selling the whole world – with a comprehensive list of suppliers in their books

Destination Management Companies (DMC’s) : Organisations that specialise in offering tours, logistics, and planning services for a particular destination. They often re-sell their services to tour operators

Ground Handlers : A ground handler takes care of some day to day operations and tour management such as picking customers up from the airport and arranging sightseeing tours

Associations and Memberships: These organisations exist to provide support, promotion, and opportunity to other players in the travel industry. All of them operate with a slightly different mission, whether it’s to promote sustainable business practices, celebrate the luxury travel market or to connect travellers with LGBTQ friendly travel businesses

Travellers: Arguably the most important cog in the wheel. Everyone in the tourism industry sets out to meet travellers’ needs – to ensure they keep coming back for more!

The beauty of the travel industry supply chain is how all of these key players work together creating one of the worlds biggest industries.   

A diagram explaining how all the key players in the travel industry interact with each other and work together to market to the traveller.

 Interested to learn more?

The ultimate A-Z glossary for the Travel industry. Understand the different terms, jargon and acronyms.

For a taste of the luxury end of travel, explore our list of Exclusive luxury travel communities

To discover more about sustainable tourism, download our ebook focusing on how to elevate travel design with sustainability.

Travel designers- meet the influencers you should work with.

Travel designers- meet the influencers you should work with.

Understand the role travel influencers play in the industry and why tour operators should be following, interacting and collaborating with them. Explore eight global travel influencers who are inspiring travellers daily.

Tourism news websites you can trust

Tourism news websites you can trust

In the tourism industry it can be hard to differentiate the reliable travel news sources from the not-so-trustworthy ones. In this blog we summarise the top travel news websites that tour operators, travel agencies and DMC’s should pay attention to.

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Making changes happen is hard. Especially when it is something that will create a significant impact on the way you work, like new software. We discover what change management is and how it can assist you, your leaders and your team in creating new processes that will make you more successful in the long run. Is it time for a change?

How can tour operators contribute to sustainable tourism?

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Sustainability is a key pillar of tourism, with a growing number of people interested in travelling responsibly and sustainably. We explore the easy ways in which your tour operator business can make a positive change. You can help to encourage economic growth and protect our environment whilst also watching your business flourish… could it get better?

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Tour operator: types, certification, management, and functions.

We see a variety of advertisements in day-to-day life in magazines as well as newspapers regarding a three-day or one-week tour that mentions the total cost of the package with an itinerary.

Tour Operator

For instance, a one-week tour to Thailand under ₹ 50,000 or grab coupons worth ₹ 1000 on booking flights for Goa or heavy-off season discounts if you are headed to Fiji. These are tour package available for both individuals and groups. These tour packages are created by tour operator who has been in industry for a good amount of time.

Get answers to all your questions about a tour operator.

What is a tour operator?

Working out the details of travel and pleasure takes a lot of time and effort. But as said before, it is a time-consuming process; there are travelers who want to spare the effort of planning their journeys, stays, etc. Rather they would pay someone else to do the entire arrangement. This demand led to the origin of tour operators. Today many people who like to wander and explore buy these packages as per their interests, priorities, and budget (which is always pre-determined). This package designed by the tour operator includes travel (to and fro/surface), accommodation, escort/guide, and so on. The person who puts together all these aspects of travel into a tour operator package is called a tour operator.

In general, we can say that a tour operator is a person who figures out information, plans, and co-ordinates travel with various agencies to create a package or service for the traveler. A tour operator is also responsible for the smooth conduct during the duration of the travel. Thus, tour operators can also be called tour consultants or tour coordinators.

A tour operator may or may not necessarily have their own product(s), but at the same time, they can choose to act as an intermediary to tailor a package to meet the demands/needs of the travelers. 

Importance of Tour Operators

Importance of Tour Operators

Tour operators play an important role in organizing explorations, research, and holidays. We must remember that tour operators originated when the idea of romanticized travel came into the picture. 

Tour Operators provide the best and most competitive prices to the traveler. Tour operators play an important role in negotiating with tourism suppliers (such as hotels, cruises, guides, airlines, etc.) Tour Operators also buy products in bulk, getting them at discounted rates. As a result of it, travelers get the best holiday package possible.

When tourists travel to a different land, things can get uncertain, it can be a health issue, or emergency back in the homeland, or loss of documents and the need to return or maybe change their travel plans. It is important for a qualified tour operator to take care of it all. Tour Operators have good networks across the land, which helps travelers in case of emergency in the host country as well as in foreign land.

Tour Operators cater to a personalized experience based on the taste of the traveler. 

Types of Tour Operators

Types of Tour Operators

Typically, there are four different sorts of tour providers. These are categorized based on the type of business and how it operates.

  • Inbound Tour Operators
  • Outbound Tour Operators
  • Domestic Tour Operators
  • Ground Operators

Inbound Tour Operators: Incoming tour operators is another name for them. Inbound tour operators are defined as businesses that welcome visitors, customers, or tourists and handle arrangements within the host nation. For instance, if TCI Ltd. arranges for a group of American tourists to go via it to India and manages the group there, TCI is referred to be an inbound tour operator.

Outbound Tour Operators: Outbound tour operators are those who market trips to overseas locations, whether they be for business or pleasure. For instance, if Thomas Cook handles bookings for a group of French tourists traveling to India, Thomas Cook is referred to be an outbound tour operator in the context of France.

Domestic Tour Operators: Domestic tour operators are those that put up included trips from various tourist attractions and market them to domestic tourists. Typically, these tour firms offer domestic travel services to tourists.

Domestic inclusive tours and independent tours are offered to tourists by domestic tour operators working inside their own country's borders.

Ground Tour Operators: These types of tour operators are often referred to as handling agencies, and their primary job is to plan tours for inbound passengers on behalf of foreign operators. Consider India as an example of a country with a diverse culture.

The issue occurs when a travel operator offers beach vacations, wildlife vacations, adventure tours, and historical tours at various locations. Therefore, it is the ground operator's responsibility to manage the arriving travelers throughout the same season but at various locations and ensure that everything runs according to the package tours or agreements.

Functions of Tour Operators

Functions of Tour Operators

A tour operator is an organization, individual, or entity in charge of setting up the actual transportation and lodging for any tour or holiday. Additionally, they organize and run vacations by hiring, scheduling, and combining different tour elements, including accommodation, food, transportation, guides, optional excursions, and occasionally even flights.

A tour operator is similar to a service provider in that they provide holidaymakers with the easiest way to arrive, stay, and depart from a place. A tour operator controls a significant number of travel-related airlines, services, and lodging. 

The following are some of the functions of tour operators:

Planning a tour: Planning a tour is one of the significant functions of the tour operators. Planning a tour, creating an itinerary, information about the destination, activities to do, and more are all the duties of the tour operator. A tour operator is also a tour consultant who offers his/her advice to the traveler on the basis of the interest they have, which they may choose for their next leisure or business trip.

Making Tour package: Tour operator buys travel components (such as flights, hotels, excursions, and more) to combine them into a package tour. They create a tour package by assembling various travel components into a final product that is sold to the tourist with a price tag of its own.

Arranging the tour: Travel companies create travel packages and organize tours based on visitor preferences. To give visitors/travelers the greatest experience possible, tour operators organize the trip package and numerous tourism activities.

Travel Information: No matter the size of the tour operators, it is always necessary to provide appropriate information to travelers. It is the most important function of tour operators to give timely updates degrading the destination, accommodation, sightseeing, immigration, health, rules, and regulation.

Reservation: One function that every tour operator or travel agency perform is making a reservation. A tour operator should be well connected to get the best price to make a booking, whether for hotels, flights, or entertainment activities.

Considering the Alternatives: Tour operators must evaluate available options to provide unique and unforgettable travel experiences. It is necessary for a tour operator to evaluate all the available options before they sell it to tourists.

Sales and Marketing: The only way a tour operator can make money is by selling the tour packages that they have carefully constructed, keeping in mind the traveler’s requirements. It is a salient function of the tour operator to market their packages in the right manner to generate revenue.

Taking Care of Problems: As said before, tour operators are also called tour coordinators who are responsible for the smooth conduct of the holiday if any problem arises. Tour operators correct the issues and offer travelers the best possible substitute during their vacation.

Tour Operator Certification

The highest ethical and environmental standards available are met by your operations if they have been certified by an Accredited Certification Body. The public's concern about the negative and beneficial effects of travel and tourism is increasing, and certification offers a respectable answer to challenging environmental and social problems.

These are the following certificates that a tour operator can take to become a certified operator.

IATA – International Air Transport Association

PATA – Pacific Asia Travel Association

WTTC – World Travel and Tourism Council

IATO – Indian Association of Tour Operators

Being a tour operator is a multifaceted and exciting job. Building strong partnerships with suppliers and delivering outstanding customer service is key to success in this field. Additionally, to become and keep up with the latest trends in travel industry, tour operator training is provided by many organizations and education centers. Tour operators should ensure to enrol in these programs and use technology to their benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. what is the main role of a tour operator.

A1. A tour operator is a member of the hospitality industry that plans tours and offers assistance to clients, and ensures they have a comfortable time. Based on their financial situation and personal preferences, these experts provide consumers with advice on various travel packages.

Q2. Why does one need a tour operator?

A2. They personalize the tour and ensure that every detail is taken care of. Everything from the airport to hotel transfer, meet and greet, hotel check-in, meals, transportation to the trade show, sightseeing, and other activities are scheduled to make the most of your time and money spent with them.

Q3. How do I start a tour and travel business?

A3. Starting a tour and travel business can be an exciting and rewarding venture. Here are some steps to help you get started:

  • Know Your Business.
  • Determine Target Market.
  • Analyze Competitors.
  • Outline Strategies.
  • Set a Budget.
  • Get to Work.

tour operator what does it do

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What does a Tour Operator do?

Combining tour and travel components to create a great holiday

A tour operator is a company that successfully combines tour and travel components to create a good holiday. Common examples of a tour operator’s services are transfers to and from the airport, hotel bookings, tours, guides, etc., all included in the services of a local representative agency and all for one price. Niche tour operators specialize in specific destinations. For example, Israel, a trip to the Holy Land with visits to all the historical and biblical sites retelling the stories of the Bible, the ancient history of the land and the people and showing modern-day Israel as well as combining everything that a tourist will need to make the trip perfect. A tour operator is supposed to easily solve language, currency, and communication problems.

The advent of the internet has led to a rapid increase in the number of tourists who prefer self-packaging. However, tour operator companies still have the advantage of the personal touch in providing tour arrangements for those who do not have time to deal with everything by themselves. Also, they specialize in large group events and meetings such as seminars and conferences. Tour operators enter into powerful contracts with the suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, other land arrangements, cruises, etc., and can deal with other entities such as tourism boards and government authorities. All of this is in order to provide their clients with special packages for destinations which otherwise might be too difficult and expensive to visit.

In the last few years, due to the global economic crisis, tour operators, like many other businesses, indicated great losses. Since 2008, the tour operator business in many countries has been reduced almost to zero, and only a few countries that have managed to maintain strong and stable economies have provided the base necessary for tour operators to continue expanding their business – Israel being one of them.

Using a tour operator is a good decision when planning your trip to Israel. You will save a lot of time and energy and just be able to have a great vacation.

Contact us to help you plan your next trip to the Holy Land.

tour operator what does it do

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What does a tour guide do?

Would you make a good tour guide? Take our career test and find your match with over 800 careers.

What is a Tour Guide?

A tour guide provides assistance, information, and guidance to individuals or groups of tourists during their travels. Their primary role is to enhance the travel experience by sharing knowledge and insights about the destinations, attractions, and cultural aspects of the places being visited. Tour guides are well-versed in the history, geography, culture, and traditions of the locations they cover, and they use their expertise to educate and entertain the tourists.

Tour guides are responsible for organizing and leading tours, ensuring that the itinerary is followed, and the group stays on schedule. They may work in various settings, including cities, historical sites, natural landscapes, or cultural landmarks. During tours, guides provide commentary, answer questions, and engage with the tourists, creating an interactive and immersive experience. They may also assist with logistical matters, such as arranging transportation, coordinating entry to attractions, and recommending places to eat or shop.

What does a Tour Guide do?

An animated tour guide giving a group of visitors information about the area they are in.

Tour guides bring destinations to life by providing valuable expertise and insights. While guidebooks and online resources can offer information, tour guides offer a unique and personalized experience that cannot be replicated.

Duties and Responsibilities Tour guides have a range of duties and responsibilities to ensure a smooth and enjoyable travel experience for tourists. Some of the key responsibilities include:

  • Planning and organizing: Tour guides research and plan tour itineraries, considering factors such as the duration of the tour, the interests of the group, and the availability of attractions. They arrange transportation, accommodation, meals, and any necessary permits or tickets, ensuring that everything is well-coordinated.
  • Providing information and commentary: A primary role of tour guides is to offer informative and engaging commentary about the destinations being visited. They share historical facts, cultural insights, and interesting anecdotes to educate and entertain tourists. Guides should have a deep understanding of the locations, including their history, architecture, local customs, and traditions.
  • Leading tours and managing groups: Tour guides are responsible for leading the group throughout the tour. They ensure that the group stays together, follows the itinerary, and adheres to any safety guidelines. Guides should have good organizational and leadership skills to manage groups of varying sizes and diverse backgrounds.
  • Assisting with logistics: Tour guides handle practical aspects of the tour, such as coordinating transportation between sites, arranging entry to attractions, and managing timing to optimize the itinerary. They provide directions, answer questions, and offer recommendations for meals, shopping, and other activities.
  • Ensuring safety and security: Guides prioritize the safety and security of the tourists. They inform the group about potential risks or hazards, and they take necessary precautions to prevent accidents or incidents. In emergency situations, guides should be prepared to provide assistance and follow appropriate protocols.
  • Interacting and engaging with tourists: Tour guides create a welcoming and interactive environment for tourists. They foster a positive and friendly atmosphere, encourage questions, and actively engage with the group. Guides should be approachable and adaptable, catering to the needs and interests of the tourists.
  • Resolving issues and addressing concerns: Tour guides act as a point of contact for tourists, addressing any concerns or issues that may arise during the tour. They handle complaints, resolve conflicts, and provide assistance or alternative solutions when needed.
  • Promoting responsible and sustainable tourism: Guides play a crucial role in promoting responsible tourism practices. They educate tourists about local customs and cultural sensitivities, encourage respectful behavior towards local communities and the environment, and advocate for sustainable travel practices.

Types of Tour Guides There are various types of tour guides, each specializing in different areas and catering to specific types of tours. Here are some common types of tour guides and a brief description of what they do:

  • City Tour Guides: City tour guides specialize in providing tours within a specific city or urban area. They are well-versed in the history, architecture, landmarks, and culture of the city. Their role is to guide tourists through popular attractions, historical sites, and local neighborhoods, offering insights and commentary along the way.
  • Cultural Tour Guides: Cultural tour guides focus on highlighting the cultural aspects of a destination. They provide in-depth knowledge about local traditions, customs, festivals, and arts. These guides may accompany tourists to museums, art galleries, cultural events, or religious sites, helping them understand and appreciate the cultural significance of these places.
  • Ecotourism Guides : Ecotourism guides are responsible for designing and planning itineraries that are environmentally and culturally responsible, researching the destination, developing educational materials, preparing necessary equipment, and coordinating logistics such as transportation, accommodation, and meals.
  • Adventure Tour Guides: Adventure tour guides lead tours focused on outdoor activities and adventure sports such as hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, or skiing. They possess skills and knowledge in the specific activities offered, ensuring the safety of participants while providing guidance and instruction. Adventure guides may take tourists to remote and challenging locations, coordinating logistics and providing a thrilling experience.
  • Historical Tour Guides: Historical tour guides specialize in providing detailed insights into the history of a destination. They are knowledgeable about specific historical periods, events, and significant landmarks. These guides often work in historical sites, monuments, or archaeological sites, sharing historical context and stories that bring the past to life for tourists.
  • Specialized Tour Guides: Specialized tour guides cater to niche interests or specific types of tours. Examples include food tour guides who focus on culinary experiences, wine tour guides who provide expertise on vineyards and wine tasting, or art tour guides who lead tours in museums and art galleries, offering interpretations of artworks.

Are you suited to be a tour guide?

Tour guides have distinct personalities . They tend to be social individuals, which means they’re kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, helpful, empathetic, tactful, and friendly. They excel at socializing, helping others, and teaching. Some of them are also enterprising, meaning they’re adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic.

Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if tour guide is one of your top career matches.

What is the workplace of a Tour Guide like?

The workplace of a tour guide can be quite diverse and dynamic, offering a mix of indoor and outdoor environments. One aspect of their workplace involves cultural and urban settings. City tour guides, for instance, operate within bustling cities, leading tourists through streets, squares, and iconic landmarks. They may work in vibrant neighborhoods, historic districts, or cosmopolitan areas, immersing tourists in the local culture and urban atmosphere. These guides navigate through crowded streets, interact with locals, and provide insights into the city's history, architecture, and vibrant lifestyle. They may also lead tours in museums, art galleries, or cultural centers, where they can showcase the city's artistic and cultural offerings.

Another significant aspect of a tour guide's workplace is outdoor settings. Nature and wildlife tour guides find themselves working in breathtaking natural landscapes, such as forests, mountains, or coastal areas. These guides lead groups on hikes, nature walks, or wildlife safaris, sharing their knowledge about the local flora, fauna, and ecosystems. Their workplace is characterized by stunning scenery, serene environments, and opportunities for visitors to connect with nature. Adventure tour guides also operate in outdoor settings, taking tourists on thrilling activities like rafting, rock climbing, or skiing. They work in adventurous and often remote locations, ensuring the safety of participants while providing an adrenaline-pumping experience.

Additionally, the workplace of a tour guide can extend to various modes of transportation. They may lead tours on buses, boats, trains, or even walking tours, utilizing different forms of transportation to explore diverse attractions and destinations. This allows guides to provide a comprehensive experience, showcasing various facets of a region while offering comfort and convenience to tourists.

Tour Guides are also known as: Tourist Guide

Tourpreneur Travel Business Community logo

Tour Operator Terminology

On this page we’ll try to clearly define the terms you need to know to run a tour business, and interact in our  Tourpreneur Facebook Group .

General Tour Industry Terms

  • Tour This is a catch-all term that implies a type of travel experience that takes place over time, generally visiting multiple sights. It could last 1 hour or 30 days, and be done as a walk, or in vehicle. It could be a solo traveler or a group of 50 people. Other words might be used to describe the same thing:  tour, experience, journey, excursion , etc. It usually implies something organized, either by the traveler themselves, or a tour operator, who designs and delivers a tour for a traveler or group of travelers.
  • Guest/Customer/Client/Passenger/Participant/Traveler Thanks to Disney,  guest  is what we generally use to refer to our customers. Why the difference? “Customer” implies a financial relationship, whereas  guest  relates more to a personal connection and a sense of welcome and hospitality. But it’s the same as customer, passenger (PAX), traveler, etc., and different companies will prefer different terminology.
  • Guide / Tour Guide / Tourist Guide “tour guide” is used more often in Anglophone countries, especially in the U.S., whereas “Tourist Guide” is used in Europe and elsewhere globally.
  • Tour Leader/Tour Director/Tour Manager/Tour Escort/Trip Leader This role goes by many different names. It refers to a guide who works over multiple days, usually traveling with a group of guests to multiple cities or regions. In addition to delivering commentary about the locations visited, a tour leader also handles the tour logistics, including working with the motor coach driver, staying on schedule, checking into hotels, meals and activities on time. 
  • Interpreter A guide working often at National Parks or heritage sights; interpretation theory is a 100-year old body of theoretical work focused on strategies for helping individuals make their audience connect with and care for the site that’s being interpreted.
  • Docent The name sometimes used for a guide usually in a museum or cultural heritage sight.
  • Day Tour A type of experience that begins and ends in the same day. Usually used to distinguish an experience from a multi-day tour.
  • Multi-Day Tour Any type of experience that lasts for more than one day. Often includes hotels, meals, short activities, and a form of transportation.
  • Package Tour A kind of experience (usually multi-day) in which several different components are bundled together: it may or may not include airfare, hotels, guided experiences, meals, etc.
  • Group Tour You’ll see these terms used differently to a kind of experience in which separate individuals or smaller groups come together to share an experience. Group tours can be  public  or  private .
  • Public Tour As the name implies, this is a tour that’s open to the general public to sign up. The tour therefore consists of a variety of people who don’t already know each other. A public tour is usually offered at a set time and day.
  • Private Tour A tour that is sold specifically to an already-organized group of travelers who don’t wish to experience the tour with others. A private tour might be a couple, a small group of friends, or a large church group. Private tours might be at a set time, or organized according to group’s specific needs.
  • Custom Tour A custom tour is usually also a private tour.  Custom  refers to the operator crafting an experience customized to the specific demands of a client. A tour operator might be engaged by a client to design a unique experience, for one person or a large group.
  • Pre-Formed/Affinity Group These are commonly used terms in the multi-day tour space to refer to a group tour not made up of individual solo travelers & couples, but instead of an alread-formed large group of travelers. An “affinity group” shares a common trait—they belong to a church, a retirement community, or a family reunion traveling together, for example. A pre-formed group might also be created by a “Group Leader” who sells a tour  for  a tour operator ,  often in exchange for a free trip or a commission.
  • Escorted Tour Used most often in the multi-day tour space, an escorted tour means you’re traveling with an escort (old fashioned term), more commonly referred to today as a tour manager, tour director, tour leader, or trip leader. The TM’s job is to handle the logistics of keeping the group together, checked into hotels, arranging meals, etc. They work  for  the tour operator.
  • Guided Tour In short, an organized excursion led by an individual or individuals. “Tour Guide” is the generalized term, but a guide could be a museum “docent” or an adventure guide, tour leader, etc.
  • Self-Guided Tour This has two different meanings, one related to technology, one related to nature. When talking about mobile phone apps, a self-guided tour is one usually done in-destination using audio recordings and GPS data to guide an individual along a tour route, sharing recorded stories. In the world of adventure tours, a self-guided tour happens when an individual hires a tour operator to provide guidance in the form of itineraries, maps, possibly technology, all to facilitate an extended journey involving walking, hiking, biking, etc.
  • FAM Tour A “familiarization” tour, focused on helping one set of professionals (travel agents, for example) learn about a destination, or about vendors in an area. A group of tour guides might take a FAM tour to a new attraction that opened in town, to become familiar with it. A group of travel agents might sign up for a FAM to a destination that they’ll then sell to clients.
  • FIT Tour Very confusing term. It’s evolved over time. It once meant “foreign independent travel” but now is more often thought of as “flexible independent travel.” The goal is to distinguish this kind of independent traveler from someone who buys into a packaged group tour. FIT is more associated with a client who engages with a travel agent or operator to design something that suits their specific customized needs. 
  • Activity An activity is usually different than a tour in that it is less about guided sightseeing and more about doing something, well, activity based. Examples might be watersports, biking, hiking, etc.
  • Attraction Think amusement parks, museums, and the Eiffel Tower. What do they all have in common? They require tickets, they’re single place-based experiences, and rather than do them in groups, thousands of people pour in at once, with no specific booked time requirements (unless doing so for crowd control or pandemic related reasons).
  • “Tours & Activities Industry” This is just one of many ways to talk about our industry. You’ll also hear Tours, Attractions & Activities, 
  • DMO/CVB/Tourism Board A Tourism Board or Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) or Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) are all essentially the same thing. — an organization (public, private, or a mix) whose goal it is to promote a destination, be it a city, region or country. Examples include  NYC & Company  and  Visit Scotland .
  • MICE Pronounced like the animal, stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events. From a tour perspective, this is where an operator might work with a CVB (see above) to organize tours for business customers hosting or attending a conference in a location. Incentive tours are reward experiences that a company offers a group of employees.
  • B2B Tour operators who work with other operators 

Types of Tour Operators

  • Tour Operator A business that organizes and sells tours. They sell to a customer, and possibly work with vendors (hotels, restaurants, vehicle companies, etc.) to create an organized tour experience. In short, operators do the grunt work.
  • Travel Agent/Agency In general, an agency works with travelers, and books travel components to relieve the traveler’s burden of figuring it out on their own. An agency might book a tour operator’s tour as part of the services they provide the travel, in exchange for a commission from the operator.
  • [insert word here]  Operator Tour Operator is a general term, but that’s not the only kind of operator out there. You might also be an adventure operator, watersports operator, ATV rental operator, you name it. But in all cases, you’re not an agency booking someone else’s service, you’re providing the service yourself.
  • Day (or Multi-Day) Tour Operator Both are subsets of “tour operators” in general. It might be used in the Tourpreneur community when we’re referring to the specific challenges of a specific kind of operator, since the products and challenges of each type of tour can be very different.
  • Inbound / Receptive Operator /  DMC (destination management company) These are all versions of the same thing, with terminology that is sometimes preferred over the other words for various reasons. This kind of tour operator creates experiences in a certain location (often a specific city or a region or country), working B2B with tour operators or corporate entities needing local knowledge and connections.  Receptive operator  is an older term meaning they “receive” clients who are coming in (or inbound) from somewhere else.
  • Outbound Operator This version of tour operator (usually multi-day) designs experiences that take guests elsewhere. An outbound operator might be based somewhere (Australia, for example) but focus on creating trips that send their Australian customers outbound to other countries.

Sales, Marketing & Software Terms

  • SEO Search Engine Optimization—the art of optimizing your website and online presence to bring your content to the top of search engine results (principally Google).
  • PPC Means “Pay-per-click” and references the kind of digital advertising done by companies like Google: you create an advertisement to appear in search engine results, for example, and you pay for that ad a specific market rate each time someone clicks on your link.
  • OTA Online Travel Agency—this is a catch-all term for a wide variety of online marketplaces servicing the travel industry, selling everything from rental cars to flights to hotels to tours. An OTA in the general industry might refer to big players like Expedia or Booking.com; in the tour industry, it refers to companies like Viator (the largest tour OTA) and GetYourGuide. There is a long tail of “niche OTAs” that serve specific types of tours and activities (like watersports) or a specific region.
  • Online Marketplace / Platform This is a more general term for the kind of website platform (like Viator) that sells a wide variety of tours online. Think Guide Marketplaces like ToursByLocals or Withlocals, companies that curate large amounts of guides, but aren’t traditional OTAs like viator.
  • Restech/Booking Software You’ll hear “restech” (alternately reztech, rez-tech, etc…) as a fast way to refer to the software industry centered around creating helping tour operators accept online bookings, and keep those bookings organized. The largest companies in this space work mainly with day tour operators.
  • Tour Operator Software Different than booking software/restech, TO software offers an extended suite of features meant to help operators across their whole business, from operators to itinerary proposals to budgeting and pricing. This software may include a booking/payment component, but is a much more fully integrated and holistic (and expensive) solution.
  • SaaS Short for “Software as a Service” — this is how the tech industry refers usually subscription-based websites or software that help you do something. Examples of SaaS include booking software and CRMs.
  • Supplier In the language of selling tours to customers on a platform, tour operators are suppliers; you  supply  tours that are then  re-sold  by the platform.
  • Connectivity This is the dark art of how you, the operator (supplier) connect to sales channels.
  • Distributor/Reseller These are sales channels that sell tickets to your tours on behalf of you. They could be everything from an online marketplace like Viator and GetYourGuide, to a personal travel agent or hotel concierge..
  • Channel Manager This is software that helps you manager all your different sales channels in one place.

Which Type of Tour Operator are You?

Theresa Rappensperger

Let’s be honest – the tour operator business is highly competitive as companies try to get a large share of the international and domestic markets they operate in. In order to better navigate the landscape, you need to understand where you stand in that market.

We all know that a tour operator is one who packages key components (or all) of a trip, markets it, sells it to a traveler or tourist, and handles the entire tour operation.

But do you know exactly which type of tour operator you are?

Having clarity on this question will help you identify key partners to work with (like DMOs or hotels) and make better business decisions overall. As a result, you’ll be able to curate better tour packages and run your entire tour operation smoothly, efficiently and successfully.

This is why we’ll cover the different types of tour operators below (plus – we’ve attached a handy infographic at the end for your reference).

So, let’s get to it – which type of tour operator are you?

Types of Tour Operators

There are five main categories of tour operators that you could fall into: inbound tour operators, outbound tour operators, domestic tour operators, receptive tour operators, and ground tour operators. Let’s find out which one of these five you fall into.

Of course any tour operator cannot be fully successful without a booking system that will automate all reservation processes and allow them to generate more revenues. If you still haven’t got a booking system, try Regiondo , the most popular booking system in Europe designed to streamline your booking process. Book a demo with Regiondo experts to learn how your business can leverage booking system.

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Inbound Tour Operators (AKA Incoming Tour Operators)

Inbound tour operators bring tourists into a country as a group or via individual tour packages. They handle all arrangements in the host country; and the types of tours they curate are specifically for non-residents touring the country.

Let’s look at an example.

If a group of Italian tourists want to explore Germany, then the tour operator in Germany who handles all the arrangements for the tour is known as an inbound tour operator. So, inbound tour operators are locally based and offer tours that cover their own country.

Most inbound tour operators hire local travel agencies for things like airport pick-up and drop-off; form partnerships with local hotels and businesses; and have key partnerships with other types of tour operators (who help them run tours on the ground).

Outbound Tour Operators

Unlike inbound tour operators, outbound tour operators work within their countries to take travelers to other countries. They are tour operators who market their tours for international destinations, either for business or leisure travel.

Let’s say, for example, that a group of Canadian tourists are planning a trip to Italy. Then the tour company in Canada that handles all the ticket reservations and hotel bookings is the outbound tour operator.

To further simplify things, outbound tour operators design and package tours for tourists in their home country to visit an international destination.

Now, most outbound tour operators choose to specialize in specific destinations: either a destination that is “trending” or one in which they have particular expertise and distribution partners. They often work with other tour and activity providers in the destination when designing their travel packages.

Domestic Tour Operators

Domestic tour operators are those that put together inclusive tour packages and sell them to domestic travelers. In other words, they are tour operators who provide travel packages and tours within a tourist’s native country.

Domestic tours usually involve residents of a specific country traveling within that country. They can visit national parks, scenic areas, hospitality tours, city tours , train tours, etc. Since there are many options that tourists can choose from, domestic tour operators often combine several tourist components into an inclusive package that they can sell to travelers within the boundary of the country.

Domestic tour operators form key partnerships with other tour and activity providers in order to attain a larger share of the domestic tourism market.

Receptive Tour Operators (RTOs)

Receptive Tour Operators (RTOs) provide tourism products to tour operators in other markets (as a business-to-business relationship).

Specifically, RTOs sell tourism products, whether they are sold in a tour package or alone, to tour operators and/or travel agents . They are essentially wholesalers and they don’t sell directly to the public.

So how do they make money?

They add a percentage rate (or fee) to the final price that the tour operator is selling the product or service for. When a travel agent buys the tour product, they incur the RTO’s fee in the final price. In that sense, RTOs do not charge commission. They simply market the tourism product and add their fee to the final product price.

Another key characteristic of RTOs is that they are experts in the region they operate in; and know much more than just the hotels and types of tourism activities that are offered in the region. As such, RTOs to help other tour operators identify things like hotels, services and design itineraries in regions they are not familiar with.

Ground Tour Operators

Ground tour operators operate domestically. They are however different from domestic tour operators in that they organize tours for incoming tourists on behalf of an inbound tour operator (and sometimes, outbound tour operators).

Let’s look at an example to better understand the role they play.

Italy will be the destination in this example. So, here’s how it works:

An inbound tour operator designs and promotes beach holidays, adventure, and heritage tours in different parts of Italy. Problem: the inbound tour operator doesn’t have offices across Italy. The inbound tour operator also doesn’t have close contacts or partnerships with suppliers and key agents in certain parts of the country. So, they consult with ground tour operators.

It is the ground operator that will handle the incoming tourists at those various destinations around Italy. They oversee land arrangements; negotiate with and contract local vendors; coordinate arrivals and departures; plan and put together local tour packages; escort tourists; provide market data; and cost and price tour packages. Overall, it is their duty to ensure that the entire trip goes smoothly based on the package tours and agreements.

You may know ground tour operators as “handling agencies” because they organize tours for incoming tourists on behalf of overseas tour operators.

Wrapping Up

Back to the question we asked at the very beginning: which type of tour operator are you? Now that you’re better informed to answer that question, you can also start thinking about ways to improve your distribution and marketing channels based on that answer.

The next step is to figure out who your key partners are and strike up deals to propel your business forward.

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  • Services & Software

How to Watch Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Concert Film Tomorrow

The flick promises four new acoustic performances, including Maroon and Death by a Thousand Cuts.

tour operator what does it do

We're less than 36 hours out from the newest version of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert film dropping exclusively on Disney Plus. In anticipation of the Thursday night release, Swift just dropped an early preview of her new performance of Cardigan and is announcing the names of the other new acoustic performances daily.

Swift  announced  last week that fans would be able to stream the film, called Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version), at home earlier than they'd anticipated. The first version of the Eras Tour movie came out in theaters last year, becoming the  highest-grossing concert film , as reported by Variety. Then it was available to rent on demand. Now Disney Plus' version of the film promises new performances, and says goodbye to some fan favorites.

Are you ready for it ? If not, we've got you covered. Here's everything we know about the new concert film, how to watch Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) and why a VPN might be a useful tool for streaming.

Read more:   Watch Taylor Swift's Exclusive Eras Tour Clip a Day Early on Apple's App Store

What's new in the Disney Plus version of the film?

Disney Plus' version of the flick will feature Swift's performance of Cardigan, which was previously cut from the theatrical release of the movie, and four additional acoustic songs. You can check out a preview of the Cardigan performance here , in an exclusive early clip on Apple's App Store. Swift is also releasing the names of the four new acoustic performances leading up to Thursday's release on ABC's  Good Morning America (also owned by Disney). So far, we know that two of the new acoustic performances will be Maroon and Death by a Thousand Cuts. 

Swift  recorded  six acoustic songs during filming in August, and the performances of Our Song and You're on Your Own, Kid made both the theatrical and on-demand rental versions of the film. That means acoustic performances of I Can See You and You Are in Love could be the next two performances included in the newest version of the film.

Songs excluded from the Disney Plus cut of the movie include Long Live, The Archer, Wildest Dreams and No Body, No Crime.  

Taylor swift performing with her dancers at her eras tour

The Eras Tour concert film hits streaming on March 14. 

Disney Plus is already home to another Swift exclusive,  Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions , a series that chronicles the making of her 2020 album Folklore. Swift's other documentaries and concert films have been available sporadically on various streaming services, including  Netflix  and Prime Video. 

Release time for the Eras Tour film in the US and abroad

The film will land on Disney Plus on Thursday, March 14 at 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET)  in all territories except Turkey, where it will be released on April 3. Swift announced that the film would be available earlier on Monday, along with a new trailer. 

Pricing for Disney Plus starts at $8 per month in the US, but if you live in Canada, the platform costs CA$12 a month. UK fans can get the service for either £5 with ads, or £8 a month without ads. You can subscribe for a year and save 16%. In Australia, fans get Disney Plus for AU$14 per month. 

tour operator what does it do

Disney Plus

Carries the eras tour (taylor's version).

Disney Plus is the one-stop streaming location for the company's streaming catalog. Subscribers can stream Disney classics, Marvel Studios movies and TV shows and all new Star Wars content. 

In the US, Disney Plus' Basic plan will set you back $8 a month, and the Premium plan costs $14 a month or $140 a year. 

Disney Plus will serve as the exclusive streaming home for The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version), so if you want to stream the flick, you'll need to sign up for the service. 

How to stream the film using a VPN

Perhaps you're traveling abroad and want to stream The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the movie from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming, too.

A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that's passed our tests and security standards. 

You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are legal in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list such as Surfshark or NordVPN . 

tour operator what does it do

Express VPN

Best vpn for streaming.

ExpressVPN is CNET's current best VPN pick . You can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 a month — if you get the annual subscription. Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation and choose a country where The Eras Tour movie is streaming on Disney Plus. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you're connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream The Eras Tour film on more than one device, you may need to configure each one to ensure you are signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open Disney Plus to stream.

If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and you've picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.

Correction, Feb. 9 : An earlier version of this story misstated the number of Taylor Swift's studio albums. The Tortured Poets Department, set for release in April, will be her 11th studio album.

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IMAGES

  1. What is a tour operator and how does it work?

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  2. Who is Outbound Tour Operator? Tour Operator

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  3. The Tour Operators Journey to Efficiency

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  4. How A Tour Operator Helps During Your Trip

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  5. Tour Operator

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  6. What is a tour operator and how does it work?

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COMMENTS

  1. What Is A Tour Operator And How Does It Work?

    To put it simply, a tour operator is the person or organisation who takes the individual elements of a holiday (e.g. transfer, hotel, transport) and packages these together. The types of package vary. Most commonly, tour operators are associated with mass tourism and the traditional package holiday market. However, tour operators do also play ...

  2. What Are a Tour Operator's Roles? (Plus Skills and Education)

    A tour operator is a hospitality professional who organizes tours and provides support to customers during trips to help them have positive experiences. These professionals advise customers on different tour packages based on their budget and interests. They handle all logistical aspects of a tour, such as booking tickets and reserving ...

  3. What Does a Tour Operator Do?

    Tour operators' salaries vary depending on their level of education, years of experience, and the size and type of company for which they work. They may also earn additional compensation in the form of commissions and bonuses. Median Annual Salary: $49,500 ($23.8/hour) Top 10% Annual Salary: $80,500 ($38.7/hour)

  4. Tour Operators

    Tour operator is an organization, firm, or company who buys individual travel components, separately from their suppliers and combines them into a package tour, which is sold with their own price tag to the public directly or through middlemen, is called a Tour Operator. More precise tour operators are primarily responsible for delivering and ...

  5. Tour operator

    A tour operator is a business that typically combines and organizes accommodations, meals, sightseeing and transportation components, in order to create a package tour. They advertise and produce brochures to promote their products, holidays and itineraries. Tour operators can sell directly to the public or sell through travel agents or a ...

  6. What Do Tour Operators Do to Create Travel Experiences?

    How do tour operators pay suppliers? For tour operators, establishing and maintaining a solid financial relationship with suppliers — including accommodation and transportation providers — is crucial for a smooth and successful business and tour operation itself. Here's a look at how these payments are typically managed:

  7. Tour Operator Job Description

    A tour operator is a travel company that provides tourists with packages that include transportation, accommodation, and activities. Tour operators typically work with wholesalers, who provide them with bulk discounts on airfare, hotels, and other services. In addition to selling packages to individual travelers, tour operators also sell to ...

  8. What Tasks Do Tour Operators Handle for Trips?

    Tour operators send pre-trip information, answer queries, and provide updates. For instance, they might send travelers detailed instructions and trip reminders before departure. 4. Safety and Emergencies. Tour operators manage inevitable weather changes. | Photo Source. Traveler safety is paramount.

  9. What is a Tour Operator?

    Tour operators work closely with local suppliers, hotels, transportation providers, and guides to ensure that every aspect of your journey is thoughtfully planned and executed. The Benefits of Choosing a Tour Operator. Expertise and Local Insight: Tour operators possess in-depth knowledge of the destinations they offer. They have the ability to ...

  10. What Is A Tour Operator? Travel And Tourism Tutorial

    The tour operator is an integral component of tourism, yet many people are unclear about what a tour operator actually is or or what they do. In this video I...

  11. What is a Tour Operator: A Travel Definition

    A tour operator controls, books and devises the whole trip. They create a package holiday by combining all elements such as hotel, airport transfers, activities, restaurants, tours and such like. A tour may not include all of these elements, the list is purely an example. The Difference between a tour operator and a travel agent is that a tour ...

  12. Tour Operator vs Travel Agent: What's the Difference?

    Second, hiring a tour operator means buying yourself the personalized experience of a lifetime. They aim to create bespoke packages to give you an experience you will never forget. Lastly, hiring a travel operator means gaining access to the base rates they can offer for tours, activities, accommodation, food, etc.

  13. How does the travel industry actually work?

    Travel Agents: Travel agents liaise with tour operators to book packages and tours for their clients. As such, tour operators will often focus on a certain destination or market area, whereas travel agents can focus on selling the whole world - with a comprehensive list of suppliers in their books.

  14. Tour Operator: Types, Certification, Management, and Functions

    The following are some of the functions of tour operators: Planning a tour: Planning a tour is one of the significant functions of the tour operators. Planning a tour, creating an itinerary, information about the destination, activities to do, and more are all the duties of the tour operator. A tour operator is also a tour consultant who offers ...

  15. What does a Tour Operator do?

    Combining tour and travel components to create a great holiday. A tour operator is a company that successfully combines tour and travel components to create a good holiday. Common examples of a tour operator's services are transfers to and from the airport, hotel bookings, tours, guides, etc., all included in the services of a local ...

  16. What does a travel agent do?

    Tour Operators: Tour operators design and operate pre-packaged tours and travel itineraries. They create comprehensive tour packages that include transportation, accommodations, guided tours, and activities. Tour operators often work with travel agents to sell their tour packages, providing them with a ready-made product to offer their clients.

  17. What does a tour guide do?

    The average pay for tour guides in the United States is around $11.32 per hour. Wages typically start from $9.87 an hour and go up …. A tour guide provides assistance, information, and guidance to individuals or groups of tourists during their travels. Their primary role is to enhance the travel experience by sharing knowledge and insights ...

  18. Tour operator vs. travel agent: an overview of both careers

    1. Job description. A tour operator is a person or organisation responsible for planning trips and holiday packages. A travel agent is an individual broker or an agency selling holiday packages. While the tour operator creates the services, the travel agent is an intermediary who sells these services. 2. Primary tasks.

  19. 5 Types of Tour Operators (with Duties and Niches)

    Tour operators may be sole traders operating independently or professionals employed by a tourism company. Here are some examples of tour operators: 1. Inbound tour operator. An inbound tour operator creates and markets tours showcasing their home country for overseas tourists.

  20. Tour Operator Terminology

    Tour. This is a catch-all term that implies a type of travel experience that takes place over time, generally visiting multiple sights. It could last 1 hour or 30 days, and be done as a walk, or in vehicle. It could be a solo traveler or a group of 50 people. Other words might be used to describe the same thing: tour, experience, journey ...

  21. Which Type of Tour Operator are You? • Regiondo

    An inbound tour operator designs and promotes beach holidays, adventure, and heritage tours in different parts of Italy. Problem: the inbound tour operator doesn't have offices across Italy. The inbound tour operator also doesn't have close contacts or partnerships with suppliers and key agents in certain parts of the country.

  22. What does a Tour Operator do? Role & Responsibilities

    What does a Tour Operator do? A photographer works closely with clients to capture photos of people, places and things through the use of creativity and technical abilities in photographic equipment and photo manipulation software. To ensure that desired results are obtained, photographers have to communicate effectively with clients regarding ...

  23. How to Watch Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Concert Film Tomorrow

    Release time for the Eras Tour film in the US and abroad. The film will land on Disney Plus on Thursday, March 14 at 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET) in all territories except Turkey, where it will be ...

  24. What does a Tour Operator do? Role & Responsibilities

    Tour Operator Overview. What does a Tour Operator do? A photographer works closely with clients to capture photos of people, places and things through the use of creativity and technical abilities in photographic equipment and photo manipulation software. To ensure that desired results are obtained, photographers have to communicate effectively ...