The tour operator puts together the packages they then sell the packages through a travel agents, the tour operator still keeps most the profit but the travel agent takes a commission charge which is around 10% for packaged holidays, the customer can then buy the package through the travel agents. The customer does not have to book through a travel agency they can also go direct to a tour operator and purchase from there; this is normally however over the internet, telephone or post.
A few examples of tour operators are:
- TUI – They are now one of the biggest tourism firms; they have around 3500 travel agencies, 79 tour operators, 120 aircraft, 12 hotels and 10 cruise liners.
- Thomson – It is now part of TUI, but it is still one of the leading tour operators in the UK.
Accommodation
There are two main different types of accommodation they are:
- Serviced Accommodation
- Non Serviced Accommodation
Serviced Accommodation is where you get various different services that are available, like meals and housekeeping. With meals you could get B & B which is just bed and breakfast, Half Board which is just breakfast and a evening meal, Full Board which is where you would get all of your meals and All inclusive which is where you get all of your meals, drinks and desserts. Housekeeping would be having a maid coming and cleaning your room, with services like new bed sheets new towels etc.
Non Serviced Accommodation would normally just be self catering, where you would have to pay for all of your meals and would have to do all of your housekeeping yourself.
Types of serviced accommodation are:
- Hotels
- Hostels
- Guest Houses
- Cruise ships
With Hotels you would normally have a regular maid service in every day, or 2 / 3 times a week. You would have the choice of what board you want to go on, whether it’s half board or all inclusive. A few examples of hotel’s are the Hilton hotels, Best Western hotels, Gleneagles hotels, Thistle hotels.
Hostels could be considered as serviced accommodation, but sometimes could also be non-serviced accommodation. Some Hostels would offer a Bed & Breakfast package; some might even do half board or full board. You would also normally get regular cleaning services like new bed sheets and towels. A few examples include Globetrotter inn, Hostel 639, Smart Camden Inn, Clink Hostel etc.
Guest Houses would normally be at least a B & B, but some offer half board and full board. You would also get a regular cleaning service at a guest house.
Cruise Ships can be considered as serviced accommodation as when you go on a cruise it is normally a package and all of your services would be provided. But cruise ships can also be considered as transport which is different. Examples include P & O cruises, Easycruise, Islandcruise, Windermere Lake Cruise’s etc
Types of Non Serviced Accommodation are:
- Apartments
- Villas
- Hostels
- Tent / Campsites
- University Campus
Apartments and Villas are non serviced accommodation as you wouldn’t have any services provided. You would have to go out and pay for your food elsewhere and there would probably be other things like bed sheets towels provided but you would have to change them yourself
Hostels can be non-serviced accommodation as sometimes they are self catering, depending on what the person goes for. But you would probably still get your sheets changed say once a week in a hostel.
Tents / Campsites would be non-serviced accommodation as they do not tend to offer services like half board or full board. Also they would not supply people with housekeeping as it would be down to the person to sort it out.
University campuses are sometimes available in the summer if the students do not pay for their rooms during holidays and choose to go home. They will then be available to rent out as non-serviced accommodation as it would be a simply rent, with no other services available.
Quality Services – Most different types of accommodation use rating systems, with hotels they are rated and then given a star normally between 1 – 5, there are a few odd ones which have been given more than 5 stars but they are very rare. Apartments and villas use a similar system but they use diamonds instead, so a really nice luxury apartment would be 5 diamonds. There are various different things that are considered when giving for example a hotel a rating, like the food, cleanliness, service, hospitality, ambience etc.
Visitor Attractions
They are a permanently established attraction which allows public access for entertainment, interest or education. It is open without prior booking for established periods of time depending on the attraction to day visitors & local residents.
There are three types of visitor attraction, they are:
- Built Attractions
- Natural Attractions
- Events
Examples of Built Attractions would include:
- Theme Parks
- Historical Buildings
- Piers
- Museums
- Art Gallery’s
- Theatres
- Aquaria
- Zoo
Theme Parks – This is probably the most popular and common type of visitor attraction. There are several in the UK, the most popular being Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures. They tend to features a wide variety off different attractions that different types of customer can enjoy, like fast rollercoaster and arcades.
Historical Buildings – There are many of these around the UK which people enjoy visiting, mainly to find out more and to view the history. One of the most popular historical buildings in the UK is Buckingham Palace, which is where the Queen lives. There is another popular Palace in Brighton which is called the Royal Pavilion, which is one of Brighton’s biggest Attractions and most beautiful buildings. Other types of historical building which people like to visit are Churches & Cathedrals (a popular example would be Westminster Abbey or Canterbury Cathedral which both have great history), Castles (there are many different popular castles located around the UK an example would be Leeds Castle) also there are Stately Homes that are commonly visited (Like the Banqueting House in London or Hampton Court Palace in Surrey)
Piers – As seaside resort are popular destinations for tourists many of them have piers with different entertainment on for people to enjoy. The main seaside destinations with piers are places like Blackpool, Brighton, Eastbourne, Southend etc. These piers all have different entertainment on; they can include things like thrill rides like rollercoaster’s, confectionary stalls, arcades, bars, restaurants etc. Blackpool features three different piers, the South pier, the North pier and the Central pier; they are all offer different entertainment. For example the North pier is very popular for the theatre and the Victorian styles carousel, the Central pier is popular with the families as it features different rides like dodgems a big wheel with a carnival atmosphere and the South pier features all of the big and fast rides like the reverse bungee and the crazy mouse.
Museums – All museums in the UK are purpose built and provide services to their customers, the services they have available are generally for education and fun. There are many museums around the UK that are available for the public to enjoy, some of the most popular ones are the National Gallery which is an Art museum in London, there’s also the British museum which is host to one of the biggest collections of art in the world and it is also in London. There is also a Natural History museum in London it is a very big museum with over 70 million items and is also probably one of the most popular with tourist and day visitor
Art Galleries – They put works off different artists on display for the public, and different Art galleries will have different materials to put on display for example an Art gallery in Brighton could put the works of artists that are from Brighton on display and then there are the Art gallery’s that like to purchase different kinds of art to put up, like the National gallery in London would obtain high profile works of arts from more of the better known artists in order to attract a bigger audience. A popular Art gallery in Brighton is call Brighton Museum & Art gallery which features many different works of Art from 20th Century works of art to Mr Willet’s pottery! One of the most popular Art gallery’s in the UK is the National gallery in London which has one of the best ranges of art in Europe; they have work from many famous artists including Van Gogh and Leonard da Vinci.
Theatres – They are places where you can go to watch performing arts like play’s, musicals, ballet etc. Theatres are popular with everyone, it is more what is on at the theatre which might not suit everyone for example not everyone is interested in ballet shows. You particularly see many couples going to the theatre, educational purposes, you see families etc. One of the best destinations for the theatre in the UK is probably London’s West End which is mainly theatres. Some of the More popular theatres in the West End include; the Piccadilly theatre, the Prince of Wales theatre, the Apollo Victoria theatre, the Palace Theatre and there are many more.
Aquaria – Are attractions that people visit for the sea life creatures, they normally feature big tanks with a sea through glass window which the visitors can look through and to see what is in the tank. These are particularly popular with families, as they tend to feature lots of younger orientated activities alongside the animals. One of the most popular aquaria’s in the UK is London Aquarium, it is one of Europe’s biggest of it’s kind and it features over 400 different types of species through over 50 displays. Another very popular aquarium in the UK is called “Blue Reef Aquarium”, the first was in Newquay, but now they also have one in Portsmouth and Tynemouth.
Zoo – A zoo is a place you would visit which has a public exhibition of animals. Zoo’s are particularly popular with families, as lot’s of zoo’s again aim to promote to the younger generations. Some of the bigger zoo’s in the UK include London Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, Blackpool Zoo, Bristol Zoo etc. London Zoo is probably one of the biggest as it has over 600 animals on display.
Examples of Natural Attractions would include:
- Beaches
- National Parks
- Mountains
- Areas of Natural Beauty
Beaches – There are many beaches along the coasts of the UK, they are very popular destinations in the summer, particularly the popular seaside destinations like Brighton, Blackpool, Eastbourne etc. At these places in the summer the beaches tend to be very busy, and probably the most popular natural attraction in the summer.
National Parks – They are very popular for a short break away from home, the most popular one in the UK is the Peak District and the biggest is the Lake District. The staff that work at these national parks have to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and the cultural heritage of the area. National parks throughout the UK are very popular and are estimated to bring in around 110million visitors each year. Other popular national parks include Snowdonia, Dartmoor, Yorkshire Dales, the New Forest etc.
Mountains - Although there are not many mountains in the UK like there are in Asia or South America, there are a few which people like to visit for the beauty or to trek to the top. The biggest in the UK is Ben Nevis which is in Scotland, there are also others like Snowdon which is in Wales, The Cumbrian Mountains which are in England and there’s the Mourne Mountains which are in Northern Ireland.
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty – These are areas that the council keep maintained due to their beauty and they feel there is the need to conserve them. There are many AONB’s in the UK; there are 35 in England, 5 in Wales and 9 in Northern Ireland. People like to visit them as they have beautiful landscaping and the fact that they are all naturally, unlike much of the UK. Some of the AONB’s include the Sussex Downs, Quantock Hills, Shropshire Hills, Tamar Valley and also half of the Isle of White is protected as an Area with Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Examples of Events would include:
- Air shows
- Concerts
- Sport Events
- Marathons
Air Shows – is a show where aviators show their skills and the capabilities of their planes to an audience.
Concerts – Everybody enjoys some form of music or entertainment, whether it’s a Stand up comedy or an old rock band like the Who. Many of the best artists in the world will come and do a tour of the UK, as there are many big cities and also many concert halls. The biggest venues are probably in London as they have the Royal Albert Hall, the London Apollo, Earls Court, Wembley Arena, Twickenham and of course Wembley stadium, these are all world class places to go when it comes to concerts.
Sport Events – The UK is a very popular, competitive and keen sporting nation. In England there is football, in which there is the Premier League which is said to be the toughest football league in the world, there are also some of the best football teams in the world in England like Manchester United, Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC. Ireland has there own competitive sport which is called hurling which is considered to be the fastest and most aggressive game around. The UK is a very good sporting nation, with many different types so is a great destination for those who are keen on sport. Some other sports popular in the UK are; Cricket, Golf, Boxing, Athletics, Rugby, Rowing, Tennis, Darts, Speedway etc.
Marathon – Is a most commonly known as a foot race that consists of 26 miles 385 yards. They are intense and require a lot of training, a lot of the runners in a marathon are professionals but not all. A lot of the runners in a marathon enter to raise money for various different charities and some people just like to test their abilities. There are many different marathons hosted around the world each year and one of them is in London, many people enter the competition and also many people go up to watch the marathon.
Tourism services
The two key services that are available to the travel & tourism industry are the:
National Government – the main body the in the Travel & Tourism sector in control of promoting the UK is VisitBritain. There Job is to go to trade fairs all over the world and to advise and sell Britain internationally, as the country relies a lot on the finances it receives through the Travel & Tourism sector that then can go back into making the country better economically. There are also various different regionally tourist boards, there job is to promote the different parts of the UK, the different regional tourist boards include the Southern Tourist Board, Western Tourist Board, Northern Irish Tourist Board etc.
Above VisitBritain is the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, they are a department part of the government that are responsible for supporting the countries tourism. They are responsible for putting money into all of the countries museums, cathedrals, art galleries, zoo’s etc. They also support VisitBritain the countries main promoter in the travel & tourism industry, and all of the regional tourist boards like the Northern Irish Tourist Board.
Local Government – The Local Government’s role is to provide money to their sector and to also make sure that all facilities, attractions are maintained and kept in as good condition as possible. Their role is basically to make their region as attractive as possible in order to promote tourism in the region; this would then create more jobs and a wealthier region in the long run. They provide their money to facilities like car parks, coaches, public toilets, museums, beaches, leisure centre’s, library’s, new infrastructure etc.
Ancillary Services
These are key components to any holiday; they are basically any extras that you want alongside your trip. If you were to book your holiday with a travel agent or a tour operator these services would be available and you have the choice as to if you want them or not. Different types of Ancillary services include:
- Travel Insurance
- Visa / Passports
- Currency exchange
- Car hire
- Airport parking
Travel Insurance – This is probably the key extra, as it protects you when you are on holiday if anything goes wrong, it is almost essential for your holiday. It covers you if you if you become sick, if you personal possessions are lost, if anything personal gets stolen, it can even replace a passport if you loose one. So there are some quite important factors there that without cover it could prove to be a big hassle.
Visas / Passports – Some countries require a visa to allow you to enter the country, these are just stamps by the authorities of that country that then confirms you may enter and when you must leave otherwise the visa is not valid anymore. It is normally long haul countries like Australia, USA, and China where you would need a visa. When looking to buy your holiday there will be more information about visas, whether you’ll need one or not, if you do they would probably try and sort it out through there business. Also to access any other country (except certain countries within the EU) you need a valid passport in order to get passed the passport control, if your passport was invalid due to it running out of date the travel agent / operator would be able to provide further information on how you got about it, Or you could just go to a post office and they have various forms for applying for a new passport.
Currency exchange – When people book their holiday with a Travel Agency they will nearly always give you the option to have your money changed into foreign currency, if you have booked a holiday through them they will normally offer you a special interest rate (meaning that you get more currency to the English pound) that they would not offer to someone that didn’t book anything through them and just wanted there money changed up.
Car Hire – Travel Agencies will normally offer this to their customers as the majority of people that travel will require some form of transport. Many people also find it easier booking car hire through a travel agency, as they can sort it out plain and easy meaning you don’t have to research into it or take time ringing companies up. Travel Agents have the ability to book it all simply and then provide with the rest of the required information.
Airport Parking – This is where you can arrange to just drive straight to the airport, they will give you a parking space which you pay a fixed fee for which depends on the duration of your holiday, then when you return you just find your car and leave. Most travel agencies offer this, as it has proved a popular and efficient way of getting to and from the airport.
Ownership of the Travel & Tourism Industry
There are three main sectors in the travel and tourism industry they are as bellow:
Private Sector Public Sector Voluntary sector
Private Sector
This is the biggest of the three sectors. In this sector all of the businesses are funded by individual private finances, for example the owner’s savings and investments. All profit made then goes straight back to the owner, who would then keep the profit or re invest it to expand the business.
There are four different types in the private sector, they are:
- Sole trader
- Partnerships
- Private Limited Company’s
- Public Limited Company’s
Sole Trader – Is one person, who sets up a business on their own, they have their own supplies, finance, savings, and borrowings. They will also keep all of the profits. However the disadvantage to being a sole trader is that if your business fails you could loose everything including your home, car etc. An example could be like a hairdressers or the local shop.
Partnership – This is similar to Sole trader but it is 2 or more people. Like above they have unlimited liability and could loose everything. The owners here should draw up a plan and make sure that they have an understanding of where the profit goes. An example could be a travel agency.
Private Limited Company – This is probably the most common form of ownership in the Travel & Tourism industry. It consists of more than two people who start up the business and are then share holders. This is a popular method as it means the owners are entitled to limited liability so they can only loose what they invest. The profit is then split between the shareholders, the holders with the highest number of shares taking the biggest chunk of the profit. They cannot advertise their shares for sale as it is a private limited company; however they can invite people and other businesses to invest in them. For example a more successful travel agency like Thomas Cook.
Public Limited Company – This is similar to the Private Limited Company except from the fact that Public Limited Company’s tend to be very large firms, like TUI and Thomas Cook. They can also advertise to find others who want to invest in their business and the profit is also a dividend. Like above all shareholders will only loose what they invest rather than loosing their house and car etc.
The role of the private sector is to provide the products and services for the company, which will then be available for the public.
Public Sector
The public sector is the sector that is owned by us, there are two main types:
- National Government
- Local Government
National Government – the main body the in the Travel & Tourism sector in control of promoting the UK is VisitBritain. There Job is to go to trade fairs all over the world and to advise and sell Britain internationally, as the country relies a lot on the finances it receives through the Travel & Tourism sector that then can go back into making the country better economically. There are also various different regionally tourist boards, there job is to promote the different parts of the UK, the different regional tourist boards include the Southern Tourist Board, Western Tourist Board, Northern Irish Tourist Board etc.
Above VisitBritain is the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, they are a department part of the government that are responsible for supporting the countries tourism. They are responsible for putting money into all of the countries museums, cathedrals, art galleries, zoo’s etc. They also support VisitBritain the countries main promoter in the travel & tourism industry, and all of the regional tourist boards like the Northern Irish Tourist Board.
Local Government – The Local Government’s role is to provide money to their sector and to also make sure that all facilities, attractions are maintained and kept in as good condition as possible. Their role is basically to make their region as attractive as possible in order to promote tourism in the region; this would then create more jobs and a wealthier region in the long run. They provide their money to facilities like car parks, coaches, public toilets, museums, beaches, leisure centre’s, library’s, new infrastructure etc.
Voluntary Sector
This is the smallest of the sectors in the travel and tourism industry, it is where people / organisations carry out certain roles not for profit. The biggest organisations in this sector are probably charities, which raise money for a specific cause. There are also community centres which tend to be the voluntary sector and religious groups can be led by voluntary organisations.
Trade Organisations
ABTA – This stands for the Association of British Travel Agents, it is a company that was set up in 1950. It is now the biggest trade organisation in the UK and has around 1500 members. It is beneficial to its members as it provides financial support by protecting the holidays, should anything go wrong.
IATA – Abbreviated is the International Air Traffic Association, it was formed around 60 years ago by a group of airlines, it now currently has around 240 members and holds 94% of scheduled air traffic. The benefits for its members are; that it simplifies the travel process, keeps costs down, passengers can reserve tickets by making one phone call, it allows airline to operate safely, securely and efficiently under laid out rules.
CAA – Stands for the Civil Aviation Authority, it was established in 1972, and acts as an independent specialist regulator / provider of air traffic services. It is also the UK’s largest of its type, and covers areas like economic regulation, airspace policy, safety regulation and consumer protection.
AITO – Stand for the Association of International Tour Operators, it is an organisation that holds all of the UK’s specialist tour operators, and it currently 150 members. It is similar to abta in the fact that it provides financial protection for all the holidays.
