Are you planning to establish yourself as a tour operator in the industry? The tourism industry is constantly growing and new players are emerging in the market. Hence, you’d need to hone your skills to stand out from the crowd. But that’s not it. You’d also need to fully understand the functions of a tour operator.
As a tour operator, it is important for you to offer unparalleled service to your customers. It’d require a deep understanding of your profession. Also, by having a strong grasp of the nitty-gritty of tour operations, you can keep bringing new innovations to your business.
Let’s discuss some of the functions of tour operators and how you can start implementing them in your business.
Functions of a Tour Operator
If you are ready to start your journey as a tour operator, then here are the 10 functions of tour operator that you must understand:
1. Creating Foolproof Packages
Whether a tourist would like to explore the scenic beaches of Goa or explore the snow-clad mountains of Himachal Pradesh, a tour operator plays a major role in creating top-notch tour packages that include all the tourist attractions as well as activities a tourist would like to undertake. One of the top functions of a tour operator is crafting itineraries for single vacationers, honeymoon couples, families as well as large tour groups. They also get to know their clients’ preferences in order to create custom packages.
2. Offering the Best Possible Rates to Customers
Tour operators frequently haggle with hotels and transportation providers to get the best possible rates for their clients. Plenty of times, you’d also find tour operators maintaining professional relationships with service providers in the tourism industry who end up offering great deals and discounts to customers. That’s how tour operators are able to offer the best prices to their customers, even during the peak seasons. So, whether a tourist would like to stay in a 5-star hotel or travel in a 7-seater, all they need to do is connect with their tour operator and check what they have got in their catalogue.
3. Managing the Budget of Their Customers
Counted among the major functions of tour operators, they assist the clients in creating a financial plan for their trip. Whether a tourist would like to enjoy a lavish trip and stay in one of the opulent properties or they would enjoy a more bohemian style of travelling by staying in hostels, a tour operator takes time to understand their needs and budget. Then, they create tailor-made itineraries within the budget stated by the tourist. A tour operator makes sure that a tourist does not have to compromise with the itinerary they have in their mind.
4. Keeping Up With the Market Trends
One of the most popular functions of tour operator is to keep up with the cyclic changes going on in the tourism industry. Whether a tourist prefers an online booking system or they need a more efficient way of payment, a tour operator keeps tab on the demands of the tourists to develop more efficient operators. For example, in recent years, tour operators have brought their operations to smartphones. That allows the tourists to seamlessly book their package. As per Google, about 79% of the travellers complete their booking via smartphone.
Also, be it learning more about new tourist attractions cropping up across the world or introducing new restaurants to customers, a tour operator makes sure that tourists do not miss out on anything while on their trip.
5. Travel Assistance
One of the main functions of tour operator is to assist tourists in creating lifelong memories. Plenty of tour operators offer end-to-end services in order to ease the process of planning the trip. Be it reserving the tickets, reserving a hotel room or arranging a cab, a tour operator makes sure that tourists do not face any obstacles while travelling.
On top of that, they also help with currency conversion, managing documents as well as offering visa assistance. Some of these tasks can be quite tricky in nature. With the assistance of a tour operator, customers can feel at complete ease while embarking on a trip.
6. Outsourcing the Services for Your Customer
Making sure their clients get where they need to go, tour operators also connect with other businesses in order to make the trip smoother for their customers. Whether a tourist would like to reserve a rental car or enjoy a cruise, a tour operator makes sure that they outsource the services to other companies, in case they are not present in-house. This gives more flexibility to your customers as well to opt for your services without worrying about missing out on anything from their itinerary. Not to mention, such professional relationships also bring more limelight and revenue to local businesses.
7. Keeping the Operations Organised for a Hassle-Free Trip
In addition to the cost, you are responsible for keeping track of any payments and bookings made with your vendors. It can be quite a hassle to keep up with all the unsynchronized conversations and operations going on with each customer and vendor. Simplifying this process is among the top functions of tour operators. By investing in specialised software or creating a digitalized system, a tour operator can keep everything organised so that they can offer personalised services to their customers. By doing so, you can reduce the number of human errors. Also, this can help in automating several processes so that you can simply focus on what matters the most: your customer’s satisfaction.
8. Making Reservations for Your Customers
Making multiple reservations for customers has always been one of the major functions of tour operators. When it comes to booking a hotel room, reserving a car rental service or reserving airline tickets, a tour operator will make sure that all the requirements are met before the start of their customer’s journey. Not to mention, they also keep the tourists updated about any alterations happening. Plenty of times, the packages offered by tour operators already include the service of reserving hotel rooms or flight tickets on behalf of the tourists.
9. Taking Care of Last-Minute Emergencies
It’s highly probable to encounter numerous roadblocks while planning a trip. One of the major functions of a tour operator is to reduce the number of such obstacles and smoothen the entire process. For instance, if a tourist is unable to make it on time or they encounter some issues with their reservations when they reach the property, a tour operator is always available to assist their customers and deal with such last-minute emergencies. That’s where the top-notch skills of a tour operator come in handy, including quick decision-making and charming communication skills.
10. Marketing the Destinations
One of the top functions of tour operator is to market tourist destinations. Whether they choose to post videos of a breathtaking trek in the Himalayas or showcase packages of a beachside resort with several enticing images on their website, a tour operator plays a major role in shedding light on several gems and attracting a wide range of tourists. With the help of their social media accounts or websites, tour operators can make more people aware of some hidden gems and entice them to plan their trip.
Conclusion
If you have fully understood the functions of a tour operator, the next step is to bring your presence online. For that, you will require a well-designed website. With Pathfndr, you can launch your AI-powered travel website. There are several advantages of opting for Pathfndr for supporting your website including 15+ algorithms that drive this platform and 40+ million routes that are mapped to suggest the best trips to customers.
In addition, Pathfndr allows you to create dynamic packages for your customers that can be booked seamlessly. Also, the travel booking management tools offered by Pathfndr simplify your business.