Friday 23 October TIME

Hammenon. Kna res bo rough to Harrogate

Unit 11 Tour operation -planning

2 a Which hotels will the group be visiting?

b What other places of interest will the group be going to? c What do the abbreviations Arr., inc., and Dep. mean? d In what ways will the various organizations which are involved benefit from this particular familiarization trip?

Unit 11 Tour operation —planning

5 Speaking

You and your partner work for the local tourist board. Mr Edward Legrand, the Director of a tour operations company, has written to you asking you to organize a two-day tour of your area for him. His company organizes educational, sporting, sightseeing, and special-interest tours as well as conferences.

On a separate sheet of paper, plan a full itinerary tor Mr Legrand, remembering to leave him some free time.

6 Word study

'Organizations invest infarn trips in the hope of securing extra business.'

in the hope of is a common prepositional phrase (preposition in + noun the hope+ preposition of).

Put each prepositional phrase from the following list in its correct space in the sentences which follow.

g with a view to

h in accordance with

i in responseto

j in view of

k with reference in

I in payment for

1 our telephone conversation, 1 am writing to confirm our order,

2 the hotel, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year. (The
Manager,)

3 AJJ our sports activities are organized _ a fully qualified
instructor.

4 rain, the party will be held in rhe conservatory.

5 your instructions, we have rearranged the meeting for lacer in
the schedule.

6 languageskills, a resort representative must have good
interpersonal skills.

7 The company has recently purchased some adjoining land
expanding its leisure facilities in die future.

8 your recent enquiry, I am pleased to inform you . . .

9 the current economic situation, we can expect fewer visitors
this year.

10 The hotel has had some bad reviews but sales, ir has been

very popular.

U We are _ negotiating a new contract with our tour operator,
12 I enclose a cheque______ our accommodation.

I hut 11 Tour operation -planning

Diane MacLennan rims UK Hosts, a company which specializes in selecting hotels in London for incentive tours from the USA. An incentivetuur isa reward or an encouragement for people who have done goodwork for their company. T!u- torn panics she deals wirh are usually very rich. On the tape you will hear her being interviewed about her work.

1 Before you listen to Diane talking, try to guess what kind of hotel her
groups look for.

2 Listen and check.

3 Read through the statements below, listen again, and complete the
sentences usingthe information on the tape:

a Diane depends upon her to help her recommend

appropriate horels for her clients. b Diane's clients usually make an -

recommended.

c Ir is - for her to visit fourteen hotels in one day.

d For her groups, the three most important areas in a hotel arc the

------------- , and the

_,the

e Horels keep Diane up-to-date by - - and by -

f Trade magazines are useful for information about

g To meet people in the industry she goes to .,

h Diane inspects the hotels she recommends.

128 Unit 11 Tour operation —planning

8 ActivityDivide into pairs, A and B.

A

You are a tour operator. You are going to interview a hotel manager to see if the hotel meets your company's requirements. Read the extract below, then decide exactly what requirements your company has before you start the interview.

B

You are a hotel manager. Read the extract below and decide exactly what facilities you have to offer in your hotel. See if they meet the tour operator's requirements.

THE BUSINESS Of- TOURISM

The hotels

In addition to operators spelling out their exact requirements in terms of rooms - required numbers of singles, doubles, twins; with or without private facilities; whether with balconies or seaview; and with what catering provision, e.g. rooms only with breakfast, half board or full board - they must also clarify a number of other issues. These include:

• reservations and registration procedures (including issue of any
vouchers);

• accommodation requirements for any representatives or couriers
(usually provided free);

• handling proced ures and fees charged for porterage;

• special facilities available or needed, such as catering for
handicapped customers, or special catering requirements (kosher,
vegetarian, etc);

• languages spoken by hotel staff;

• systems of payment by guests for drinks or other extras;

• reassurance on suitable fire and safety precautions;

• if appropriate, suitable space for a representative's desk and
noticeboard.

It is also as well to check the availability of alternative hotel accommodation of a comparable standard in the event of over­booking.

Ancillary services

Similar negotiations will take place with locally-based incoming operators and coach companies to provide the coach transfers between airport and hotels and any optional excursions. Car hire companies may also be approached to negotiate commission rates on sales to the?

Source: J. Christopher Hoiloway; The Business of Tourism

Unit 11 Tour operation —planning

9 Activity

It takes a lot of careful planning, negotiating, administration, and marketing to put together a new tour programme. You are going to put Together a summer holidays brochure featuring twenty to thirty hotels in different Mediterranean countries.

Using the tour-planning diaiy below, decide:

in what order it will be best to do each stage listed below, what exactly will be involved in each stage, why it will make sense to do them in that order,

a estimate the exact selling prices based on exchange rates

b negotiate with airlines and hotels

c decide on destinations, hotels and capacity, duration of tours, and

departure dates

d finalize the reservations system

e sign contracts with hotels and airlines

f send first tours to resorts

g distribute promotional material to agencies including brochures

b start production of brochure

j make an in-depth comparison of potential destinations

j send final tour prices to printer

k identify a likely selection of countries, resorts, and hotels

I start advertising

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 798