Travel and Tourism (0471) | The role of tourism organisations, their sustainable practices, the products and services they provide and their appeal

Welcome to Travel & Tourism Organisations!

Hi there! This chapter is super important because it answers the question: "Who actually makes tourism happen?". You will learn about the main organisations in the industry, what they sell, why people choose them, and how they are working to protect the planet (sustainability).
Understanding these roles helps you see how the whole industry connects, which is essential for IGCSE success!

3.1 The Role of Tourism Organisations, Their Products, Services and Appeal

The travel and tourism industry is a complex web of different businesses working together. We can group them into six main categories, each offering unique products and services.

A) Travel Agents

Role: Travel agents act as the salesperson or intermediary. They sell products and services supplied by other organisations (like airlines, hotels, and tour operators) directly to the customer.

Types of Travel Agents

• Retail Agents: Traditional "high street" shops where customers talk to an agent face-to-face. (Example: A local shop in your town.)
• Online Travel Agents (OTAs): Websites or apps where customers book themselves. They are very popular for quick, independent bookings. (Example: Booking.com, Expedia.)
• Specialist Agents: Focus on a particular niche market, like adventure travel, luxury cruises, or business trips.
• Business Travel Agents: Focus purely on corporate clients, managing flights, accommodation, and meetings (MICE-related travel).

Products and Services Provided

• Selling independent tours/packages created by tour operators.
• Selling individual components (flights, hotels, car hire).
• Offering ancillary services, such as travel insurance, currency exchange, advice on visas/passports, and activity bookings.

Appeal to Tourists

• Convenience: One place to book everything.
• Expert Knowledge: Agents can offer tailored recommendations.
• Security: If something goes wrong, the agent is there to help solve problems.

B) Tour Operators

Role: Unlike agents who sell, tour operators create holiday packages. They buy components (flights, hotels, coaches) in bulk at reduced prices, combine them, and sell the complete holiday (a 'package') to agents or directly to the public.

Types of Package Holidays

• Mass Market: Holidays for large numbers of people, often to popular, well-established destinations (e.g., large resorts in Spain).
• All-inclusive: The price includes accommodation, transport, all meals, drinks, and usually some activities. Very appealing for budget control.
• Specialist: Focus on niche interests like trekking, historical tours, or wellness retreats.
• Dynamic Packages: Holidays customised by the traveller or agent using flexible technology to combine flights and hotels in real-time. This is often more flexible than pre-made packages.

Components of Packages (What they combine)

A package holiday usually includes:

1. Transport (e.g., flights and airport transfers).
2. Accommodation (e.g., a hotel for 7 nights).
3. Other services (e.g., meals, excursions, representative services).

Appeal to Tourists

• Simplicity and Convenience: Everything is arranged and paid for in one go.
• Value for Money: Buying bulk means operators can offer lower prices.
• Security: Packages often offer greater financial protection if the company fails (important concept!).

C) Accommodation Providers

Role: To provide lodging, rest, and comfort for tourists away from home. Their offerings range massively based on budget and need.

Types of Accommodation

• Hotels: Range from luxury five-star resorts to budget city hotels.
• Guest Houses/B&Bs: Smaller, more intimate lodging, often run by families.
• Hostels: Budget accommodation, typically featuring shared dormitories, popular with younger or backpacker tourists.
• Homestays: Staying in a local resident's home, offering cultural immersion.
• Camping: Low-cost option, focusing on nature and the outdoors.
• Specialist/Eco-friendly: Accommodation designed to minimise environmental impact (using solar power, composting).
• Serviced Apartments: Self-contained apartments offering hotel services like cleaning.

Services Provided (Meal Plans)

Accommodation can be sold in different ways:

• Serviced:
  • Room only: Just the room.
  • Bed and Breakfast (B&B): Room plus breakfast.
  • Half Board: Room, breakfast, and one other main meal (usually dinner).
  • Full Board: Room, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Self-Catering: The tourist is responsible for their own meals. (Examples: Holiday lets, home sharing like Airbnb.)

Key Term: Occupancy Rates: This is the percentage of rooms or beds that are booked and used over a period. High occupancy rates mean the business is successful!

D) Food and Drink Providers

Role: Essential for providing nourishment and contributing significantly to the cultural experience of a destination.

• Types: Restaurants (fine dining to casual), Cafes, Bars, Local Street Food Vendors, and Takeaways.

Appeal and Sustainable Practices

Food providers are increasingly appealing if they focus on local and sustainable sourcing. Tourists often seek authentic experiences, meaning local street food or restaurants using locally grown ingredients are highly attractive.

E) Visitor Attractions

Role: These are the primary reasons why people visit a destination in the first place. They can be paid entry or free access.

Types of Visitor Attractions

• Natural Attractions: Created by nature and often managed for preservation. (Example: Mountains, rainforests, beaches, national parks.)
• Built Attractions: Created by humans. (Example: Museums, theme parks, historic buildings like castles or pyramids.)
• Events: Temporary attractions that draw large numbers of visitors. (Example: Music festivals, sporting events like the Olympics, cultural carnivals.)

Managing Sustainability at Attractions

Attractions must manage visitor flow to prevent damage. Sustainable practices include:

• Capping visitor numbers (like limiting daily tickets to Machu Picchu).
• Providing robust visitor management and behaviour guidelines (e.g., clear paths, 'no-touch' rules).
• Using entry fees for conservation and maintenance.

F) Ancillary Service Providers

Role: These are the supporting services that make a trip run smoothly, though they aren't the main reason for travel.

• Tour Agents/Guided Tours: Offering local expertise, commentary, and transport for specific excursions.
• Currency Exchange Bureaux: Allowing tourists to convert their home money into local currency.
• Car Hire/Bicycle Hire: Providing flexible self-drive transport options.

Did You Know? Ancillary services are sometimes called "add-ons," and they are crucial for boosting the profits of the main organisations (like agents and operators).

Sustainable Practices of Tourism Organisations

A major focus for all organisations now is sustainability – ensuring the industry meets current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. Organisations achieve this through various practices:

1. Environmental Practices (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)

• Reducing Waste: Accommodation providers often eliminate single-use plastics (like small shampoo bottles) and use paperless check-ins.
• Energy Efficiency: Using alternative energy sources like solar power or efficient heating/cooling systems.
• Water Management: Encouraging towel reuse in hotels and installing water-saving taps.

2. Sociocultural Practices (Supporting Local Communities)

• Promoting Local Goods: Tour operators design itineraries that include visits to local markets or recommend restaurants using local produce, supporting the local economy.
• Fair Employment: Ensuring staff are locals and are paid fair wages, rather than relying solely on foreign labour.
• Cultural Respect: Agents and operators provide information to tourists on how to respect local customs and traditions.

3. Product Provision

• Eco-Friendly Options: Promoting and developing specific eco-friendly accommodation or low-emission transport options (e.g., bicycle hire over car hire).
• Transparency: Clearly labelling products as 'sustainable' so tourists can make sustainable travel choices regarding their method of transport or accommodation.

Key Takeaway

Every organisation—from the hotel you sleep in to the cafe where you buy coffee—plays a vital role in creating the tourism experience. Their success increasingly depends on providing appealing, quality products and services while committing to sustainable and responsible practices.