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Frequently asked questions, what is a tour.

A tour is a trip taken by a group of people who travel together and follow a pre-planned itinerary. Most tours include accommodations, a number of meals, sightseeing, land transportation and/or other transportation, plus the services of a professional tour manager or escort who accompanies the group.

What is a vacation package?

A vacation package combines multiple travel elements into an all-inclusive price. This price is usually lower than if the elements were purchased separately. Volume purchasing makes this possible. Any of the following elements (or others) can be present in a package: air transportation, lodgings/accommodations, meals, motorcoach, rail or private vehicle, entertainment, car rental, airport transfers, sightseeing, etc. One or more destinations can be involved, and optional elements can be added.

What does a tour operator do?

A tour operator puts together travel "packages" involving a number of different elements: airlines, ground transportation, hotels, restaurants, local guides and other services for one or more destinations. These packages are sold to the public, usually through travel advisors.

What are the benefits of a tour or vacation package?

Besides lower price, the traveler enjoys peace of mind and convenience. Prepayment covers all major expenses, so that money concerns are minimized. On group tours, there is the added camaraderie of other travelers. Tour operator representatives visit destinations in advance of tours, checking hotel quality, dining facilities, equipment, etc. This advance planning allows realistic information to be passed along to travel advisors, and then to their clients.

Is it advisable to book through a travel advisor?

Yes. Travel advisors are professionals with travel savvy who have the latest information, first-hand knowledge and experience in all phases of travel. They know the tour operators and can be especially helpful in arranging all-inclusive tours. Advisors can translate a traveler's preferences into those specific packages that will best satisfy each traveler's needs, style and budget. Find a USTOA Certified Travel Advisor .

What if a problem occurs on my vacation?

The vast majority of tours and vacation packages go off like clockwork. But should a legitimate complaint arise during your trip, such as a service not provided or severe disappointment in quality or performance, the matter usually can be resolved with the assistance of your travel advisor and/or tour operator. Remember, it is in their best interest to resolve all legitimate complaints as quickly and fairly as possible, because a satisfied customer comes back for more, and refers others.

What does the USTOA symbol in a travel brochure or advertisement mean to me?

It means that the tour operator, USTOA Active Member , has been in business at least three years and has 18 industry references. Additionally, the company must participate in the USTOA $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program by posting a $1 million security to be used solely for reimbursing consumers in the case of bankruptcy or insolvency. The symbol also represents commitment to truth, accuracy and clarity in advertising. In a nutshell, a company deserving your confidence.

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Tourism Trade Associations

Tourism and travel is a challenging and unique business. Within the course of a single hour you may help one client plan a road trip to the California Central coast , and then book a couple for a romantic escape to the archaeological sites of the Mundo Maya and end up creating a family adventure on New Zealand's North Island . No other business demands more accurate information about geography, culture, and current events in distant places than the travel industry. Clients count on tourism professionals for up-to-date information that can make or break a vacation.

Most travel and tourism industry professionals recognize that trade associations and organizations can provide valuable contacts, networking opportunities, and information. The following list identifies some of the organizations dedicated to helping tourism and leisure travel specialists excel.

Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA)

ATTA is an international association of travel agents, tour operators, destination managers, service providers, and other travel professionals dedicated to creating sustainable adventure tourism opportunities for the hiking, biking, climbing, jumping, and exploring subsets of travelers.

American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA)

ASTA is the world's largest association of travel professionals. It is very active in lobbying, education, and networking. Each year, it hosts the Travel Global Convention.

Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA)

ABTA is the premier trade association for travel agents, tour operators, and travel service providers who work with clients from or traveling to the nation that invented tourism.

Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO)

AITO is an association of more than a hundred independent tour operators serving the British market with a wide variety of tours and holidays throughout the world.

Association of National Tourist Offices and Representatives (ANTOR)

ANTOR is a London-based association of the tourism offices of some 60 different nations. Its ​website contains contact information, including telephone numbers, for each member's tourism office, as well as useful links and information concerning tourism opportunities.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)

CLIA is the largest cruise industry trade organization in North America. Representing the interests of member cruise lines, 100 Executive Partners, and more than 14,000 travel agencies, CLIA participates in the regulatory and policy development process affecting the cruise industry. The annual CLIA-sponsored Cruise3Sixty trade show is one of the most popular cruise industry events in the country.​

National Tour Association (NTA)

NTA describes itself as "the leading association for professionals serving travelers to, from and within North America." NTA members include more than 1,500 tour operators offering more than 600 destinations in 40 countries.

Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research

Founded in 2004, ATLAS is an association of educational institutions, research groups and individuals studying tourism and leisure travel. Operating through regional subsidiaries in Europe, Africa, the Asian-Pacific region and the Americas, ATLAS conducts research and presents seminars on a wide variety of subjects including backpacking tourism, cultural tourism, gastronomy tourism, religious tourism and pilgrimage, spa and wellness tourism and volunteer tourism.

European Technology and Travel Services Association (ETTSA)

ETTSA represents and promotes global distribution systems (GDSs) and travel distributors before relevant stakeholders in Europe. The organization is based in Brussels and supports the goals of transparency, fair competition, and consumer choice in the travel distribution chain.

The Tourism Society

The Tourism Society is a UK-based society of tourism industry professionals focused on issues concerning career development, education, and networking.

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

UNWTO is the United Nations organization charged with promoting sustainable, profitable international tourism. It offers sophisticated business analysis and trend prediction tools, as well as a forum for lobbying to influence international tour and travel policy. UNWTO members include 155 countries and more than 400 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations, ​and local tourism authorities. Its website and downloadable reports offer a wealth of information. Sign up for its mailing list to keep on top of international news affecting the tourism and travel industry.

United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA)

USTOA is a professional trade association founded in 1972 by 10 wholesalers. Today, its members include some of the most distinguished tour operators and brands in the United States. The primary goal of the USTOA, which is based in New York, is to promote tour operator integrity.

World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)

The WTTC is a global authority on the economic and social contribution of travel and tourism. Its members include industry leaders representing 100 of the world's foremost travel and tourism companies.

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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.

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 .

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

• Inbound Tour Operators
• Outbound Tour Operators
• Domestic Tour Operators
• Ground 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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The Current Trends, Key Issues Facing Tour Operators

December 2021

By Travel Pulse

Posted 13 December 2021, 08:47 PM ET

The  United States Tour Operators Association  (USTOA) released the findings of its annual survey focusing on current trends, key issues and factors impacting the tour operator industry.

According to the study released during the  2022 USTOA Annual Conference and Marketplace  in San Diego, 93 percent of respondents anticipate growth in sales in 2022, while another 65 percent are forecasting average growth of between 7-10 percent.

The survey also found that 53 percent of tour operators believe the travel industry will see a full recovery of business by the end of 2023, while 20 percent believe the recovery will come by 2022. Only seven percent of respondents reported recovery by 2025 or beyond.

USTOA members reported that 59 percent of existing bookings for 2022 are new and 41 percent are rebooked passengers from canceled trips in 2020/2021. In addition, 75 percent of existing bookings are to international destinations, while 25 percent are to North American destinations.

“As far as booking patterns go, it's really been all over the place for a lot of the tour operators based upon what's happening,” Scott Wiseman of ALG Vacations told TravelPulse. “What's encouraging is that we're seeing more of new bookings versus the rebooking.”

Most tour operator members (91 percent) report being confident that guest bookings will increase in 2022, while 36 percent reported consumers are booking within four to six months of departure.

“While this year’s survey reveals more confidence moving into 2022, our members are not blind to the challenges that lay ahead on the road to recovery,” USTOA President Terry Dale said. “We asked members to name the biggest challenge or obstacle to operating in 2022 and border closing confusion across countries/states topped the list, followed by customer confidence to travel.”

The study also reinforced the significant contribution travel advisors make to the tour operator industry, with 89 percent of members planning to utilize agents to generate sales as they continue to resume business in 2022.

Italy topped the list of top international destinations travelers are booking for 2022, with France and Greece tied for second and Ireland ranked third. As for domestic destinations, National Parks topped the list, while Alaska followed in second and Hawaii finished third.

USTOA members  chose small group tours as the most popular travel product for 2022. FIT ranked second, followed by private groups, classic group tours (25 passengers or more), river cruising and small ship cruising. Ocean cruising (medium-to-large ship) rounded out the list.

Sustainable or responsible travel topped the list of trends that will have the most impact on the industry over the next ten years, with 56 percent already having formal policies, procedures and metrics to measure social and environmental implications of services.

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Members of the public are welcome to browse the open areas of www.etoa.org. The contents of the website have been drawn from a number of sources and so its accuracy is not guaranteed.

Please be aware that ETOA is an Association whose primary purpose is to campaign for a better regulatory environment. It also provides an information and contact network between its members. ETOA is not a bonding Association. In no way does membership of the Association imply that a member is solvent, or that the services they supply are of a particular standard. Consumers seeking these reassurances should look elsewhere.

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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First of all, NTA is all about relationships. There is no second of all.

For people in the business of travel, this is the place to be.

Is travel your business? Then you belong at NTA. Membership with the National Tour Association opens doors that will create business connections with bottom-line results for years to come. NTA’s vast professional network, member service discounts, educational programs and tourism industry leadership opportunities all are at your fingertips.

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No matter what you’re looking for, you'll find it in Courier — and in our other publications. On top of our award-winning magazine, NTA publishes a range of travel industry destination reviews, data, statistics and fact sheets. Sharing travel industry knowledge and insights with members is our passion.

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Travel is a face-to-face industry, and nothing grows business quite like personal contact. NTA organizes appointment-based, educational and social gatherings throughout the year, helping our members build real, long-lasting relationships. Learn more about how our folks benefit by making connections, from local networking programs to Travel Exchange and Contact, our annual flagship events held throughout North America.

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Welcome to CATO

We represent the interests and advocate on behalf of canadian tour operators.

The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) is a non-profit organization, consisting of highly respected tour operators from across Canada as well as supporting members.

CATO’s primary role is to inform government and other stakeholders of issues important to its members as well as advocate on their behalf.

What We Stand For

And how we can help you.

CATO is driven by a passionate group of volunteers who donate their time and ideas to advocate for an industry that is diverse, complex and has a foothold in virtually every community across Canada.

CATO’s members include organizations offering tour programs and travel packages originating from Canada to international destinations as well as inbound to Canada, intra-Canada and trans-border.

Join CATO today.

Our membership compromises some of the biggest travel brands in Canada, smaller long standing business, niche companies, aspiring start-ups, supporting members and anyone in between. Our door is open to any tour operator with a passion for our industry.

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Member challenge, create a fun brand video for inbound travel, covid-19 business continuity, covid-19 dmo resources, covid-19 resources, why join iita.

The International Inbound Travel Association’s community leads the field in inbound expertise because they have the advantages of specific, industry-focused education; shared best practices; and a network of knowledgeable and experienced experts they can trust.

Save the date for the IITA Summit on February 9-12, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

STEPS TO SUCCESS

A 4-step training program for DMOs and their supplier stakeholders to work with U.S.-based inbound operators.

INBOUND INSIDER MAGAZINE

The annual print and digital guide helps fulfill our mission of growing inbound travel to the USA.

ADVOCATING FOR YOU

IITA actively engages in advocacy to ensure the U.S. continues to welcome international visitors with open arms.

America’s 250th Birthday Offers Great Marketing Opportunity

CBP Programs Enhance Entry Experience

Inbound Operators Share Market Intel with U.S. Government Officials

“IITA comprises international inbound operators, suppliers, and destination marketing organizations. We educate, advocate, and create business opportunities for our members. Our IITA Summit is a smaller, more intimate show where you meet and talk to people. There are many different networking opportunities, including evening events and educational opportunities. Unlike other shows, you can walk away having met almost everyone at the show.”

“IITA is a fantastic organization where all the parts of the industry are involved and come together—operators, suppliers, and DMOs. Interaction and sharing knowledge and insights are crucial to bringing people to Summit, where they come to truly understand the international inbound market, which is so different from domestic travel. There is robust interaction taking place, and collectively, we are shaping the future of inbound travel. And that’s very exciting.”

“The benefits of joining the International Inbound Travel Association are the close relationships you can form with leading inbound companies. You can network with them by sitting down one-on-one, discussing their product needs, your destination, your business, or your attraction, and seeing if there’s a good fit. These companies are responsible for billions of dollars of business collectively, and this is your chance to get on stage with them like no other place.”

“I am thrilled to be a new member of IITA. I joined after attending IITA’s Steps to Success program hosted by Capital Region USA and delivered by Alon. I realized that our organization has already laid a lot of the groundwork to engage with international visitors but needed an important connection to take our international business to the next level. I am enthusiastic about the learning opportunities and personal connections IITA will provide.”

“The best aspect of IITA is its leadership and focus on elevating the awareness and the importance of the role of the receptive operator in the buying process. Our industry needs to become more familiar with how to work with that group. Each year, IITA Summit concentrates on connecting receptive operators with DMOs and suppliers. It’s a smaller atmosphere where you can always connect with buyers and sellers throughout the week.”

“I like IITA because it is so community driven. As a tech company, it’s great that I can come in and meet so many different people in the industry at one event. This was our first year coming to Summit, and it’s exciting because we currently have some customers here who are using our product, but there are so many who aren’t yet. It was an awesome experience having our brand represented at a table and meeting all these different people.”

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Our Membership

Day Tour Operator Fund Definition: A business which offers a land based day tour experience or land based multi-day tour experience in Scotland which does not include accommodation but does include motorised transport.

What’s in it for you?

• Free entry when accompanying paying guests at many iconic visitor attractions (for current list see SITOA website as this is constantly growing).
• Access to a year-round events programme of SITOA webinars and other events showcasing the best of Scotland across the regions and topics.
• Free Listing on the SITOA website Membership Directory for public access and access to the Membership Page of the website for Up To Date news and events
• Representation in the Scottish Tourism Alliance and reduced rates for all STA conferences and events
• Access to discounted rates for Hire & Reward Insurance and Public Liability Insurance
• Representation with the Scottish Government, VisitScotland and the Scottish Tourism Alliance to ensure your business sector is taken into account in strategic planning and any funding awards
• Access to a unique network of like-minded businesses to share good practice, new information and tour propositions

Note members must provide at least two different services on a tour (driving, tour guiding, canoeing tuition, fishing coaching, cycling guiding etc) AND provide the vehicle (car, minibus, canoe, cycle, boat)

The tour operator must :

• Provides a service such as tour guiding, fishing, canoeing, cycling
• Have Public Liability Insurance
• Have a website or social media page which specifically promotes the business
• Be bonded, if selling accommodation as part of a tour package (or can provide legal opinion that bond is not required)

You are not eligible to join SITOA if :

• You are a Tour Guide or Activity Guide who does not own a motorised vehicle with Hire and Reward Insurance.
• If The Tour Operator component (eg driver guiding) is an insignificant component of your overall turnover.

Those who fulfil the criteria may apply to SITOA for membership.

A SITOA annual membership fee is set annually, and will be paid from January each year.

1 Vehicle (1 badge): £40

2 – 5 Vehicles (2 badges): £80

7 – 10 Vehicles (6 badges): £120

Additional badges can be purchased by contacting us on [email protected].

SITOA is an organisation run by Tour Operators on a voluntary basis. Members are requested to get involved and support the organisation with volunteering from time to time, sharing information and good practice

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