Package Tours
What is it?
Excursions or holidays that include transport, accommodation and meals or a tour guide.
Last a one-day, a month or more.
Types of Packages
Special-interest tours
Arts, food and wine, sport, cultural or agricultural.
Include an expert guide who relates to the theme of a tour.
Adventure tours
Physical and require a certain level of fitness.
Diving, rock or mountain climbing, horse riding, skiing or cycling.
City/regional tours
Those that they follow a fixed itinerary and visit areas historic, religious or cultural.
One full day or less.
Group tours
Take place depending on the number of travelers in order to go ahead.
Always escorted or a tour guide service is provided.
Fully escorted tours
Educational and offers a sense of security or overcomes language and cultural barriers.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
Consumer
Cost saving and budgeting
Responsibility is on the operator in other words, at the travel agency you hire.
Convenience and time-saving
Deals with all the arrangements relating to airlines, hotels, among others.
Quality of service
Ensure a high standard of quality and the consumer can have peace of mind.
Social
The fostering of short or long term friendships.
Travel agent
Wide variety of package tours
The travel agent can always make suggestions on tours which match the needs of the consumer.
Savings in time and cost
A tour provider, the travel agent only needs to makes one call to confirm the tour package.
Agent commission
10% commission on all tours they confirm.
Disadvantages
Travel agent
Control
Little or no say over the tour operator’s choice of services, restaurants, accommodation or attractions.
Consumer
Inflexibility
Buying a package they commit to follow the itinerary and they are unable to change or reschedule their tour as they wish.