Package Tourism in Kerala

7/30/2019 Package Tourism in Kerala

1/30

SIGNIFICANCE IN

Project Report

By

RANJINI.N.V

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration

(Travel & Tourism)

KERALA INSTITUTE OF TOURISM & TRAVEL STUDIES

Residency compound, Thycaud, Trivandrum 14.

2006 2008


2/30

I hereby declare that this project work entitled Package Tourism :Its

Significance in Tourism industry, is a genuine record of data and

information collected by me and submitted to Kerala Institute of Tourism

and Travel Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Post

Graduate Diploma in Business Administration Travel and Tourism.

Trivandrum RANJINI.N.V

15/02/2008 PGDBA - 7

2


3/30

I wish to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to Mr. Venugopal

C.K Faculty, Kitts for his valuable advice and timely encouragement to

complete my project.

I express my profound thanks to Mr. Dileep, Course Coordinator,Mrs. Sindhu, Ms. Niruba Sethukumari- Librarian, Kerala Institute of

Tourism and Travel Studies for their enthusiastic encouragement and

sustained interest in my project.

I also take this opportunity to express my gratitude towards my family

members and friends for being a constant source of support and

encouragement whenever, I felt discouraged.

Above all I thank Almighty GOD for giving me health, courage andwisdom to complete this project.

RANJINI.N.V

3


4/30

Chapter Page no.

1. Introduction.6

2. Early origins7

3. Significance and Effects of Modern inclusive Industry...8

4. Cyclical Nature Of This Inclusive Industry..8

5. Basic Holiday Model...9

6. Direction And Control In The Inclusive Holiday Industry.10

7. Service Quality in Inclusive Holiday Industry.....11

8. Customer orientation In Holiday Service Management..............12

9. Customer Satisfaction.12

10. Influence Of Holiday Makers Expectations Of Service Qualities.13

11. Creating markets.14

12. A hierarchy Of Holiday Buying Decisions...15

13. Branding Inclusive Holidays......1514. Distributing Inclusive Holidays..15

15. Push and Pull Distribution Strategies...16

16. Trade Association and Regulation Of Holiday Industry.....16

17. Tour Operating.17

18. Marketing Inclusive Holidays..18

19. Inclusive Holidays-Features and Advantages....19

20. How Can We Design A Holiday...20

21. Components Of Tourist Packages...21

22. A Brief Study About Kerala Package Tourism..25

23. Conclusion..29

4


5/30

ABSTRACT

Inclusive holiday has significant importance in the tourismindustry. They are readymade holidays exclusive for the special interested

tourists.transport, accommodation and package concept has primary

importance in the inclusive travel. The secondary elements constitutesdestination attributes, activities,.attraction and leisure infrastructure.

Tourists expectations, entrepreneurial creativity, employee skills and

investors capital are the main inputs of this industry. This inclusive holiday

system has economic, community, environment and ecology impacts. There

may be external influences such as tastes, competition, technology,

legislation, demographics and politics. The service quality in the inclusive

industry is also important. There is a wide spread emphasis on ensuring the

quality of an organizations products and seeking improvements in

specifications and performance.

5


6/30

Tourism, like most social activities, can be more fullyunderstood by identifying the events which led up to contemporary

situations and considering changes in relationships between key elements of

the system over time. The history of inclusive holidays is quite brief, but

since the end of Second World War it has enabled significant number of

people from the wealthier nations to travel for leisure through out the world.

The inclusive holiday industry consists of several discrete elements, notably

the various accommodation providers and other destination based

businesses, transport, tour operators and travel retailers. The success of

industry depends upon how effectively they work together to create

satisfying holiday experiences for the clients. The industrys success can be

considered from the perspective of each organization involved in supplying

elements to the industry, and from that of residents in destination areas.

There is a wide spread emphasis on ensuring the quality of an organizations

products, and seeking improvements in specification and performance.

All types of enterprise recognize the significance of

providing satisfying products and services to the customers. Similarly there

is a wide spread emphasis on ensuring the quality of an organizationsproducts, and seeking improvements in specification and performance. The

marketing and development of the inclusive holiday is also significant. a

clear understanding of the customers are ,what the benefits they seek and

how to present offers to them is crucial to success of any company operating

in a competitive environment. Inclusive holidays are only one form of

leisure travel, providing clients with the key advantages of economy and

convenience over making independent arrangements.

The role of tour operators in creating package holidays is

central to the inclusive travel industry. The travel retailers make these

services easily accessible to clients through the traditional full service travel

agencies and the holiday shops which can now be found in the majority of

shopping centers in a typical case, tourists purchase their holiday from a

6


7/30

local travel agent after selecting between the brochures of many alternative

tour operators.

By the end of the nineteenth century ,although travel was

much slower than now and relatively more expensive, much of the present

day form of tourism was becoming evident ,with organized groups of

travelers paying a professional organizer to make the arrangements for their

leisure itineraries around Europe and further afield. One of the most

successful entrepreneurs was the Thomas Cook, who contributed a lot to this

industry. Many other travel organizers became established in Europe and

America, the core business activities common to them all being the

packaging travel, accommodation and excursion arrangements.Winter sports are begun to feature as a travel motive .within a

few years growing interest of skiing also encouraged. Thus the holiday

industries demand were beginning to alter the infrastructure and

environment of destination areas.

Factors in the growth of foreign holiday taking

technological developments in transport

improvements in telecommunications

developments of computerized reservation systems

tourism entrepreneurs creativity

investment in tourism infra structure development in destination areas

increases in standards of living in countries of tourist origin

increased awareness of destination

7


8/30

lifestyle changes

demographic changes

Within a span of four decades, the varied forms of

international leisure tourism have become established as one of the

dominant economic and social activities of the late twentieth century .by theend of 1080s British tour operators, retail travel agents, airline and hotel

groups and many other organizations were geared up to produce an sell

some 12 million overseas package tour annually. How ever the mid

1990s , the volume of overseas holidays sold by British tour operators had

dropped to about 10 million ,and a range of problems were become apparent

.

The key social achievement of this industry is its ability to

provide easy and affordable international travel to large numbers of people,

thus broadening their experience of the diversity of human culture and otherenvironments and ecologies, in an affordable, leisure oriented context. But

this depends on the packaging the elements of travel, accommodation and

destination activities. As a result of this packaging of travel get opportunities

is that tourists tend to go to same places, meeting other holiday takers from

similar backgrounds, and sharing with them their experience of the cultures

and places which they visit.

Even within its brief history, tourism has exhibited the

characteristics s of a cyclical industry. The pattern is that higher level of

8


9/30

demand is stimulated by price reduction or the relaxation of control over

international travel. In the resultant boom tour operators charter more plans

to book additional hotel rooms. In turn, this stimulates investment i air fleets

and in the construction of new hotels or new resorts.

Further more despite the industrys impressive four decade

record of growth, a variety of factors can occur both in origin and

destination markets to depress demand. These include economic

retrenchment, strikes, the outbreak of disease or civil unrest and unusual

weather conditions .Examples of later include seasons when snow cover in

the Alps is unusually limited, thus destroying the winter holiday market, or a

very hot summer in the Northern origin markets which greatly reduces the

demand for overseas Sun Belt holidays.

The rate of development of this industry and the scope of

its operations, has exhibited a number of steps mainly to the introduction of

new technology. Recently it again picked up pace when the more

economical twin engined jets were licensed to fly routes which took them

more than 90 minutes from an airport, thus enabling them to operate long

haul flights. This has begun to open up the Far East, America, the Caribbean

and Australia European markets for inclusive holidays based of charterflights a d to reduce their prices. while it is risky to predict the future ,it

seems likely that the next major developments to affect the industry will

come from the increasing power and sophistication of other forms of

technology, as widespread commercial and domestic access to

computerization and telecommunications will perhaps have the effect of

unpacking the way that inclusive holidays are currently presented.

An inclusive travel has 3 key elements; return travel,

accommodation and a range of activities at their destination. the industry

provides the services of packaging and distributing holiday products; its

function are often described in terms of supply and distribution channels in

which tour operators select and package the great variety of tourism services

9


10/30

available at destinations ,for sale through travel agencies to their ultimate

clients. The alternative method of choosing a holiday, now used by some 10

million people annually in Britain, is to buy a packaged holiday. In this case

the tour operator contrasts for the separate elements of a holiday and the

customers have the choice of making their booking direct with the touroperator or through the services of a travel agency. Increasingly, these are

specializing in selling selected inclusive holidays, and are therefore

sometimes referred to as holiday shops.

10

Tourists expectation

Entrepreneurial creativity

Employee skills

Investors capital

THE INCLUSIVE HOLIDAY

SYSTEM

PRIMARY ELEMENTS

Transport

Accommodation

Package concept

SECONDARY ELEMENTS

Destination attributes

Activities

Attraction

Leisure infra structure

INPUT

Tourists

expectation

Entrepreneu

rial

Creativity

Employee

skills

UTS

IMPACTS

Economic

Community

Environment

Ecology

STAKEHOLDERS

OUTCOME

Tour operators

Travel retailersTourists

Residents

Destination services

EXTERNAL INFLUENCES

Tastes Competition Technology

Legislation Demographics Politics

OUTCOMES


11/30

Although some dominant companies have en\merged in

this industry, notably the large vertically integrated groups, there is no

strong leadership of the industry. The Association of British travel agent

(ABTA) represents the industrys interest to government, provides a frame

work for equitable relationships between tour operators and travel agents,

and mediates between them and their customers. The lack of agreement on

issues, priorities, policies and responsibility poses a threat to travel agencies,

tour operators and destinations.

The tourism industry, of which the inclusive holiday

industry is a part, offers many opportunities for entry, both to entrepreneurs

and staffing part, these results from the diversity and speed o development

of the tourism industry but it also reflects two related trends. The vision

which develops the continuing development of tourism services offers scope

for entrepreneurial initiatives, while the increasing scale of tourism

operation s provides a major source of a new employment in many

countries. the organizations supplying tourism services include public andprivate enterprises, and range from large to small in scale .entrepreneurial

opportunities tom establish a business can be found in most sectors of

tourism ,but small scale companies are most common in

catering,consultancy,attractions management and travel retailing or tour

operating.

How ever, through enabling the regular arrival of large

members of people with money indulge their interests and few constraints

on their time, the holiday industry also creates a significant opportunity

climate in the destination areas.

11


12/30

The key to any organizations success is to understanding of

how the individuals who are its potential clients make decisions to spend

their resources of time, money and effort, and of benefits they seek from so

doing. Within any company, the marketing strategic role is therefore to

bring the organization around to an awareness of needs of its customers andto develop ways to delivering its services effectively. In a complex industry

such as tourism where clients rely for their satisfaction on the efforts of a

wide range very diverse company, the issue is much more challenging,

because satisfying experiences in tourism require both the coordination of

many service elements contributed by each company and its staff, yet

retaining, even emphasizing, their individual styles of service.

Management Responsibility for Quality In The Service Sector

The development of a new service is usually characterized by

trial and error. Developers translate a subjective description of a need in to

an operational concept that may bear only a remote resemblance to the

original idea. No one systematically quantifies the process or devises tests to

ensure that the service is complete, the rational, and fulfills the original need

objectively.

Technical Approaches To Tourism Service Quality

The technical approach to quality emphasizes the performance

criteria which are often specified for service delivery systems. Thus airlines

publicize the proportion of their on time arrivals and aim to open the

planes doors within 2 minutes of engines off .

One strategy which service managers often adopt in their

search for consistent service is to eliminate employees desecretion and

judgment when ever possible. This approach relies on the specification of

tasks to a standard of performance expected by management, and thenprovides them with a basis for measuring the effectiveness of staff

performing services.

12


13/30

The tourism services can best be understood in terms of

customer expectations of satisfaction against which they match their

subsequent individual experiences during the service.

Kotler (1982) has defined services as an activity that one party can offer to

another that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of

anything. In other words, the people who work to create and deliver touristic

experiences have extensive contacts with other clients. People often discuss

the rapport which they struck up with the waiter, barman or courier (as well

as with other holiday makers) during the holiday. The quality of these

relationships and the service delivery are just as significant in tourists

satisfaction and enjoyment as the efficiency with which services are

performed.

Marketing theory argues that customers experiences with any

purchaser give rise to outcomes for them satisfaction to dissatisfaction. This

reflects a divergence from the standards of services which clients had

anticipated, as the following abbreviated quotations indicate:the seeds of

consumer satisfaction are planted during prepurchase phase of consumerdecision process.

Dissatisfaction has also been defined as sate of cognitive or

affective discomfort. The response to any dissonant experiences is an effort

to correct the situation while other people decide to avoid it in the future. it

is critically important to ensure that the facilities and services promised in

advertisements actually are provided to the tourists they attract. Unless the

expectations which led to them to purchase a particular vacation are

matched by their experiences during the holiday, dissatisfaction will be the

result.Consumer satisfaction I the outcome when expectations are matched by

service experience, conversely, dissatisfaction occurs when there is a

mismatch and the expectations are not fulfilled by service delivered.

Dissatisfaction can be understood as cognitive dissonance, a physiological

conditions making it unlikely that the customer will purchase from that

supplier in the future.

13


14/30

Tour operators have different ways of communicating the

quality of their products to customers.Statemants about quality are often

contained in a tour operators marketing communication and in its

brochures. in both the cases this may be explicit, as for example when a tour

operators brochure states that hotels are of a certain category of star rating,

or implicit, conveyed in the text and images us3ed to position the product.

Examples of latter include photographs of stylish restaurant service or of

well furnished rooms, and descriptions of the knowledge and the skill of

resort staff. Some long established companied refer proudly to the length oftheir experience in the industry; others lost travel industry awards which

they have won. This latter feature strongly in trade promotions and the trade

press also publicizes the presentation of awards at lavish annual dinner

functions.

The test ultimately lies in customers judgment of the

satisfaction which they experience during their holiday.these points are

interconnected, since the theoretical approach to understanding service

satisfaction is based on a comparison of expectations formed during their

holiday. it should be borne I mind of tour operators set out to attract

different segments of the holiday market, and therefore the way in whichthese quality statements are phrased or placed in the brochure and relative

importance given to each varies from one company to other. Overall the

purpose of these and other references to the tour operators quality in their

brochures has been explained by Middleton (1988) as to promote confidence

in buyers.

A clear understanding of who its customers are, what benefits

they seek and how to present offers to them is crucial to the success of any

company operating in a crucial environment. Inclusive holidays are only one

form of leisure travel, providing clients with the key advantages of economy

and convenience over making independent arrangements. How ever the

inclusive holiday industry, through its success in packaging travel

14


15/30

arrangements, has also made many places more accessible to the individual

travelers, and they now find greater range amenities there because of

developments associated with mass tourism.

To purchase a packaged holiday

the desire tom take an overseas holiday

price advantages of buying packaged holidays

ease of purchasing packaged holidays

advertising for holiday brands

To take a holiday in a type of destination

programs portraying the culture or ecology of foreign places

advertising for other products set in exotic locations

media coverage of sports events held overseas

To go to a specific destination

previous knowledge about the destination

recommendation by friends who have enjoyed it

advertising by destination

additional features on travel destination

Branding strategy is mainly for establishing and maintaining

a clear identity for the company so that customers will ask their products by

name.branding are at the centre of much modern marketing effort. A strong

identity will give opportunities and benefits to the company. From a

promotional point of view the task is to establish strong market awareness

15


16/30

for the brands so that it becomes first choice of the consumer.Brandibng

build the core features of product or service, offering additional benefits

which distinguish one product from similar alternatives.

The stronger the brand the less readily will a customer

accept an alternative. Branding can be implemented through the consistentuse of corporate symbol or trade name. The objective is to ensure that the

brand is one of those which the consumer is most likely to purchase. How

ever, it is also possible that a particular brand may have failed to satisfy a

consumer in the past, in which the case it is unlikely that he or she will

repurchase it. These 2 groups of brands have been described as evoked and

inept sets. Evoked sets have been described as the collection of brands the

buyer actually considers in his decision process. Inept brands are those

which the consumer has rejected from the purchaser consideration.

The tour operators role in creating package holidays is

central to the inclusive holiday industry, but just as their success depends on

suppliers such as hotels and charter airlines for elements of which their

holiday products are composed, most of them are rely heavily on retail

travel agencies to sell holidays to the public. In a typical case, tourist

purchase their holiday from a local travel agent after selecting between the

brochures of many alternative tour operators. The retailer is acting as an

agent for the tour operator, earning a commission on sales price of holiday

and being rewarded with higher commission rates by tour operators for

whom he sells above a target volume or value of packages.

Once a potential client enters a travel agency, the objective

of staff is to close a sale during the visit. This objective closely matches, but

is not identical to; the clients purposer.the clients objective is to select avacation offering the range of benefits he or she desires. The client may

therefore require advice and a range of potential holidays to discuss at

leisure with his or her traveling companions.

16


17/30

Two major strategies have been distinguished for marketing

communication. In one case the service provider advertises to the client

through public media such as news papers, magazines, television and radio.

The interest thus stimulated is felt by channel members as a pull through thedistribution system when clients request specific brochures or information

from travel agencies. This interest act as a signal to the tour operator and

principals, who respond by increasing the stocks of their brochures held by

agents.

The alternative strategy for tour operators to promote their

services to channel members ,through public relations

campaigns,educvational visits, trade seminars, discounts or free offer

schemes ion recognition of sales results achieved either by an agency or by

individual staff members. The real criterion for selling one holiday ratherthan another is its match to a specific clients needs ,thus there is an

undercurrent of ethical concern of about the wide spread industry practice of

proving educational visits for staff, even these are well organized.

Codes of conduct in trade between tour operators and travel agents

Tour operators code of conduct

To ensure that the public receive the best possible service from tour

operators. Also to maintain and enhance the good name of ABTA and its

members, to encourage initiative and enterprise ,to ensure that the public

interest shall predominate in all considerations of the standards of

competitive trading between tour operators ,and to encourage growth and

development of the travel industry.

Conduct between tour operators and members of the public

A variety of standards are given covering brochure standards

,cancellation by the tour operator, alteration to the holiday ,cancellation

by clients, overbooking building works, liability, complaints

correspondence from clients ,correspondence from the association

17


18/30

arbitration ,advertising,surcharges,airport etc.taxes,misleading use of

ABTAs symbol and resort representatives.

Conduct between tour operator and travel agents

Members of the tour operators class must not sell their foreign inclusivetravel arrangements through anyone who is not a member of the travel

agents class

Members of the travel agents class must not sell the foreign inclusive

travel arrangements of anyone who is not either a member of the tour

operators class or another member of the travel agents class

TOUR OPERATING

Tour operators are the key organizations in the inclusive

holiday industry, providing logical skills to package travel,

accommodation and destination activities in ways which appeal to

traveling public. the tour operators can create interest in its holiday

program through media communications campaigns directed at the public,

and by educating the travel retailers it deals with the special characteristics

and advantage of its holyday offers. The tour company bears the risk of

researching and organizing a program many months ahead of its sale, and

it incurs the cost of brochure design, production and distribution and of theinstallation and staffing of a reservation system.

Tour operators deal in holiday concepts consisting of basic

elements such as, particularly hotel or other accommodation, travel

between home and resort, and various activities at the destination. The

skills of successful tour operating lie in selecting an appealing

combination of these elements ,marketing the packages effectively so that

sufficient number of holidays can be sold at prices which enable the

industrys participating companies to earn realistic levels of profit, and

operating the holidays in a manner which pleases the clients.

18


19/30

Increasing spending power, increased awareness of holiday

opportunities and falling cost of holidays has enabled more people to

exercise choice between an increasing numbers of holiday options. As more

people travel the range of destinations and the types of holiday offered have

become more varied, reflecting the tour operators increasingly sophisticateddifferentiation of their holiday products. This variety of holiday types also

helps the tour operator to fill the capacity on flights between origin and

destination by targeting a variety of segments in the market for holidays

with different products.

Marketing theorist have pointed out that all purchases are

made to satisfactory needs. Any item purchased must be able to perform

the function claimed of it, and for which it was primarily acquired. This isthe core of the product.

Tour operates market their holiday packages in the fullest

sense: they develop their products; take pricing decisions which they feel

will attract the greatest volume of travelers or yield the best profit,

promote their holidays to customers and travel retailers through

appropriate media, produce and distribute detailed information in the form

of holiday brochures by which clients can take buying decisions, set up

reservation systems to handle bookings and administrative systems to deal

with suppliers and distributors ,and develop new holiday concepts forforth coming seasons and work towards business goals of growth, market

share and profit such as any other business does. The key to tour

operators success is to understand what their customers want, and to

provide it in convincing, enticing ways.

Most tour operators improve on the basic holiday package

by including features such as transfers between airport and hotel at the

destination, and the services of resort representatives who provide clients

with further opportunities for a variety of leisure, cultural, sporting or

entertainment activities during their destination stay.

The precise mix of additional service elements and thestyle with which they are presented helps the tour operator to establish a

unique position in clients minds, contrasting with that of competitors.

These additional service elements are a managerial tool by which

managers can distinguishing their organizations style from that of the

competitors along dimensions such as completeness of holiday experience,

19


20/30

and its cost ,quality and convenience. On tour extra benefit include better

flight scheduling, more comfort or up rated service standards, welcoming

drinks or other tokens and full service at the destination. After the holiday

satisfaction questionnaires, with any follow up needed, may be offered.

convenient purchase of all tourism elements

quality guarantees

protection through branding

convenient arrangements

tourists bundled in to economic groups for transport and

accommodation

reduced marketing expanses

simplified booking and payment arrangements

regular arrival of groups

predictable requirements

20


21/30

reduced marketing expenses

easy to provide a full holiday for clients

pre-existing market demand

low capital and staffing cost

widespread awareness and interest

easy to expand or change program

standardized products offered

HOW CAN WE DESIGN A HOLIDAY?

Listening and clarifying with the customer.

Checking the interest of the customer.

Preferred mode of travel.

Category of hotel, type of room etc.

How many are traveling (adults and children)

Budget of the traveler

Time and duration of the trip

Type of food

Favorable season of that place

Geography of the destination

21


22/30

Approximation of expenses that incurred

Knowledge about the activities that can offer by the destination

Knowledge about the entertainments

Backbone of a package tour is itinerary. Itinerary is a detailed plan for a

journey listing places to visit and plan of travel.

Itinerary includes

Main body of the program

Correct information about Number of passengers, nationality etc

Types of transport

Narration of day by day activities

Cost factor

Miscellaneous information

Tour cost

Cost of the tour as per itinerary

Specification about - cost doesnt includes

Other information

- Time difference- About the hotels and restaurants

- Appropriate driving time from one place of the destination to

another place.

- If it is possible to put photographs of the different attractions it

will be better.

22


23/30

TRANSPORTATION

ACCOMODATION

ATTRACTION

Transportation is defined as means to a destination and means of movement

at a destination. Certain mopes of transport are Roadways

Railways

Airways

Waterways

Ropeways/cable

Roadways manly include coaches and car mainly for freight, tourists and

passengers

Railways mainly include Express trains, Passenger trains SatabdhiAirways we have Scheduled and nonscheduled

Waterways mainly includes ships, ferries and cruises

Ropeways and cable cars: Two types short and long.

The main features are service availability and connectivity, cost

comparison with competitors, design and performance, comfort and onboard

sevice, passenger handling at terminals, confirmation of booking andticketing, image and positioning. Factors affecting selection of transport are

distance and time, comfort, safety and utility, availability and frequency,

competitive cost price, ground services, status and prestige, geographical

position and isolation, departure and arrival times and level of competition

between services.

23


24/30

Opportunity to see the country side

Interaction with local people

Safety and low operational cost

Low cost vehicles

Possibility of using an alternative vehicle

Extensive availability of repair facilities

Fast and efficient mode of transportation

Carry large volumes- passenger and freight

Higher employment provider and competitive cost

Unparalleled experiences

Fast and reliable

Very competitive

Most comfort way of transportation

ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

These are which draw the people to a destination. Thedestination should have strongest pull factors, which is capable of draw the

people to that place. It should supplement all the principal components

which will help to as a tourist destination.

24


25/30

Natural and manmade environment

Culture and festivals and events

Activities

Purpose built facilities

Natural attractions: it may be landscapes, beaches, coral reefs, islands,

deserts, sand dunes, volcanos, montains etc

Cultural attractions: wide variety o features including the aspects of past

and present life styles. It may be social settings which include elements of

history such as castles, palaces, forts and all historical buildings. Or it may

be religious places such as temples, churches and mosques.

Events or festivals: Vast array of festivals, tournaments, business

activities which serve both for tourists and have separate business

function. it may include dance and music festival ,wine or food festivals,

national games, trade shows etc.

Activities: It gives opportunity for the visitor to engage in any activities.

Activity category includes many purpose built / leisure attractions and

facilities include entertainment centers, theme parks etc.

It provides commercial establishment of offering lodging

to travelers and sometimes to permanent residents .it may be hotels,

resorts, restaurants, homestays, motels, floatels, youth hostels, inns, clubs,

palaces, havelies etc.Different types of rooms are also available such as

Single,Double,Twin,King,Queen,Suite,Duplex,Pent house, Cabana


26/30

considerations, but is often treated as a priority in planning personal or

family expenditure. This implies either that the tourists have chosen not to

spend money or time or alternative products and he or she can not visit

alternative destinations during that vacation. The pricing policy adopted

by the inclusive holiday industry have been subjected to increasinglycritical comment ,although for different reasons ,by consumer interest

groups, experienced managers and by academic commentators. The price

at which a service is offered has two functions for the consumer, and of

course it is critical to the service provider. Firstly price act as a primary

signal of quality and accessibility for consumers. Secondly the price fit for

any goods or services is a filter-too high a price excludes the service from

consideration by many people.

There are different types of tours are available in the

market. Based on the type of operation one important classification is

packaged tours.Accomodation and Transportation is two inevitable

components of package tours. Along with sight seeing, local guides are also

provided.Kerala has all the potential to grow as a package tour destination.

Kerala, the narrow green strip of fertile land truly looks like a

tropical paradise and is an experience to relish. Renowned for its romantic

backwaters, serine beaches, lush vegetation, heavenly hills, and spice

perfumed air and amiable culture that embraces many religions.Kerala is

rightly called as the Gods own country. More recently its guests have been

from the world over and have been certified by the National geographic

traveler as one of the ten paradises of the world. A rich art and dance forms

like kathakali and kalaripayattu (martial art) make Kerala a must see

destrination.Kerala abounds in a rich tradition of holistic medicine known asayurveda- a wonderful way to rejuvenate body and soul.

The potentials of Kerala to develop as an inclusive holiday destination

26


27/30

Backwaters are an amazing phenomenon of Kerala - a necklace

of lagoons lakes, canals and rivers that run through the length of this

beautiful land. In fact much of Kerala's uniqueness lies in its backwaters

found now where else in the world. Visit to the backwater destinations of

Kumarakom, Kollam and Kozhikode can be a most rewarding experience.The lagoons at these destinations with their spectacular view and fringed by

coconut trees have been featured in travel books all over the world. No

journey to the backwaters is complete without a stay on board a

"Kettuvallam" or a houseboat which takes you on a journey through the

length and breadth of the lagoons and waterways!

The Western Ghats mountain ranges make up an impressivefortress all along Kerala. These mountains ranging from the southern tip of

Kerala all the way to Mumbai, on the western coast of India have been a

natural barrier in the eastern border of Kerala and a helping hand to reap the

bounties of both the Northeast and southwest monsoons.

The hill stations of Kerala have drawn the attention of tourists for their

agreeable climate and proximity to the wildlife sanctuaries. These hill

station ranges are also home to most of world's spices and have over the

centuries attained a certain mystique. The principal hill stations are at

Wayanad in North Kerala, Munnar and Thekkady in Central Kerala andPonmudi in South kerala.

The elephants the symbol of kerala, signifying the deep links

that the forests have on the lives of the people of kerala. These forests have

been closely associated with the customs, traditions, and social life of kerala

for centuries. The forests here are indeed some of the most magnificent andvaried found anywhere in the world. To protect the forests and the

multitudes of animals therein. Periyar Tiger Reserve, Silent Valley National

Park, Eravikulam National Park are some among the best managed

sanctuaries in India!

27


28/30

Kerala is uniquely suited for the adventure traveler the Sea on

the West for water sports, the Backwaters suited for canoeing, the fast

flowing rivers for rafting and the trails along the Western Ghats mountain

ranges which are among the very best found anywhere in India for trekkers.A host of adventure activities have come up in Kerala - trekking,

paragliding, river rafting, mountain biking, canoeing and wildlife / birding

tours. Perhaps no other state in India can boast of all elements of adventure

that Kerala can offer!

Kerala has long stretches of silvery beaches for those interested

in the Sun. Most of it is still in a pristine stage, giving a chance to thewanderer to enjoy these stretches in relative peace. Kovalam to the south of

capital Thiruvananthapuram, Varkala, Cherai, and Alleppy are some of the

best beaches on the Southern stretches of the state.

The beaches to the North are beautiful, unspoiled and not too crowded. The

districts of Kannur and Kasargod have many miles of unbroken silvery

beaches. Some of these have been developed into resorts, but the vast

majority is still there for the travelers interested in Solitude and Sun.

Ayurveda, harmony of body, mind and soul . . . it's a unique,

indispensable branch of medicine. Ayurveda believes in the treatment of not

just the affected part, but the individual as a whole, making it the natural

way to refresh yourself, eliminate all toxic imbalances from the body and

thus regain resistance and good health. Kerala is the land of Ayurveda..

Kerala's equable climate, natural abundance of forests with a wealth of herbs

and medicinal plants and the cool monsoon season are best suited for

Ayurveda's curative and restorative packages!

Isolated from the rest of India by the mountainous belt of the

Western Ghats but with a long coastline open to foreign influences, Kerala

has evolved as a unique culture. Western and Eastern influences have helped

28


29/30

shape it's uniqueness in culture, art forms, music, dance and the very ethos

of the people of Kerala. Art forms of Kerala range from Kathakali, one of

the dance forms of Kerala considered to be amongst the oldest Indian Dance

styles to the graceful Mohiniyattam. The vibrant and distinct music of

Kerala so closely related to temple festivals and the elegant snake boat raceshave always been the favorite of tourists visiting Kerala.

Kerala has immense potential in the case of adventure tourism.

Tourists can enjoy bird tours, canoeing, trekking and camping and water

sports.kerala is a paradise of bird watcher, with 100s of species of birds.

The birds tour can be conducted from kumarakam bird sanctuary, periyar

tiger reserve, thekkady wild life sanctuary, chinnar wild life sanctuary

etc.kerala is well known for its canals, rivers, lagoons and lakes. These all

makes it an ideal destination for trekking and water sports.

From this brief study of package tourism it is obvious that it

could gain the popularity and could also satisfying the customers. The

history of inclusive holidays is quite brief .after second war it is enabled the

significant number of people to travel. Inclusive holidays have a close

relationship between other forms of tourism. The main elements of this

industry, transport and accommodation, are utilized for a variety of

purposes. The rate of development of this industry and the scope its

operation has exhibited a number of steps related mainly to the introduction

of new technology. Although some dominant companies have emerged inthe inclusive holiday industry, there is no strong leadership in this industry.

The tour operators role in creating package holidays is central to the

inclusive travel industry. Travel agents also have a main role in inclusive

holiday industry. They perform a number of important functions for tour

operators after a holiday sale is made. Tour operators providing logistical

29
http://www.keralamate.com/http://www.keralamate.com/


30/30

skills to package travel, accommodation and destination activities in ways

which appeal to the traveling public.

Marketing is also very important in inclusive travel industry.

Tour operators market their holiday packages in the fullest sense; they

develop their products, take pricing decision, promote their holidays tocustomers and travel retailers through appropriate media. The key to tour

operators success is to understand what they want, and to provide it in

convincing, enticing ways. some tour operators specialize in a particular

destination or type of holiday providing services for one , or a few , distinct

segments or niches in the market, and they are therefore relatively small-

scale tour operators have more varied approaches to their businesses. The

market philosophy of small and specialist tour operators is to identify and

service small sections, or niches in the general inclusive holiday

market.Kerala has also a great future in package tourism. Its enormous

potential will be an asset to this type of hlolidays.because it is easy toprepare inclusive holiday itineraries

1. Managing Packaged Tourism by Eric Laws

2. Introduction to Travel and Tourism by Dennis L Foster

Package Tourism in Kerala

Documents

Transcript of Package Tourism in Kerala