Report [Alternative London Walking Tour]

Alternative London Walking Tour

Now day’s holiday is a buzz word, people all around the world are visiting/

travelling repeatedly. Travellers are travelling from one place to another even

from one country to another country as well. But the fact is that, sometimes they

take someone’s help as a guide and sometimes they travel on their own.

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TOUR OPERATIONS

MANAGEMENT

Submitted By-Kowshick Ahmed

South Thames CollegeStudent iD-1323795

Submitted to- Pip MurrayLecturer (Tour Operations Management)


In our concern, travellers from another country or any place they can visit any

place they wish. Frequently we asked question by travellers, how can they go to

certain places? Or what is the history of that place? To help the travellers and to

provide them with better information about popular places there are numerous

walking tour operators or tour agencies in the tourist market.

Alternative London walking tour our planning is different. We receive bookings

from our customers who travel directly from Heathrow Airport and provide them

with a one day and one night staying accommodation and provide them with

better accommodation and travel to historical places. Alternative London

Walking Tour produce brochures and provides these to our customers, these

show plans, give information about our facilities, prices and the places we are

going to visit with our travellers.

The prices are based on the four seasons. As London is one of the most visited

places in the world, and is visited by 26 Million people in each year according to

London Evening Standard Newspaper (http://www.standard.co.uk/news/26-

million-visit-london-in-year-as-domestic-tourism-soars-6716633.html ), so we

choose some frequently visited places, for our walking tour namely London Eye.

Because, the attraction and the heavenly view of it. London’s weather varies in

summer, winter, spring and autumn. In these season’s the city response by

decorating itself in various ways. Our prices are based on these seasons to

include cost of accommodation and travel.

Summer Time Prices for Each Person:

Expenses Cost

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http://www.standard.co.uk/news/26-million-visit-london-in-year-as-domestic-tourism-soars-6716633.html

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/26-million-visit-london-in-year-as-domestic-tourism-soars-6716633.html


Travel Cost: Heathrow To London Eye and Transport for

other spots.

£30 Per Person

Food & Beverage: Including Continental breakfast,

evening tea, dinner and Wine.

Accommodation: Best Western Maitrise Suites

£65

£160

Total £255

Winter Time Prices for Each Person:

Expenses Cost

Travel Cost: Heathrow To London Eye and the places we

are going to visit

£30

Food & Beverage: Including Breakfast, evening tea,

dinner and bottle of wine

Accommodation: Best Western Maitrise Suites

£65

£150

Total £245

Spring Time Prices for Each Person:

Expenses Cost

Travel Cost: Heathrow to hotel and places we are going. £30

Food, Beverage: Including continental breakfast, evening

tea, dinner.

Accommodation: Wheatsheaf

£60

£100

Total £190

Autumn Time Prices for Each Person:

Expenses Cost

Travel Cost: Heathrow to hotel and places that we are

going to visit.

£30

Food & Beverage: Including continental Breakfast,

evening tear, dinner, bottle of wine

Accommodation: Wheatsheaf

£65

£100

Total £195

Pricing Strategies

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Pricing is a vital factor for the marketing mix; it contributes to the turnover of an

organization. The remaining 3ps are the variable cost for any company.

Sometimes it is difficult to price because some cost that may vary by increasing

and decreasing rapidly in short space of time..

Fixed and variable costs are the major concerns of any pricing strategy for

marketing a product. Sometimes price manufacturer may want to consider other

types of costs, such as out-of-pocket cost, incremental cost, opportunity cost,

controllable cost and replacement cost.

Alternative London Walking tour, our fixed prices are food, beverage and

accommodation cost. But our prices that are made, based on four seasons it will

differ from one season to another. Along those prices for food it can increase and

decrease depends on market. Along that, the price we fixed for travel cost as

30pound it will bring some profit for us, because travel from Heathrow airport to

London eye is around 21pound and it is a one day tour so, we are planning to

provide one day travel card to our travellers that will cost use 5pounds. So,

easily we can make some profit in here. Prices that we fixed for summer, winter,

autumn and spring, 250, 280, 230 and 200 pounds it will be same. Prices we are

offering to tourist, we are making deals with our hotel operators and we are

allow providing these cheaper prices than TUI Travel Agency.

But the fact is that we choose two hotels for our travellers, namely Best Western

Maitrise Suites, Wheatsheaf Berkeley Park these hotels prices will vary from one

to another, Best Western Maitrise Suites is more expensive then Wheatsheaf

Berkeley Park so it depends on travellers which hotel they choose to stay.

Our pricing strategies as followed by;

1) Seasonal Pricing: Our pricing strategies will base on four seasons, because

in different season weather will be different and attraction will be different

as well. As in brochure we fixed our prices, in summer time it is expensive

but in another hand in winter time it is really cheap. Summer time people

travel a lot; by thinking this we made our seasonal pricing.

2) Day of the week pricing: It is well known that variable rating to make busy

days of a week more expensive and make quiet days cheap, doing this we

can significantly increase our profits. Some tourist who certainly comes to

visit softer days they will take advantage of the cheap prices.

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3) Last Minute Pricing: It is normally not a real in getting the cheap tours to

fill our unfilled spaces Disadvantaged of this all that happens is that we

end up ignoring to customers who will come to us by accidental at the last

minutes, but in here fact is that they are not aware that they are paying

the full money.

4) Package pricing: To attract more customers, our target is to make some

package tour for tourist, such as family package tour, group package tour.

In a large group we will give them some discount. If we receive 3 or 4

group booking and for them when we will book seat in hotel obviously we

will get some discount. Even from food as well.

5) Target group and willingness to pay: We will obviously target our market,

such as- young generation, adventurer tourist, because these types of

travellers are any time ready for travel and they are ready to pay for their

travel cost.

6) Competitor-based pricing: In tourism market we will have some competitors. We can use them to attract our customers. Like- while we are receiving booking in advance we can book hotels for travellers and if we do it in advance we can get it in cheap, And we can provide our tourist with cheaper price then our competitors while they are charging more for same facilities.

As our hotels are not five stars, but we are able to keep prices lower and

providing same facilities as TUI Travel agents and Kuoni Travel Agents, where

they are providing five star hotels for their customers and they are charging

more for this.

Brochure Expense

If we printout our brochure as;

A5 portrait

500 pieces

4-5 Page brochures.

Normal offset paper.

Printout without 5 days.

Deliver by next business day.

It will cost us 214.94 pounds.

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A5 portrait

500 pieces

4-5 Page brochures.

130gsm glossy paper.

Printout without 5 days.

Deliver by next business day.

It will cost us 412.01 pounds.

Work cited from: http://www.inkylittlefingers.co.uk/PROMO_booklets_2.php

Our Hotels

For any tourist hotel is a big fact, because after travelling a whole day they need

to take rest, or to take shower, take food need some place to stay. For our tourist

we choose two hotels, both of those are three star hotel, and well known by

several tourist who usually visits England. Our hotels that we choose as followed

by;

Best Western Maitrise Suites 180 pounds a day.

Wheatsheaf 100 pounds a day.

Places We Are Going

In summer: In summer time our plan to visit is London Eye, Emirates

Airline, Sea life London Aquarium. We choose this three because they are

nearly close to each other. So, in morning when tourist will arrive, after

picking them we can go to London eye and Emirates Airline then we can

go to our hotel, tourist can take some rest and in evening we can go to

visit Sea life London Aquarium.

In winter: In winter time London will be windy, so we are planning to go,

Madame Tussauds, London Eye, and Emirates Airline. Our plan is that after

receiving our tourist we can go to Madame Tussauds and emirates airline

and after that taking lunch, some rest then after getting evening tea our

plan is to visit London eye.

Spring time: In spring time we are planning to go Sea life London

Aquarium, Madam Tussauds and Emirates Airline.

Autumn time: For autumn time our plan is to London Eye, Sea Life London

Aquarium, and Madam Tussauds. First we will go to Sea life of London

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http://www.inkylittlefingers.co.uk/PROMO_booklets_2.php


after that madam tussauds after that we will come back to our hotel then

after taking evening tea we can go to London Eye.

We choose four places to visit but in each season we are visiting only three spots

because of time and of weather.

The visiting spots we chose they are nearby to London Eye. S our strategy is

that, for travel we are taking London train tube. And we are booking hotels that

are a deal by Alternative London Walking Tour. Though we are making deal with

hotels for this we are getting rooms and foods cheaper than normal prices, we

are getting this as a package.

Along that, we are providing our customers with facilities as followed by;

While visiting then describing: when travellers are going to visit any place,

the tour guide we will provide, he/she will give travellers a brief idea about

the place, such as information, historical, political etc.

Dining facility: When any tourist will book himself to travel with us, then all

of his/her responsibilities will be ours. We will provide them with dining

facilities, while they are travelling with family members or with relatives

then we will provide them with dining facilities, where they can enjoy their

dinner in a unknown place.

Free Wi-Fi and SKY: When tourist will back in their hotel, they will get

chance to use free Wi-Fi, now days we can’t imagine our life without

internet. They will also get chance to watch sky channels as well.

Marketing Tactics for Alternative London Walking Tour

Basically marketing tactics is a combination of few strategic methods that helps

to increase the service of any business; it is for increasing sales and maintaining

reasonable service. Basically tactics are for short time, it can vary from one

branch to another one. This types of decisions can take by any types of

employee involve in that organization. It is for increasing sales, attracting more

customers.

Alternative London Walking Tour our marketing tactics we will choose Think

Video, Social Media and Mobile Apps for attracting travellers. It will be easier to

get young travellers and students. Along these we have some marketing tactics

to expand our travel company; here I will describe all of those;

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1. Social Media: Now day’s people are using Facebook, Twitter, and

Instragam more than newspaper or TV. So our target will be publishing our

promotions and offer through mobile apps, Facebook, twitter. If we publish

our promotions on this types of social media then we can easily get

student or social workers who are using internet on average whole day.

2. Display Advertising: By printing outstanding pictures of a place for

billboard or banner, we can easily attract people. Places we are going if we

make a billboard of that place and if we put them nearby trains station or

bus stop then we can attract those types of people who usually use this

types of transport for office. So we can get them as our customers.

3. Sharing knowledge: At the beginning we will share our knowledge to our

travellers, by this we will get more travellers to give suggestion and their

views. Doing this we can get more feedback to enable important.

4. Think Video: Reading about any destination is one thing and seeing video

about any place encourage more people than that. We can use YouTube

for that. If we create any video about any place they (traveller) will

imagine themselves in that place.

5. Dropping business brochure: It is one offline paramilitary advertising

strategy that we want to talk about clearly. It’s more of a certainty than an

option. Though we run a small travel business, we must have business

brochures and dole them out! Don’t just segment them when we first

meet somebody new.

Tactical decisions of TUI and KUONI Travel Company

TUI Travel Company and Kuoni Travel Company both are mostly well known to

travellers, because they have been doing this business for the last 30 years, in

these years they made various tactical decisions for their companies to benefit

travellers.

TUI Travel company are providing discounts in some case, such as; occasions

but KUONI Travel Company they are not giving discount to their customers. In

this era people like to get booking with discount. So, TUI Company they are

obviously they are attracting more travellers easily

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While people are travelling abroad, for their safety KUONI Travel Company are

providing their customer with Travel Insurance while TUI PLC are not providing

anything like that.

TUI Company they are making Tailor made tourism in choice of travellers but

KUONU TC they are not making anything like that, their belief on third parties.

Kuoni TC are providing various types of Holidays such as; Luxury, Safaris, Family,

Honeymoons, Weddings, Train journey, Private villas but TUI PLC they don’t have

variety of holiday for their customers with the agents.

In terms of Alternative London Walking Tour our tactical decisions are we

will provide our customers with, as followed by;

Our travellers will get chance to get benefits of package tours. Along that,

four times seasonal pricing, named as summer, winter, spring and autumn

and in this four seasons prices will be high and low as well based on

season.

Without those our traveller will get extra facility such as check in by

mobile. We will provide our customer with mobile apps; by using this they

can check their flight, flight time, time duration etc.

Tailor made tourism facilities will be given from us to our customer.

Because some people want to travel alone, they don’t like gatherings. For

those we will create tailor made tourism, we can take them wherever they

want to go, and the hotel they want to stay. But price will depend on

expenses that time.

At the end we can say that, as Alternative London Walking Tour we are more

responsible for our customers, we are giving more priority to our travellers by

giving them offers, seasonal selling, providing with them discounts and so on.

Methods of Distribution

For Travel and Tourism Business distribution is one of the main facts, because it

is one of most vital thing for a business. Because for distribution channel prices

can increase or decrease.

Direct Selling: Many tour companies choose the direct-sales channel, because

they have right of entry to the traveller and keep all profits under the control of

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the company. Direct sales will let to do our market investigation and to choose

our own clienteles though setting the vending price.

Mail Order: Mail order is low-cost distribution network that is suitable for

travellers. We can use mail instruction by purchasing mailing tilts or insertion ads

in a appropriate publication. If we direct out substantial to a mailing list, we need

leaflets and brochure. The posting list has to board the demographic clusters

that we expect will purchase our products, as labeled in our marketing plan.

Consultation: Distribution is a perilous component of advertising – after all, advertising is about receiving the right customer in the right amount, to the right domicile, at the right period.

Tour Wholesalers: A agency that functions as an intermediate between the travel invention supplier and the trade travel go-between in the square. (Tour operatives often function as traders.)

TUI Travel PLC focus on direct distribution their belief and thinking is that;

An Increasing number of European Travellers are using Digital Channel for

booking.

Online booking is Perceived as a lack of personal service.

Face to face customer communication makes strong relationship.

Distribution channels increase third parties.

Direct Distribution allows control over the brand.

Kuoni Travel Agents are focusing on-line for their distribution channel because

of;

Their main distribution channel is third party.

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Domestic Customer

Retail Travel Agent

Wholesaller


Various Distribution Channels are used third parties to provide possible

product with the best price.

Online selling can increase their business.

Giving discount in occasion to attract customers.

If we asses TUI Travel agents, it can be seen that they give more priority to

personal selling, make strong relationship with customers. They attract travellers

but, now that is 21st era, people are becoming more dependent on electronic

media. They are booking a couple of days before travelling; they won’t bother to

go to a retail shop to book their tickets. But in another to one hand, some people

used to get information by talking with media. They think they can get better

facilities if they go to retail shop. But in my view, nowadays travellers use to

book travel through online.

Kuoni Travel Agents main distribution channel is third party, and online selling.

Using third party prices of any ticket can increase at any time because of third

parties. In terms of discount selling they are using to internet to attract

customers.

Alternative London Walking Tour our distribution channel as a manager, we

choose online as our distribution. It can expand our business over night. And

obviously we can increase our business by the clicking of travellers.

Because nowadays customer prefer to do things at their home, they won’t bother

to do book their ticket in retail shop by travelling, because if they do it online,

easily they can do it and they can save their time. But another hand, in retail

shop intermediates can give some offer in online sometime it cannot be done.

If we talk about old people, they usually use to take help from those people who

know better, and sometimes it can be problem for them to find out everything in

internet, obviously they will take help from rail shop.

Strategic Decisions by TUI and Kuoni Travel Agents

For getting progress in any business and meeting the profit every company have

to get some strategic decisions. Without that, in market competition it will be

difficult for them to compete with their competitors.

TUI Travel company also had some strategic decisions and those are:

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I. Providing Unique and Inclusive Holiday: They are providing their customer

with unique holidays with safety and security where Kuoni travel agents

they are providing commitment to their traveller. That they will fulfill their

travellers demand.

II. Tailor made Tourism: TUI travel agents they are creating tailor made

tourism for tourist but in term of Kuoni travel agents they are providing

travel insurance to their travellers.

III. Well known whole seller and accommodation: TUI Travel Company they

are using whole seller as their third parties to get more customers. Bu

Kuoni Travel agents their belief on personal selling, their belief is that they

can make a good customer relationship by this.

Now if we evaluate TUI Travel agents strategic decisions, we mandatory see that

providing safety and security now days any company will provide it, but Tailor

made tourism that they are providing it is one of their most successful decision

that they have ever made, because people do not want to visit with some

unknown people, tailor made tourism that made easy for them, because

travelling is one of the most remembarable thing in life, that TUI Travel agents

made it easy for the traveller.

On the other hand, Kuoni Travel is the one and only tour operators those are

providing commitment to their customers, , along that they are providing

travellers Insurance to their travellers, which was one of the most successful

strategic decisions of them. Along those, they are providing safety and security

to their traveller and travel insurance to their traveller.

In terms of Alternative London Walking Tour

We will provide our customer with tailor made travel facility by this we can get a

good market competition and easily we can get more customers.

For some travellers who really confused about few places for them customer

consultant. We will provide them with various type of information of any places,

about cultural, political, social factors etc.

Providing good customer service by this they can return to us, every time when

any customer is travelling with us we will give our best for that tourist, to make

her/his journey best moment of his/her life.

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By publishing our offers in internet, billboard and social Medias we can attract

customer more than normal time. By this we can easily provide our customer

with all updates and also provide with further information as well. Using these

methods we can also make strong relationship with our customer.

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Report [Alternative London Walking Tour]

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Transcript of Report [Alternative London Walking Tour]