Tour operator

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A tour operator typically combines components to create a holiday. The most common example of a tour operator's product would be a flight on a charter airline plus a transfer from the airport to a hotel and the services of a local representative, all for one price. Niche tour operators may specialise in destinations e.g. Italy, activities e.g. skiing, or a combination. The original raison d'etre of tour operating was the difficulty of making arrangements in far-flung places, with problems of language, currency and communication. The advent of the internet has lead to a rapid increase in self-packaging of holidays, many believe that this trend created serious problems for many tour operators. However, tour operators still have their compentence in arranging tours for those do not have time to do DIY holidays, and specialize in large group events meeting such as conference or seminars.

The two major tour operator associations are the National Tour Association (NTA) and the United States Tour Operator's Association (USTOA).