Session: September 2015
Programme title BTEC HND in Travel and Tourism Management
Unit number and title Assignment number
& title
Unit Leader
Assessor (s)
14
1 of 1
Lila Moshtael
Lila Moshtael
Tour Operations Management
Developing a Holiday Package and Tour Operations
Final assignment
submission deadline
Late submissions
Resubmission
deadline
Feedback
28 Dec 2015 to 09 Jan 2016
July 11-16 Jan 2016
The learners are required to follow the strict deadline set by the
College for submissions of assignments in accordance with the BTEC level 4 - 7 submission guidelines and College policy on submissions. They should also refer to Merit and Distinction criteria that require evidence of meeting agreed timelines and ability to plan and organise time effectively without which the learner may not expect to receive a higher grade.
TBA
In class feedback will be available from draft submissions on a task by task basis as a formative assessment as well as summative feedback in the form of initial submission.
Final feedback will be available within 2 weeks of the assignment
submission date.
General Guidelines • The work you submit must be in your own words. If you use
a quote or an illustration from somewhere you must give the source.
• Include a list of references at the end of your document. You
must give all your sources of information.
• Make sure your work is clearly presented and that you use
correct grammar.
• Wherever possible use a word processor and its "spell-
checker".
Internal verifier
Signature (IV of the
brief) *
N Saleem
Nazimudeen Saleem
Date
12/10/2015
Department of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management
ICON College of Technology and Management
HND in Travel and Tourism
Unit 14: Tour Operation Management (L4)
Assignment Brief September 2015
Assignment Context and the Scenario
_______________________________________________________________________
This assignment consists of four tasks aimed at helping the learner to understand the tour operators industry, the stages involved in creating holidays, brochures and methods of distribution used to sell holidays, and strategic decision making.
Consider yourself working for a large UK based Tour Operator as a Package Tour Development Manager. Your previous experience as a public relations and promotion manager for a specialist tour operator and your current experience as an account manager for a number of resorts in three different holiday destinations, including in the Mediterranean would help with your new position as the Package Tour (Product) Development Manager.
You are assigned with the task of identifying and developing a new tour package for a new breed of customers interested in excursions visiting ancient heritage sites and wildlife parks along with a few days of beach holidays in a tropical destination. This requires you to choose an appropriate tropical destination and prepare an Itinerary Plan and develop a holiday package with costing and pricing. You need to determine the dates of travel, number of nights and accommodation arrangement, excursions and attractions to visit, and flights and local transport arrangements.
Once the itinerary and package is ready to roll out within the next 9 months, you should prepare a brochure and leaflets for distribution via travel agents and other outlets, including company websites.
Hint: Identify a suitable tourist destination with sunny beaches and heritage as well as wildlife attractions. Ideally you should be choosing a tropical destination in Asia, Africa or South America.
Although the tasks in this assignment are all based on the scenario provided above you need to support your discussion with relevant theories and concepts. Avoid using cut and paste materials when writing and completing assignment.
Recommended word limit is 3000, excluding the introduction and appendices, if any.
Assignment Tasks
________________________________________________________________
LO 1: Task 1
A. Examine the recent trends and developments in the tour operations industry with a
brief analysis of the type of holidays taken, the emerging popular destination and the effects of current and recent trends and developments on the tour operators industry.
(P1.1)
M 1: Explore the complex problems related to the recent trends and developments in the tour operating industry using effective approach to study and research
(Task 1 A)
Department of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management
LO2: Task 2
A. Assess the stages and prepare an itinerary for a heritage plus wildlife and beach
holiday and develop a holiday package in stages.
B. Evaluate the suitability; destinations and attractions, appropriate timescales involved
in developing holidays, and the components of the package to be purchased with
different types of contracts. (P2.1; P2.2)
C. Carryout the cost of the components and the package and calculate the selling price
of your holidays (P2.3)
M2 Synthesize and process complex information and data related to the
stages involved in creating holidays using different combinations of
attractions and timescales (Task 2A)
D1 Evaluate an alternative itinerary for the proposed package based on the
timescale and cost and justify the appropriateness of the selected package
(Task 2A, 2B).
LO 3: Task 3
A. Design and plan a brochure and evaluate the process and planning decisions, as
well as assess the suitability of alternative methods (non-traditional) of
communication and promotion for different types of tour operator. (P3.1; P3.2)
B. Evaluate and discuss the non-traditional methods of distribution that can be used to
sell holiday packages for different types of tour operator (P3.3)
M 3: Appropriate structure and approach is used to design holiday
brochure (Task 3A)
D 2: Substantial activities are planned, managed and organised in creating
the brochure and presenting it to the class (in-class presentation).
LO 4: Task 4
For this task, you need to consider yourself being promoted as a senior manager with a role of making strategic decisions.
You should be in a position to evaluate the various strategies employed by the tour operators in the UK and set the agenda for future direction. This would involve the application of advanced technologies, including social media in marketing as well as understanding the economic reality of the country.
Hint: Start with evaluating the emerging trends in the tour operations sector, with an emphasis on the UK market. Research and collect relevant materials and data about the travel and tourism sector and the companies engaged in tour operations in the UK.
A. Using the findings from task 1 in assignment 1, analyse the emerging trends in the
UK tour operations sector and evaluate how the various tour operators (competitors)
responded (P4.1)
B. Briefly examine the differences between tactical and strategic decisions, identify and
compare some of the tactical decisions that could have taken by your chosen tour operator.
D 3: Evaluate and discuss in depth strategic and tactical options for tour
operators in critical situations (Task 4A)
Department of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management
Relevant Information
1. Assessment Criteria Related to the Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes
LO1
Understand the tour operators industry
within the travel and tourism sector
LO2
Understand stages involved in creating
holidays
LO3
Be able to review brochures and methods
of distribution used to sell holidays
LO4:
Understand strategic and tactical
decision making for tour operators
Pass
1.1 Analyse the effects of current and recent trends and developments on
the tour operations industry.
2.1 Assess the stages and timescales involved in developing holidays.
2.2 Evaluate the suitability of different methods of contracting for different
components of the holiday and different types of tour operator.
2.3 Calculate the selling price of a holiday from given information
3.1 Evaluate the planning decisions taken for the design of a
selected brochure.
3.2 Assess the suitability of alternatives to a traditional brochure for
different types of tour operator for
3.3 Evaluate the suitability of different methods of distribution used to sell
a holiday for different types of tour operator
4.1 Evaluate the strategic decisions made by different types of tour
operator
4.2 compare the tactical decisions that could be taken by a selected tour
operator in different situations
2. Basis for Merit and Distinction Criteria
Merit (M1, M2, M3) Distinction (D1, D2, D3)
Descriptors
M1
Identify and apply
strategies to find
appropriate solution
M2
Select/design and apply appropriate
methods/technique
M3
Present and
communicate
appropriate findings
Indicative characteristics
complex problems with more than
one variable have been explored
an effective approach to study and
research has been applied
Complex information/data has
been synthesised and processed
The appropriate structure and
approach has been used
Descriptors
D1
Use critical reflection to
evaluate own work
and justify valid
conclusions
D2
Take responsibility
for managing and
organising activities
D3
Demonstrate
convergent/lateral/c
reative thinking
Indicative characteristics
The validity of results has
been evaluated using
defined criteria
Substantial activities,
projects or investigations
have been planned,
managed and organised
Problems have been
solved
3. Preparation guidelines of the Coursework Document
a. All coursework must be word processed.
b. Document margins must not be more than 2.54 cm (1 inch) or less than 1.9cm (3/4 inch). c. Font size must be within the range of 10 point to 14 point including the headings and
body text (preferred font size is 11).
Department of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management
d. Standard and commonly used type face such as Arial should be used.
e. All figures, graphs and tables must be numbered.
f. Material taken from external sources must be properly refereed and cited within the text
using Harvard standard
g. Do not use Wikipedia as a reference.
h. Word limit must be strictly followed.
4. Plagiarism and Collusion
Any act of plagiarism or collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the College regulations. In this context the definition and scope of plagiarism and collusion are presented
below:
Plagiarism is presenting somebody else's work as your own. It includes copying information directly from the Web or books without referencing the material; submitting joint coursework as an individual effort.
Collusion is copying another student's coursework; stealing coursework from another student and submitting it as your own work.
Suspected plagiarism or collusion will be investigated and if found to have occurred will be dealt with according to the college procedure. (For details on Plagiarism & Collusion
please see the student hand book)
5. Submission
a. Initial submission of coursework to the tutors is compulsory in each unit of the course.
b. Student must check their assignments on ICON VLE with plagiarism software Turnitin to
make sure the similarity index for their assignment stays within the College approved level. A student can check the similarity index of their assignment three times in the Draft Assignment submission point located in the home page of the ICON VLE.
c. All Final coursework must be submitted to the Final submission point into the unit (not to
the Tutor). A student would be allowed to submit only once and that is the final submission.
d. Any computer files generated such as program code (software), graphic files that form part of
the coursework must be submitted as an attachment to the assignment with all documentation.
e. Any portfolio for a unit must be submitted as a hardcopy to examination office.
f. The student must attach a tutor's comment in between the cover page and the answer in the
case of Resubmission.
6. Good practice
a. Make backup of your work in different media (hard disk, memory stick etc.) to avoid distress
for loss or damage of your original copy.
7. Extension and Late Submission
a. If you need an extension for a valid reason, you must request one using an Exceptional
Extenuating Circumstances (EEC) form available from the College examination office and ICON VLE. Please note that the lecturers do not have the authority to extend the coursework deadlines and therefore do not ask them to award a coursework extension. The completed form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate in the event of you being sick.
b. Late submission will be accepted and marked according to the college procedure. It is noted
that late submission may not be graded for Merit and Distinction.
c. All Late coursework must be submitted to the late submission point into the unit (not to the
Tutor). A student would be allowed to submit only once and that is the final submission.
8. Submission deadlines: as above (page 1)
Submit to: Online to the ICON VLE only
Department of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management
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