A tour operator is a business that typically combines and organizes accommodations,

meal A meal is an occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of food. The English names used for specific meals vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal. A meal is different from a ...

s, sightseeing and

transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

components, in order to create a package tour. They advertise and produce brochures to promote their products, holidays and itineraries. Tour operators can sell directly to the public or sell through travel agents or a combination of both. The most common example of a tour operator's product would be a

flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

on a

charter airline Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flight ...

, plus a transfer from the

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

to a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

and the services of a local representative, all for one price. Each tour operator may specialise in certain destinations, e.g.

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, activities and experiences, e.g.

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

, or a combination thereof.

Operations

The original ''raison d'être'' of tour operating was the difficulty for ordinary folk of making arrangements in far-flung places, with problems of

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

and communication. The advent of the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

has led to a rapid increase in self-packaging of holidays. However, tour operators still have their competence in arranging tours for those who do not have time to do DIY holidays, and specialize in large group events and meetings such as conferences or seminars. Also, tour operators still exercise contracting power with suppliers (airlines, hotels, other land arrangements, cruise companies and so on) and influence over other entities (tourism boards and other government authorities) in order to create packages and special group departures for destinations that might otherwise be difficult and expensive to visit.

Trade associations

The three major tour operator associations in the U.S. are the National Tour Association (NTA), the

United States Tour Operators Association United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) is a 501(c) registered nonprofit professional association that represents the tour operator industry. Its members are made up of companies who provide services worldwide but who conduct business in ...

(USTOA), and the American Bus Association (ABA). In Europe, there are the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), and in the UK, the

ABTA – The Travel Association ABTA Limited (trading as ABTA – The Travel Association and formerly known as the Association of British Travel Agents Limited) is a trade association for tour operators and travel agents in the United Kingdom. History The organisation's first ...

and the

Association of Independent Tour Operators AITO – The Specialist Travel Association (formerly known as The Association of Independent Tour Operators), is a British-based travel industry trade association established in 1976 that represents around 120 specialist and independent tour ope ...

(AITO). The primary association for receptive North American inbound tour operators is the

International Inbound Travel Association The International Inbound Travel Association, formerly known as the Receptive Services Association of America, is a 501(c)6 trade association of major North American–based receptive tour operator companies and suppliers (hotels, restaurants, attra ...

References

{{Authority control Tourism industry Tourism companies

Operations

Trade associations

See also

References