11.

TOUR OPERATORS

I. Express your views on the following statements:

1. Selling methods have completely changed in the tourism industry.
2. Holidaymakers are more demanding than they used to be.
3. New technology will help the industry grow.
4. Operators cannot make large profits with so much competition.
5. Independent operators can provide more personalized holidays.
6. Operators provide better holidays than they used to.
7. Operators have to act to prevent ecological damage.

II. Match each of the following words/ phrases with the corresponding definition on the
right:
1. off-the-rack a. having been to many different places, especially to many different
countries
2. custom-tailored/ b. very modern and with all the newest features;
customized/ bespoke
3. to fit c. not expensive;
4. high-end d. to succeed in doing something that is difficult;
5. to cater e. power and influence over other people or events;
6. worthwhile f. a person whose job it is to buy and sell wine;
7. well-travelled g. made in standard sizes or ready-made;

8. dive h. a reservation at a golf course to begin your round of golf at the

specified time;
9. cutting-edge i. a restaurant, hotel, bar, or place for entertainment or social activities
that is unpleasant because of the condition of the building or the type of
people that go there;
10. hallmark j. to conform correctly to the shape or size of;
11. affordable k. a typical characteristic or feature of a person or thing;
12. clout l. a place where wine is made, especially from grapes that are grown
there;
13. vintners m. legendary route used for trading tea;
14. winery n. useful, important, or good enough to be a suitable reward for the
money or time spent or the effort made;
15. to pull something off o. to attend to the wants or needs of somebody;

16. tee time p. upscale; of superior quality or sophistication and usually high in price;
17. tea trail q. a journey on foot, especially to hike through mountainous areas;
18. trekking r. made or changed according to the buyer's or user's needs.

III.Read the following text and answer the questions:

Best Bespoke Tour Operators

An off-the-rack suit or dress might fit you, but no matter how well manufactured it is, a custom-tailored
version is going to fit you even better. The same is true with travel. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with
group tours or off-the-rack itineraries, and many high-end luxury tour operators excel at these, but even if
you enjoy travelling with complete strangers, a generic itinerary is always going to mean compromises. By
their nature, planned itineraries cater to a common denominator, and it is unlikely you could go on a trip to
Paris without visiting a “must-see” attraction like the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower. These are both
worthwhile, but if you have already seen them, as many well-travelled people have, you may feel that on
some parts of the trip you are wasting your time.
That is why the best tour operators also offer completely customized, bespoke trips. In some cases these
might closely mirror catalogue itineraries, but with departure dates that are up to you, and no unknown
“colleagues”. However, in most cases they are highly customized to address your likes and dislikes, be it a
preference for small intimate inns over grand hotels (or vice versa), the finest dining or the most local dives,
and your sightseeing passion, from visiting medieval battlefields to meeting local artists behind the scenes to
seeing cutting-edge architecture.
The following are all companies which are considered the best in class for what they do. One important
thing to look for when selecting a custom tour operator and one hugely important hallmark of the companies
below is that they don’t sub-contract – unknown to travellers, many “tour operators” are actually just middle
men passing off their customers to local ground handlers. The following companies typically have their own
full-time guides, their own local offices, their own bikes, cars, safari vehicles or whatever it is they do, and
they do it themselves. They may augment this by bringing in hyper-specialized local experts, from chefs to
anthropology professors, but on a daily basis the people you interact with logistically are their very well
trained employees.  
The top luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent offers all sorts of excellent scheduled departures, and this
might make a lot of sense for cruising to a polar region, where it would be excessively expensive to charter
a boat safe for the conditions and go without other people. But upon landing you might want to extend your
trip and do your own thing, For example, A&K’s “Classic Antarctica” sailing departs from and returns to
Buenos Aires, and maybe you want to travel to Mendoza and visit a wine country for a few days, go fly
fishing in Patagonia, or head to Iguaçu Falls, one of the great wonders of the world. Adding a few days (or a
few weeks) of bespoke travel to a scheduled departure is something companies like A&K and Micato
Safaris do all the time, and they do it very, very well. It can also make the overall trip more affordable than
doing it purely bespoke.
Micato Safaris is the 9-time winner of Travel + Leisure Magazine’s Best Safari Outfitter, and for good
reason. A family-owned business for nearly half a century, they are incredibly well connected and
experienced, have the best guides, the best insider and local access, and the most clout with the finest
accommodations and safari lodges across Africa and India. The Pinto family, Micato’s owners, are from
Goa, and are equally adept at showing guests the best possible experience in Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana,
South Africa or India. A Micato hallmark is having a dinner in-country at the house of one of the many
friends of the Pintos, maybe a doctor, lawyer or architect, people just like you except living in Cape Town
or Mumbai, a standout insider experience you can’t have on your own if you don’t have local friends.
Luxury Biking & Hiking: Butterfield & Robinson owner George Butterfield literally invented the genre of
guided European bike trips in the 1960s and his company has evolved into an unparalleled, global, active
travel luxury machine. They do all the classics: Tuscany, Provence, Burgundy and Bordeaux, plus lesser
visited European areas like Piemonte and the Dolomites, as well as China, Vietnam, New Zealand and many
more, and they do it better than anyone. Their multi-lingual guides know the best restaurants, from dives to
Michelin-stars, the best places to shop, and they always use the best hotels – often exclusively. One of their
hallmarks is special experiences along the way, such as private visits to otherwise closed museums or VIP
wine tastings with the vintners at non-public wineries.
General Luxury Travel: Abercrombie & Kent is the very rare example of a company that does a wide
variety of things and does them all well, but they can pull it off because it all comes back to planning,
experience, connections and guides. Whether you are going on city sightseeing tour across Spain, a small
adventure cruise to Antarctica or trekking to Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas, A&K can do it right.
They have been THE leader in guided cultural and active travel worldwide for more than half a century, and
have the deep connections needed to make things happen all around the world. They are especially strong in
Western Europe, Spain, France, and Italy, but also an excellent choice for detailed tailor made trips to
China, Myanmar or South America. Think of A&K as the catch all of luxury bespoke travel – if you want to
go to the Galapagos the right way, call them.
Golf: Sam Baker is the founder and owner of Haversham & Baker Golfing Expeditions. They can arrange
helicopters, charter jets, supply drivers, get tee times on the Old Course at St. Andrews, all that stuff, but
maybe more importantly, Sam knows the best chefs, innkeepers, and pubs across the British Isles. They
specialize in Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, Spain and Portugal, and are currently expanding into
Australia and New Zealand.
Active Culinary: Whole Journeys is a new company but they are part of a much more established company
that knows a whole lot about food, Whole Foods.  Launched last year specifically to combine active travel
with hands-on local, regional and indigenous food experiences, the trips combine things like hiking, biking
and rafting with cooking classes, visits to farms, meals at ultra-local dives, supplier and ingrained
knowledge that Whole Foods has developed as it has grown into one of America’s most beloved retailers.
Many of the Whole Journeys itineraries are offered only as private custom trips and their destinations are
chosen for the food experiences they offer, ranging from a 10-day hiking and trekking trip along the tea trail
in China’s remote Yunnan province to a walking food tour through Spain’s Basque country, to a 9-day
Peruvian trek that includes hiking to Machu Picchu and meeting with farm cooperatives growing coffee for
Whole Foods, visiting cocoa plantations and exploring Peru’s rich and varied corn culture. They simply
have connections no one else has at the most grass roots level. And, moreover, they also have a great track
record for their culinary classes.
Adapted from Forbes, 22.07.2013

1. Why does the writer consider that generic itineraries are sometimes dissatisfying? –
This is because they just cannot entirely meet tourists’ individual needs.
2. How do tour operators customize their offers according to the tourists’ needs? – They
customize the itineraries, take into account preferences regarding food and accommodation,
the preferred sightseeings etc.
3. Do custom tour operators subcontract their services? – No, they don’t. and this is one
of the features that distinguishes them from ordinary tour operators.
4. How do such companies operate? – Generally, they have their own guides, their own
local offices, their own logistics and very well-trained experts in the fields tourists take an
interest in.  
5. What are some of the facilities offered by the tour operator Abercrombie & Kent?
6. Which tour operator has bike trips as a core business? – It’s Luxury Biking & Hiking.
7. What are some of the exclusive experiences tourists can have if they book through
Luxury Biking & Hiking? – In all the areas they cover, they always offer the best restaurants,
the best places to shop, use the best hotels, and offer their clients the possibility to visit sites
that are otherwise close.
 8. Which company has been a leader in guided cultural and active travel worldwide for
more than half a century? - It’s the General Luxury Travel.
9. Which tour operator is focuses especially on the British area? - It’s the Golf
company.
10. What are some of the particular features of Active Culinary? - Basically, they
combine travel with unique food experiences.

IV. Fill in the gaps with one word only:

In 1972, David Crossland bought a travel agency called Pendle Travel Services Ltd. During the
1970s, he ……1……a tour operating division known as Pendle Air Tours. Six years later, he sold its
chain of 21 …….2…….to concentrate on tour operating. In March 1987, Airtours plc was ……3………
and four years later Airtours international, the UK based in-house airline began commercial flying.
During the 1990, the company ……4………to expand by acquiring chains of travel agencies and other
tour operators in the UK and …….5…….. .
Then, in November 2001, Airtours announced plans for the future of the group …..6…..the new
name of MyTravel Group plc.
Now MyTravel plc has become one of the biggest operators in four of the …….7….’s most active
markets for air-inclusive holidays and other leisure travel services: the UK, northern Europe, Germany
and north America. There are 15 million customers, 2000 travel agencies and 27000 employees
worldwide. The ……..8…….was to develop its own key brands for sale through travel agencies. The
growth of e-commerce …….9………the firm to launch all its brands on the internet and online sales
have tripled ……..10…….the last few months.

V. Complete the table with the following words:

adventure, guesthouse, scheduled flight, transfer, foreign exchange, equipment hire, mini-break,
insurance, lodge, honeymoon, lift pass, villa, winter sports, luxury coach, inn, all-inclusive.

Package Holiday
TYPES OF ACCOMMODATION TRANSPORTATION ANCILLARY
HOLIDAY SERVICES
cruise Hotel Charter flight visa

VI. Fill in each blank with the correct word. If both words can be used, choose the one that sounds
more natural in each situation:
1. There are no seats available for the date that you requested/recalled.
2. We’ve got some great deals/dealing s on airplane tickets to Dubai right now.
3. That flight is full/complete. Let's try to find you a seat on another flight.
4. The layover/takeover (= time you have to wait for your connecting flight) in Paris is
two hours. STOPOVER
5. We can arrange/make (= organize) your entire trip.
6. Will you be travelling alone/lonely?
 7. You also qualify for a 10% senior discount/deal. (= 10% reduction in price for older
people)
8. Will this be a one-way ticket, or a returning/return ticket? (= in the United States,
“round-trip ticket” is used)
9. Are you interested in buying travel insurance/assurance?
10. We have a lot of package/box deals (= deals which include air, hotel, and sometimes
food/drinks) to Cuba and the Dominican Republic right now.
11. You can upgrade/increase to a four-star hotel for $200 more.

VII. Fill in the gaps in the following description of jobs within tour operators with the right form of
the words in the box:

upon ensure approach implement issue tailor assist

consistent prioritise ancillary bespoke qualification client liaise

The Marketing Manager’s main task is to ……….1……….. that the brand values and ethos of the
company are appropriately represented. He proactively creates and …..2……a marketing and PR strategy,
working to communicate the brand to the travel industry and…….3………. . He also oversees the marketing
team with their day to day activities and their progression and development, and he also works with the
sales team to ensure that the approach to sales and reservations is ………4………with the marketing
approach. Generally, he is a bright individual, who is flexible in the work……..5……., and able to work in
a dynamic environment, with a ……….6……….in marketing and relevant travel sector experience with
developing and implementing a travel marketing strategy and operations plan.
The reservations consultant sells tours and …….7…….-made itineraries. He takes reservation
enquires by phone and email from solo travellers to large groups, booking all aspects of the reservation,
flights, hotels, tours and ……..8…………products such as car hire, transfers and insurance. Drawing on his
personal travel experience and love of adventure, he ……..9……..with the clients to really make the
……..10……….trips come alive.
The administration executive performs varying duties within the operations administration team,
including ……11………travel vouchers, printing itineraries, ensuring that the customer receives the right
information. He also …….12……..the other members of the operations administration team, confirming
hotels and contacting suppliers directly to operate any changes, date changes room upgrades etc. Other
office duties for the administration executive include receiving enquiries via email immediately ………
13………receipt. He also ……….14…………..tasks and works to deadlines, having the ability to work on
own initiative and to be a clear communicator with excellent attention to detail.

VI. Read the following e-mail about a holiday booked through a tour operator. To what
extent do you consider the complaints are the responsibility of Med Tours?

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I am writing to complain about the terrible organisation of a holiday recently booked with Med Tours.

My wife and I had chosen to stay in Bugibba, Malta, from 19-26 June (ref: BMT 532) in order to celebrate
our wedding anniversary together, in a peaceful and relaxing surrounding.
Our troubles began at the airport where our outward flight was delayed for over four hours. The check-in
staff were unhelpful and there was no representative from Med Tours present to help deal with the situation.
We finally took off at 3.15 pm and eventually arrived at the hotel in the evening, tired and frustrated with
having wasted the first day of the holiday.

The hotel was reasonably comfortable, but the food lacked variety and the service was poor. Although
advertised as “a stone’s throw from the beach”, the hotel is in fact situated on the other side of a busy main
road and is at least 20 minutes’ walk away. The shops in the resort were crowded and expensive and there
were a lot of noisy roadworks in the town.

Last but not least, the return flight was scheduled for 9.10 am, which meant having to leave the resort at
dawn to get to the airport on time. As a result, the stay is certainly not seven days as advertised and certainly
cannot be described as “a heaven of peace and tranquillity”. I am therefore looking for compensation for the
inconvenience and distress of a ruined holiday.

Yours faithfully,
Arthur Grundy