A brief introduction to tourism supply chains

The Travel Foundation

3 Jul 201802:52

Summary

TLDRThe video script explores the intricate global tourism supply chains, highlighting their complexity and the multitude of stakeholders involved. It explains how holidays can be booked through various channels like travel agents, tour operators, and online platforms. The script also touches on additional services needed for a holiday, such as transport and local attractions, emphasizing the significant impact of tourism on local economies and the importance of sustainable practices to ensure the industry's positive contribution.

Takeaways

🌐 **Global Scale**: Tourism supply chains operate on a global scale, involving most countries worldwide.
🕸️ **Complexity**: The tourism industry is characterized by a complex 'spiderweb' of interconnected supply chains.
🏖️ **Booking Options**: Holidays can be booked through various channels including travel agents, tour operators, online agents, and self-booking.
📦 **Packaged Holidays**: Tour operators often package holidays, which may include flights, accommodations, and ground services.
✈️ **Transportation Services**: Additional transport options like trains, coaches, ferries, airlines, and cruise ships are part of the holiday booking process.
🏨 **Accommodation Providers**: Hotels, B&Bs, and other lodging services are integral to the tourism supply chain.
🎢 **Attractions**: Tourism supply chains include a wide range of attractions such as national parks, heritage sites, theme parks, museums, and casinos.
🍽️ **Food and Beverage Services**: Cafes, restaurants, bars, and shops are part of the tourism ecosystem.
🚌 **Excursions and Activities**: Coach tours, boat tours, marine activities, community-based tours, and special interest activities are offered to tourists.
🔄 **Support Services**: Behind the scenes, laundry, food and drink, cleaning, maintenance, and fuel services support the tourism industry.
🌱 **Sustainability**: The script emphasizes the need for designing a sustainable tourism industry that benefits all stakeholders.

Q & A

What is a tourism supply chain?
-A tourism supply chain is a complex network that involves various parties and components responsible for providing services and products related to tourism, operating on a global scale and spanning most countries in the world.
How can one book a holiday abroad?
-One can book a holiday abroad through a travel agent, a tour operator, ground agents in the destination, wholesalers, airlines, cruise companies, online agents, or by self-packaging a bespoke holiday using online resources.
What is the role of a tour operator in holiday booking?
-A tour operator packages holidays for customers, often combining various components like accommodation, transportation, and excursions into a single package.
What does it mean to package a holiday using ground agents?
-Packaging a holiday using ground agents involves working with local agents who arrange services such as accommodation, transportation, and activities at the destination.
Why is it necessary to consider additional transport options when booking a holiday?
-Additional transport options are necessary to get to and from departure points and to navigate around the destination, which may include trains, coaches, ferries, airlines, cruise ships, airport parking, car hire, and local transport providers.
What are some examples of attraction providers in a tourism supply chain?
-Examples of attraction providers include national parks, protected areas, heritage sites, theme parks, museums, and casinos.
How do cafes and restaurants fit into the tourism supply chain?
-Cafes and restaurants are part of the tourism supply chain as they provide food and beverage services to tourists visiting a destination.
What are community-based tours and how do they contribute to the local economy?
-Community-based tours are guided experiences that often showcase local culture and involve community members directly. They contribute to the local economy by providing income to community members and promoting local businesses.
What are special interest activities in the context of tourism?
-Special interest activities are tourism activities that cater to specific interests or hobbies of tourists, such as bike tours, hiking, bird-watching, and safaris.
Why is it important to design a tourism industry that maximizes benefits for vacationers?
-Designing a tourism industry that maximizes benefits for vacationers ensures a positive experience, encourages repeat visits, and supports sustainable tourism practices that can lead to long-term economic and social benefits.
How does the complex web of tourism supply chains affect those who rely on tourism for their livelihood?
-The complex web of tourism supply chains means that many people's livelihoods depend on tourism. A well-designed industry can ensure that these individuals and businesses benefit from the economic activity generated by tourists.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Understanding Tourism Supply Chains

The paragraph discusses the complexity of tourism supply chains, which are global and involve numerous parties without centralized oversight. It explains that holidays can be booked through various means such as travel agents, tour operators, online agents, or self-booking. It also highlights the need to consider additional transport options and the involvement of many suppliers like transport providers, attraction providers, food and drink services, and maintenance services. The paragraph emphasizes the interdependence of many people on the tourism industry and the need to design it for maximum benefit.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Tourism Supply Chains

Tourism supply chains refer to the network of businesses and services involved in providing tourism products and services. They are complex and operate globally, involving multiple stakeholders without centralized oversight. In the video, this concept is crucial as it sets the stage for understanding the challenges and components involved in the tourism industry.

💡Travel Agent

A travel agent is a professional who arranges travel for clients. They can book flights, accommodations, and create itineraries. In the script, travel agents are mentioned as one of the ways people can purchase holidays abroad, highlighting their role in the tourism supply chain.

💡Tour Operator

A tour operator is a business that organizes and sells tours to the public. They package various components of a holiday, such as transportation and accommodation, into a single product. The script mentions tour operators as intermediaries who package holidays for consumers.

💡Ground Agents

Ground agents are local representatives or service providers at the destination who assist tourists with various services like transportation and accommodation. The script refers to ground agents as part of the process where tourists can package their own holidays.

💡Wholesaler

A wholesaler in tourism is a business that sells travel products to retailers or agents rather than directly to the public. They often deal with large quantities at a lower cost. The script mentions wholesalers as part of the process of booking holidays through tour operators.

💡Online Agent

An online agent is a platform or service that allows customers to book travel and tourism services over the internet. They often provide direct access to hotels and other services. The script uses online agents as an example of how people can book holidays directly.

💡Bed Bank

A bed bank is a company that sells accommodation space to travel agents and tour operators. They act as intermediaries, buying rooms in bulk from hotels and then selling them to agents. The script mentions bed banks as part of the online booking process.

💡Transport Options

Transport options refer to the various modes of transportation available to tourists, both to reach their destination and to move around within it. This includes trains, coaches, ferries, airlines, and cruise ships. The script discusses transport options as an essential part of the holiday booking process.

💡Attraction Providers

Attraction providers are businesses or organizations that offer tourist attractions, such as national parks, heritage sites, theme parks, museums, and casinos. They are a key component of the tourism supply chain as they provide the experiences that tourists seek. The script lists them as part of the in-destination tourism suppliers.

💡Excursions

Excursions are organized trips or tours taken by tourists from their main holiday location to visit nearby attractions or participate in activities. The script mentions various types of excursions, such as boat tours, marine-based activities, and community-based tours, emphasizing their role in the tourism experience.

💡Special Interest Activities

Special interest activities are tourism activities that cater to specific interests or hobbies of tourists, such as biking, hiking, bird-watching, or safaris. These activities are part of the diverse offerings within the tourism industry. The script includes them as examples of the wide array of experiences available to tourists.

💡In-Destination Businesses

In-destination businesses are the local service providers at the tourist destination, such as cafes, restaurants, bars, shops, and markets. They are integral to the tourism supply chain as they provide essential services and contribute to the local economy. The script mentions these businesses as part of the broader tourism ecosystem.

Highlights

Tourism supply chains are massively complex and operate on a global scale.

No single party is responsible for the oversight of the tourism industry.

Holidays can be booked through various channels including travel agents, tour operators, and online agents.

Travelers can package their own holidays using ground agents, airlines, and hotels.

Online agents can buy holidays direct from hotels or through bed banks.

Additional transport options are considered part of holiday booking.

Transport options include trains, coaches, ferries, airlines, cruise ships, and car hire.

In-destination transport providers are part of the tourism supply chain.

Attraction providers such as national parks, heritage sites, and theme parks are involved in tourism supply chains.

Facilities like cafes, restaurants, bars, shops, and markets are part of the tourism ecosystem.

Excursions include coach tours, boat tours, marine-based activities, and community-based tours.

Special interest activities like bike tours, hiking, bird-watching, and safaris are also part of tourism.

There are many suppliers to the in-destination businesses, including laundry, food and drink, cleaning, and maintenance services.

The complex web of tourism supply chains demonstrates the reliance of many people on the vacation industry.

Designing a tourism industry that maximizes benefits for vacationers is crucial.

The quiz is designed to test understanding of the complex tourism supply chain.

Good luck is wished upon those progressing through the quiz to save paradise.