Gatina Elvira Ildarovna, Kalugina Yuliya Vladimirovna
Bashkir State Agrarian
University, Russia
Peculiarities
of the tourist product
The
goal of most tour companies and travel agencies is to conduct profitable
business. To achieve this, companies need to offer a tourist product that would
be not only attractive but also would satisfy the needs of potential customers
and thus would provide increase in business. Therefore, planning tourist
product is an important component in the development of profitable business
[2].
Tourist product is a set of property
and services designed to meet the needs of tourists while traveling. Tourist
product includes accommodation, meals, transportation services, as well as equipment
for recreation, sports, excursions, etc. Tourist product covers three main types of
possible company offers to the market:
1) tour; 2) tourist
and excursion services of various kinds provided by tourist enterprises; 3)
goods including a specific part of the tourist product (cards, postcards,
brochures, souvenirs, camping equipment, etc.) [1].
Major
tourist product is a tour that is a trip on a specified route within a specific
time frame with a guaranteed set of tourist services (booking, accommodation,
food, transportation, recreation, tours, etc.). A tour consists of the
following: consumer characteristics, price, the nomenclature and functions of
services, vehicles, a list of cities and settlements, package, route, service
quality[1].
Basic
function of the tourist product is to meet the needs of tourists. In its turn, the
tourist product should possess a number of distinctive properties. It must be:
1) reliable, 2) holistic and complete, 3) flexible, 4) simple to use [3].
Formation
of the tourist product is a complex process that requires a comprehensive,
systematic analysis and it is carried out under certain conditions. Formation
of a new tourist product passes successively through the following steps:
1. The generation
of ideas for the tourist product, its quantitative and qualitative properties
based on the market research of actual and constant demand. It must be done
continuously, as in tourism fashion preferences change frequently;
2. Development of a
new tourist product concept. This refers to the route selection, programs, type
of tourism, services level;
3. Marketing test,
which means trying only a part of a new tourist product at first in order to
determine the relationship of potential buyers, as well as identifying and addressing
possible shortcomings [4].
In
order to create an attractive and useful tourist product you must adhere to a
strict plan. At first you should conduct
a market research to find out the potential consumer demand for different types
of tourist products. Then it is necessary to determine types, forms and elements
of the tourist product, which are most attractive to customers. The next stage
is an analysis of the actual costs of the development and implementation of the
proposed tourist product sale and assessment of cost-effectiveness and
feasibility of the tourist product development based on its likely income. With
the right marketing research, analysis and flow of economic efficiency, you can
create an attractive and competitive tourist product for its subsequent implementation
in the market [4].
Demand
has a huge role in the tourist product as "the higher the demand, the
higher the bid". Demand depends on many factors:
1. The territorial
boundaries of the market (city, district, state, region);
2. Social status of
the customers (young people, those with medium or high income, pensioners,
housewives, etc.);
3. Purpose of
travel [2].
On the
basis of careful analysis of demand a travel agency should determine the
content of its product:
• Type
of tourism. If it is a sightseeing or a
cultural tour, the selected countries will cover the most interesting tourist
attractions. If it is a vacation tour, you should consider countries with
relevant natural resources such as the warm sea, sun, and beach;
•
Season and duration of trips. Summer months (May – September) are good for sightseeing
and study tours to the countries with temperate climates. November – February are good for countries
with hot climate (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand). The boundaries are
more expanded for holiday tours in the Mediterranean region: from April to
November.
Trip
duration also depends on type of tourism: sightseeing and cultural tours and
holiday tours are usually 1 – 2 weeks. Shop tours are limited to 4 – 5 days.
However, in all cases, the final terms of staying in the country are determined
by the schedule of international airlines, flight frequency and availability;
• Route,
i.e. list of towns/cities or settlements visited by tourists while traveling
around the country, which is determined by the objectives of the trip. So, in
the itineraries sightseeing and study tours include visits to several cities with
the most interesting sights. Holiday and spa tours include only places where
tourists spend their holidays or receive spa and treatment, and the city of
arrival and departure. Sometimes these tours contain trips to nearby
attractions, places;
•
Package and service. Depending on the assessment of market demand a tour
company should outline the package content and its proficiency;
Ideally,
the preparatory work for the creation of a tourist product should begin more
than two years before the first shipment of tourists for a new route, a new
program or a new country [3].
In conclusion, it should be noted
that the development of a tourist product is a complex process that includes
market research and analysis of market segments and competitors, costs assessment
as well as advertising and promotion of the tourist product.
List of References
1. Gulyaev V.G.
Organization of tourism activities. – M.: Penguin, 1996.
2. Ilina E.N., Tour
operating: Organization of activities: Tutorial. – Moscow: Finance and
Statistics, 2005.
3. Voronin I.N., Burov
O.V., Lukyanenko E.A., Tour business for beginners. – Simferopol, 2005.
4. Chernih N.B.
Technology and organization of tour operator and travel agent activities:
Textbook. 2nd edition, revised and enlarged. – M.: Sport and Tourism, 2005.