What are the factors considered when planning travel arrangements for customers?
Convenience Timings Risk assessment Services Safety and Security
What are the factors of convenience travellers will consider?
What is a negative of convenience?
It can come as a cost
e.g. flights that seem cheap may not be convenient - may involve a change half way through with a long transit time
Why is time of travel important for convenience?
Transfers and connections
Package holiday - they will be organised
Independent - will have to research and plan these themselves
Why is it important to consider travel when arrived at the gateway airport?
-as without planning, especially if they arrive late at night, other transport services may be closed, so tourists require accurate departure times and reliable connections
Timings - 24 hour clock
- can cause confusion when dealing with midnight
Why are changes in time zone important?
- could lead to a traveller being late for connecting transport services or have a very long wait between two services
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
- The time in the rest of the world is calculated in relation to GMT
Daylight saving time
done in most regions of the world but some countries use different dates to the UK
-it is used to match hours of the day when people are studying or working with daylight hours
What are changes in time travel planner should be aware of?
- Daylight saving time - different dates in different companies
jet lag
What does the impact of jet lag depend on?
Services and level of comfort - different classes on scheduled and chartered flights?
Scheduled flights - offer economy, business and first-class options Charter - premium class for those willing to pay higher fares
What does service and level of comfort depend on?
How do low-cost airlines earn revenue?
First class on rail
-offer free wifi, refreshments, snacks and more comfortable seat
Safety and security measures
What is a risk assessment?
The process of identifying potential dangers or risks
What does a risk assessment involve?
Who carries out a risk assessment?
Customers may do informal risk assessments about the destination and form of transport and make their choices accordingly
- they will also rely on tour operator, transport provider and travel agent to have gone through risk assessment
Risk assessment by FCO
Foreign commonwealth office - travel restrictions are put in place when it is dangerous for tourists to visit a particular destinations
-usually enforced during dangerous political situations or an outbreak of disease
What happens if it is not safe to be in the destination - risk assessment?
-tour operators should offer an alternative holiday or refund
-tour operators have contingency plans in place to repatriate their customers if a dangerous situation occurs
Independent travellers - can be more serious if there is a problem in a destination - even if a traveller has purchased travel insurance, the insurance may not provide cover in the event of terrorist activity or an outbreak of war
Risk assessment - health restrictions