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The first tour in the modern sense was put together by Thomas Cook in 1841. Cook was soon offering tours all over the world, and the idea gained acceptance very quickly

not only in England, but also in other European countries and in the United States.

The firm of Thomas Cook and Sons has remained a major force in the travel industry, despite the number of changes in ownership. Its principal rival for many years has been the American Express Company, which grew out of the Wells Fargo freight forwarding business. Both Cook and American Express operate as tour packagers as well as retail travel agents; that is, they sell the tours which they package directly to the public through their own travel offices and through other agents.

Among the major tour operators or packagers on the scene today are the airlines themselves. As we observed, several of them have gone into the hotel business as well

as transportation. This puts them in an advantageous position, since they can set aside blocks both of airline seats and hotel rooms for their own tours. Shipping companies are also tour operators. Cruises are a form of tour, with the ship taking the place of a hotel for purpose of accommodations.

The great increase in tourism that took place in 1960’s, especially in Europe, was in part the result of the emergence of a number of firms whose chief business was packaging and operating tours. Some of them took advantage of the ITX fares on the scheduled airlines. Others began to specialize in chartering entire planes, which permitted them to offer still lower prices. Chartering in many cases was encouraged by governments that wanted a greater air transportation capacity than could be offered by the scheduled lines.

The typical package that the European tour operators put together consisted of the least expensive two-week holiday tour. It was primarily intended for northern Europeans who wanted a Mediterranean vacation. As the competition among the operators brought prices down, many people who had never traveled before were encouraged to try a trip abroad. Both tourism in general and the tour operating companies themselves expanded very rapidly.

The rapid expansion, however, has also resulted in many changes in management and methods of operation for the firms in the business. A sounder financial base become necessary, since tour groups were sometimes left stranded because tour operators did not have sufficient cash to pay the price of the aircraft charter. Some of

the tour operators have now been absorbed by conglomerates, the huge modern corporations that engage in many different kinds of business. Others have close ties with particular charter airlines or hotel chains. A few have become involved in resort development. A good deal of experimentation has taken place in what is still basically a new business. In Germany, for example, mail order firms have marketed tours through their catalogues.

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Tours are also arranged for employees and their spouses by corporations. The corporations typically offer these vacation trips as a reward for superior sales effort or

as an incentive to improve performance. This type of tour is of course not open to the general public, but it is welcomed by the airlines and by the hotel operators in the established resorts that frequently attract business of this kind.

It is possible to distinguish between two general types of tours. One is the holiday package that has a resort hotel as its destination. While local sightseeing or entertainment may be included in the package, the tours are generally of the “no frills” variety – in other words, without expensive extras. The major attractions usually include sun, sea, and activities such as golf or tennis that are offered by the resort itself. Local color is not even an important consideration. Many of the vacationers are hardly aware of what country their hotel is in.

The second is the guided tour that features sightseeing or some other special attraction. These tours are accompanied by a guide who is in charge of travel arrangements and activities. The activity offered by the tour is its principal attraction.

The tour may combine travel with education. Most of these tours include several different destinations and a good deal of travel within one region. Thus, they require careful arrangement and coordination of accommodations, local transportation, baggage handling, and all the other details that accompany any kind of travel.

The person who leads such tours is the tour guide. He is multilingual, he relates well to other people, and he deals with variety of problems that arise not only in making travel arrangements, but also in carrying them out. He deals with the problems of lost baggage and unsatisfactory hotel accommodations, with rainy days and fatigue, with sudden illness, and with the interpersonal problems that arise among the members of

the group. He is, in other words, almost as much of a psychologist as a travel expert.

There are many advantages in the packaged tours, the most obvious being the price. When airplane seats and hotel rooms are reserved in blocks by the tour operators, considerable savings are passed on to the customers. These savings have been reflected in the last few years by the great increase in tourism. Many people would never travel at all without the price inducement offered by packaged tours.

A second advantage is the opportunity for the tourist to make all his travel arrangements in one place at one time. The independent traveler – one who does not travel as a member of a group – often has to go to considerable trouble to put the different pieces of his trip together. Airline seats may not be available when he wants them, or he may not be able to secure the hotel accommodations that he wants. Even when a travel agent makes the arrangements, these difficulties still exist, but with the

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packaged tour they are eliminated for the consumer. The tour, in other words, offers convenience as one of its inducements.

A third advantage can be summed up in the term accessibility. Tours make it possible for people to visit many remote or rugged areas that would otherwise be too difficult for them to try to see on their own. Tour operators have made these and countless other places throughout the world accessible to the general public.

Comprehension

1.Answer the questions.

1.Why are tour operators considered to be wholesalers of the tourist industry?

2.What do packaged tours offer?

3.When was the first packaged tour put together?

4. How did the emergence of a great number of tourist firms influence tourism in general?

5.What was the result of the competition among the tour operators?

6.What did the rapid expansion of tourism lead to?

7.What types of tour does the text mention?

8.What is the difference between a holiday package and a guided tour?

9.What qualities does a tour guide need? Why?

10.What are the advantages of a packaged tour?

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2.Sum up what you’ve learned from the text about:

a)the services offered by packaged tours;

b)the history of development of this kind of tourism;

c)different types of packaged tours;

d)the job of a tour guide;

e)the advantages of packaged tours.

3. Read the statement, define whether they are true or false, speak on them.

1.All packaged tours are put together and also sold to the public by retail travel agents.

2.Tours on chartered aircraft can usually be offered at lower prices than those on the scheduled airlines.

3.Cook and American Express operate both as packagers and retailers.

4.The scheduled airlines never offer any kind of special fares for tours and never

package tours themselves.

5. Chartering has been discouraged by all governments throughout the world.

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10. Corporations sometimes reward their employees with holiday tours. 11.11. The holiday tour with a resort hotel as its destination usually does not offer a

lot of expensive extras.

12.12. A tour guide is only responsible for sightseeing, never for travel arrangements such as local transportation, hotel accommodations, or baggage handling.

13.13. A tour guide does not have any special skills.

14.14. One big advantage to the general public of packaged tours is the lower price for travel.

15.15. A person who buys a packaged tour must make all arrangements himself, just like an independent traveler.

16.16. Tour destinations are always resort areas that are easy to get to.

Language focus

1. Look through the text and match the definitions given below with the words and phrases from the text.

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5.3. Cruises are a form of tour, … the ship taking the place of a hotel … purposes of accommodations.

6.4. As the competition among the operators brought prices … , many people were encouraged to try a trip abroad.

7.5. Some mail order firms have marketed tours … their catalogues.

9.6. Guided tours are accompanied by a guide who is … charge … travel arrangements and activities.

10.7. The tour guide deals … the variety of problems that arise not only … making travel arrangements, but also … carrying them … .

11.8. Considerable savings are passed … … the customers when airplane seats and hotel rooms are reserved … blocks by the tour operators.

12.9. The rapid expansion of tour operating companies has resulted … many changes … management and methods of operation … the firms … the business.

3. Translate the sentences from Russian into English.

A.

1. В магазинах этот товар стоит 50 долларов, а его оптовая цена – 35 долларов. 2. Горячая ванна в этом отеле – дополнительная услуга.

3. Между этими компаниями жестокая конкуренция, чтобы получить контракт. Корпорация постепенно поглощала своих мелких конкурентов. Развитие туризма привело к появлению большого количества фирм,

занимающихся организацией турпакетов.

8.6. Туристические группы иногда оказываются в стеснённых обстоятельствах, потому что у туроператоров нет достаточного количества денег, чтобы заплатить цену чартера самолёта.

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