Turprodukt is what? Features & Specs

Rest, new impressions, gifts, souvenirs and other pleasures are the first associations of most people with the word "tourism". His role in the life of modern society is quite significant because of man's natural desire to discover and explore unexplored edges, monuments of nature, culture, history and architecture, the desire to get acquainted with the traditions and customs of different nations.

However , tourism is a large, highly profitable and extremely dynamic branch of the economy. For this reason, it makes sense to study and analyze the state of the tourist market, its dynamics, opportunities and prospects.

Basic concepts of tourism: a tourist product

Tourism as an economic system is characterized by a whole list of specific categories and terms. Studying the market of tourist services and the mechanism of its functioning, it is necessary to learn the basic concepts. One of them is a tourist product. This is a complex of services that allows you to meet all the needs of a tourist during the travel period. Its attractiveness directly affects the level of profitability and duration of each enterprise's existence in the tourism business.

In an effort to create an up-to-date and effective tour product, companies are exploring the actual and constant demand in the tourism market (fashion, affection, preferences). These data form the basis of ideas for the formation of a new proposal, which in the future will be implemented. In the conditions of high competition, which can be compared with a unique battle for the client, the interest, uniqueness and quality of the tourist product become key factors for success.

What you should know when creating a tourist product

Making a decision on the formation of a new proposal in the sphere of tourism, the rate is made to satisfy the desires of customers. That is, they clearly determine which product will be really interesting to the tourist so much that he will pay for it.

In fact, the content of tourist services is not only in the trip itself, but also in hotel accommodation, new sensations and acquaintance with the unknown. Consumers of the tourist product extremely appreciate the attention and care of all the employees of the operator, as well as the comfort and the situation throughout the trip.

Principles of tourism product formation

The definition of a tourist product is that it is a system of services that citizens (tourists) receive from tourist and excursion enterprises. The main part of the marketing strategy of this product is its attractiveness and originality. These indicators determine the other components: price, the nature of promotion and distribution.

The main difficulty faced by many manufacturers of tourism products is that their perception of creators and consumers is fundamentally different. These discrepancies also affect the conduct of economic research in this area.

The result of an ill-conceived strategy is the entry into the market of a product that does not coincide with the demands of the consumer. Buying a tour, customers are aimed at getting completely different services. Some of them purchase permits for resorts to relax, maintain health, tan and relax. Other people are forced to travel to other cities and countries with working visits (business trips). They do not plan to rest, as they are in for business negotiations and signing contracts.

After studying the features of the perception of its product by potential customers, the manufacturer rebuilds its activities taking into account new information. Then the sale of tourist products (a set of services) is accompanied by advertising not so much the services themselves, as their advantages, unique properties and consumer qualities.

From a legal point of view, the client, having paid a tourist company a sum of money, acquires the right to receive a tourist product during the journey. This is the principle of the separate formation and consumption of this product.

What are the stages of the new tour product in the creation

Having studied the market, competitors and niche, as well as inquiries and wishes of potential consumers, the tourist organization starts creating a new tour. In this case, the development of a tourist product is carried out as follows:

1. An idea about the future product (its quantitative and qualitative properties) is generated. The monitoring of the state of real and constant demand does not stop, because the world of tourism is closely related to the changing notions of fashion, attachments and preferences.
2. The concept of a new product is being developed. Here the complex of services receives specific consumer properties that correspond to the demand of the target market and are determined by the material and technical and financial capabilities of the company (route, program, type of tourism, set and class of services).
3. Stage of trial marketing. The manufacturer puts on the market its development (experimental implementation of tourist products). He studies the reaction of consumers, their attitude to this service, studies their comments and recommendations. These activities are carried out in order to identify and eliminate possible shortcomings. The usual practice was to conduct familiarization tours, where the experimenters become travel agents-partners.
4. The stage of commercialization of the improved and corrected tourist product: development of marketing strategy, advertising, promotion of tourist products and mass sale.

What is the basic and additional service package?

The structure of the tourist product provides for three types of proposals:

• Directly the tour itself.
• Complex of tourist and excursion services.
• Specific goods (maps, equipment, equipment, souvenirs, booklets, postcards).

The main tourist product is a trip, a tour, a trip. It is carried out in accordance with the established route and specific dates, includes a guaranteed complex of tourist services (booking of rooms and tickets, travel, accommodation in hotels, as well as catering, recreation and recreation).

Services provided to consumers can be basic (those that are included in the contract and paid for by the client) or additional (paid at the place of consumption or on the way).

The main tourist product (mandatory service package) has one more name - a tourist package. Its structure consists of four elements:

• Tourist center.
• Transport.
• Accommodation services.
• Transfer (a service that provides transportation of a tourist from the point of arrival to the place of residence and in the opposite direction).

Often, tourists are extremely interested in the additional services offered by the tour operator, as this greatly simplifies their stay and way of life in another country. In this regard, they are very willing to use the services of organizing excursions, guide services, translators, transfers and other transportation within the country or city, rental and repair of equipment, currency exchange, telephone, mail and other consumer services.

Proceeding from the fact that the development of tourist products is always based on the desires and preferences of customers, most tour operators are constantly expanding the list of additional services provided.

Specificity of the main and additional complexes

The above division of the tourist product into the main and additional categories should be perceived as conditional. After all, these elements have a common nature and consumer properties. Often the main complex includes transport services, accommodation and catering. However, if it is a question of cognitive, professional-business, sports travel or a trip with a religious purpose, the situation changes. Those services, which are usually classified as additional, become basic.

Therefore, the criterion for dividing into categories is the order of their fixation in the contract and payment.

How is the experimental check of the new tour

After the formation of the tourist product has been completed, it must be checked, tested and, if necessary, amended. To this end, it is experimentally introduced onto the market and observed for profitability and ability to compete. The creation of a tourist product of decent quality can not do without this stage.

An experimental evaluation of a tourist product requires the following conditions:

• "Natural value" of the audited round, that is, all nuances and aspects of travel are subject to verification. This becomes possible when organizing an experimental arrival.
• Availability of fact-finding information (presentations, advertisements).
• The allocation of a certain period during which the popularity of the product being tested will be assessed (reviews and application statistics have been studied).

Types of experimental tours

When planning the promotion of a tourist product, the manufacturer can resort to one of two options for pilot implementation of its development:

1. Advertising travel.
2. Stage-tour.

The appointment of a promotional tour in informing the target audience that there is a new product. In addition, it visually demonstrates its consumer properties, advantages and competitive advantages. Often participants of advertising tours are journalists, representatives of the media, authoritative persons, target groups of consumers or travel agents who will subsequently sell this tourist product. This is justified by future earnings, since the seller can best describe what he himself saw and experienced.

The program of the promotional tour usually includes a certain number of excursions and the procedure for viewing several hotels (up to five per day). They also allocate time for independent acquaintance with the peculiarities of the country.

The organization of stage-tours (info-tours) is aimed at forming a vision of the tour operator and agents of other firms about what constitutes a new tourist product. During such tours, experts can attend exhibitions, conferences, seminars or other events covering the issues of interest to the firm. When organizing info-tours, the manufacturer of a tourist product is interested in popularizing the route and increasing sales in this area. The successful realization of the tourist product largely depends on how smoothly the demonstration run will be.

The procedure and technology of evaluation of tourist products

Given the specifics of tourism services and the non-material nature of some of them (the lack of quality parameters), the evaluation of new tours becomes subjective. In practice, most tourism companies use point-based expertise. It provides an assessment of the main parameters of the product on a scale with a maximum of one hundred points.

What do experts take into account in the assessment process:

• Was the purpose of the trip achieved, what was the quality of the excursions, how friendly and welcoming were the representatives of the local population.
• The level of culture of service in the place of residence.
• How good were food and catering.
• The nature of the psychological atmosphere and the way the participants of the group communicated with employees and servants.
• How convenient and fast was the transport service.

In addition to the experts listed, they suggest to evaluate other quality parameters of the trip.

How to use the results of an experimental test

The obtained data must be reduced and thoroughly analyzed. The result of the verification is the correction of deficiencies and the elimination of shortcomings. The final result, that is, the withdrawal of the product to the market or its "removal from production", completely depends on the decision of the travel agency.

However, the supplier of tourist services should not forget that the quality level of the product is only one of the conditions for its implementation on the market. This means that if, based on the results of a test run, tourist products (services) have been classified as middle class, there is no sense to exceed this figure. Marketing strategy in this case should use tools of influence on consumers belonging to this class.

Feature of sightseeing tours

For the classification of tourist travel use various parameters:

• Purpose of the trip.
• Means of transport.
• Features of accommodation.
• Duration of the tour.
• The composition of the group and many others.

Therefore, the most diverse types of tourist products are available to consumers: medical, recreational, business, bus, aviation, with accommodation in a hotel, boarding house or camping, individual, group and others.

However, according to statistics, the most popular is the excursion-cognitive tour product. This is a trip to familiarize with tourist attractions (historical and architectural monuments, natural and ethnic features, modern life of the people of the country where the tourist plans to go).

This category includes tours on a specialized or thematic program. As a rule, during such trips tourists are invited to visit special facilities depending on the professional or amateur interests of the group. These can be industrial and agricultural enterprises, social, cultural and educational institutions.

For the tour operator, sightseeing tours are quite profitable from the economic point of view. Features of the tourist product of this species consist in a wide range of basic and additional services, as well as in longer duration (in comparison with other species).

The importance of the route for the successful implementation of tourism products

The route as the main component of the trip is able to give the tour the necessary attractiveness, as well as to satisfy all the wishes and interests of tourists. Choosing points of new routes when creating a tourist product, you should compare them with the purposes of travel of future customers.

If it is a question of organizing sightseeing trips, the choice of cities should take into account the presence of interesting tourist attractions (historical, cultural monuments, museums, art galleries and other objects) in them.

The degree of satisfaction of the clients of the travel agency largely depends on how fast, picturesque and comfortable will be the travel between the cities. Here the most important is the choice of means of transporting tourists. The organizer must consider several circumstances:

• Paving routes, you can not allow for their duplication. That is, tourists should always see only new landscapes, even on the way back.
• It is in the interests of the tour operator to cooperate with those carriers who will be able to offer faster and more comfortable transportation for tourists between cities.
• The development of a tourist product will be literate if travelers can optimally and fully use the light day. This means that excursions and free activity of tourists should be planned for the daytime. At the same time, all necessary trips should be left for night hours (transportation by train), as well as for the morning or evening (plane, bus).

Thus, we can conclude that the construction of a successful and effective tourism business is based on the foresight, prudence and care of the head of the firm. Of great importance is his ability to find out, systematize and satisfy the desires and needs of clients.
In addition, despite careful planning and development of a tourist product, it must necessarily be checked by experts before it is released on the market.