Part 2

Anatiel Santiesteban

Part 2: Worksheet 8.5

Explain the five types of tours

1. Custom-Designed Tours: Today custom designed tour is often called and FIT. The initial originally stood for “foreign independent tour.” Nowadays the term is used whether the tour is foreign or domestic. Depending on their structure, prepackaged tours can be classified as independent, hosted or escorted as the following sections explain.

2. The Independent Tour

Independent tour has no group and no guide, and independent tours are very often called packages or vacation packages. Independent tours may include many components of a trip or only a few. Many provide only transportation to a destination, round trip transfer from the airport to hotel, and accommodations at one hotel for the number of nights the participant choose. Other packages include car rentals or stays at multiple hotels or both. There is also a package called fly/drive and this package includes air transportation, a car rental and a number of hotels. Often participants can stay at any of specific chain’s properties. Fly/drives are suited for travelers who wish to tour a particular region, stopping at a different place every night or two.

3. The Hosted Tour

On a hosted tour individuals travel independently, but a host is available at each destination to help them arrange activities. The host is a representative of the tour or group operator. Other hosted tours offer less flexibility. On some participants take a charter flight and must stick to the dates selected for the flight. The participants spend the tour as independent travelers not as a group. What does the host do? The host greets the participants when they arrive, gives them a brief orientation, and lets them know when he or she is available for further assistance.

4. The Escorted Tour

On an escorted tour participants travel together as a group and are always accompanied by a professional tour escort, who is responsible for ensuring that...