Topic > Tour Operators overcome intangibility and...

How can tour operators use the Internet to overcome the problems of intangibility and perishability in the sale of holiday packages? Use examples of good practice. A famous person once said, quote, "Follow your dreams." Vacations are dreams that people perceive and tourism is about selling those "far-fetched dreams" and bridging the gap between "fantasy and reality". Tour operators use the Internet to portray a "picturesque description" of a "dream destination" that we tourists are lured into following. Tourism can be seen as an unexpected and unpredictable service sector that offers the consumer an intangible and perishable but desirable experience. It can be defined as a multifaceted and multidimensional activity, touching many lives and many different economic activities. (Chris Cooper et al, 2005) Tourism produces and sells product packages instead of products (products are "experiences") which are very intangible, products that cannot be stored (simultaneity of production and consumption), therefore perishable. As for the tourist, the product covers the complete experience from the moment he leaves home until the moment he reaches his chosen destination. (Barnett, M ​​​​& Standing, C, 2001) For travel and tourism in the 21st century, intermediation occurs through "tour operators" or "wholesalers" who assemble the components of "ideal/dream" holiday destinations of the tourist in attractive packages and promote the same by offering them at attractive prices through means such as the Internet. (A, Lockwood, & S, Medlik, 2001). Traditionally, tour operators tend to pre-book or pre-purchase combinations of transportation and accommodation services to integrate them into standardized “inclusive tours” or “vacation packages”, distributing them through brochures displayed in travel agencies and selling them at inclusive prices. (Buhalis, D, 1998). But as tourists become sophisticated and demanding, they are looking for high-quality products and good value for money. Therefore, to meet tourism demand, the 21st century has produced an explosion of visual and electronic communication that is more interactive, easy to use, accurate and reliable. Tour operator websites offer correct products, effective prices and efficiently promoted, thus reducing customer satisfaction. Vacation packages are incorporeal and intangible services that cannot be physically viewed or inspected at the point of sale prior to purchase. They are normally purchased before the time of their use and away from the place of consumption. (Chris Cooper et al, 2005) On the one hand, this makes marketing services much simpler; the usual problems of physical distribution are not encountered, nor are there any problems with storing the product in warehouses before delivery to the customer.