Business Development Strategy in Travel on Ltd

Travel On Ltd.

HISTORY

With the motto “Service With Excellence” in mind “Travel On Ltd” is a sister concern of “Sureswar Group”, was set up in January 2001. Our main objective was to arrange outbound tour packages at minimum possible cost. We have come a long way since then, by providing service with a distinction that sets us apart from others. When it comes to innovative packages we are the trendsetters, today it is our service that has turned us into the first choice of elite class people who want to travel the world.

MISSION

Today we boost more than 25 members of full time staff who have proven expertise in the field of travel and tour. At present Travel On Ltd is one of the most prominent travel house in Bangladesh and our aim is to be the best of the best in this sector. We are continuously bringing in new and exciting tour packages thus helping to create new generation of travelers. Our mission is to be the model of overall business development.

ACTIVITY

“Travel On Ltd” a leading, IATA accredited travel and tours agency, To serve you we are bringing in our 10 years of experience. Our goal is to provide you the best possible service. Enriched with this wealth of experience and driven by the zeal of entrepreneurship, the company has expanded and diversified its network of operations to provide travel solutions to individuals and organizations alike. We are always improving and bringing out new packages designed for your convenience.

Our range of services includes:

• Organizing Hajj and Umrah packages.
• Various tour packages in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai and Nepal.
• Medical tourism.
• Selling Airlines tickets and flight charter.
• AsianVisaServiceCenter for Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Dubai.
• Hotel Reservation, Airport-Hotel-Airport Transport and Sight-seeing.
• Arranging customized group tours and company conferences.

Our mission is to be the number one outbound tour operator in Bangladesh. We have the ambition to announce tour package for all the beautiful countries of the world with the excellence of service. We want our honorable guests to be a part of our growth, we want each of their trips with us to be memorable and enjoyable starting from the moment they open our brochure.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

We believe that we are the pioneer when it comes to bringing in different tour packages for elite clients as well as for masses. It is our inside urge to serve the best we can, has made us what we are today. I believe that with our expertise and foresight we will bring on revolution in the field of out bound tourism in Bangladesh and bring out new breed of world travelers from our country.

CLIENTS

As we provide the best services, we are now the No. 1 choice for Elite class clients as well as general people. Our clients are

• Top ten bankers and Banking institutions.
• Financial Institutions.
• The entire mobile phone operators).
• Multinational companies.
• Group of companies.
•  TV Channels.
• Leading property developers.
• Ministers, Parliament members.
• Chief of Army-Navy-Air force and MNQ staffs.
• Prominent and well-known individuals.

LOCATION

The head office of “Asian Holidays Ltd” is located at “Dhanmondi” the heart of capital Dhaka city. We have also an office at Bangkok

An Overview of the Travel and Tourism Industry:

Tourism is the fastest growing and single largest industry in the world. Tourism as a multi-faced industry is playing pivotal role in the global as well as in the individual economic perspective. In the year 1950, the international tourist arrivals were 25.2 which rose to more than 800 million in the year 2005 and in 1950, the world tourism earning was US$ 2.1 billion and the same stood at US$ 623 in 2004 (WTO, 2005). The World Tourism Organization forecasted that in the year of 2010, the total world tourist arrivals will be 1,006.4 million and it will increase to 1,561.1 million in 2020 and the figure of the same for South Asia will be 10.6 million and 18.8 million in the year of 2010 and 2020 respectively and at the same time WTO forecasted that the number of tourist arrivals in Indian Ocean destinations will be 91.544 million and 179.249 in the year 2010 and 2020 respectively and the figure of the same in Bangladesh will be 0.255 million and 0.415 million in the corresponding years (WTO, 2000). According to WTO forecast the earnings from tourism will rise to US$ 2 trillion a year by 2020.

The tourism industry of Bangladesh is of no exception from this. It can play an important role to contribute in the national economy of the country. In view of several holy shrines in the country there is the prospect of attracting millions of tourists to the country. But full potential of tourism could not be used largely due to inadequate and ineffective promotional activities of the industry. Institutional framework for attracting tourists has been in existence for more than three decades, but various institutions promote Bangladesh tourism with little coordination. This is construed to be one of the major hurdles adversely affecting the promotional activities and the resultant growth rate of the tourism industry in the country. It is of utmost importance to examine the special features of tourism firms’ promotional activities and suggest how to improve those activities in order to attract a reasonably good number of foreign tourists to visit the country and take their services. So far the researcher knows no comprehensive study addressing promotional aspects of the industry in Bangladesh has been conducted yet by anyone. Even a very few studies are available related to the issue of tourism marketing in Bangladesh. As tourism industry in Bangladesh has failed to undertake adequate and effective promotional activities due to policy guidelines, resource constraints, religious view of local people, hartals by politicians and they lack of marketing orientation, hence, a study on this area is essential to uncover the relevant facts. It is also expected that the findings and analysis of this study will help formulate appropriate promotional measures and thus motivate effectively more potential foreigntourists to visit Bangladesh as well as to contribute the economy of the country. At the same time, this study may be helpful for the policy-makers of the country to devote their attention to the issue of the segments of the tourism market that they wish to attract.

 Research Areas

On the basis of the research problem, the proposed study will mainly attempt to concentrate on the following areas:

A.     To study the current development trends of the tourism industry in Bangladesh;

B.     To examine the promotional activities undertaken by the different tour operators and evaluate the role of their activities for the development of this industry;

C.     To identify the problems and limitations of promotional activities undertaken by the above mentioned tourism firms; and

D.     To prescribe necessary policies and managerial implications of the tour operating firms in Bangladesh in light of findings and current theory in the field.

The overall objective of the research is to increase the knowledge based of the promotional activities. The empirical research questions are as defined:

Research Paper on Agents in Tourism Industry:
Tourism presents one of the fastest growing industries in the world because information and communication technology has enabled people to identify tourism destinations worthy a visit. Although the trend appears similar to both developing and developed nations, the former have witnessed unprecedented rise in the number of tourists from around the world coming to enjoy scenic land features and ecosystems. In effect, governments have responded correspondingly by enhancing the role they play in tourism development. In emerging nations (such as Thailand and South Africa) and developing countries (such as Kenya), tourism contributes a significant part to the national economies. Common in other countries, governments have begun to play the role of planners, managers, facilitators, stimulators, and regulators of tourism activities in an effort to promote development in their tourism sectors (Sharpley&Telfer 2002). In addition, some players have come up to complement the efforts of the governments and others, to protect the environment and local communities against the capitalist desires of the government.

Private enterprises provide support in form of investment and advice to state institutions involved in tourism. Local communities identify and report to government about potential tourist sites and regions as well as protecting the natural and cultural resources against destruction. Other major agents in tourism industry in the countries include multinational agencies, non-governmental organizations, and media, among others. The governments have formed various partnerships with the other agents from the private sector to work cooperatively in promoting sustainable growth of respective tourism sectors (Huber’s 2007). Although the partnerships have worked well in some cases, they have encountered various hurdles in other cases that have limited their success.

The current research explores the various agents involved in tourism industry in developing and emerging nations. It examines the role of government institutions and roles of other players, including media, international organizations, local communities, and others. The research also explores the nature of partnership between private and public organizations in the countries.

Government Role:

The legislative, executive, and judiciary arms of government have great influence on tourism development in many countries, including both developed and developing countries. In third world countries, the level of influence depends on the perceived economic importance that tourism holds in the overall economy and the extent of the relationships between different government institutions as well as political, social, and cultural characteristics of the nations. Although government institutions vary from one country to another depending on the type of government (for example, democratic or communist), the major institutions that have significant influence on the tourism industry include central and local (or provincial) governments, law enforcement agencies, administrative units, courts, and other units of governance. According to Sharpley and Telfer (2002), the major roles played by governments of emerging and developing nations include planning, management, policymaking and regulation, investment, protection of interests of different stakeholders, social tourism, and promotion.

Planning:

Government plans for all major development activities and operations in the tourism industry. Majority of tourist attractions include natural endowments, such as natural ecosystems, attractive natural sceneries, and other natural features in different countries (Huybers 2007). Since tourism value of such endowments form a significant part of national economies in developing countries, government has a major obligation to plan on how tourism operations and other related activities should be carried out to protect and preserve the endowments. The plans may involve a wide range of operations, including maps of land usage in areas neighboring the endowments, marketing plans, layouts of infrastructure (roads, accommodation facilities, and other support services), and plans of the recommended modes of transport in different tourist attraction sites. The planning may be short-term or long-term, demonstrating how government expects development of tourism sector to be in future. For instance, Thailand government has been involved in various planning activities owing to the significant role played by tourism in the national economy. In 2008, the government released a marketing plan explaining how it intends to promote the various tourist destinations in the country (Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) n.d.). In the same year, Kenyan government also released its tourism strategic plan for the period from 2008 to 2012, showing how the government expects to promote its tourist attractions, fund development of its tourism sector, and monitor tourist operations.

Management
Tourism development involves collaborative efforts of many stakeholders, including government, international players, local societies, private sector groups, and many others. Thus, it is essential for the government to manage or coordinate these stakeholders in an effort to ensure smooth operations in the sector. Government manages the activities of the various stakeholders to minimize replication of efforts among themselves and to align their practices with the objectives and goals laid down in planning (Sharpley&Telfer 2002). Without government coordination, it is not be possible for the various public institutions and other stakeholders to know areas conducive to tourism development, government plans in place to promote tourism development in various regions, and the efforts being made by other stakeholders in achieving development objectives. As a result, stakeholders would reproduce efforts of other players in the sector, a situation likely to lead to increased development activities in some areas of the sector at the expense of others. Therefore, government’s role as a manager of the tourism industry serves to harmonize the efforts of all players with objectives of tourism plans for even development in all tourism areas within the country. In many developing countries, governments establish specialized public institutions to coordinate activities of domestic and international tourism operators. For instance, Department of Tourism in Kenya is the government unit responsible for managing all activities related to tourism development in the country. In Thailand, TAT coordinates activities of domestic tourism agents and international partners to ensure balanced development in all sectors of the tourism industry according to government plans. The Department of Tourism, South Africa has a legal mandate to manage development activities at provincial, national, and international levels to ensure that they are in line with government goals regarding tourism industry in the country (Lubbe 2003).

Regulation and Legislation

Government develops and implements legislations intended to regulate development in the tourism industry. It formulates various legislations to control tourism operations in an effort to promote development in the sector, type and nature of stakeholders to participate in the industry, to establish and conserve natural endowments perceived as tourist attractions. In addition, it also implements laws to regulate contributions of other sectors of the economy to tourism. For instance, legislative efforts to regulate entry of foreigners into the country, taxes paid by citizens and foreigners, protection of the environment, and labor inevitably affect development activities in tourism industry. Tourism legislative framework in Kenya demonstrates the nature of the regulative role of government in the industry. The country has a comprehensive Wildlife Conservation and Management Act (WCMA) that controls tourist activities in specific sites (lakes, ocean, forests, and land features) as well as other related ecological sources that influence survival of the tourist sites. It has also enacted other laws to control operations that support tourism, including the Hotels and Restaurants Act (HRA) and the Tourist Industry Licensing Act Bangladesh.

Investment:

In any developing, emerging, or developed nation, government invests heavily in tourism industry to complement investment efforts by the private individuals and organizations. It not only invests in those areas perceived as capital-intensive projects, but also in regions considered unworthy for investment by private entrepreneurs. In many developing nations, governments have invested heavily in establishing museums, national parks, game reserves, beaches, roads, airports, airline, other transportation means, hospitals, and other tourism related infrastructure. They have also undertaken investment in other low-risk projects, such as accommodation and travel services. For instance, Thailand government has established more than 100 national parks, comprising of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that serve as tourist attractions (TAT n.d.). It has also build an effective road network, making the parks easily accessible to both domestic and international tourists.

Facilitation:

Government role as a facilitator of tourism development has a great influence on growth of the tourism industry in emerging and developing nations. It facilitates development in a wide range of ways. Through law enforcement agencies, it ensures security and safety of tourists and tourism operators and their investments (Sharpley&Telfer 2002). For instance, Kenyan government created a dedicated tourist police unit to ensure security and safety of tourist while visiting the various parks and attractions in the country. It can also stimulate development through provision of subsidies, grants, and tax breaks to encourage private individuals and firms to invest in the sector as well as to attract tourists. A good example is Thailand where it refunds value-added tax (VAT) tariffs to tourists when they purchase goods and other items at designed retail centers.

Other Influences:

Government plays other roles, such as promotion of their countries as tourist destinations, development of social tourism, and safeguarding of interests of the public (Sharpley&Telfer 2002). It establishes various products to market the various tourist attractions available in the nation in an effort to attract tourists and investors into the sector. In other countries, such as Kenya and Thailand, government promotes social tourism, encouraging tourists to visit the countries to witness and learn about various cultures espoused by different communities. Government also participates in tourism development by protecting the interests of the public against exploitation by private investors. It gives some part of revenues collected in tourist attractions back to the neighboring communities and requires private investors to establish corporate social responsibility programs to improve living standards of people living in regions adjacent to their facilities.

Role of Others Agents:

Besides government, other parties in Third World countries play significant roles in tourism industry. Among others, they include local communities, private enterprises, media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational agencies.

Local Communities

Like government, local communities have greatest influence on development of tourism industry. Environmental conservation remains the major role of local societies, as they coexist with various tourist attractions available in their country. They have a responsibility to coexist with biodiversity within ecosystems and report any environmental malpractice by some of their members, public officers, and private investors to the relevant authorities. In majority of developing countries, the communities have become essential components of cultural tourism. They form cultural groups to attract local and foreign tourists to come and see their cultural heritage as well as to entertain the tourists when they visit neighboring sites. For example, Kenya is well known internationally for its wide variety of cultural tourist activities organized by various local communities. Tourists to Masai Mara National Reserve have the opportunity to enjoy not only the vast diversity of animals, but also the cultural heritage (dances, houses, and dressing) of Masai community, one of few Kenyan communities that have preserved its culture amidst widespread influence of Western cultures on way of life of many Kenyans (MOT, Kenya n.d.).

According to Lubbe (2003), local people may invest into the tourism industry as private investors or partner with government, NGOs, and international agencies to establish projects that foster tourism development. In various countries, communities have partnered with the government and NGOs to advocate for sustainable tourism development. They have championed for doing tourism operations and activities in a way that protects and conserves the environment, which influences greatly survival of the various ecosystems serving as tourist destinations. Moreover, the communities can also play a role of domestic tourists by visiting national parks, game reserves, and other attractions within their countries.

PrivateEnterprises
In developing or emerging nations, Sharpley and Telfer (2002) argue that private investors complement entrepreneurial role of government in the tourism sector. The major contributions of the private enterprises include investments in the travel and hotel and accommodation industries. In the travel industry, they establish travel agencies to offer various services to tourists. They serve as travel agents who approach potential tourists and organize all travel requirements, including visas for the tourists. They also organize means of transport for the tourists during visits to the various tourist destinations within their nations. In majority of developing countries, private investors remain the major travel agents of tourists. In hotel and accommodation industry, they invest heavily in hotels and restaurants in regions surrounding tourism sites. Through the investments, they offer employment opportunities to many local people, thereby improving living standards of local communities. In addition, they support government in development of infrastructure in regions where they operate. For instance, they build roads and invest in conservation projects in tourism sites where their facilities are located as a way to attract tourists to their businesses.

Media:

Media’s role in the sector involves marketing and bringing awareness among all stakeholders about the tourism in emerging or Third World nations (Lubbe 2003). Domestic and international media run different programs intended to promote various tourism sites and adventures offered by such sites in a bid to encourage people to visit those sites. Emergence of internet and computer technology has provided a means to the government to promote tourist destinations to people around the world. In the case of Kenya, Thailand, and South Africa, every government has integrated information technology to support tourism promotional activities. Anybody in the world can access these websites to learn most the details about tourism in the nations, including various destinations, interactive maps showing how to get to the destinations, various attractive features to expect in the sites, nearby hotels, relevant travel agents, and rates of the services. Thus, potential tourists can choose on their own potential destinations to visit and plan effectively. As an education tool, it provides a platform through which different stakeholders can understand, learn, and enjoy opportunities offered by various regions within a country. It brings awareness among public about various tourist destinations within their country and importance of conserving the sites. It also makes private enterprises aware of opportunities and benefits in various regions in the nations, enabling them to invest in underdeveloped areas of tourism industry.

international Agencies:

Various multinational organizations comprised of governments and tourism organizations from different countries influence growth of tourism industries in developing nations. Their major objective entails scrutinizing tourism developments in those nations to ensure that they conform to standards acceptable globally. According to Lubbe (2003), major global tourism agencies include World Trade Organization (WTO), International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA), and World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

WTO represents the only international agency responsible for coordinating all facets of tourism development in the globe. It coordinates national and international stakeholders in planning, development, and implementation of tourism projects in almost every country across the globe. It also facilitates conferences among different local and global tourism agents to address and share information about the issues facing tourism and possible alternative approaches to address them. It plays an educative role of doing research on different problems facing developing nations and offering information to them on how to solve the issues. Other roles include educating and training future professionals as well as promoting ecotourism initiatives in both developed and developing countries (Huybers 2007).

WTTC comprises of private enterprises from the various sectors of national tourism industry, including accommodation, catering, travel, transportation, and other tourism-related enterprises. Its major role entails promoting and campaigning for entrepreneurship in the international tourism sector. It promotes tourism development as a means to reduce unemployment levels in developing nations. It promotes for liberalization of world market in all sectors that influence or relate to tourism industry (Lubbe 2003). In addition, it negotiates with governments (on behalf of its members) to eliminate protectionist policies that would cause uneven competition among the different players in the industry. It encourages its members to embrace sustainable development and interact with local communities effectively to alleviate their standards of living. IH&RA and IATA can be regarded as subsets of WTTC, with IH&RA playing specialized roles in tourism and hospitality industry, and IATA playing similar roles to those of WTTC in the air travel industry. To some extent, World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations Environmental Agency (UNEP), World Health Organizations (WHO) also play significant role in tourism sectors of developing countries. For instance, IMF provides funds to governments for financing infrastructure, while WHO monitors and informs tourists and local communities about disease outbreaks in different regions of the globe.

Public-Private Relationship
The nature of tourism industry calls for a positive relationship between government institutions and non-governmental agents for sustained development. It requires substantial resources (capital, infrastructure, human resources, and others) and comprises many activities, making it impossible for either government or private enterprises to handle on its own. Thus, it becomes essential for the government to seek collaboration with other agents to foster tourism growth.

JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION OBJECTIVES

• To market “Coffs Coast” as the premier destination on the eastern seaboard for leisure, conference, corporate, international, sporting and special event markets, and to develop strategies which will increase visitation to the region, enhance the visitors experience and contribute to the Coffs Coast economy.

     Demonstrate  a  commitment  to  Councils  core  values, comply  with  the  Code  of  Conduct

and promote the image of Council as an efficient and professional organisation.

PRINCIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Tourism Marketing:

 Undertake the strategic development of tourism related market opportunities including infrastructure and marketing initiatives. These initiatives will be delivered through an integrated approach in consultation and cooperation between Council, industry and other government agencies.

• Prepare, implement and report on the tourism development plan and annual marketing plan to promote and enhance the Coffs Coast within the Domestic and International marketplace in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

• Liaise with industry, local, state and federal governments in regard to promotional, advertising opportunities and co-operative funding and any policy changes that may affect regional tourism.

• Prepare and control annual marketing budget

• Negotiate and evaluate all advertising including joint ventures with industry partners

• Manage the efficient and timely production and distribution of destination brochures and promotional collateral and the development of the tourism website

• Major Events Marketing (sport, arts and culture, food and wine) work with the industry and Councils Sports Unit and Economic Development Unit to strategically grow existing events and to develop new events that contribute to increasing numbers of overnight visitors, generating media exposure (for Coffs Coast) and ideally stage in non-peak periods.

Industry Liaison & Development:

 Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with relevant industry bodies and committees

• Provide business advocacy services to firms and individuals intending to establish a tourism business

• Identify industry development opportunities

• Maintain a database of operators and industry contacts

• Provide industry partners with a range of business development and networking opportunities

• Ensure all problems or complaints from industry, community, and visitors are addressed in a timely manner.

Strategic Planning & Research

• Strategically manage and develop Council’s Tourism Coffs Coast businesses and services

• Provide strategic direction for the ongoing development of the Coffs Coast tourism industry, through the development of a 10 year tourism plan

• Manage the implementation of the key actions and projects of the plan

• Ensure Coffs Harbor City Council is provided with the latest tourism research produced by regional, state and federal bodies including the efficient and timely production and reporting of statistical data collected through the Visitors Information Centre and Business Tourism sections.

• Contract “one off” research projects as required.

• Develop initiatives and product for the region, which will give Coffs Coast the leading edge in the Business, Holiday and Conference/Incentive Market segments

• Continue to develop the regional alliance with Bellingen and Nambucca Councils

Management of Tourism Business’s & Service:

(Visitors Information Centre’s & Business Tourism)

• Implement and monitor business reporting procedures

• Ensure financial performance is delivered in accordance with budgeted projections.

• Manage the development and oversee the implementation of section Business Plans

• Ensure commitment to exceeding the expectations and requirements of customers.

• Provide leadership, direction and a supportive environment for team members.

Finance:

• Recommend, implement & report on annual budgets and relevant control processes for the section.

• Explore income producing and cost reduction opportunities.

• Monitor asset management and related record keeping controls.

Corporate Reporting:

• Participate in the Corporate Business Managers Meetings and other departmental management and planning initiatives

• Provide accurate and timely Council, Monthly, Quarterly and Annual reports where necessary.

• Participation in the development of the Corporate Plan

• Ensure observance of corporate responses to government legislations such as the Disability Discrimination Act, access and equity, occupational health.

Communication

• Implement effective communication strategies to stakeholders, staff & community.

• Maintain a cohesive team environment.

• Provide accurate and timely reports, written and verbal presentations as required.

Legal and Statutory Regulations

• Ensure compliance with all funding agreements.

• Monitor compliance with relevant codes, industry standards, legal requirements for all projects and services.

Professional development