The Travel Network is based on two concepts working together for optimal effect. On the service side there is the network of tour operators called The Travel Network and on the product side there is an on-line tour operator system called Tour Tailor.
Individual tour operators become members of The Travel Network. All member tour operator businesses utilise Tour Tailor as their main back end business system. Tour Tailor provides logistical itinerary planning, costing, quoting, invoicing, arranging tour details and the feedback of actual costs as its main functionalities. These are the core functions of any tour operators business, apart from accounting. Another important functionality within Tour Tailor is a data base of service suppliers maintained for the tour operators. Service suppliers on the data base include accommodation, guides, transport, activities & entrances, meals and third party tours.
The combined effect is then for tour operators to enjoy the benefits of a formal network, the benefits of working on a purpose designed tour operating system, the benefits of interacting with an updated data base of service suppliers and in the process achieving combined buying power in the industry with resulting lower input costs to each member’s tour operator business.
The challenge for tour operators is not tour content/product. It is firstly in running our businesses in an accountable, profitable and professional manner and secondly to market successfully. The Travel Network combined with Tour Tailor address the challenges. It will put member tour operators in a position to quickly and accurately quote, effectively arrange tours and to better understand their businesses’ dynamics through management information. The combined buying power results in lower service provider input costs thus allowing the operator a choice of more competitive pricing or more profit taking or a combination of both.
The Travel Network aims for small to medium sized tour operators all over South Africa (also Southern Africa). A typical profile will be an operator that has been running for a number of years, their business systems will be Excell and Word based (maybe Access), the owner/manager will probably guide a fair number of the tours him- or herself (meaning little time for quick quoting or being away from the office), has reached a point where his business systems limits the expansion of his/her business and his/her understanding of the business, input costs are rising because his/her small to medium sized business cannot offer volume business to qualify for better trade discounts or because more and more of the service providers, especially accommodation get the bulk of their business via direct internet marketing channels and does not have to offer good trade discounts. It also aims toward operators with a need to interact with good quality service providers as well as good quality colleagues especially operators offering different services in different parts of Southern Africa.
The Travel Network and Tour Tailor offers the following main benefits:
Combined buying power ensures lower costs
Increased business due to networking
Safety in numbers
Lower quoting costs
Joint venture possibilities
Specialised (qualified) services
Geographical coverage
Logistical itinerary design
Fully web-based accessability
Truly affordable (Pay as you earn)
Updated & very accurate database (huge time saving
especially when quoting) Effective tour design through the system
Wide spectrum functionality of the system
A “Value Proposition” has been worked out to illustrate that the benefit of membership and the use of the system is more than the costs involved.
It is very important to involve high quality members right from the start. We aim for the good standing of the network to in time start adding a quality stamp to each member’s business and attract new members. In this regard we have drawn up a ”Membership Standards and Code of Conduct”.
