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584 tour operator
The origins of the role can be traced at least as
far back as ancient Greece. At that time, guides fell
into two categories, the Periegetai, or `leaders
around' and the Exegetai, or `explainers'.
Herodotus, writing around 490 bc, noted the
gullibility of travellers and their exploitation by
many clearly less than professional guides. Later,
the guide fulfilled the role of tutor to those on the
Grand Tour in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, conducting their charges while pointing
out objects of interest.
The role of a guide suffers from being largely a
seasonal occupation �apart from those key yearround
tourism centres such as London), and from
offering little career progression. Thus, it is often
seen as a temporary or part-time job, attracting
teachers, actors and others with a good knowledge
of foreign languages, often a key criterion for
employment. Increasingly, the role is linked to
that of entertainer or `animateur' at heritage sites,
with guides offering historical interpretation of
the site while acting out roles in appropriate
period costume. The role attracts those with both
acting skills and local knowledge.
Further reading
Cohen, E. �1985) `The tourist guide: the origins,
structure and dynamics of a role', Annals of
Tourism Research 12: 5±29. �Examines the guide's
role from a sociological perspective, based on
research among Thai guides.)
Holloway, J.C. �1981) `The guided tour: a sociological
approach', Annals of Tourism Research 8�3):
377±402. �Describes and analyses the way in
which guides interpret their roles in coach tour
settings.)
Pearce, P.L. �1984) `Tourist±guide interaction',
Annals of Tourism Research 11: 129±46. �Analyses
the interaction between tourists and guides.)
Schmidt, C.J. �1979) `The guided tour: insulated
adventure', Urban Life 7�4): 441±67. �Examines
the function of the guided tour and the
circumstances under which guides enhance this
function.)
J. CHRISTOPHER HOLLOWAY
tour leader see guided tour; tour guide
tour operator
Tour operators are business organisations that
combine transportation, accommodation
and other service suppliers in package tours
that are then sold through a distribution channel
to the public. The terms tour operator and tour
wholesaler are often used interchangeably, and
are treated here as having identical meanings.
The origins of the tour operator can be traced
back to 1841, when Thomas Cook chartered a
train and organised an excursion to attend a
temperance meeting in the United Kingdom.
However, it is in the period from the early 1950s
that tour operators have developed to become a
significant part of the travel industry. Advances in
air travel have enabled the transportation of large
numbers of people quickly over large distances at
relatively moderate prices, and this factor, together
with increases in disposable income and leisure
time, has resulted in the sustained growth of the
sector.
The tour operator is involved in the planning,
contracting, coordinating, reserving and the actual
operating of tours. Tours are publicised through
the use of brochures and sold to the public, either
directly or through an intermediary such as a retail
travel agency. The package tour �sometimes
termed the inclusive tour or air inclusive tour) may
include such items as airline flights to and from a
destination, transfers between the airport and a
resort hotel, accommodation and catering
arrangements at a resort, the services of a company
representative to deal with problems and inquires
and optionally the provision of insurance cover and
excursions whilst at a resort.
Tour operators offer benefits to both customers
and suppliers of tourism services. To customers,
they are able to offer packages at prices below
those that could be arranged by the individual,
because they are able to purchase services in bulk
quantities at discounted prices which they are then
able to pass on. Access to tourism information is
also made easier through the tour operator's
brochure. To the suppliers of services such as
hotels and airlines, tour operators are able to assist