CONTENTS

Chapter Page no.

1. Introduction.6 2. Early origins7 3. Significance and Effects of Modern inclusive Industry...8 4. Cyclical Nature Of This Inclusive Industry..8 5. Basic Holiday Model...9 6. Direction And Control In The Inclusive Holiday Industry.10 7. Service Quality in Inclusive Holiday Industry.....11 8. Customer orientation In Holiday Service Management..............12 9. Customer Satisfaction.12 10. Influence Of Holiday Makers Expectations Of Service Qualities.13 11. Creating markets.14 12. A hierarchy Of Holiday Buying Decisions...15 13. Branding Inclusive Holidays......15 14. Distributing Inclusive Holidays..15 15. Push and Pull Distribution Strategies...16 16. Trade Association and Regulation Of Holiday Industry.....16 17. Tour Operating.17 18. Marketing Inclusive Holidays..18 19. Inclusive Holidays-Features and Advantages....19 20. How Can We Design A Holiday...20 21. Components Of Tourist Packages...21 22. A Brief Study About Kerala Package Tourism..25

23. Conclusion..29

ABSTRACT

Inclusive holiday has significant importance in the tourism industry. They are readymade holidays exclusive for the special interested tourists.transport, accommodation and package concept has primary importance in the inclusive travel. The secondary elements constitutes destination attributes, activities,.attraction and leisure infrastructure. Tourists expectations, entrepreneurial creativity, employee skills and investors capital are the main inputs of this industry. This inclusive holiday system has economic, community, environment and ecology impacts. There may be external influences such as tastes, competition, technology, legislation, demographics and politics. The service quality in the inclusive industry is also important. There is a wide spread emphasis on ensuring the quality of an organizations products and seeking improvements in specifications and performance.

INTRODUCTION Tourism, like most social activities, can be more fully understood by identifying the events which led up to contemporary situations and considering changes in relationships between key elements of the system over time. The history of inclusive holidays is quite brief, but since the end of Second World War it has enabled significant number of people from the wealthier nations to travel for leisure through out the world. The inclusive holiday industry consists of several discrete elements, notably the various accommodation providers and other destination based businesses, transport, tour operators and travel retailers. The success of industry depends upon how effectively they work together to create satisfying holiday experiences for the clients. The industrys success can be considered from the perspective of each organization involved in supplying elements to the industry, and from that of residents in destination areas. There is a wide spread emphasis on ensuring the quality of an organizations products, and seeking improvements in specification and performance. All types of enterprise recognize the significance of providing satisfying products and services to the customers. Similarly there is a wide spread emphasis on ensuring the quality of an organizations products, and seeking improvements in specification and performance. The marketing and development of the inclusive holiday is also significant. a clear understanding of the customers are ,what the benefits they seek and how to present offers to them is crucial to success of any company operating in a competitive environment. Inclusive holidays are only one form of leisure travel, providing clients with the key advantages of economy and convenience over making independent arrangements. The role of tour operators in creating package holidays is central to the inclusive travel industry. The travel retailers make these services easily accessible to clients through the traditional full service travel agencies and the holiday shops which can now be found in the majority of shopping centers in a typical case, tourists purchase their holiday from a
3

local travel agent after selecting between the brochures of many alternative tour operators. EARLY ORIGINS By the end of the nineteenth century ,although travel was much slower than now and relatively more expensive, much of the present day form of tourism was becoming evident ,with organized groups of travelers paying a professional organizer to make the arrangements for their leisure itineraries around Europe and further afield. One of the most successful entrepreneurs was the Thomas Cook, who contributed a lot to this industry. Many other travel organizers became established in Europe and America, the core business activities common to them all being the packaging travel, accommodation and excursion arrangements. Winter sports are begun to feature as a travel motive .within a few years growing interest of skiing also encouraged. Thus the holiday industries demand were beginning to alter the infrastructure and environment of destination areas. Factors in the growth of foreign holiday taking
SUPPLY FACTORS

technological developments in transport

improvements in telecommunications developments of computerized reservation systems tourism entrepreneurs creativity investment in tourism infra structure development in destination areas
DEMAND FACTORS

increases in standards of living in countries of tourist origin increased awareness of destination

 lifestyle changes demographic changes SIGNIFICANCE INCLUSIVE INDUSTRY Within a span of four decades, the varied forms of international leisure tourism have become established as one of the dominant economic and social activities of the late twentieth century .by the end of 1080s British tour operators, retail travel agents, airline and hotel groups and many other organizations were geared up to produce an sell some 12 million overseas package tour annually. How ever the mid 1990s , the volume of overseas holidays sold by British tour operators had dropped to about 10 million ,and a range of problems were become apparent . The key social achievement of this industry is its ability to provide easy and affordable international travel to large numbers of people, thus broadening their experience of the diversity of human culture and other environments and ecologies, in an affordable, leisure oriented context. But this depends on the packaging the elements of travel, accommodation and destination activities. As a result of this packaging of travel get opportunities is that tourists tend to go to same places, meeting other holiday takers from similar backgrounds, and sharing with them their experience of the cultures and places which they visit. CYCLICAL NATURE OF THE INCLUSIVE HOLIDAY INDUSTRY AND EFFECTS OF MODERN

Even within its brief history, tourism has exhibited the characteristics s of a cyclical industry. The pattern is that higher level of
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demand is stimulated by price reduction or the relaxation of control over international travel. In the resultant boom tour operators charter more plans to book additional hotel rooms. In turn, this stimulates investment i air fleets and in the construction of new hotels or new resorts. Further more despite the industrys impressive four decade record of growth, a variety of factors can occur both in origin and destination markets to depress demand. These include economic retrenchment, strikes, the outbreak of disease or civil unrest and unusual weather conditions .Examples of later include seasons when snow cover in the Alps is unusually limited, thus destroying the winter holiday market, or a very hot summer in the Northern origin markets which greatly reduces the demand for overseas Sun Belt holidays. RECENT AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS The rate of development of this industry and the scope of its operations, has exhibited a number of steps mainly to the introduction of new technology. Recently it again picked up pace when the more economical twin engined jets were licensed to fly routes which took them more than 90 minutes from an airport, thus enabling them to operate long haul flights. This has begun to open up the Far East, America, the Caribbean and Australia European markets for inclusive holidays based of charter flights a d to reduce their prices. while it is risky to predict the future ,it seems likely that the next major developments to affect the industry will come from the increasing power and sophistication of other forms of technology, as widespread commercial and domestic access to computerization and telecommunications will perhaps have the effect of unpacking the way that inclusive holidays are currently presented. BASIC HOLIDAY MAODEL An inclusive travel has 3 key elements; return travel, accommodation and a range of activities at their destination. the industry provides the services of packaging and distributing holiday products; its function are often described in terms of supply and distribution channels in which tour operators select and package the great variety of tourism services
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available at destinations ,for sale through travel agencies to their ultimate clients. The alternative method of choosing a holiday, now used by some 10 million people annually in Britain, is to buy a packaged holiday. In this case the tour operator contrasts for the separate elements of a holiday and the INPUT customers have the choice of making their booking direct with the tour operator or through the services of a travel agency. Increasingly, these are specializing in selling selected inclusive holidays, and are therefore Tourists expectation sometimes referred to as holiday shops.

Entrepreneu rial Creativity Employee skills UTS Tourists expectation THE INCLUSIVE HOLIDAY SYSTEM PRIMARY ELEMENTS Transport Accommodation Package concept SECONDARY ELEMENTS Destination attributes Entrepreneurial creativity Employee skills Investors capital Activities Attraction Leisure infra structure

OUTCOMES IMPACTS Economic Community Environment Ecology STAKEHOLDERS OUTCOME Tour operators Travel retailers Tourists Residents Destination services

EXTERNAL INFLUENCES Tastes Competition Technology Legislation Demographics Politics

DIRECTION HOLIDAY

AND

CONTROL

IN

THE

INCLUSIVE

INDUSTRY
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Although some dominant companies have en\merged in this industry, notably the large vertically integrated groups, there is no strong leadership of the industry. The Association of British travel agent (ABTA) represents the industrys interest to government, provides a frame work for equitable relationships between tour operators and travel agents, and mediates between them and their customers. The lack of agreement on issues, priorities, policies and responsibility poses a threat to travel agencies, tour operators and destinations. TOURISM GROWTH AND DESTINATION

DEVELOPMENT The tourism industry, of which the inclusive holiday industry is a part, offers many opportunities for entry, both to entrepreneurs and staffing part, these results from the diversity and speed o development of the tourism industry but it also reflects two related trends. The vision which develops the continuing development of tourism services offers scope for entrepreneurial initiatives, while the increasing scale of tourism operation s provides a major source of a new employment in many countries. the organizations supplying tourism services include public and private enterprises, and range from large to small in scale .entrepreneurial opportunities tom establish a business can be found in most sectors of tourism ,but small scale companies are most common in catering,consultancy,attractions management and travel retailing or tour operating. How ever, through enabling the regular arrival of large members of people with money indulge their interests and few constraints on their time, the holiday industry also creates a significant opportunity climate in the destination areas. SERVICE INDUSTRY QUALITY IN INCLUSIVE HOLIDAY

The key to any organizations success is to understanding of how the individuals who are its potential clients make decisions to spend their resources of time, money and effort, and of benefits they seek from so doing. Within any company, the marketing strategic role is therefore to bring the organization around to an awareness of needs of its customers and to develop ways to delivering its services effectively. In a complex industry such as tourism where clients rely for their satisfaction on the efforts of a wide range very diverse company, the issue is much more challenging, because satisfying experiences in tourism require both the coordination of many service elements contributed by each company and its staff, yet retaining, even emphasizing, their individual styles of service. Management Responsibility for Quality In The Service Sector The development of a new service is usually characterized by trial and error. Developers translate a subjective description of a need in to an operational concept that may bear only a remote resemblance to the original idea. No one systematically quantifies the process or devises tests to ensure that the service is complete, the rational, and fulfills the original need objectively. Technical Approaches To Tourism Service Quality The technical approach to quality emphasizes the performance criteria which are often specified for service delivery systems. Thus airlines publicize the proportion of their on time arrivals and aim to open the planes doors within 2 minutes of engines off . One strategy which service managers often adopt in their search for consistent service is to eliminate employees desecretion and judgment when ever possible. This approach relies on the specification of tasks to a standard of performance expected by management, and then provides them with a basis for measuring the effectiveness of staff performing services. CUSTOMER ORIENTATION IN HOLIDAY SERVICE
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MANAGEMENT The tourism services can best be understood in terms of customer expectations of satisfaction against which they match their subsequent individual experiences during the service. Kotler (1982) has defined services as an activity that one party can offer to another that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything. In other words, the people who work to create and deliver touristic experiences have extensive contacts with other clients. People often discuss the rapport which they struck up with the waiter, barman or courier (as well as with other holiday makers) during the holiday. The quality of these relationships and the service delivery are just as significant in tourists satisfaction and enjoyment as the efficiency with which services are performed. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION Marketing theory argues that customers experiences with any purchaser give rise to outcomes for them satisfaction to dissatisfaction. This reflects a divergence from the standards of services which clients had anticipated, as the following abbreviated quotations indicate:the seeds of consumer satisfaction are planted during prepurchase phase of consumer decision process. Dissatisfaction has also been defined as sate of cognitive or affective discomfort. The response to any dissonant experiences is an effort to correct the situation while other people decide to avoid it in the future. it is critically important to ensure that the facilities and services promised in advertisements actually are provided to the tourists they attract. Unless the expectations which led to them to purchase a particular vacation are matched by their experiences during the holiday, dissatisfaction will be the result. Consumer satisfaction I the outcome when expectations are matched by service experience, conversely, dissatisfaction occurs when there is a mismatch and the expectations are not fulfilled by service delivered. Dissatisfaction can be understood as cognitive dissonance, a physiological conditions making it unlikely that the customer will purchase from that supplier in the future.
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INFLUENCE OF HOLIDAY MAKERS EXPECTATIONS OF SERVICE QUALITY Tour operators have different ways of communicating the quality of their products to customers.Statemants about quality are often contained in a tour operators marketing communication and in its brochures. in both the cases this may be explicit, as for example when a tour operators brochure states that hotels are of a certain category of star rating, or implicit, conveyed in the text and images us3ed to position the product. Examples of latter include photographs of stylish restaurant service or of well furnished rooms, and descriptions of the knowledge and the skill of resort staff. Some long established companied refer proudly to the length of their experience in the industry; others lost travel industry awards which they have won. This latter feature strongly in trade promotions and the trade press also publicizes the presentation of awards at lavish annual dinner functions. The test ultimately lies in customers judgment of the satisfaction which they experience during their holiday.these points are interconnected, since the theoretical approach to understanding service satisfaction is based on a comparison of expectations formed during their holiday. it should be borne I mind of tour operators set out to attract different segments of the holiday market, and therefore the way in which these quality statements are phrased or placed in the brochure and relative importance given to each varies from one company to other. Overall the purpose of these and other references to the tour operators quality in their brochures has been explained by Middleton (1988) as to promote confidence in buyers. CREATING MARKETS A clear understanding of who its customers are, what benefits they seek and how to present offers to them is crucial to the success of any company operating in a crucial environment. Inclusive holidays are only one form of leisure travel, providing clients with the key advantages of economy and convenience over making independent arrangements. How ever the inclusive holiday industry, through its success in packaging travel
11

arrangements, has also made many places more accessible to the individual travelers, and they now find greater range amenities there because of developments associated with mass tourism. A HIERARCHY OF HOLIDAY BUYING DECISIONS To purchase a packaged holiday the desire tom take an overseas holiday price advantages of buying packaged holidays ease of purchasing packaged holidays advertising for holiday brands To take a holiday in a type of destination programs portraying the culture or ecology of foreign places advertising for other products set in exotic locations

media coverage of sports events held overseas

To go to a specific destination previous knowledge about the destination recommendation by friends who have enjoyed it advertising by destination additional features on travel destination BRANDING INCLUSIVE HOLIDAYS Branding strategy is mainly for establishing and maintaining a clear identity for the company so that customers will ask their products by name.branding are at the centre of much modern marketing effort. A strong identity will give opportunities and benefits to the company. From a promotional point of view the task is to establish strong market awareness

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for the brands so that it becomes first choice of the consumer.Brandibng build the core features of product or service, offering additional benefits which distinguish one product from similar alternatives. The stronger the brand the less readily will a customer accept an alternative. Branding can be implemented through the consistent use of corporate symbol or trade name. The objective is to ensure that the brand is one of those which the consumer is most likely to purchase. How ever, it is also possible that a particular brand may have failed to satisfy a consumer in the past, in which the case it is unlikely that he or she will repurchase it. These 2 groups of brands have been described as evoked and inept sets. Evoked sets have been described as the collection of brands the buyer actually considers in his decision process. Inept brands are those which the consumer has rejected from the purchaser consideration.

DISTRIBUTING INCLUSIVE HOLIDAYS The tour operators role in creating package holidays is central to the inclusive holiday industry, but just as their success depends on suppliers such as hotels and charter airlines for elements of which their holiday products are composed, most of them are rely heavily on retail travel agencies to sell holidays to the public. In a typical case, tourist purchase their holiday from a local travel agent after selecting between the brochures of many alternative tour operators. The retailer is acting as an agent for the tour operator, earning a commission on sales price of holiday and being rewarded with higher commission rates by tour operators for whom he sells above a target volume or value of packages. Once a potential client enters a travel agency, the objective of staff is to close a sale during the visit. This objective closely matches, but is not identical to; the clients purposer.the clients objective is to select a vacation offering the range of benefits he or she desires. The client may therefore require advice and a range of potential holidays to discuss at leisure with his or her traveling companions. PUSH AND PULL DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES
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Two major strategies have been distinguished for marketing communication. In one case the service provider advertises to the client through public media such as news papers, magazines, television and radio. The interest thus stimulated is felt by channel members as a pull through the distribution system when clients request specific brochures or information from travel agencies. This interest act as a signal to the tour operator and principals, who respond by increasing the stocks of their brochures held by agents. The alternative strategy for tour operators to promote their services to channel members ,through public relations campaigns,educvational visits, trade seminars, discounts or free offer schemes ion recognition of sales results achieved either by an agency or by individual staff members. The real criterion for selling one holiday rather than another is its match to a specific clients needs ,thus there is an undercurrent of ethical concern of about the wide spread industry practice of proving educational visits for staff, even these are well organized. TRADE HOLIDAY INDUSTRY Codes of conduct in trade between tour operators and travel agents Tour operators code of conduct

ASSOCIATION

AND

REGULATION

OF

To ensure that the public receive the best possible service from tour operators. Also to maintain and enhance the good name of ABTA and its members, to encourage initiative and enterprise ,to ensure that the public interest shall predominate in all considerations of the standards of competitive trading between tour operators ,and to encourage growth and development of the travel industry.

Conduct between tour operators and members of the public

A variety of standards are given covering brochure standards ,cancellation by the tour operator, alteration to the holiday ,cancellation by clients, overbooking building works, liability, complaints correspondence from clients ,correspondence from the association
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arbitration ,advertising,surcharges,airport etc.taxes,misleading use of ABTAs symbol and resort representatives. Conduct between tour operator and travel agents Members of the tour operators class must not sell their foreign inclusive travel arrangements through anyone who is not a member of the travel agents class Members of the travel agents class must not sell the foreign inclusive travel arrangements of anyone who is not either a member of the tour operators class or another member of the travel agents class

TOUR OPERATING Tour operators are the key organizations in the inclusive holiday industry, providing logical skills to package travel, accommodation and destination activities in ways which appeal to traveling public. the tour operators can create interest in its holiday program through media communications campaigns directed at the public, and by educating the travel retailers it deals with the special characteristics and advantage of its holyday offers. The tour company bears the risk of researching and organizing a program many months ahead of its sale, and it incurs the cost of brochure design, production and distribution and of the installation and staffing of a reservation system. PACKAGING HOLIDAYS Tour operators deal in holiday concepts consisting of basic elements such as, particularly hotel or other accommodation, travel between home and resort, and various activities at the destination. The skills of successful tour operating lie in selecting an appealing combination of these elements ,marketing the packages effectively so that sufficient number of holidays can be sold at prices which enable the industrys participating companies to earn realistic levels of profit, and operating the holidays in a manner which pleases the clients.

15

Increasing spending power, increased awareness of holiday opportunities and falling cost of holidays has enabled more people to exercise choice between an increasing numbers of holiday options. As more people travel the range of destinations and the types of holiday offered have become more varied, reflecting the tour operators increasingly sophisticated differentiation of their holiday products. This variety of holiday types also helps the tour operator to fill the capacity on flights between origin and destination by targeting a variety of segments in the market for holidays with different products. MARKETING INCLUSIVE HOLIDAYS Marketing theorist have pointed out that all purchases are made to satisfactory needs. Any item purchased must be able to perform the function claimed of it, and for which it was primarily acquired. This is the core of the product. Tour operates market their holiday packages in the fullest sense: they develop their products; take pricing decisions which they feel will attract the greatest volume of travelers or yield the best profit, promote their holidays to customers and travel retailers through appropriate media, produce and distribute detailed information in the form of holiday brochures by which clients can take buying decisions, set up reservation systems to handle bookings and administrative systems to deal with suppliers and distributors ,and develop new holiday concepts for forth coming seasons and work towards business goals of growth, market share and profit such as any other business does. The key to tour operators success is to understand what their customers want, and to provide it in convincing, enticing ways. Most tour operators improve on the basic holiday package by including features such as transfers between airport and hotel at the destination, and the services of resort representatives who provide clients with further opportunities for a variety of leisure, cultural, sporting or entertainment activities during their destination stay. The precise mix of additional service elements and the style with which they are presented helps the tour operator to establish a unique position in clients minds, contrasting with that of competitors. These additional service elements are a managerial tool by which managers can distinguishing their organizations style from that of the competitors along dimensions such as completeness of holiday experience,

16

and its cost ,quality and convenience. On tour extra benefit include better flight scheduling, more comfort or up rated service standards, welcoming drinks or other tokens and full service at the destination. After the holiday satisfaction questionnaires, with any follow up needed, may be offered. INCLUSIVE ADVANTAGES HOLIDAYS-FEATURES AND

TO CONSUMERS

convenient purchase of all tourism elements quality guarantees protection through branding convenient arrangements

TO HOTELS AND AIRLINES

tourists bundled in to economic groups for transport accommodation reduced marketing expanses simplified booking and payment arrangements
TO DESTINATRION -BASED ORGANISATIONS

and

regular arrival of groups predictable requirements

17

 reduced marketing expenses

easy to provide a full holiday for clients

pre-existing market demand low capital and staffing cost

TO TOUR OPERATORS

widespread awareness and interest easy to expand or change program

standardized products offered

HOW CAN WE DESIGN A HOLIDAY?

Listening and clarifying with the customer.

Checking the interest of the customer. Preferred mode of travel. Category of hotel, type of room etc. How many are traveling (adults and children) Budget of the traveler Time and duration of the trip Type of food Favorable season of that place Geography of the destination

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 Approximation of expenses that incurred Knowledge about the activities that can offer by the destination Knowledge about the entertainments Backbone of a package tour is itinerary. Itinerary is a detailed plan for a journey listing places to visit and plan of travel. Itinerary includes

Main body of the program Correct information about Number of passengers, nationality etc Types of transport

Narration of day by day activities Cost factor Miscellaneous information Tour cost Cost of the tour as per itinerary Specification about - cost doesnt includes Other information - Time difference - About the hotels and restaurants - Appropriate driving time from one place of the destination to another place. - If it is possible to put photographs of the different attractions it will be better.

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COMPONENTS OF TOURIST PACKAGES

TRANSPORTATION ACCOMODATION ATTRACTION

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation is defined as means to a destination and means of movement at a destination. Certain mopes of transport are Roadways Railways Airways Waterways Ropeways/cable Roadways manly include coaches and car mainly for freight, tourists and passengers Railways mainly include Express trains, Passenger trains Satabdhi Airways we have Scheduled and nonscheduled Waterways mainly includes ships, ferries and cruises Ropeways and cable cars: Two types short and long.
TRANSPORT AS A PRODUCT

The main features are service availability and connectivity, cost comparison with competitors, design and performance, comfort and onboard sevice, passenger handling at terminals, confirmation of booking and ticketing, image and positioning. Factors affecting selection of transport are distance and time, comfort, safety and utility, availability and frequency, competitive cost price, ground services, status and prestige, geographical position and isolation, departure and arrival times and level of competition between services.

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ROAD TRANSPORTATION ADVANTAGES

Opportunity to see the country side

Interaction with local people Safety and low operational cost Low cost vehicles Possibility of using an alternative vehicle Extensive availability of repair facilities
RAIL TRANSPORTATION ADVANTAGES

Fast and efficient mode of transportation Carry large volumes- passenger and freight Higher employment provider and competitive cost

Unparalleled experiences
AIR TRANSPORTATION- ADVANTAGES

Fast and reliable Very competitive Most comfort way of transportation

ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

These are which draw the people to a destination. The destination should have strongest pull factors, which is capable of draw the people to that place. It should supplement all the principal components which will help to as a tourist destination.
TYPES OF ATTRACTIONS

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 Natural and manmade environment Culture and festivals and events Activities Purpose built facilities Natural attractions: it may be landscapes, beaches, coral reefs, islands, deserts, sand dunes, volcanos, montains etc Cultural attractions: wide variety o features including the aspects of past and present life styles. It may be social settings which include elements of history such as castles, palaces, forts and all historical buildings. Or it may be religious places such as temples, churches and mosques. Events or festivals: Vast array of festivals, tournaments, business activities which serve both for tourists and have separate business function. it may include dance and music festival ,wine or food festivals, national games, trade shows etc. Activities: It gives opportunity for the visitor to engage in any activities. Activity category includes many purpose built / leisure attractions and facilities include entertainment centers, theme parks etc. ACCMODATION: It provides commercial establishment of offering lodging to travelers and sometimes to permanent residents .it may be hotels, resorts, restaurants, homestays, motels, floatels, youth hostels, inns, clubs, palaces, havelies etc.Different types of rooms are also available such as Single,Double,Twin,King,Queen,Suite,Duplex,Pent house, Cabana<studio etc. PRICING OF INCLUSIVE HOLIDAYS The purchase of holiday represents a deliberate decision in which the individual invests part of their limited resources. The price paid for a holiday is constrained by the customers budgetary
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considerations, but is often treated as a priority in planning personal or family expenditure. This implies either that the tourists have chosen not to spend money or time or alternative products and he or she can not visit alternative destinations during that vacation. The pricing policy adopted by the inclusive holiday industry have been subjected to increasingly critical comment ,although for different reasons ,by consumer interest groups, experienced managers and by academic commentators. The price at which a service is offered has two functions for the consumer, and of course it is critical to the service provider. Firstly price act as a primary signal of quality and accessibility for consumers. Secondly the price fit for any goods or services is a filter-too high a price excludes the service from consideration by many people. A BRIEF STUDY ON KERALA PACKAGE TOURISM There are different types of tours are available in the market. Based on the type of operation one important classification is packaged tours.Accomodation and Transportation is two inevitable components of package tours. Along with sight seeing, local guides are also provided.Kerala has all the potential to grow as a package tour destination. Kerala, the narrow green strip of fertile land truly looks like a tropical paradise and is an experience to relish. Renowned for its romantic backwaters, serine beaches, lush vegetation, heavenly hills, and spice perfumed air and amiable culture that embraces many religions.Kerala is rightly called as the Gods own country. More recently its guests have been from the world over and have been certified by the National geographic traveler as one of the ten paradises of the world. A rich art and dance forms like kathakali and kalaripayattu (martial art) make Kerala a must see destrination.Kerala abounds in a rich tradition of holistic medicine known as ayurveda- a wonderful way to rejuvenate body and soul. The potentials of Kerala to develop as an inclusive holiday destination
BACKWATERS:

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Backwaters are an amazing phenomenon of Kerala - a necklace of lagoons lakes, canals and rivers that run through the length of this beautiful land. In fact much of Kerala's uniqueness lies in its backwaters found now where else in the world. Visit to the backwater destinations of Kumarakom, Kollam and Kozhikode can be a most rewarding experience. The lagoons at these destinations with their spectacular view and fringed by coconut trees have been featured in travel books all over the world. No journey to the backwaters is complete without a stay on board a "Kettuvallam" or a houseboat which takes you on a journey through the length and breadth of the lagoons and waterways!
HILL STATIONS:

The Western Ghats mountain ranges make up an impressive fortress all along Kerala. These mountains ranging from the southern tip of Kerala all the way to Mumbai, on the western coast of India have been a natural barrier in the eastern border of Kerala and a helping hand to reap the bounties of both the Northeast and southwest monsoons. The hill stations of Kerala have drawn the attention of tourists for their agreeable climate and proximity to the wildlife sanctuaries. These hill station ranges are also home to most of world's spices and have over the centuries attained a certain mystique. The principal hill stations are at Wayanad in North Kerala, Munnar and Thekkady in Central Kerala and Ponmudi in South kerala. WILD LIFE: The elephants the symbol of kerala, signifying the deep links that the forests have on the lives of the people of kerala. These forests have been closely associated with the customs, traditions, and social life of kerala for centuries. The forests here are indeed some of the most magnificent and varied found anywhere in the world. To protect the forests and the multitudes of animals therein. Periyar Tiger Reserve, Silent Valley National Park, Eravikulam National Park are some among the best managed sanctuaries in India! ECO ADVENTURE
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Kerala is uniquely suited for the adventure traveler the Sea on the West for water sports, the Backwaters suited for canoeing, the fast flowing rivers for rafting and the trails along the Western Ghats mountain ranges which are among the very best found anywhere in India for trekkers. A host of adventure activities have come up in Kerala - trekking, paragliding, river rafting, mountain biking, canoeing and wildlife / birding tours. Perhaps no other state in India can boast of all elements of adventure that Kerala can offer! BEACHES Kerala has long stretches of silvery beaches for those interested in the Sun. Most of it is still in a pristine stage, giving a chance to the wanderer to enjoy these stretches in relative peace. Kovalam to the south of capital Thiruvananthapuram, Varkala, Cherai, and Alleppy are some of the best beaches on the Southern stretches of the state. The beaches to the North are beautiful, unspoiled and not too crowded. The districts of Kannur and Kasargod have many miles of unbroken silvery beaches. Some of these have been developed into resorts, but the vast majority is still there for the travelers interested in Solitude and Sun. AYURVEDIC PACKAGES Ayurveda, harmony of body, mind and soul . . . it's a unique, indispensable branch of medicine. Ayurveda believes in the treatment of not just the affected part, but the individual as a whole, making it the natural way to refresh yourself, eliminate all toxic imbalances from the body and thus regain resistance and good health. Kerala is the land of Ayurveda.. Kerala's equable climate, natural abundance of forests with a wealth of herbs and medicinal plants and the cool monsoon season are best suited for Ayurveda's curative and restorative packages! CULTURE Isolated from the rest of India by the mountainous belt of the Western Ghats but with a long coastline open to foreign influences, Kerala has evolved as a unique culture. Western and Eastern influences have helped
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shape it's uniqueness in culture, art forms, music, dance and the very ethos of the people of Kerala. Art forms of Kerala range from Kathakali, one of the dance forms of Kerala considered to be amongst the oldest Indian Dance styles to the graceful Mohiniyattam. The vibrant and distinct music of Kerala so closely related to temple festivals and the elegant snake boat races have always been the favorite of tourists visiting Kerala. ADVENTURE TOURISM Kerala has immense potential in the case of adventure tourism. Tourists can enjoy bird tours, canoeing, trekking and camping and water sports.kerala is a paradise of bird watcher, with 100s of species of birds. The birds tour can be conducted from kumarakam bird sanctuary, periyar tiger reserve, thekkady wild life sanctuary, chinnar wild life sanctuary etc.kerala is well known for its canals, rivers, lagoons and lakes. These all makes it an ideal destination for trekking and water sports.

CONCLUSION

From this brief study of package tourism it is obvious that it could gain the popularity and could also satisfying the customers. The history of inclusive holidays is quite brief .after second war it is enabled the significant number of people to travel. Inclusive holidays have a close relationship between other forms of tourism. The main elements of this industry, transport and accommodation, are utilized for a variety of purposes. The rate of development of this industry and the scope its operation has exhibited a number of steps related mainly to the introduction of new technology. Although some dominant companies have emerged in the inclusive holiday industry, there is no strong leadership in this industry. The tour operators role in creating package holidays is central to the inclusive travel industry. Travel agents also have a main role in inclusive holiday industry. They perform a number of important functions for tour operators after a holiday sale is made. Tour operators providing logistical

26

skills to package travel, accommodation and destination activities in ways which appeal to the traveling public. Marketing is also very important in inclusive travel industry. Tour operators market their holiday packages in the fullest sense; they develop their products, take pricing decision, promote their holidays to customers and travel retailers through appropriate media. The key to tour operators success is to understand what they want, and to provide it in convincing, enticing ways. some tour operators specialize in a particular destination or type of holiday providing services for one , or a few , distinct segments or niches in the market, and they are therefore relatively smallscale tour operators have more varied approaches to their businesses. The market philosophy of small and specialist tour operators is to identify and service small sections, or niches in the general inclusive holiday market.Kerala has also a great future in package tourism. Its enormous potential will be an asset to this type of hlolidays.because it is easy to prepare inclusive holiday itineraries

REFERENCES

1. Managing Packaged Tourism by Eric Laws 2. Introduction to Travel and Tourism by Dennis L Foster

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