The main goal of a receptive tour company is to provide a tour that goes beyond, "And on the left side of the bus is..." A receptive tour company is usually located in a specific geographic area of which its tour guides have an encyclopedic knowledge. The manager and most of the employees have inspected the hotels, eaten in the restaurants, seen the shows, and taken the tours of historic and cultural attractions so that they can assure the quality and appropriateness of these facilities and attractions.
The company may go beyond the normal sightseeing options by contracting for a behind-the-scenes tour of a theater or museum restoration department or a meal in the kitchen of a fine restaurant. They eliminate the possibility of a group scheduling a visit to a museum that is closed for renovation, missing a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit at a small out-of-the-way gallery, or losing out on the chance of seeing a theatrical production.
Working with tour operator companies that schedule trips into the local area, the receptive tour company helps design a tour that will interest the clients and be within their physical limitations. These groups may come from a school sponsoring a "spring trip" or from a senior citizens center. Their interests may be cultural, musical and theatrical presentations, sports, grandparent/grandchild travel, historical, or whatever is of special interest in that geographical area.
The receptive tour company may specialize in groups for seven, eight, 12, 15, or nearly 50 people, depending on the size of the vehicles they own or lease, or, they may own or lease vehicles based on the size of the groups they want to escort. Clients may be Americans or international travelers. A Receptive Tour Company Manager deals with the same issues as does the manager of any tour company, including hiring, firing, training, budgeting, and promotion, with an added emphasis on knowing a specific geographic area inside out.
The Receptive Tour Company Manager supervises all staff to determine the operating budget; conducts market research to determine what interest there is in particular tours; prices and sells the tours and services; and may be requested to make sure all required lodging, transportation, and ticket arrangements are made. Oftentimes, however, the inbound tour company makes most of those arrangements. He or she also may arrange meals and other entertainment, either as part of the package or as options.
Managers meet with meeting planners and convention and visitors bureau representatives to sell tour services to inbound meeting attendees or to learn what is new and interesting and should be included in upcoming tours. They also prepare or oversee the preparation of all necessary materials for the tourguides and then evaluate the comments from guests regarding future trips, including what should be deleted or added to make the trips more enjoyable.
It is important that Receptive Tour Company Managers belong to an organization, such at the National Tour Association, that has strict requirements regarding insurance, number of tours conducted, and employee experience. The reputation of this association improves the reputation of the receptive tour company. All NTA members are covered by the association's consumer protection plan, which protects client deposits in the event the receptive tour company files for bankruptcy.
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Articleinput.com is a free articles resource thus practically any visitor can submit an article. However if you notice any copyrighted material, please contact us and we will remove the article(s) in discussion right away.
Note: This article was sent to us by: Brandon H. Porter at 09292010
1. Banks meet international standards
All articles are property of their respective authors. Please read our Privacy Policy!
© 2009 ArticleInput.com.
Partners: Damenmode