Module 4
ITINERARY DEVELOPMENT
Itinerary
An itinerary is a key and significant component of a tour package. It may be an initial
itinerary or a final itinerary. Basically it is designed to identify the origin,
destination and all the enroute stopping points along with the transportation,
accommodation and other services on a travelers trip an itinerary has various
portions and these portions are known as segments.
Practically, these segments are dependent on the type of journey undertaken by the
tourist. Moreover, itinerary shows the sequence of the various tour ingredients and
provides essential information such as assembling point, departure point, days of
departure, duration of a tour, legal requirements, features of some destinations,
optional activities, and meal and perhaps can be called as a central point for the
success of a tour company.
STEPS IN DEVELOPING/PLANNING A TOUR ITINERARY
Step 1 – Research other tours in the market place
Step 2 – Name your tour: ........................................................
Step 3 – Map out the duration, frequency and departure point of your tour
Step 4 – List the major locations and highlights of your tour
Step 5 – Research your tour content and commentary
Step 6 – List any third party activities, attractions, entrance fees and inclusions
Step 7 – Obtain permission to access private and public properties
Step 8 - Perfecting your tour timing
Step 9 – Test driving your tour itinerary
Step 1 – Research other tours in the market place
Careful planning is required when developing an itinerary for your tour. A helpful
exercise is to take a tour which will be similar to the tour you wish to develop and
obtain copies of other tour brochures for comparison. This will help you develop
ideas for your tour, give you an idea of what is already in the market, give you
detailed information on terms and conditions and provide possible ideas for
brochure design and its content.
Step 2 – Name your tour: ........................................................
Specify the name of Trip in terms of assigning attractive captions, headings,
destination feature etc…
Step 3 – Map out the duration, frequency and departure point of your tour
When will your tour depart? ................ am/pm
When will your tour return? ................ am/pm
How often will your tour operate? ................ per/ wk
Where will the central departure point be? ................
Will you offer accommodation pick up? Yes, No
Step 4 – List the major locations and highlights of your tour
Where will your tour travel to?
What are the main highlights that visitors are going to experience?
Step 5 – Research your tour content and commentary
List the main topics you wish to include in your commentary, such as flora, fauna,
history, culture, as well as the main points to consider with each of these topics and
the resources you will use to find the information.
Step 6 – List any third party activities, attractions, entrance fees and
inclusions
List any activities offered by other companies or entrance fees and determine if they
will be included in your tour price or offered as extras. For example, cruises, bike
rides, entry into national parks, caves etc...
Step 7 – Obtain permission to access private and public properties
Whether you are passing through, stopping for meals or visiting attractions, it is
imperative that you obtain permission in writing from the property owner prior to
accessing any private property. If travelling through property managed by the
Department of Environment and Conservation, you will need to apply for a
Commercial Operator’s License
Step 8 - Perfecting your tour timing
It is crucially important to map out your tour itinerary accurately to ensure that you
arrive on time for activity and meal stops and return to your original destination at a
reasonable time.
Step 9 – Test driving your tour itinerary
It is very important to do several ‘try runs’ of your tour itinerary to ensure you get
the timing right. It is also a good idea to invite people who have some knowledge of
the industry and are prepared to give you constructive comments, to do a tour
