Tour company help!

Karlrove

Hi guys. I am thinking of setting up a company bringing tours of people around Ireland from a European country or from further a field for 1week staying in boutique accommodation and visiting well known sites coupled with fine dining. Would anyone know how I would get information on getting hotel pricing for groups, transport options, where I'd get a historical tour guide etc. would tourism Ireland help with this? Does anyone know if there a somewhere I. An retrieve more information as I don't have a. Lot of experience in this field. Any help/advice much appreciated. Thanks

daviecronin

Sounds very interesting! I wouldn't have much knowledge either but maybe get in contact with Failte Ireland or the likes. Im sure they would love to help you. Its people like you that are putting the country back together! Good luck!

M.T.D

You can have serious problems with this. If something goes wrong, hotel over booked, late/cancelled flights, clients thinking the holiday they are getting is not the one they paid for, you are the one who will still have to pay all the bills and possibly give refunds as well.

You do not have to be in ABTA or similar but if you are not the insurance, if you can get any will be steep.

This is extract from ABTA membership requirements


Current principals (tour operator, accommodation only operator) fees

1. Current one off application fees:

Application fee £330 payable with your initial application. Non-refundable
Joining fee – £1,200 payable after an offer of membership has been made.

2. Current membership subscription minimum £817 covers the first £500k of gross turnover:

Example subscription of a Member with £2M gross turnover = £1288k.

3. Current Non- ATOL Principal shortfall minimum £300.

4. Financial protection If you're acting as a principal and are organising package holidays, the law – the EC Directive on Package Travel (The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tour Regulations 1992-SI 3288/199) – requires you to have financial protection in place for your customers.

minibear

I don't have any experience of this exactly but I have dealt with tourists, and a couple of things spring to mind.

I'd start with the transport. Decide how many people you would need per group and then contact coach companies and get a price for the bus.

Identify some suitable hotels and contact them to get a price.

Identify your sites and get prices.

Will you need a translator?

Contact each local tourist information office and they should be able to give you a list of tour guides.

Check to see who else in in this market already and identify how you're going to be different from them.

How will you accept payment? How will you deal with cancellations? How will you get them all to the start point at the same time? Will you be organising their whole itinerary from their point of departure?

Once you have all your costs work out how much you expect to charge people. Is it reasonable?

Research everything and then do up a business plan. Try to get some help with it from one of the agencies in your area. (Local Enterprise Office etc)

the very best of luck to you, it sounds like a challenge!

bizzyb

Seen these guys when we were in Kenmare on holidays 2 years ago http://vagabondtoursofireland.ie/ , still remember them because I thought it was really unique.