台灣人至中美洲之旅遊規劃商業企畫書 - 政大學術集成

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(1)國立政治大學商學院國際經營管理英語碩士學位學程 International MBA Program College of Commerce National 政 Chengchi 治 University. 大. 學. 碩士論文. ‧. ‧ 國. 立. Master’s Thesis. er. io. sit. y. Nat. n. al 台灣人至中美洲之旅遊規劃商業企畫書 iv. n U engchi BUSINESS PLAN: TOUR OPERATOR CENTRAL. Ch. AMERICA-TAIWAN. Student: Hector Pleitez Advisor: Professor George Tseng 中華民國一O六年六月 June 2017.

(2) 台灣人至中美洲之旅遊規劃商業企畫書 BUSINESS PLAN: TOUR OPERATOR CENTRAL AMERICA-TAIWAN. 研究生：張志杰. Student: Hector Pleitez. 政治大Advisor: George Tseng. 指導教授：曾穗鋒. 立. ‧ 國. 學國立政治大學. ‧. Nat. y. 商學院國際經營管理英語碩士學位學程. n. C. A Thesis. er. io. al. sit. 碩士論文. i n U. v. h eInternational Submitted to n c h i MBA Program g. National Chengchi University in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master in Business Administration 中華民國一O六年六月 June 2017.

(3) Acknowledgements Escribiendo apresuradamente estas palabras, no puedo dejar de pensar que sin la inspiracion de mi abuelo, todo este trabajo no daria jamas frutos. Aunque no se encuentra fisicamente entre nosotros, su amor y sabiduria permanence en cada uno de sus hijos que llevamos su consigna y su recuerdo a donde sea que vayamos. Gracias atentamente a mis padres, todo su esfuerzo ha forjado mi personalidad y cada exito presente y futuro sera recompensado en la medida en que su cuidado y cariño me ha traido hasta. 政治大 A mi hermana, la persona que mas amo y mas extraño en este mundo. Mi existencia plena es 立 este punto.. para ella.. ‧ 國. 學. A ti 芷庭, ya no estas aqui pero tu recuerdo me acompaña, a veces me sofoca. Me sofoca ese. ‧. amor sincero que solo tu me has dado. Te amare y recordare siempre como la mas bella flor que mis ojos han visto.. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i. i n U. v.

(4) Abstract BUSINESS PLAN: TOUR OPERATOR CENTRAL AMERICA-TAIWAN By Hector Pleitez In the Tourism Industry, companies that offer the service of creating and selling package holidays to travelers are called Tour Operators. These all-inclusive holidays may include round. 政治大. trip flight tickets, accommodation in hotels, transportation, entrances to the tourist attractions. 立. and the assistance of a professional tour guide. Our Tour Operator established in El Salvador. ‧ 國. 學. will provide tourism services for Taiwanese travelers willing to make a journey in Central America and visit the main attractions along its seven countries: Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.. ‧. y. Nat. Our strategy is focused on building alliances with Taiwanese partners, which are part of our. sit. target Corporate Customers. Operating in Taiwan, these companies are specialized on selling. al. er. io. package holidays for traveling around the world, so they possess the necessary experience and. n. resources to attract our Final Customers.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Other several tour operators in Central America, conforming the group of our Competitors, rely on a similar business model. However, they haven’t yet taken advantage of the huge Asian market because they focus on providing service exclusively to the saturated American and European market. This Business Plan offers a practical approach on which over a period of three years, first our Start-Up will enter the Taiwanese market by creating alliances with the main Taiwanese tour operators. After going over this period, a future expansion to other Asian markets including China would be considered using a resembling business model.. ii.

(5) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 2. COMPANY OVERVIEW .................................................................................................... 2 2.1. Vision ............................................................................................................................... 2 2.2. Mission............................................................................................................................. 2. 政治大 2.4. Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 2 立 2.3. Values ............................................................................................................................... 2. ‧ 國. 學. 3. CUSTOMER ANALYSIS..................................................................................................... 3. ‧. 3.1. Customer Profile .............................................................................................................. 3. sit. y. Nat. 3.1.1. Corporate Customers Profile .................................................................................. 3. io. al. er. 3.1.2. Final Consumer Profile ........................................................................................... 3. v. n. 3.2. Corporate Customers Analysis ........................................................................................ 4. Ch. engchi. i n U. 4. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS .............................................................................................. 14 4.1. Competitors Profile ....................................................................................................... 14 5. SWOT ANALYSIS .............................................................................................................. 20 5.1. SWOT Matrix ................................................................................................................. 20 5.2. Strengths ........................................................................................................................ 21 5.3. Weaknesses .................................................................................................................... 22 5.4. Opportunities ................................................................................................................. 23. iii.

(6) 5.5. Threats ........................................................................................................................... 24 6. MARKETING ..................................................................................................................... 25 6.1. Market Segmentation ..................................................................................................... 25 6.2. Target Marketing ........................................................................................................... 26 6.3. Business Model .............................................................................................................. 28 6.3.1. Product Differentiation ......................................................................................... 28. 政治大. 6.3.2. Value Propositions ................................................................................................ 29. 立. 6.3.3. Service Method ..................................................................................................... 30. ‧ 國. 學. 6.4. Organizational Structure ............................................................................................... 32. ‧. 6.4.1. Recruitment .......................................................................................................... 32 6.4.2. Training................................................................................................................. 32. y. Nat. al. er. io. sit. 6.4.3. Retention ............................................................................................................... 33. n. 6.5. Generic Business-Level Strategy ................................................................................... 33. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 6.6. 4Ps ................................................................................................................................. 34 6.6.1. Product (Service) .................................................................................................. 34 6.6.2. Price ...................................................................................................................... 38 6.6.3. Promotion ............................................................................................................. 38 6.6.4. Place...................................................................................................................... 39 7. FINANCE ............................................................................................................................ 41 7.1. Start-Up Expenses and Assets ....................................................................................... 41 7.2. Initial Investment ........................................................................................................... 42. iv.

(7) 7.3. Payroll ........................................................................................................................... 43 7.4. Sales Forecast ................................................................................................................ 44 7.5. Pro Forma Profit and Loss ............................................................................................ 45 7.6. Break-Even Analysis ...................................................................................................... 46 7.7. Balance Sheet ................................................................................................................ 47 7.8. Cash Flow ...................................................................................................................... 48. 政治大 8. Reference ............................................................................................................................. 49 立 ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. v. i n U. v.

(8) List of Figures and Tables Figure 1: Lion Travel’s Tour Flyer 1 ....................................................................................... 5 Figure 2: Lion Travel’s Tour Flyer 2 ....................................................................................... 6 Figure 3: Colorful Tour’s Tour Flyer ...................................................................................... 7 Figure 4: Toucan Holidays’ Tour Flyer ................................................................................... 8 Figure 5: Deluxe Seed Tour’s Tour Flyer.............................................................................. 10 Figure 6: Caneis Tour’s Tour Flyer 1 .................................................................................... 11. 治政大 12 Figure 7: Caneis Tour’s Tour Flyer 2 .................................................................................... 立. Figure 8: Caneis Tour’s Tour Flyer 3 .................................................................................... 13. ‧ 國. 學. Figure 9: Organizational Chart ............................................................................................. 32. ‧. Figure 10: Generic Business-Level Strategy ........................................................................ 33. sit. y. Nat. Figure 11: Tour Map ............................................................................................................... 35. io. er. Table 1: SWOT Matrix........................................................................................................... 20. al. Table 2: Start-Up Expenses and Assets ................................................................................. 41. n. v i n Ch Table 3: Initial Investment ..................................................................................................... 42 engchi U Table 4: Payroll ....................................................................................................................... 43 Table 5: Sales Forecast ........................................................................................................... 44 Table 6: Pro Forma Profit and Loss...................................................................................... 45 Table 7: Break-Even Analysis ................................................................................................ 46 Table 8: Pro Forma Balance Sheet ........................................................................................ 47 Table 9: Pro Forma Cash Flow .............................................................................................. 48. vi.

(9) 1. INTRODUCTION The 500 thousand square kilometers region formed by 7 peculiar countries named Central America –Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama-, is a region where the traces of the Mayan civilization and the Spanish colony fuse themselves to create a unique cultural spectrum. A region where beautiful nature and colorful traditional towns are almost intact. A region inhabited by more than 45 million warm and friendly people, people that values the importance of keeping their religious and indigenous traditions. This beautiful place has flourished during the past three decades a dynamic tourism industry on which. 政治大. European and American tourists have enjoyed the pleasure of traveling safely and under world class standard by its roads.. 立. ‧ 國. 學. Many Tour operators in the region have already created alliances that allow European and American tourists to travel between countries and visit the most marvelous places. Nevertheless,. ‧. there still a lack of approach from these companies to include the growing Asian markets as part of their potential customers. In the case of Taiwan, it maintains strong diplomatic ties with. sit. y. Nat. the countries in the region.. er. io. Many factors have intervened to the situation that tourism companies hasn’t taken advantage of. al. n. v i n with Asian tour operators, or the C lackhof qualified tour guides e n g c h i U that can bring appropriate service a huge market like China and other Asian countries. As an example, the lack of key alliances. to tourists. Since the Asian region have been developing very quickly and the purchasing power. of their people has increased significantly, more and more tourists are able to afford the cost of a trip to such a distant place. Therefore, the current project provides this missing link to develop the strategies to apply a business model that allows to exploit the market of Asian tourists that are willing to visit Central America.. 1.

(10) 2. COMPANY OVERVIEW 2.1. Vision Make the world meet Central America. 2.2. Mission To be the leader on tourism in Central America through constant innovation, becoming the main. 政治大. force of change and improvement for the tourism sector. 立. ‧ 國. 學. 2.3. Values. - Respect. ‧. - Innovation. sit. y. Nat. - Professionalism. io. - Creativity. n. al. er. - Trustworthiness. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 2.4. Objectives - To provide service to our target segments of Taiwanese tourists visiting Central America - To maintain over 95% of customer satisfaction - To expand the business model to China and other Asian countries in the following 5 years. 2.

(11) 3. CUSTOMER ANALYSIS 3.1. Customer Profile 3.1.1. Corporate Customers Profile A Tour Operator company offers the service of creating a package holiday for tourists. Two different types of tour operators, which build alliances across countries, can be defined in terms of their role on the service chain: - Inbound Tour Operator: Provide service and local assistance for tourists arriving. 治政 Our company is an Inbound Tour Operator. 大立. the country or region on which the company is operating (Provide tour services in place).. ‧ 國. 學. - Outbound Tour Operator: Take residents from a specific country to travel abroad by offering a package holiday (Sell package holiday to travelers). Our partners in. ‧. Taiwan are Outbound Tour Operators.. y. Nat. In this dynamic of alliances, the inbound company design the promotion for the tour routes,. io. sit. manage the logistics in the destination, and provides feedback about customer’s satisfaction.. n. al. er. The Outbound side is in charge of selling the routes to the final customer at a price that can. i n U. v. cover both, inbound and outbound margin, manage the logistics in order to arrive on destination,. Ch. engchi. and receive direct feedback from tourists.. Since there are several outbound tour operators in Taiwan, “3.2. Corporate Customers Analysis” will be focused on determining the right partners to make business with for our company.. 3.1.2. Final Consumer Profile Central America is not a common travel destination for most Asian Tourists. They are usually composed by middle-upper class couples –usually retired- and small families that has previous experience traveling to other regions in Asia, Europe or North America. Indeed, because of this traveling experience, they are demanding tourists.. 3.

(12) In order to cover the expenses of the excursion, our Company will manage groups with a minimum of 10 tourists per excursion.. 3.2. Corporate Customers Analysis Corporate Customer 1 Name of the Tour Operator: Lion Travel (雄獅旅遊). 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. 4. i n U. v.

(13) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學 Figure 1: Lion Travel’s Tour Flyer 1. sit. y. Nat. Name of the Excursion: 4 Countries in Central America on 14 days (中美 4 國). io. er. Excursion’s web page:. http://www.liontravel.com/webpd/webpdsh00.aspx?sKind=1&sProd=SITSC4N1AV. n. al. Main features of the Tour:. Ch. engchi. 5. i n U. v.

(14) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Figure 2: Lion Travel’s Tour Flyer 2 - Visits to main attractions on 4 countries (Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras) - Taiwanese tour leader speak Chinese and Spanish - Accommodation on the very best Hotels - Just 2 Internal short flights on the whole trip - Early reservations discount - Minimum amount of tourists per excursion is 15 people. 6.

(15) - There is a seasonal variation in the price. The package is offered on several occasions of the year and the price vary from NT$ 175,000 (US$ 5,800 approx.) to NT$ 185,000 (US$ 6,200 approx.) Unmet needs Analysis: Lion Travel, as one of the most prestigious tour operators in Taiwan, offers a very attractive tour in Central America. However, their excursion just take advantage of the northern countries of the region and doesn’t include Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. In particular, Costa Rica has always been the regional leader on tourism for which their offer could be easily get. 政治大. improved by adding some of the Costa Rican beautiful attractions to the itinerary.. 立. ‧ 國. 學. Corporate Customer 2. Name of the Tour Operator: Colorful Tour (佳繽旅遊). ‧. Name of the Excursion: Full view of the Mayan culture on 7 countries in Central America, 16 days (中美洲 7 國馬雅文化全覽 16 天之旅). Nat. n. al. er. io. sit. y. Excursion’s web page: http://www.hifly.com.tw/tour/overseas/overseas_item.php?xid=101. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Figure 3: Colorful Tour’s Tour Flyer Main features of the Tour: - Visits to best attractions of 7 countries (Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama). 7.

(16) - Accommodation on good quality hotels - 3 Internal flights to transfer between the 7 Central American countries - Offered on 6 different dates per year - Minimum amount of tourists per excursion is 10 people - Early reservations discount Unmet needs Analysis: Colorful Tour’s package includes a visit to the 7 countries in the region in a limited time of 16 days. An alternative for dealing with customers that prefer traveling in a more relaxed way is. 政治大. reducing the number of countries to visit, and adding a couple of days more to the excursion so it is possible to spend more time on each single place.. 學. ‧ 國. 立. Corporate Customer 3. ‧. Name of the Tour Operator: Toucan Holidays (大嘴鳥假期). Name of the Excursion: Central America and the Caribbean, 7 Countries on 20 days (中美洲、. Nat. sit. y. 加勒比海 7 國 20 天). n. al. er. io. Excursion’s web page: http://www.yoyofly.com/tour-detail.asp?seq=20. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Figure 4: Toucan Holidays’ Tour Flyer. 8.

(17) Main features of the Tour: - Visits to main attractions on 7 countries (Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Cuba) - Chinese native speaking tour leader during the whole trip as translator - Accommodation on the best Hotels in the region - 7 Internal flights between the Central American countries and Cuba - Offered on 4 different dates per year - Early reservations discount. 政治大. - Minimum amount of tourists per excursion is 10 people - Suggested Price: NT$ 290,000 (US$ 9,600 approx.). 立. Unmet needs Analysis:. ‧ 國. 學. Toucan Holidays offers a tour that features a visit to Cuba in addition to other 6 Central American countries. Since the time for this long trip is very limited, the excursion relies on 7. ‧. internal flights. This fact makes the price of the tour to increase considerably. In order to reduce. io. y. er. ground transportation can substitute the costly internal flights.. sit. Nat. it, a proposal can include to visit exclusively the countries in Central America without Cuba, so. n. al. i n CCorporate 4 h e n g cCustomer hi U Name of the Tour Operator: Deluxe Seed Tour (點心旅遊). 9. v.

(18) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Figure 5: Deluxe Seed Tour’s Tour Flyer Name of the Excursion: 16 days Group Tour, Full view of the Mayan culture on 7 countries in Central America (【中美洲】聯營團體瑪雅文化 7 國全覽 16 天) Excursion’s web page: http://www.deluxeseed.com/eWeb/GO/L_GO_Type.asp?iMGRUP_CD=USM16&iSUB_CD= GO&JOIN_TP=1 Main features of the Tour: - Visits to main attractions on 7 countries (Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama) - Accommodation on the best Hotels of the Area 10.

(19) - 3 Internal flights to transfer between the 7 Central American countries Unmet needs Analysis: The Deluxe Seed Tour’s package is offered on a 16 days itinerary covering 7 nations. For tourists that would prefer to visit the region and spend more time on each place, a reduction on the number of countries and the addition of more days to the excursion can be a suitable option to enjoy a more relaxed trip.. 政治大. Corporate Customer 5. Name of the Tour Operator: Caneis Tour (凱尼斯旅行社). 立. ‧. ‧ 國. 學 er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. n. v i n C Belize on 13 days Name of the Excursion: Guatemalahand e n g c h i U (瓜地馬拉 x 貝里斯) Figure 6: Caneis Tour’s Tour Flyer 1. Excursion’s web page:. http://caneis.tourcenter.com.tw/webpd/webpdsh00.aspx?sProd=17XA717AV1. 11.

(20) 政治大 Figure 7: Caneis Tour’s Tour Flyer 2 立. Main features of the Tour:. ‧ 國. 學. - Long Visits to the best attractions in Guatemala and Belize. ‧. - Taiwanese tour leaders speak Chinese and Spanish - Good Accommodation on prestigious Hotels. Nat. sit. y. - 3 Internal flights are necessary between the two countries. er. io. - Early reservations discount. - Minimum amount of tourists per excursion is 15 people. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. - Suggested Price: NT$ 207,000 (US$ 6,900 approx.). engchi. Unmet needs Analysis: The excursion offered by Caneis Tours allow tourists to experience the main attractions of Guatemala and Belize on 13 days. Although this is a good package for people who has visited other countries in Latin America and wants to concentrate on the beauty of these two countries, a broader segment of customers that haven’t visited the region would like to take advantage of such a long flight and visit other neighboring countries. A parallel package can be offered, featuring the southern countries of El Salvador and Honduras on which ground transportation is very accessible and there’s no need to add more days to the itinerary.. 12.

(21) 政治大. Figure 8: Caneis Tour’s Tour Flyer 3. 立. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. 13. i n U. v.

(22) 4. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS 4.1. Competitors Profile Competitor 1 Name of the Competitor: AVITOURS DMC El Salvador Web page:. http://www.avitours.com.sv/elsalvador/index.html (Avitours). http://www.grupoamate.com.sv/index.php (Grupo Amate) http://www.ltnelsalvador.travel/ (Amate Travel) http://www.lineaejecutiva.com.sv/ (Linea Ejecutiva). 政治大 Main Service: Private tours and group tours in El Salvador 立 Target Market: American and European travelers, local tourism. Country: El Salvador. ‧ 國. 學. Strengths:. ‧. - ”Grupo Amate” is the major tourism group in El Salvador and Avitours belong to this group of 5 companies as its tour operator. Therefore, Avitours count with a holistic. Nat. sit. y. support from a well-known and experience travel agency (Amate Travel), as well as the. io. al. n. Ejecutiva).. er. leading company on executive and tourism transportation in El Salvador (Linea. Ch. i n U. v. - With more than 15 years of experience, Avitours accounts with extensive alliances. engchi. with several tour operators in the region that allow them to provide tourism service in coordination with these partners - Avitours make use of an extensive portfolio of support services, specifically hotels and restaurants located all over El Salvador and on the best tourism spots of the country. Such portfolio includes discounts that allow the company to reduce costs every time they make use of their services. - Avitours is able to provide the best quality service by making use of the most experienced tour guides in the country. The languages on which a tour can be performed by these professionals are Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German and Russian.. 14.

(23) Weaknesses: - Very outdated web page that doesn’t show the different tours and travel programs. The format is not user-friendly, for which to make a reservation is very tiresome. Such a weak online presence may not allow Avitours to catch customers in this manner, but by their alliance with other regional tour operators - Avitours also offers event planning services. This mixed focus on activities that are not correlated doesn’t allow the company to concentrate on its core business as tour operator.. Competitor 2. 學. ‧ 國. 立. 政治大. Name of the Competitor: Salvadorean Tours Web page: http://salvadoreantours.com/. ‧. Country: El Salvador. y. Nat. Main Service: Private and group tours in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. n. al. er. io. Strengths:. sit. Target Market: Mostly American and European travelers, local tourism.. Ch. i n U. v. - Top tour operator in El Salvador with more than 10 years of experience. Its marketing. engchi. strategies and professional service has allow this company to become one of the leaders in terms of tourist’s catchment for the sector. - Strongest online presence among the Salvadoran tour operators (Including a YouTube channel). - Salvadorean Tours possesses a very user-friendly and attractive web page. The content allows travelers to have a very good notion from the tourist attractions and the services provided during the tours. The catalogue of tourist attractions is also linked to the tour packages so reservations can be made very easily and directly on the web page. - The tour packages are very well organized in terms of the routes and time management. Many details and description of each destination, as well as colorful pictures and tips can be found on each article.. 15.

(24) - The tour operator is focused on its main business, receptive and local tourism for individuals and groups. - Service provided by professional and experienced tour guides in Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German and Russian. - The support services portfolio is shown in the web page and includes the best hotels in the country, as well as supplementary activities that are available for tourists. Weaknesses: - Salvadorean Tours doesn’t belong to a major tourism group, so it doesn’t count with. 政治大 support services may be outsourced, which tend to generate additional costs to the 立 the support of a particular travel agency or transportation company. Therefore, such. company and make it subject of the availability of its suppliers.. ‧. ‧ 國. 學 Competitor 3. y. Nat. sit. Name of the Competitor: GreenBlueRed. er. al. n. Country: El Salvador. io. Web page: http://www.greenbluered.com/index.htm. Ch. i n U. v. Main Service: Private Tours combining volunteering experience and tourism. engchi. Target Market: Mostly American travelers. Strengths:. - Only tour operator in El Salvador that combines tourism with social sustainability - GreenBlueRed’s marketing concept is oriented to show a combination of traveling experiences at the same time that tourists can interact with local people and contribute to the development of rural communities. Their web page shows several pictures of tourists making activities in company of local people and children in school’s age - Most of the information available from this tour operator can be found on their very well design “sales manual”. Such sales manual includes the company profile, as well as general information about El Salvador as a tourism destination. One section also. 16.

(25) provides the different choices that travelers have to arrive in the country by plane, as well as the distances from other tourist attractions in the region - The company has a very extensive catalogue of activities and destinations with pictures and details that allows tourists to choose the program of their choice. By choosing a destination, tourists have the chance to join different activities to share time in social projects with locals and even voluntary work - GreenBlueRed also offers an extensive catalogue of hotels in all different categories, from luxurious 5 stars hotels, to resorts and mountain hotels. Each hotel’s profile includes detail information about the facilities, rooms and activities around, as well as. 政治大. many attractive pictures that can influence tourists when making their choice. 立. Weaknesses:. ‧ 國. 學. - Since most of the information about the destinations is contained on the “sales manual”, the web page plays a secondary role. The sales manual is not highlighted on. ‧. the options of the menu, making troublesome to find it on the web page. Pictures and. y. sit. functional. Nat. details about the tours are not available on the web page, so it is practically not. er. io. - GreenBlueRed is not supported by a travel agency or a transportation company and. al. n. v i n - Since the company hasC a focused providing a tourism service through combining h e n on hi U c g social sustainability, that can restrict the possibility for the attraction of tourists more the services have to be outsourced. interested on traveling for leisure. Competitor 4 Name of the Competitor: Oro Travel Web page: http://www.orotravel.com/ Country: Nicaragua Main Service: Private and group tours in Nicaragua and the whole Central American region Target Market: Focused on American and European tourists. 17.

(26) Strengths: - With its more than 20 years of experience, Oro Travel is the main operator in Nicaragua and one of the most important in the whole Central American region - The tour operator is run under European management, for which it can be expected a very well structured organization. Oro Travel’s founder Pascal Picot worked previously as a tour guide in Costa Rica and decided later to establish in Nicaragua and open his startup - Oro Travel is specialized in providing tour service in Nicaragua, but this tour operator. 政治大. has also several alliances among Central American countries that allow them offering packages to all over the region, giving every time the best service quality. There is also. 立. a constant communication between Oro Travel and the other regional partners in order. ‧ 國. 學. to ensure that tourists will count with the best support at any time. - The tour service is offered in Spanish, English, French, German, Russian and Italian. ‧. by the most experienced tour guides in Nicaragua. Tour guides’ detailed profiles are available in the web page, so travelers have also the chance to know more about them. sit. y. Nat. - Positive feedback and Testimonials support the Service Quality of the tour operator and are available in the web site. io. n. al. er. - The web page contains extensive and useful information about Nicaragua and the. i n U. v. history behind every tourist attraction. There is also several sections to get to know more. Ch. engchi. about Nicaraguan culture and traditions, as well as the way of living in that country - Other services such as Spanish language schools, car rental, domestic flights or accommodation in Hotels are also available in the web page and can be ordered in addition to the tour service, which can provide even more options for tourists to enjoy their trip - There is a free chat Service available on the web page that allow travelers to access to direct information about the services offered by Oro Travel, as well as to easily make any reservations, answer questions and know more about the tour packages. Weaknesses: 18.

(27) - As most of tour operators in the region, Oro Travel is not supported by a travel agency or a transportation company so these services have to be outsourced - Although Oro Travel accounts with several years of experience providing touristic services to the American and European market, the company doesn’t seem to have taken advantage of the Asian market and target it as much as America and Europe - The web page contains several information, but the design looks too outdated and it can be improved if more pictures are added to the content - Despite the fact that a free chat service is offered in the web page, the icon always shows “chat offline”, which makes this option not reliable. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. 19. i n U. v.

(28) 5. SWOT ANALYSIS 5.1. SWOT Matrix Table 1: SWOT Matrix Strengths. Weaknesses.  Alliances with main Taiwanese tour operators  Small size tour operator.  Design of cost efficient tourist routes to multiple destinations.  Newcomer facing mature competition. High initial costs for training of tour 政治 大 guides.  Unique service provided by Chinese speaking tour guides. 立.  No.  Personalized service to satisfy the. to. Tour. Operators. ‧ 國. 學. Associations. demands and preferences of Taiwanese tourists. affiliation.  No travel agency or transport company  Limited financial resources. regional partners along all stages of the. y. Nat. sit. service performance. Threats. er. io. Opportunities  Huge long term potential in East Asia. al. n. and China. ‧. support.  Ability to provide full support to. Ch. engchi.  Central America as an uncommon. i n U. v.  Weak demand for tourist services by the Taiwanese market. tourist destination.  Entrance on the Chinese segment of.  Facing a weak competition by other. more experienced competitors. regional tour operators may allow to lead.  Increase in price of transport services. the Chinese segment.  Unstable political situation in the.  Partnership with support services. countries of the region. suppliers.  Increase of violence in the Central. (Transport,. Hotels. and. Restaurants)  Affiliation. American region to. international.  High barriers to entry into the market. Tour. Operators Associations. 20.

(29) 5.2. Strengths - Alliances with main Taiwanese tour operators: In order to take advantage of the Taiwanese market, the partnerships with Tour Operators will allow the company to promote directly to the travelers our tours and destinations. Networking is important in this matter, and the fact of staying in Taiwan for long and studying a prestigious program in a main University (國立政治大學) helps making connections with these partners easier. - Design of cost efficient tourist routes to multiple destinations: The Central. 治政大 and the travelers’ budget. That routes, depending on the duration of the excursion 立 includes Mayan archeological sites, volcanoes, lakes, beaches, traditional towns, forests American region offers many different attractions that can be combined on different. ‧ 國. 學. and city tours. Offering multiple routes, and emphasizing on saving costs through efficient logistics, would allow us to provide a high quality service at a competitive price.. ‧. - Unique service provided by Chinese speaking tour guides: One of the main distinctions from our company is to provide unique service through well trained Chinese. y. Nat. sit. speaking tour guides. The recruitment, training and retention (6.4 Organizational. al. er. io. Structure) of these employees is a core competency that guarantees tourists to get the. n. most of their experience and enjoy an unforgettable journey.. Ch. i n U. v. - Personalized service to satisfy the demands and preferences of Taiwanese. engchi. tourists: Each culture has specific elements and features that makes people to generate determined expectations when traveling. By specializing on the Taiwanese market, our service will be focused on fulfil these expectations and providing the best possible service according to the Taiwanese standard. - Ability to provide full support to regional partners along all stages of the service performance: The service performance during a tour circuit involves an active participation from the regional tour operators on providing the necessary logistics in place to tour guides and drivers. We encourage our partners to provide the highest service standard so they would need to rely on our support in case of any unexpected situation happening on the road.. 21.

(30) 5.3. Weaknesses - Small size tour operator: Initially, the staff required for running a tour operator would be limited and the responsibilities and tasks may be shared before a more structured organization with more personal can be reached by the expected increase in demand. - Newcomer facing mature competition: Although regional Tour Operators haven’t profit from all the potential that the big Chinese market offers, they account with enough experience on the American and European market. Therefore, by entry a different. 治政 competing with these experienced companies. 大 - High initial costs立 for training of tour guides: The strategy of hiring mother tongue segment does not guarantee success as a newcomer on the tourism business when. ‧ 國. 學. Chinese speakers as Tour Guides imply that these personal would not have the professional background on tourism. Therefore, recruitment and training of Chinese. ‧. speakers may represent a significant cost that would be cover in the long run, inasmuch as such Tour Guides gain experience and provide a professional service. However, there. Nat. sit. y. is also important to ensure the retention of these employees through the appropriate. io. er. remuneration and avoid other Tour operators copying our business model (6.4 Organizational Structure).. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. - No affiliation to Tour Operators Associations: There exists Tour Operator. engchi. Associations on every single country of Central America. However, these institutions are close circles that usually don’t allow new tour operators to enter and gain some share from their operations. - No travel agency or transport company support: Some few Tour Operators in the region belong to bigger tourism groups on which supporting services such as travel agencies and transport back up the business. The advantage of this model lies on the reduction of operating costs when making use of their service. Since the support of these partners is not available to our company, such services will be strategically outsourced on the several suppliers in the market.. 22.

(31) - Limited financial resources: The financial resources, since initially they are very limited for a startup, may be managed wisely in order to balance revenues and expenses and promote growth.. 5.4. Opportunities - Huge long term potential in East Asia and China: Since the model of a tour operator can be replicated to include multiple countries, the opportunity of profiting. 政治大 on that area. After a primary focus in Taiwan, a later expansion to China and other 立 countries with larger Chinese population is very feasible.. from bigger markets in Asia makes the region very attractive for expanding the business. ‧ 國. 學. - Central America as an uncommon tourist destination: Most Asian travelers’ first choice for a trip abroad includes the neighboring Asian countries, Europe, North. ‧. America or boarding a cruise ship. South and Central America is more considered as an exotic, unexplored and remote place. This fact boosts the region’s attractiveness for. y. Nat. sit. exploring its tourist destinations.. er. io. - Facing a weak competition by other regional tour operators may allow to lead. al. v i n C hand European market. competitive in the American However, the opportunity to enter engchi U n. the Chinese segment: Other regional tour operators have tend to become very. the Chinese market involves both, great challenges and also great reward when companies are able to profit from it. - Partnership. with. support services. suppliers. (Transport, Hotels. and. Restaurants): Working together with transport companies, hotels and restaurants imply creating business partners that would profit from the same demand of the tour operator itself. Identifying the best support service suppliers will allow the tour operator to create alliances and negotiate tariffs that would decrease operation costs. - Affiliation to international Tour Operators Associations: Several Associations that promote the ties between all kinds of tourism companies offers a good platform to find valuable business partners all over the world and give a more international profile to the company.. 23.

(32) 5.5. Threats - Weak demand for tourist services by the Taiwanese market: The biggest threat for our Tour Operator is that the demand projections don’t reach the necessary levels to run the business model because of a low market acceptance. - Entrance on the Chinese segment of more experienced competitors: Regional competitors that already have years of experience working with the American and European segment would find attractive to entry on the Chinese segment if it turns profitable. That would increase the competition in the short-medium term.. 治政 by the oil prices and the magnitude of the supply 大for this service. There is also a risk that for one reason or立 other, the cost of this service can increase and affect the profits.. - Increase in price of transport services: The costs of transportation are determined. ‧ 國. 學. - Unstable political situation in the countries of the region: For decades, the unstable political situation in the Central American region has led to numerous cases of. ‧. corruption, impunity and coups d'etat on every single country. As recent as 2009, there was a coup d'etat in Honduras that produced several political implications to the region.. Nat. sit. y. “La Linea” was a very recent (2015) major corruption scandal in Guatemala. And in the. io. er. case of El Salvador, a former President was forced to spend months under arrest for a major corruption case in 2014. Therefore, unexpected political situations can happen at. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. any moment on the region, and have economic consequences that cannot be estimated with certainty.. engchi. - Increase of violence in the Central American region: El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala has suffered on the last decade from increasing violence by street gangsters and drug cartels. These countries have reached murder rates of over 12 persons per day, so the implications for societies and economies -including the tourism industry- are of major relevance and there are no signs that show any improvement. - High barriers to entry into the market: Although there are few regulations for startups in El Salvador, Tour Operators may register in the Ministry of Tourism of El Salvador. Therefore, the bureaucratic process could tend to length a couple of months and be subject to a revision that could delay to start running the company.. 24.

(33) 6. MARKETING 6.1. Market Segmentation The market segmentation is the foundation for stablishing an effective marketing strategy. It allows to divide the market into segments of consumers. Each single segment represents a group of people with similar characteristics that make them to respond similarly to a marketing stimulus. A market segmentation requires to use criteria in terms of the individuals sharing similar. 政治大. characteristics. This criteria is divided in terms of:. 立. - Geographic. ‧ 國. 學. - Demographic. - Psychographic - Behavioral. ‧. y. Nat. In order to divide the market into segments, there is going to be used a Geographic (Region,. n. al. - United States. Ch. engchi. er. io. Geographic segmentation (Region, country):. sit. country) and Demographic (Age, Family size) criteria.. i n U. v. - Canada, Australia, Great Britain and other English speaking countries - Europe and Russia - Latin-American region - East Asia region (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, The Philippines) - Other regions Demographic segmentation (Age, Family size): - Small families (1 or 2 children) - Big families (more than 5 people). 25.

(34) - Retired couples - Business travelers - College students. 6.2. Target Marketing Target marketing is the step on the marketing process where one or more segments are selected to target. This process requires the evaluation of each market segment in order to get the best. 政治大. choices that will be strategically targeted.. 立. Since tour operators usually offer services to several demographic segments at the same time,. ‧ 國. 學. the evaluation will be focused on analyzing the pros and cons of the geographical segments by considering their attractiveness for sustaining profitability and future expansions.. ‧. Evaluation of Geographical segments:. y. Nat. sit. - United States: Because of its geographical proximity to Central America, its size,. er. io. and the purchasing power of the American tourists, this segment has always been the. al. v i n C h their service exclusively tour operators have specialized on the United States. A big plus engchi U n. most important target for tour operators in the region. Despite its Over-saturation, some. of approaching this segment are the multiple flight connections from the main airports. in America to the countries in the Area. Furthermore, most tour guides in the region are bilinguals and very experienced on dealing with American tourists, so that creates a big advantage in terms of the availability of these professionals for providing their service. - Canada, Australia, Great Britain and other English speaking countries: Along with the American Market, other English speaking countries have been traditionally targeted by regional tour operators because of the easiness that represents finding bilingual tour guides and the purchasing power of their people. Therefore, the segment as a whole can be considered easy to access but at the same time saturated. - Europe and Russia: The multicultural continent lump together a variety of countries where people speaks several different languages and have a significant purchasing. 26.

(35) power. This segment has the characteristic to be very accessible, but at the same time, many other factors make it troublesome for most tour operators to profit from it: First, there are not as many flight connection from Europe to Central America as there are from the United States to the region. Second, tourists that come from these countries are usually experienced travelers that have visited practically all regions in the world and therefore, very demanding. Third, Tour guides who speak other languages apart of English, Spanish and French are very rare to find in the region so it makes the process of getting the adequate personal very difficult for tour operators. Because of these issues, the European-Russian market can be considered partially saturated and represents a. 治政 - Latin-American region: The fact of sharing a大 same language and culture makes the 立 Latin American region an easy target for regional tour operators. Despite this advantage, good chance for future expansions.. ‧ 國. 學. this segment can be considered partially saturated because most of this tourists prefer to travel by themselves and don’t make use of tourism companies. Usually, the purchasing. ‧. power of Latin American travelers is also not as high as from the American and European tourists and this make the segment less attractive. On the other hand, local. y. Nat. sit. tour guides that can just speak Spanish are available in the tourist attractions so the costs. al. er. io. for performing the service can be reduced considerably which is also used as a strategy. n. for some tour operators.. Ch. i n U. v. - East Asia region: This region includes several countries that for practical reasons. engchi. can be targeted as a whole segment, although there exists clear cultural differences between each single country. The demographics of this area, on which big Chinese communities outside China and Taiwan can be found all over the region makes the Chinese speaking segment the most relevant of all. However, because of the early economic development of Japan, some tour operators started first providing service to Japanese tourists. Later on, the other countries have been added to the offer and have maintained a tourists’ traffic flow, although it is not as significant as the one from the American or European countries. The segment is not saturated, mostly because of two logistic challenges: First, North-East Asia is geographically distant from Central America and there are not many flight choices, which makes the costs for plane tickets considerably higher in comparison to flying from other parts of the world. Second, there. 27.

(36) is a lack of professional tour guides fluent in Chinese or other main languages so in order to provide service, the excursions must always be accompanied by a tour leader that serves as a translator. Target Market: North-East Asia region, focus in Taiwan (Geographic segmentation). Big and small families, and retired couples (Demographic segmentation).. 6.3. Business Model. 治政 A Business model is the conception of strategies working 大 together to enable a company to 立A business model encompasses how a company will: achieve competitive advantage. ‧ 國. 學. - Define and differentiate its product offerings - Create value for its customers. ‧. - Deliver services to the market. y. Nat. er. io. al. sit. 6.3.1. Product Differentiation. n. - Customized routes in Central America: With the logistics being managed centrally. Ch. i n U. v. in El Salvador, getting access by land transportation to the neighboring countries of. engchi. Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua is very fast and convenient. As an extension, the country of Costa Rica can get easily accessed by plane on just one hour from the “Monseñor Romero” San Salvador Airport. Therefore, it is possible to customize the different choices available to give the customers the chance to get a convenient and satisfactory service according to their budget. Since the region offers diversity of landscape and experiences, tourists will be encouraged to visit as many places and tourist attractions as possible. - Chinese speaking tour guide: An important source of differentiation is to get the best human resource available. Our competitors’ business model includes a Taiwanese tour leader who accompanies the excursion and serves as translator for the local tour guide (Who doesn’t speak Chinese). The reason that precludes this Taiwanese tour. 28.

(37) leader to serves as a tour guide is that in Central America, a Tour Guide license is required to perform this job. Although this model enables the direct translation in Chinese, an important element of connection between tour guide and tourists is missed along the process. Therefore, our company would offer a professional Chinese speaking tour guide to lead the excursions and communicate directly with the tourists. Additionally to possessing these necessary language skills for sharing features and remarkable facts, these professionals may also provide good assistance and be familiar with the cultural background of the travelers. - Specialized service for Taiwanese tourists: Each culture has distinctive. 治政 Taiwanese tourists, the service will be focus on大 providing the experiences that allow 立 them to enjoy food and accommodation in hotels according to the cultural preferences characteristics that make people to have different expectations when traveling. For. ‧ 國. 學. and customer’s feedback. Furthermore, activities that may be suitable for them to join during the route could be included, such as visiting the traditional markets that keep an. ‧. extraordinary resemblance with the street markets in Taiwan. Also, since most of the Central American countries have close relationship with Taiwan, tourists can be. y. Nat. sit. interested in knowing about the Taiwanese embassies, or visiting Taiwanese restaurants. al. er. io. as part of the city tours.. n. - Cultural experience tours: The experience for tourists can be enriched by actively. Ch. i n U. v. joining traditional or cultural activities performed locally on each city or town. Among. engchi. others, some alternatives that we can include in the program are a cultural exchange with local students of elementary schools, making ceramics with local artisans and wearing traditional costumes, cooking traditional food on local restaurants, and shopping for souvenirs and local products.. 6.3.2. Value Propositions a) Value Proposition: To create outstanding tours through cost efficiency Although Central American countries offer a variety of destinations, for logistics and budget related reasons, tour Operators in the region have always offered standard tours on which travelers can’t have the chance to take full advantage of their journeys. Furthermore, these tours. 29.

(38) are usually inefficient in terms of costs. Our value proposition is to create outstanding tours through cost efficiency, so tourists can be able to travel to several destinations, while our company assures the necessary logistics and key partnerships allow us to offer a competitive price. b) Value Proposition: To offer the best service through well trained Chinese speaking tour guides The language capabilities of a tour guide affect the performance and service provided. A mother tongue Chinese speaker is the most suitable human resource to provide service as a tour guide.. 政治大 developed professionally, so the most suitable human resource may not be available. When 立. However, the difficulty lies in the fact that the tourism industry in El Salvador have never. facing this scenario, the Chinese mother tongue professional tour guide should be substituted. ‧ 國. 學. by a Chinese mother tongue trainee. In the worst case scenario, a non-native Chinese speaking trainee may be entrusted with the job. Therefore, recruiting and training of Chinese speaking. ‧. people in order to work as tour guides may be a core competency for the company. Our value. y. Nat. proposition is to offer the best service through well trained Chinese speaking tour guides,. n. al. er. io. English or not.. sit. so Taiwanese tourists can enjoy the best traveling experience regardless of whether they speak. 6.3.3. Service Method. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. - Design of tourism routes: Central America offers several choices for traveling. That includes Mayan archeological sites, volcanoes, lakes, beaches, traditional towns, forests and city tours. The designing of tour routes may be as customized as possible, but it also may take into account the availability of the places, weather conditions, time and distance, and the existence of the proper supporting services such as Hotels or Restaurants. - Networking and building of Alliances with Taiwanese Tour Operators: The partnership with Tour Operators in Taiwan requires to create contacts and networking with managers involved in the Industry. For our advantage, the fact of staying in Taiwan. 30.

(39) for long and studying a prestigious program in a main University (國立政治大學) helps making connections with these partners easier. - Communication with Regional partners: By planning and performance of tours, the communication with the regional partners in Central America may be as smoothly as possible in order to deal with any unexpected circumstance or special requests from the tourists. By doing so, immediate assistance from the central offices can be provide at any moment, and feedback can better be delivered. - Tour guides: As representative of the company in front of the customers, tour guides are in charge of the service from the moment that tourists are picked up in place, to the. 政治大 provided in road will directly be affected by their performance, for which practical 立 preparation, training in soft skills and feedback may be constantly provided in order to. moment that they depart to their next destination or finish their journey. The service. ‧ 國. 學. guarantee a good service quality.. - Transportation: Outsourcing transportation companies specialized in tours across. ‧. Central America, with experienced drivers and a variety of vehicles are available in the region at very competitive prices. Therefore, satisfying the demand of tours is suitable. y. Nat. sit. by making use of this resource.. er. io. - Hotels and Restaurants booking: The success of a tour depends on large measure. al. v i n these places are necessaryC in order to create a directory of Hotels and Restaurants in the hengchi U near routes to the tourist attractions. n. by the supporting services such as Hotels and Restaurants. Prices and feedback form. 31.

(40) 6.4. Organizational Structure CEO. Sales and. Tourism. Accounting. marketing. Operation. and. 政治大. 學. Tour Guides. Figure 9: Organizational Chart. sit. y. Nat. 6.4.1. Recruitment. ‧. ‧ 國. 立. n. al. er. io. The profile of the tour guide may include the following skills and capabilities:. Ch. i n U. v. - Native Chinese speaker, or non-native with advance conversational level - People service oriented. engchi. - Willing to travel across the region Candidates may attend an interview and a test of Chinese language proficiency (non-native speakers) in order to be admitted as Trainees. For the recruitment process, the most effective channels for finding Chinese speakers, including the contact with the Taiwanese Embassy and the Chinese Association in El Salvador will be used.. 6.4.2. Training Tour guides have to be exposed to a continuous process of training and feedback in order to guarantee that an acceptable service level is provided to tourists. Such training may concentrate. 32.

(41) on the following topics: - Information and history of touristic destinations - On site visits - Customer service. 6.4.3. Retention An appropriate remuneration that can include bonus for exceptional performance has to be provided in order to retain the Tour Guides. The risk that other Tour Operators would copy the. 政治大 important factor to prevent that situation. 立. business model makes an appropriate remuneration and a friendly working environment an. ‧ 國. 學. 6.5. Generic Business-Level Strategy. al. y. sit. Broad differentiation. n. Market. Broad low cost. er. Narrow (Niche). the. ‧. Broad. io. to. Nat. Approach. Ch. Focus low cost. engchi. i n U. v. Focus differentiation. Low cost. Differentiation Strategic emphasis. Figure 10: Generic Business-Level Strategy Focus differentiation Strategy: Target a particular segment and customize the offering to their needs by adding special features. Our target market is focused on big and small Taiwanese families and retired couples that are traveling to the region for the first time.. 33.

(42) 6.6. 4Ps 6.6.1. Product (Service) Tour Operators’ service consists of package holidays that would include the following items: - Round trip flight to the destination - Hotel Accommodations - Transport during the whole trip - Entrance to tourist attractions - Tour Guide - Meals (Optional). 立. 政治大. The service pursue giving tourists a complete assistance on all details during the excursion, so. ‧ 國. 學. they can relax and enjoy their journey to a foreign country. The tour operator manages the logistic and creates a route that allow visiting different places in a limited time.. ‧. The Central American countries offer a wide variety of tourist attractions including World. y. Nat. sit. heritage sites, archaeological sites, nature reserves, volcanoes, forests, beaches, lakes, Spanish. al. er. io. colonial towns, etc. These attractions are usually connected by a good road infrastructure, so it. n. is possible to visit several places in a short period of time and enjoy many diverse experiences in a single trip.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Our Service portfolio will take advantage of the many attractions to create the most diverse excursions and bring the tourists unforgettable experiences. By way of example, the following excursion features several attractions on 5 countries. The duration of the whole trip is 19 days and includes the service of hotel accommodations, transportation and Chinese speaking tour guide.. 34.

(43) Dream journey to Mayan Central America, 5 countries in 20 days. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Figure 11: Tour Map. Itinerary: Day 1. Taiwan - Guatemala City: Flight from Taiwan to Guatemala City. After arrival, transfer to hotel. Day 2. Guatemala City - Flores - Tikal – Flores: Transfer to local airport and flight to Flores. Trip to Tikal and visit to the famous Maya cities. In the afternoon, visit to Morley Museum. 3rd day. Flores - Yaxhá - Flores - Guatemala City – Antigua: Visit to the Maya city Yaxhá. Then transfer to the airport and flight back to Guatemala City. Drive through the Guatemalan. 35.

(44) highlands to Antigua. Day 4. Antigua: Antigua is one of the oldest cities in America and former colonial capital of Central America. After visiting the lively main square, where the cathedral and city administration are located, visit to the ruins of an old convent. Afterwards, visit a Coffee plantation. Day 5. Antigua – Panajachel: After breakfast, drive to Atitlán Lake. Fertile hills and three powerful volcanoes give the lake a fairytale atmosphere. Boat trip to the village of Santiago Atitlán, located at the foot of the mighty volcanoes.. 政治大 Day 6. Panajachel - Chichicastenango - Guatemala City: Visit to the famous and important 立 market of Chichicastenango. Extensive travel through this beautiful and colorful market.. ‧ 國. 學. Afterwards, visit to the more than 400 years old Santo Tomas church.. ‧. Day 7. Guatemala City – Copán: Impressions of the Guatemalan metropolis and visit to the. sit. Nat. culture museum. Drive to Honduras in direction to Copan.. y. Central Square, National Palace and Metropolitan Cathedral. Afterwards, visit to a Mayan. er. io. Day 8. Copán: Together with Tikal, Chichen Itza and Uxmal, the ruins of Copan are among. al. n. v i n C hstaircase and the Central ball court, the famous hieroglyphic e n g c h i U Square, as well as the sculpture the most outstanding monuments that the Maya have ever created. Visit to the Acropolis, the. museum in Copán.. 9th day. Copan - Santa Ana - Joya de Cerén – Suchitoto: After breakfast, crossing the border to El Salvador and visit to Santa Ana city and the Mayan ruins of Joya de Cerén. Continue to the best-preserved colonial city of El Salvador, Suchitoto. 10th day. Suchitoto - Suchitlán Lake – Suchitoto: Suchitoto is full of traditions and culture amidst a beautiful landscape and has great monuments and picturesque houses with ancient balconies. Later, visit to an Indigo workshop. In the afternoon, boat trip on the Suchitlan Lake to the Bird’s Island.. 36.

(45) Day 11. Suchitoto – León: Drive along the Pan-Americana road and Cosiguina volcano to El Viejo, a small town known for its gastronomic variety. Then continue to León in Nicaragua. 12th day. León - Managua - Masaya volcano – Granada: By a city tour, visit to the former capital of Nicaragua, León. Afterwards, move to Managua, and view of Tiscapa hill, the former square of the Presidential Palace. Continue to Masaya, to look into the crater of this active volcano. Later, arrive on the charming colonial city of Granada. 13th day. Granada - Las Isletas – Granada: Visit to Granada. In the afternoon, ride a horsedrawn carriage to the giant Lake Nicaragua, to enjoy a relaxing cruise along the impressive "Las Isletas".. 立. 政治大. 14th day. Granada - San Carlos - La Fortuna: Leave Granada In the early morning and drive. ‧ 國. 學. along the Coast of Nicaragua Lake via San Carlos to Costa Rica. Continue to La Fortuna, located on the Arenal Volcano. In the evening, relaxation in thermal springs.. ‧. 15th day. La Fortuna - Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí: Hike over old lava flows in Arenal. sit. y. Nat. National Park. Afterwards, visit to an organic coffee plantation and continue to Sarapiquí.. er. io. 16th day. Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí: After visiting a pineapple plantation drive to the. al. n. v i n bird species. Afterwards, you willClearn h eeverything i Uneed to know about chocolate. n g c hyou. Tirimbina rainforest reserve. Here live monkeys, faults, nasenbären, belt animals and numerous. Day 17. Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí- Guápiles - Tortuguero national park: Drive to the boat landing stage and boat trip to the Mawamba Lodge at Tortuguero National Park. In the afternoon, a trip to the nearby village of Tortuguero is on the agenda. Day 18. Tortuguero National Park: Today you can explore the canals and hiking trails. In addition to an impressive flora, you can watch a lot of animals. Day 19. Tortuguero National Park - San José: Return by boat and bus to San José to your city hotel or at an extra charge Transfer to your hotel on the Caribbean coast (daily bathing is possible).. 37.

(46) Day 20. San José – Taiwan: Transfer to the airport and return to Taiwan. Day 21. Taiwan: Arrival in Taiwan. Tour Highlights: - Visits to main attractions on 5 countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) including 7 World Heritage Sites. - Chinese speaking Tour Guide accompanies the excursion from the arrival to the departure of the group. 政治大 - Competitive market price in a range of NT$ 180,000 to NT$ 200,000 (US$ 6,000 立 US$ 6,600 approx.). - Just 2 Internal short flights on the whole trip. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. 6.6.2. Price. Pricing a package holiday requires the inclusion of diverse costs for services that can oscillate. y. Nat. depending on the year’s season, such as airplane tickets and Hotel reservations. Each excursion. io. sit. can also vary in terms of duration, or the tourist attractions that are included on the route.. al. n. the package.. er. Therefore, when pricing there must pay close attention to all different variants that are part of. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Following the previous Product’s example “Dream journey to Mayan Central America, 5 countries in 20 days”, the market price for that type of excursion offered by Taiwanese Tour Operators can oscillate between NT$ 180,000 and NT$ 200,000 (US$ 6,000 - US$ 6,600 approx.).. 6.6.3. Promotion Taiwanese partners that have stablished a commercial presence in the country are the direct link that join tourists to regional tour operators. These partners have already developed their own web sites and have offices in Taiwan that allow travelers to access their platforms and get informed about the different packages available to travel to Central America. Therefore, in. 38.

(47) order for them to attract tourists, our Tour Operator may provide them with the necessary tools for an effective communication, such as: - Attractive pictures from the tourist attractions - Useful Information and data about the destinations - Creative catalogues with the tourist routes - Information about the countries - Information and pictures of Hotels and Restaurants - Other information such as useful links, tour guides’ information, transportation, etc.. 政治大 promote their service on international tourism fairs and media. In those events, tour operators 立 In addition, tourism companies work always together with the tourism ministry in order to. have the chance to meet face to face with the potential tourists, and give even more detailed. ‧ 國. 學. information to them, as well as to get a direct impression about their expectations and opinions.. ‧. Finally, Social media and our own web page may be developed, first in English and later in other languages including Chinese, so travelers from all over the world can get access to the. y. Nat. er. io. 6.6.4. Place. sit. information of our tours and reserve a package holiday directly with us.. al. n. v i n C h place refers to theUlocation where a business is going to As a marketing concept, traditionally engchi sell its product to the customers. In terms of service, place may include: - Channels - Logistics - Locations - Transportation In the context of a Tour Operator, the service provided for tourists during an excursion is just the last step after a designing, planning, promotion and logistics effort. Therefore, a wider concept for the role of “Place” may include the interactions within these factors:. 39.

(48) a) Channels: The direct link that allows our company to provide a travel service to the final customers is our group of partners in Taiwan. These Taiwanese tour operators are the channel on which travelers can get access to the information of our tour packages and destinations in Central America. They also arrange the dates and amount of people per group, so our company can exclusively deal with the further logistics. As part of our partnership selection, the networking across the NCCU IMBA and EMBA is a valuable resource to create the important connections and alliances with Tour Operators. b) Logistics: The logistics process is essential for the company’s success. From the. 治政 and tour guides performance, every detail may be大 taken into account so the travelers 立 can rely completely in our service during their journey. Besides our personal. planning of touristic routes, to the service in place, hotels reservations, transportation,. ‧ 國. 學. networking, the Taiwanese Embassies are an important support to extend our connections along the Central American countries in order to find professional. ‧. partners in the region.. c) Locations: In terms of location, our service is performed along a tour route where. y. Nat. sit. every destination in the journey may be considered as a service point. Therefore, our. al. n. need to give an outstanding service to the travelers.. Ch. er. io. operations may focus on providing tour guides with the tools and support that they. i n U. v. d) Transportation: Although the transportation will be outsourced, there may be a. engchi. consistency on the service provided by our suppliers, so direct feedback about the transportation will be taken into account when choosing suppliers.. 40.

(49) 7. FINANCE 7.1. Start-Up Expenses and Assets The estimations for the expenses are based on current prices but may be subject to variation. Table 2: Start-Up Expenses and Assets Start-Up Expenses and Assets (US$) Start-up Expenses. 政治大. Legal Office supplies Rent. 立. $300 $500 $1,000 $2,500. ‧ 國. 學. Computers Furniture. $1,500 $1,000. ‧. Office equipment Total Start-up Expenses. $6,800. sit. y. Nat. io. Cash Required. n. al. er. Start-up Assets. Other Current Assets Long-term Assets. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. $8,000 $500 $3,500. Total Assets. $12,000. Total Requirements. $18,800. 41.

(50) 7.2. Initial Investment The initial investment required for running a professional tour operator in El Salvador is at least $18,800. This amount would be financed through loans. Table 3: Initial Investment Initial Investment (US$) Start-up Expenses to Fund. $6,800. Start-up Assets to Fund. $12,000. Total Funding Required. 立. Assets. 政治大. $4,000. ‧ 國. 學. Non-cash Assets from Start-up. $18,800. Cash Requirements from Start-up. $8,000. Additional Cash Raised. $0. ‧. Cash Balance on Starting Date. $8,000 $12,000. sit. al. er. io. Liabilities. y. Nat. Total Assets. n. Current Borrowing. Ch. e Bills) gchi U Accounts Payable (Outstandingn Long-term Liabilities. v ni. $4,000 $6,800 $0. Other Current Liabilities (interest-free). $8,000. Total Liabilities. $18,800. Capital Loss at Start-up (Start-up Expenses). ($6,800). Total Capital. ($6,800). Total Capital and Liabilities. $12,000. Total Funding. $18,800. 42.

(51) 7.3. Payroll As stated in “6.4 Organizational Structure”, the company would initially be consisted by 6 employees, including 2 tour guides. Later, the amount of employees would increase according to the business growth, including adding a third Tour Guide starting on the second year of operations. Table 4: Payroll Payroll (US$). 立. Tour guide 1. $9,600. Year 2. Year 3. $10,000. $10,500. $10,000. $10,500. 學. ‧ 國. Tour guide 2 Tour guide 3. 政治Year 1大 $9,600 $0. $10,000. $10,500. $10,000. $11,000. Sales and Marketing Coordinator. $7,200. $8,000. CEO. $12,000. ‧. $9,000. $14,000. $16,000. Accounting and Finance Manager. $6,000. $6,500. $7,500. Total Payroll. $54,000. $68,500. $75,000. n. Ch. engchi. 43. sit er. io. al. y. $9,600. Nat. Tourism Operations Coordinator. i n U. v.

(52) 7.4. Sales Forecast The sales forecast over a three years period is focused on 4 different categories, being group Tours the main activity and estimating at least one tour of more than 10 people every month during the first year. Commissions, and the sale of hotel rooms and transportation complement the income. On average, the direct cost of sales represents less than 70% of sales themselves. Table 5: Sales Forecast Sales Forecast (US$). 立. Sales. Year 2. Year 3. Accommodation. $27,054. $50,000. $80,000. Transportation. $71,609. $100,000. $120,000. $79,581. $100,000. $130,000. $974,101. $1,550,000. $2,330,000. Transportation costs. al. n. Tour costs. sit. io. Direct Cost of Sales. $2,000,000. y. Nat. Total Sales. Accommodation costs Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales. Ch. $623,148. e n$63,662 gchi U. er. Commissions. ‧ 國. $1,300,000. 學. $795,857. ‧. Tour. 治1 政 Year 大. $900,000 v i n. $1,400,000. $80,000. $100,000. $20,689. $35,000. $45,000. $707,499. $1,015,000. $1,545,000. 44.