170 likes | 378 Views
Competitor identification in the tour operating industry. Raphaël Dornier – Savoy University Noureddine Selmi – Sup de Co La Rochelle TTRA Europe April 2011. Research questions. How top managers identify their competitors ? How top managers categorize their competitors ?.
E N D
Competitor identification in the tour operating industry Raphaël Dornier – Savoy University Noureddine Selmi – Sup de Co La Rochelle TTRA Europe April 2011
Research questions • How top managers identify their competitors ? • How top managers categorize their competitors ?
Identification and categorization of main competitors • A small number of competitors identified • The main dimensions used to categorize: - Offer rather than demand- Size
Sample : 32 small French tour-operators focusing on a theme (between 150) • 1 rejected the notion of competition : fair tourism
TO specialized on « fair tourism » • « We do not think about competition. In this kind of « fair tourism », the more organizations there will be the better it will be. There is room for everybody because if you are on sustainable tourism, there is the whole world to do it ».
The TO identified as main competitors • 103 tour-operators mentioned
The identification rational of main competitors • TO selling the same type of trip : 14 top managers • TO the same kind of trip with additional conditions : 12 top managers (destination, sales turnover, notoriety, departure city, place) • TO selling the same kind of trip and other TO selling other kinds of trips : 5 top managers
The categories of main competitors • No competitor at all : 1 TP • Dimensions of competition but no categories : 1 TP • For 29 TP :- 2,9 categories of main competitors- 26 dimensions for categorization
Discussion • Financial results used by only 7 % of TP • Information on trips available and free : brochures and websites • Many different criteria for a same dimension :- 19 for the trips (a second specialization)- 6 for the customers (customer expectations)- 5 for capital structure (belongin group)
Dimension « Trips » • Another kind of specialization compared with the main kind of specialization (trekking in one country) • A narrower specialization « inside » the main specialization (technical trekking or music festivals) • The range of trips (top range diving)
Dimension « Customers » • Customer expectations • Social categories • Individual or group customers
Limitations and perspectives • Comparing our results with previous studies on competitor identification in other industries