Itinerary
Planning &
Development
What is Itinerary?
• An itinerary is a schedule or an arrangement of programmes or events, which prepared for
designing package tour.
• It is an arranegement of places logically to satisfy the requirement of customers and tour
operators.
• The salability and marketability of any package tour is determined by tour itinerary.
• The origin, destination and en-route halting points and duration of halts along with
elements of services like hotel rooms, transports, activities and miscellaneous services are
clearly described in tour itinerary.
• An itinerary gives detailed information about nature, type, length and quality of package
tour.
Why it's so important?
• It gives highlight of the tour.
• It ensures quality of package tour.
• It gives much confidence and interest to undertake journey to places of
interest.
• It includes logical inclusion and exclusion of services and sequential
arrangement of a variety of features.
• A planned itinerary eliminates much of the tension and problems at the time
of operation of tour
Types of Itinerary
Itinerary is usually divided into five different types by meeting the needs of
stakeholders (tourists, tour managers, vendors, coach drivers and escorts,
interpreters and guides):
Itinerary for Tourists - Purpose of tour, Budget, Accommodation, Transportation,
Choice of destinations, Attractions, Activities at destinations, Legal issues and Behavior
of local community members .
Itinerary for Tour Manager- alternative arrangements, contact details, quick
references, differential rates and tariff details, details of coach drivers and escorts and
guides.
Itinerary for Tourist Guide - name and nationality of guests, mode of arrivals, name
of hotel, programmes, activities, time management, arrangement of loading and
unloading of baggage and valuable belongings, photography, helping physically
challenged guests and women etc.
Types of Itinerary (contd.)
Itinerary for Accommodation and Transport Operator- E.g.welcome drinks and
traditional reception upon arrival in hotel
Itinerary for Drivers - To make proper coordination with guides, hotels and
guests. It includes place and time of arrivals, parking areas, name of hotel,
route to hotel and other sightseeing places, cleanliness of vehicle, checking air
condition, break, public address system, etc.
Types of Itinerary
Itinerary divided into four types by meeting the needs of tourist and tour operator:
GIT Itinerary- work on scheduled dates of departure and arrival and it gives priority to pre-
arranged services.
FIT Itinerary- It suits independant tourist where they get more liberty to undertake several
activities of their choice by modifying the itinerary subject to the availability.
Tailor-made Itinerary- More customization of tour to match the requirements. Tour
Operators are more flexible in adopting the changes in their existing itinerary.
Special Interest Itinerary- A programme that focuses on the interest of clients. It may require
more research and background work to operate SITs by analyzing the behaviour of the
tourists and suitable destinations.
Resources for Itinerary Planning
Information Brochures Destination - refer brochures collected, compiled and published by
various government operated tourism departments.
Hotel Brochure and Tariff - refer type of room, facilities and amenities, service quality,
tariff, discounts, locations, add-on services, safety, etc.
Ground Transport Brochure and Tariff- depicting the images of coach and car with
facilities and amenities for guests.
Railway Timetable and Fare - Train at a glance - time table, fare, concession rules,
reservation options, special train services etc.
Flight Timetable and Fare- Flight reference materials, ABC Travel Guide published by IATA.
Travel Information Manual - up-to-date information on travel formalities for travel agents
or tour operators to make use for preparing tour itinerary.
Local Festival Calendar - https://www.keralatourism.org/festivalcalendar/
Restricted Area Permits
Weather Forecasts- Accu Weather, Weather Channel
Local Culture and People
Socio-Political Risks Factors
Connectivity and Types of Transport
Use of Various Maps - Google Maps, Open Street Map, Baidu Maps
Softwares - TourWriter, TourPlan
Technology and Internet - Gmail, Hotmail, Slack, Telegram, Whatsapp Business
Steps for Itinerary Planning
Reviewing and Analysing Competitor’s Tour - find the strength
and weakness of tour programmes.
Working Out Duration, Frequency and Departure Point
List the major locations in logical order and highlight them with
significance
• Content and Description - Contents about flora, fauna, history,
culture and people in tour itinerary must be collected and
developed uniquely
• Arrangement of Miscellaneous Activities - Any activities offered by
third party suppliers or entrance fees determine the quality of tour
itinerary. For example short cruises, bike rides, entry into zoological
parks, caves etc.
• Obtaining Permission to Access to Private and Public Properties
• Minute-Wise Day Programme
• Testing Sample Itinerary - FAM Trip
• Title of Tour - For example, TEA GARDEN PARTY is a title of tour and it
is promoted for UK nationals interested to visit tea gardens in Assam
and Darjeeling area.
• Background Information for Preparing Itinerary
Duration of the tour.
Minimum time for visiting each city
Purpose of travel and special interest.
Selecting cities to be included in the itinerary
Mode of intercity travel. (by road, rail, air)
Selection of any special air fare or rail fare
Selecting the hotels to be used.
First arrival and last departure from international airport.
Inclusion of places requiring restricted area permits.
Best time for visiting
