There are many types of tour packages that assemble various travel services. All-inclusive packages include all elements like lodging, transportation, and meals. Escorted tours have guides accompanying travelers along a set itinerary. Hosted tours are similar but have local representatives instead of tour managers. Independent tours have no set schedule and allow travelers more flexibility. Dynamic packaging allows travelers to customize their own packages by selecting individual travel services. Overall, packaging combines essential travel services to provide value and convenience for customers.

1. Classifications of Tour
Packages
Dr. Sumit Kumar Singh

2. All-Inclusive Package Tour
• All-inclusive package is a generic term for packages to include all the
elements that travellers require for their trips, including airfare, lodging,
ground transportation, meals, recreation and entertainment and taxes.
• All-inclusive holidays have become popular option for savvy spenders.
• They not only allow travellers to budget for the bulk but also work out cheap
at the destinations.

3. Package Tours with Escorts
• Escorted tours follow a predetermined Itinerary and tour escorts or guides
accompany travellers.
• Escorted tours are normally conducted by a tour director who takes care of
all services from the beginning to the end of the tour.

4. Package Tours Promoted by Hosted
• Hosted tours are a kind of guided tours. It is somewhat similar to the
Escorted tours.
• On the other hand, passengers are greeted by a local representative rather
than a Tour Manager.
• Local guides are arranged at all locations to accompany the guests at the sites.
Some meals, accommodations and sightseeing may be included in the tour.

5. Independent Tours
• An Independent tour does not include a guide or a host or a set routine of
daily activities.
• Independent tours are prepared/ formulated for those tourists who wish to
travel independently.
• These tourists usually spend 2 or 3 nights in each location visited and usually
only a few locations are visited.

6. Freedom Tours
• Freedom tours are very popular kinds among the youth groups, friends,
newlywed couples and working classes.
• These tours are designed as per the requirements of customers. This can also
be taken to the present day concept of tailor-made packages.
• Tourists decide how to travel, when to travel and where to travel and travel
requirements are submitted to service providers for tailoring a tour.

7. Fly- Drive Packages
• Fly-Drive tours are single price packages that include return trip air fare and
a rental car at destination.
• A Fly-drive holiday is a best way to see a country or a range of destinations
all in one trip.
• Fly drives give the freedom of the road to explore at your own style or
simply fly into a destination airport or hire a car.

8. Accommodation and Meal Package
• Most resorts and certain other lodging properties promote packages that
incorporate one more nights of accommodation, plus a specified number of
meals.
• Customers book accommodation first and when they arrive to stay in the
hotels they are provided with meals and required amenities for their stay.
• Hotel staff provides information and suggestions regarding sightseeing,
shopping and other entertainment activities at the destination.

9. Event Packages
• Big events become the attractions for great holidays.
• There would be many events round the calendar and each place would be
famous for a special event.
• Every year, special one-time events, festivals, entertainment and cultural
performances, or other occurrences take place in India and throughout the
world.

10. Packages with Programming for Special
Interest
• The primary attractions of these packages are the special activities,
programmes and events arranged by one or more of the participants.
• This segment is very popular among the youth and allo-centric tourists.
• Special interests like cycling biking, and rafting, trekking, mountaineering
jumping and skiing, skating and ballooning are some crazy activities liked by
the youth.

11. Target Market packages
• Target Market Packages are specially designed to meet the needs of certain
target markets.
• Market segments like children, youth, women, newly married, differently-
abled, adults and old age groups are identified and travel services are catered
targeting these segments accordingly.
• Packages including theme parks, zoological parks, water sports etc. would fit
to the children segment.

12. Incentive Tour Packages
• Incentive tour packages are generally given to employees as recognition for
their better performance in the organization.
• This incentive tour is actually a business tool to motivate the employees
towards the goals and targets in the company.
• This tour packages are usually given to groups with unusual travel package
which may also include meetings, exhibitions or conferences.

13. Convention/ Meeting Packages
• These package tours are prepared together including meetings and
conventions or they are also prepared individually.
• In these packages, registration and entry tickets to conventions are booked
earlier and then tour package is developed according to the time schedule of
the convention.
• Generally, these kinds of tours are pre-convention tours or post-convention
tours including convention as part of the tour.

14. Affinity Group tour Packages
• Affinity groups share common interests or common goals formally or
informally.
• Affinity groups include hobby clubs, reading circles, writing circles, social
clubs, fraternities and like-minded groups etc.
• Similar interest groups tend to have their interest in activities like cycling,
biking, painting, singing, art, architecture, heritage, adventure and expedition
cruise etc. and go on for tours including such components

15. Family Vacation Packages
• Family Vacation Packages are prepared exclusively for a single family. This is
the package where a family can play together.
• Family vacations are some source of fondest memories for both, the kids
and the parents.
• Since a family consists of kids, parents and grandparents, it becomes difficult
for an organizer to arrange all the travel services

16. Weekend and Mini Vacation Packages
• These packages are generally meant for the employees to break far away
from their hustle and bustle of city life to rejuvenate their mind, body and
soul with this short and cheap weekend and mini vacation packages.
• Such packages are planned within the close vicinity so that the tourists can
complete trip within the stipulated time.

17. Seasonal Packages
• Seasonal Packages are specially prepared to enjoy seasons like the spring
bloom, winter splendour, summer sun, and fall leaf season etc.
• These packages cannot be enjoyed all around the year and are prepared in
accordance with the tourists.
• It is a tough job preparing such itineraries because a tour operator has to find
suitable places according to the best reasons for the best season.

18. Off-peak Special Packages
• These packages are specially designed to tap the market during Off-Seasons.
• The packages are made attractive adding new components to it.
• Creativity and innovation is necessary to design such packages.
• Tourists wish to experience the tourism at destinations integrating into every
aspect of it.

19. Foreign Independent Tour (FIT)
• A special package arranged by travel agents or other foreign independent
travel specialist that fits individual clients needs while they are travelling in
foreign countries.
• These tours are preferred by wealthy and affluent travellers.
• This tour provides the comfort of travelling whenever a tourist wants to
individually.
• These tours are got tailored by the personal travel agents.

20. Group Inclusive Tour (GIT)
• This is an all-inclusive package with a specified minimum size involving one
or more groups travelling on scheduled or chartered air service.
• This is the best method of having an economic tour.
• Tourists who feel insecure and alone can have such tours because they are
always in the group which is accompanied by a tour leader.

21. Charter Tour
• Charter tour is a trip or a package where the aircraft or other equipment is
chartered by a tour wholesaler, tour operator and other individual or group.
• When a large families, group of friends or employees of a company wish to
travel together, charter tours serve the purpose.
• Separate flight or vehicle is booked exclusively for the group

22. Destination Package
• A package can be categorized by the destinations as it features.
• Tour package is designed selecting all the components at a single destination.
• Tourists are taken to that specific destinations and it is experienced to the
fullest.
• Itinerary would be very simple. Starting at the origin, reaching the tourist
destination, staying at the destination, moving to every corner of it, enjoying
all the activities and then returning back to the origin is the plan.

23. Dynamic Packaging
• This is a new trend in tour packaging.
• This enables the tourists to book their own package based on their
preferences of transport, accommodation, transfers, meals, tour guiding,
sightseeing etc. instead of buying a pre-defined package tour.
• The pricing in dynamic packaging is always based on the current availability.

24. Summary
• Packaging is commonly used in assembling some essential and related
services to enhance the value for money.
• It is seldom to find individual items in the tourism market as customers do
not want to undertake travel with the confirmation of one single element.
• However, there is no big difference between all-inclusive and customized
package tour as each has its own merits and demerits.