Distribution Channels in Tourism
Distribution channels in tourism can be divided into two levels: national and international. In national level, domestic market is served by large tourism operators and retail travel agents. In international level, on the other hand, tourism distribution may involve tourism operators, retail travel agents, as well as, wholesalers.
According to Moutinho (2011) tourism distribution channels involve supplier products to be public (consumers) through channels members. Mourinho specifies individual parties in each category in the following manner:
| Supplier products | Channel members | Public |
| Transport
Accommodation Insurance Entertainment Tours Specialised services |
Tour operators
Travel agencies Cross suppliers Suppliers Other |
Individuals
Groups Organisations |
Tourism services, distributors and target population
Source: Moutinho (2011)
Mohapatra (2013) also discusses various aspects of distribution channels in tourism presented in above, and observes an interesting tendency in relation to these channels. Namely, according to Mohapatra (2013), the share of online sales transactions through these channels have been consistently and rapidly increasing compared to the volume of offline sales transactions during the two decades. However, Mohapatra (2013) fails to refer to any official statistical data to back up this claim.
References
Mohapatra, S. (2013) “E-Commerce Strategy: Text and Cases” Springer Group
Moutinho, L. (2011) “Strategic Management in Tourism” CABI