Vocabulary of the text

Exercise 1. Give the Ukrainian equivalents to the following words and word-combinations:

appeal to, ecologically and socially conscious individuals, focus on volunteering, cultural heritage, primary attractions, marginal activity, significant portion, gross domestic product, a massive global commercial enterprise, assist local communities, niche tourism, exploration, remote, hostile areas, seek unusual holidays, cultural exchange or interaction, to step outside of comfort zone, bungee jumping, rafting, rock climbing , cardiac surgery, sanctuary, spa towns, urban areas, indigenous cultural communities, substantially, campsites, shift, to upgrade their properties, camper pitches, chalets, become fairly congested, to escape from the hurly-burly, horse-riding, pony-trekking, vineyards.

Exercise 2. Answer the following questions:

1. What do the types of tourism depend on?

2. Whom does ecotourism appeal to?

3. What does ecotourism focus on?

4. Why is ecotourism considered to be a major industry of the national economy of many countries?

5. What does adventure tourism involve?

6. What is "adventure travel"?

7. What does the term medical tourism describe?

8. What time did the first recorded instance of medical tourism date back?

9. Why are spa towns considered an early form of medical tourism?

10. What does cultural tourism generally focus on? What does it include?

Exercise 3. Match the terms with the definitions:

convention tourism	a type of tourism that involves visits of tour operators and travel agents to travel destinations so that they get to know their facilities well
incentive tourism	a style of vacation which is normally on farms
sports tourism	an act of travelling to a disaster area as a matter of curiosity
leisure tourism	a type of tourism which involves holidays awarded to staff members as a bonus to encourage them to work better
familiarization	a type of active holidays including mountaineering, water tourism, skiing, etc.
special interest	a type of tourism which involves taking part in, conferences, meetings and seminars
disaster tourism	a type of tourism which involves holidays for tourism relaxation and entertainment purposes
health tourism	a type of tourism which involves journeys for people who share the same hobby
rural tourism	a practice of travelling to obtain health care

Lesson 2. Travel Agencies and Tour Operators

Pre-reading

Work in pairs. Name some Ukrainian travel agencies and tour operators. Give a short description of them.

Reading

The travel agencies and tour operators represent a very important part of the tourist industry.

Travel agencies are retail tourist companies which work directly with the public. They are often called shops where customers buy different tourist products. Travel agencies sell tour packages and individual tourist service Among tour packages are inclusive tours, charter inclusive tours, inclusive tours with an excursion, coaching tours and cruising tours.

Travel agencies form groups of tourists to take part in ready-made prepaid tours. They also make individual travel arrangements.

Among separate tourist services there are air tickets, train tickets, boat or ferry tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, sightseeing tours services of a guide or a guide-interpreter. Travel agencies also offer travel insurances and theatre tickets to their customers.

A typical travel agency has colourful brochures that illustrate the delights offered by a wide variety of tours.

The large travel agencies are members of a chain.

There are travel agency outlets in hotels, airports, railway stations, big department stores, at large factories and plants, etc. There is usually just one travel clerk in an outlet. He does all the work. He answers phone calls, meets customers in person, works on the computer, does paperwork, etc. Of course he keeps in touch with the head office and knows all up-to-date information on tours and tickets. Offers and prices are the same in all outlets of the travel agency.

Tour operators make arrangements for hotel rooms, meals, transportation and other services for tourists. They buy products and services from their providers in bulk at much lower prices. Tour operators try to get convenient room allocations in hotels, charter aircrafts or coaches, recruit staff such as tour leaders, guides, or resort representatives, plan advertising campaigns and prepare brochures, prepare a holiday package.

The job of tour operator can sometimes overlap with the job of a travel agent. They can be both wholesalers and retailers. They can either sell their products, holiday packages, through travel agent or directly to the public.

The travel agent is in direct contact with the client, advising on resorts, carriers, insurance and travel facilities in general, helping to plan itineraries for customers, etc.

The travel agent must know the product well and be able to sell it. Sometimes travel agents are invited to familiarization trips to become familiar with the destination they are selling. A travel agent should be a skilled psychologist as he should be able to discover what a client is looking for. It’s a task of a travel agent to recommend a client the right product at the right price.