Know more:
Please make sure you read the following two articles before proceeding with the current knowledge base article:
Note: The Group Tour Template functionality is not yet generally available and needs to be enabled to be shown and selectable. Please get in touch with our support team for more information.
Introduction
Templates of type Group Tour will allow the creation of fixed multi-day tours for groups.
A group tour template is characterised by having multiple departure dates and has additional settings relevant only in the context of groups. While creating a new template, the tour type Group Tour needs to be selected.
In Templates, there are two additional sections to manage the group tour settings.
Group Tours Configuration Tab
In this section, the main group settings are defined, which are common to all departure dates contained within the Template. These configurations have an impact on how the tour will be sold. Some of the settings are:
Default calculation pax
Sets the pax reference value to consider for the group costs calculation when there are group rates defined (i.e., multiple pax ranges)
Pricing currency of the Template
Group Size
The minimum and maximum number of people required in the group for the tour to take place.
Note: Fields Minimum Group Size and Maximum Group Size are uniquely informative and do not influence operations or group tour status whatsoever. Namely, they will NOT:
Place the tour in "stop sales" if Maximum Group Size is reached.
Trigger an event if the Minimum Group Size is not reached at the departure date or X days before that date.
Manage room types
Available rooms for selection in the template.
Departure Dates Tab
The list of departure dates will only be displayed after the templates available have been regenerated on the Miscellaneous tab.
The availability takes the products included in the Template into consideration. Product management users can have total control over each departure date and make any adjustments when required.
In the list of departure dates, we have the following elements:
Departure Date
The effective group departure date from the main fixed multi-day tour program. Pre/Post-Programs are not considered for this departure date.
Guaranteed
States if a departure date will be marked as a guaranteed departure.
Price Override
It is possible to amend the template's final price per room type for any price adjustments required per service level.
Calculation Pax
It is possible to adjust the calculation pax reference value to adjust the group's pricing (costs and sales) per departure date.
Guide Languages
It is possible to add the information of the guide language per departure date. This takes into consideration the defined languages defined on the Template description tab.
Note: If the field Calculation Pax is not defined for a specific departure date, then the Default calculation pax present in the Group Tours Configuration tab will be used as a fallback for the itinerary calculation. Price calculation is conducted at the itinerary instantiation.
Template Pricing Override
In the departure dates section, it is possible to adjust the net prices for the different service levels and room types within the fixed multi-day tour. New net values will override the net prices of products and modules referenced by the template.
This can be used to make pricing corrections, e.g. to make the rates more competitive on a certain date or for any other commercial reasons, without having to adjust every single product.
Template Pricing Calculation
To determine what will be the final sales price of the tour, different aspects need to be taken into consideration.
One of the main factors is the Pax Calculation Reference Number which is defined in the group tour settings and will be used to determine the correct group rate. In the image below, we can see that prices differ according to the different pax ranges. So by choosing a pax reference value per departure date, it is possible to adjust template pricing in the most effective way, considering group size expectations.
This Pax Calculation Reference number is also relevant when a Base Service is added to a Module/Template. For example, add a Transport or Guide with a cost per group. This value needs to be considered when determining the cost of the product.
Fixed Module
Base Service
In Modules with group rates, it is also possible to add special conditions to allow over and under-occupancy pax scenarios. That, in turn, has an impact on the final sales price of the Template.
For example, when defining a module with fixed pricing (room category or service category), we can set the 3rd pax scenario rate conditions, in this case, offer a discounted rate.
Room Category Pricing Type
In a module with room occupancy pricing type, it is possible to set these conditions in three ways:
As a percentage difference applied over the standard occupancy default rate value;
As a monetary amount difference applied over the standard occupancy default rate value;
As an absolute rate that is paid by each pax in an over or under-occupancy scenario;
Example:
In a double room that can accommodate from one to three adults.
By setting a 10% over-occupancy rate reduction, the 3rd adult pays 90% of the standard default rate in a double room standard occupancy scenario, paying then USD 900.00
By setting a 90% under-occupancy rate supplement, the adult in a single occupancy scenario will pay the standard occupancy rate plus an additional supplement of USD 900, paying then USD 1900.00
Service Category
So when setting up a template and selecting the rooms that will be available for selection, we will have the corresponding over/under-occupancy rules from the module to be applied in the itinerary final sales pricing.