1. Proposal for a multi-country resort hotel survey exploring the cooperation with major European tour operators Dr. Dimitris Koutoulas Tourism & Marketing Consultant Lecturer at the Greek Open University E-Mail: d.koutoulas@ba.aegean.gr

2. Propose a joint multi-country research project reflecting the point of view of the countries on the receiving end of mass tourism Aim of research: To explore the relationship and cooperation of resort hotels with major European tour operators in the light of: –Market dominance by a few TOs –Overdependence on TO business –Shrinking TO business –The Opportunities of the “New Tourism Market” Objective Of This Presentation

3. Greece: 6.7 million out of 9.6 million EU tourists (70%) arrived on charter flights in 2005 Over 70% of tourists arrive on charter flights in the case of: –Germany- Austria –UK- Netherlands –Norway- Finland –Sweden- Denmark –Ireland Overdependence on Tour Operators

4. Share TUI Customers/Total Arrivals

5. Proposed research is based on the experience from previous research on Greek resort hotels that was very well received by: –Academic community –Industry associations –National and international press This positive reception is an encouragement to cover other mass tourism destinations besides Greece Objective Of This Presentation

6. 1.Previous Research 2.Research Proposal Today’s Topics

7. Aim of the survey: To explore the relationship between resort hotels and tour operators as seen from the hotels’ point of view E-Mail Survey in 2005 Self-administered 16-item questionnaire Targeted response rate: 5% Actual response rate: 6.1% (101 out of 1,648 hotels) Greek Resort Hotel Survey

8. The Market Influence of Tour Operators on the Hospitality Industry: The Case of Greek Resort Hotels by Dr. Dimitris Koutoulas published in the book Corporate Rivalry and Market Power: Competition Issues in the Tourism Industry edited by Dr. Andreas Papatheodorou published by I.B. Tauris, London, in 2006 Greek Resort Hotel Survey

9. Outcome of this research project: A very vivid illustration of the hotels’ dependence on inclusive tour business Greek resort hotels are operating under a state of oligopsony in a marketplace largely controlled by large tour operators from Germany and the UK Hotels depend for 60% of total overnight stays on tour operators Greek Resort Hotel Survey

10. Business Mix of Greek Resort Hotels

11. Three-Year Trend of TO-Generated Business

12. TOs Contributing Most Customers

13. Positive Aspects of Working with TOs

14. Negative Aspects of Working with TOs

15. Research Proposal MEDITERRANEAN RESORT HOTEL SURVEY

16. An international research project is proposed by applying the same methodology to other Mediterranean countries as in the case of Greece Aim: To benchmark the cooperation among tour operators and resort hotels in Mediterranean mass-market destinations Methodology: E-mail survey among resort hotels which can easily be conducted by individual researchers by using a joint questionnaire Research Proposal

17. Looking for interested researchers to cover other Mediterranean countries Prerequisites: –Extensive e-mailing list with a large number of resort hotels –Mass mailing software We can ask industry associations to endorse this survey and also secure publicity in order to achieve a higher response rate Research Proposal

18. Outcome: A series of research papers + a book: –An introduction to the business of tour operators –Country-per-country analyses of national tourism and resort hotel industries in the Mediterranean –Country-per-country survey reports –Recommendations on hotel industry strategies and government policies National and international hotel associations will be asked to sponsor the book Research Proposal

19. Next steps: 1.Expression of interest by researchers 2.Translation of the initial questionnaire (Dimitris) 3.Send a methodology brief + the translated questionnaire to all members of the research group (Dimitris) 4.Finalise methodology and questionnaire (all) 5.Look for sponsors and funding (all) Research Proposal

20. Thank you! Dr. Dimitris Koutoulas Tourism & Marketing Consultant Lecturer at the Greek Open University E-Mail: d.koutoulas@ba.aegean.gr