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rowth of the budget of households for leisure and travels, increase in the free time of employees, retirement of the “Baby-Boomers” who want to travel more, general decrease in the air transportation prices… The European tourism market takes advantages from a structural positive situation. Nevertheless, the world tourism industry is not standing still. It is performing in an environment which has experienced strong changes these last years. Especially since 2001, the tourism market has gone through a difficult phase due to the slowing down of the world economy and international pressures (Roussel 2003: 1).
More generally, since fifty years, mass tourism has developed in a large scale and has had consequences on tour-operators which must adapt to an increasing demand. Competition in this market is strong and most of the companies had suffered consequences of the “war of prices”, more or less deeply.
In this way, creating in 1967, Nouvelles Frontières (literally traduced “new borders”, in French) has been launched into this market since its beginning phase. This company is a generalist tour-operator which performs on the wide tourism market in France ( turnover of 250.1 billion of Euros in 2006, according to the French Tourism Directorate (2007: 4)). Since 1967, Nouvelles Frontières has known a strong growth to become the leader of the French market in front of Club Méditerranée, its first competitor.
[...] Tour-operator + travel agency: allow to manage prices in adding margins and to offer “finished” products (flight + stay + services) NF is the owner of all the travel agencies : no franchise The size of the company allows to obtain competitive cost conditions from suppliers market share in France economic situation Exclusivity of the Decrease of the number of SALES distribution network: customers: information) Good image in France in the organisation of trips Card fidelity process The forecasting result for A low result : protection against currency changes Low net margin A new server (IBM e-business IT PROCESS on demand) Use of the back-office of TUI to reduce costs DECISION MAKING Loss of the charismatic founder PROCESS of NF : Jacques Maillot Loss of numerous decision powers. [...]
[...] A comprehensive market analysis of the market of Nouvelles Frontières 1967, Nouvelles Frontières proposed to its first customers new experiences of travel. In 2007, forty years later, we have conserved the crux: our founder values. Today, we offer to most of individuals the possibility to travel differently, during a journey, a cruise, an expedition or a tour. To meet the enjoyment to discover new people, new cultures and to share new emotions. To live more, simply.” says Mr Jean- Marc Siano, the new Manager Director of the tour operator. [...]
[...] The European market for the e-tourism is currently estimated to 25 billion of the global tourism market). The French e-tourism market possesses 14% of the market share (Tourism Directorate 2007: NF online and the competition In order to analyze the competition of NF online in the French tourism segment, we can use the “Porter's model of competitive forces” and the works of Opland (2003: After analysing the competition within the French e-tourism segment, it is relevant to know what objectives NF online have to reach in order to succeed NF online and the key success factors In order to succeed in the e-tourism segment, NF online has to reach these objectives (Opland 2003: To have good references to be easily found on the world wide web. [...]
[...] Furthermore, we observe an increase in the number of new competitors such as “virtual travel-wholesalers agencies”. They sell low cost trips on the internet. These companies can offer low prices because they can react faster on market changes. They can sell their products very rapidly by using the internet. This concept of “ready to consume trips” is based on discount costs but it excludes the customer's wish of his/her destination. We can draw the competitive structure of the market of “Tour Operating”. [...]
[...] The “competitive structure” of the tour-operating market and the “critical rules of the game set by the industry” can be explained by using “Porter's model of competitive forces” in tour-operating market (du Plessis et al 2005: Threats of new entrants is “likely to enhance competition and thereby reduce the industry's attractiveness; the treats of new entrants depends on the barriers to entry” (du Plessis et al 2005 : 50). For the tour-operating market, the threat of new entrants is low because concentration is high. [...]
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