VALUE NETS OF THE MAIN TYPES OF ACTORS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

In value nets, information is moving in real-time across the cooperating businesses, the relationships among the partners is dynamic and varies with changing conditions, and the operating targets of the business include not just efficiency but also agility. In value nets, the business value is created by businesses and their suppliers, buyers, and partners through the combination and enhancement of services provided by all participants.

There are several ways of classifying the main types of actors participating in the tourism value chain. First are the tourists themselves, who can be broadly categorised by purpose and origin, i.e. leisure or business, international or domestic. Second are what may be termed the frontline tourism actors, who provide one or more of the main elements of the tourist experience. These can grouped roughly into those providing direct tourism products and services, which include:

• Resorts
• Attraction suppliers
• Event organisers
• Transport operators
• Accommodation
• Food and drink facilities

and those providing support services to tourists, which include:

• Information services (e.g. media, guide books and websites
• Advice from travel agents
• Travel agents who sell packages and assist in tour planning.

Frontline tourist actors interact with various types of other actors in carrying out their activities. These interactions may be depicted in terms of their value nets. Value nets involve four generic interaction types in which a focal tourist actor is involved:

1. Competitors whose outputs reduce the value of the focal actors output (other tourism actors, intra- and interregional competitors, indirect competitors);
2. Complementors who enhance the value of the focal actors outputs (other tourism actors, support services, government organisations, trade and industry organisations);
3. Suppliers (of materials, technology, labour, finance, services and other component inputs); and
4. Clients (channel intermediaries linking a tourism operator with actual and potential tourists).

Interactions and relations also exist among these four types of actors, as well as with the focal tourist actor, which can enhance and constrain interactions with the focal actor. The following main actors in the tourist industry in terms of their value nets are

•  Accommodation suppliers
•  Tourist attractions
•  Transport operators
•  Government non-tourism organisations
•  Government tourism organisations
•  Trade and industry associations
•  Travel intermediaries

 Value Net describes the various roles of the players in the tourism industry. It is possible for the same player to occupy more than one role.

Value Net Key Questions

1. Value net for the organisation (List of players as complete as possible)
2. Opportunities for cooperation and competition with customers and suppliers, competitors and complementors
3. Changing the group of players- New players you would like to bring into the game
4. Who stands to gain if you become a player in the game? Who stands to loose?
5. What is your added value?
6. How can you increase your added value? Can you create loyal customers and suppliers?
7. What are the other added value of the other players in the game?
8. Can you benefit from limiting their added value?
9. Which rules are helping you? Which are hurting you?
10. What new rules would you like to have? In particular what contracts do you want to write with your customers and suppliers?
11. Do you have the power to make these rules? Does someone else have the power to overturn them?
12. How do other players perceive the game? How do these perceptions affect the play of the game?
13. Which perceptions would you like to preserve? Which perceptions would you like to change?
14. Do you want the game to be transparent or opaque?
15. What is the current scope of the game? Do you want to change it?
16. Do you want to link the game to other games?
17. Do you want to change the link from the game with other games?