JP2002259513A - Method, system and program for coordination of optional tour - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problems that tours held under travel agencies have no flexibility for a customer and complexity because it is needed to collect information and choose a tour by travel agency. SOLUTION: In a method for coordination of an optional tour, an Internet travel agency 3 having a system 5 for coordinating the optional tour at intermediate position between a customer 1 and a travel agency 2 is provided, customer' s requests to the tours held under travel agencies are collected via Internet 4, possible tours are created with grouping the requests, an electronic bulletin board is opened in the system 5 then the possible tours are discussed among customers to create a plan of optional tour and propose it to the agency 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a planning and proposal for an organized tour in a travel business, and more particularly, to a method for organizing an optional tour, an organizing system, and a program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, tours organized by a travel agency are package tours that include transportation and accommodation. However, package tours are widely implemented as optional tours that include options such as sightseeing and sports. ing.

[0003] Organized tours are created by travel agents and are recruited by pamphlets and the like of travel agencies in charge of sales (the travel agents may also be part of the business). On the other hand, the cost is going up because the number of recruited people is small,
You may run the risk of going into the red.

[0004] On the other hand, from the viewpoint of the consumer (customer), it is easier to arrange for a tourer who is unfamiliar with the tour and arranges it by himself or herself according to language and budget. There is also a merit.

[0005]

However, due to the nature of the tour, there is a problem that the tour cannot be taken to a desired place or the schedule is not convenient, and in some cases, it is necessary to give up.

[0006] In other words, the sponsored travel has no degree of freedom with a one-sided presentation from the travel agency.

[0007] In addition, the sponsored tour is presented for each travel agency, and there is a problem that it is complicated for the consumer himself to collect information and select a tour.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an Internet travel agency equipped with an optional tour coordination system at an intermediate position between a customer and a travel agency, and provides an Internet-based travel agency for hosting a tour through the Internet. Customer requests are collected, and an optional tour plan according to the customer requests is created and proposed to a travel agency.

In addition, an electronic bulletin board is set up in the optional tour collecting system so that customers can discuss with each other and participate in preparing an optional tour plan.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of an optional tour collecting business according to the present invention.

An unspecified number of consumers 1 and a plurality of travel agencies 2
Internet Travel Agency 3 is located at an intermediate position between
Connect using the Internet 4.

[0012] Of the consumers 1, a person who wishes to organize a tour is described as a customer 1. A terminal device such as a personal computer, a mobile terminal, a mobile phone, etc. of the customer 1 and an optional tour collecting system 5 of an Internet travel agency 3 are described. A computer that realizes the above function, a computer of the travel agency 2, and computers related to travel information, such as the hotel industry, the aviation industry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are connected by the Internet 4 to form a network.

[0013] A travel agency 6 that sells sponsored trips
Is also located at an intermediate position between the customer 1 and the travel agency 2.

It is needless to say that the Internet travel agency 3 may be an independent company, or the travel agency 2 and the travel agency 6 may also serve as the Internet travel agency.

The operation will be described with reference to FIG.

The customer 1 connects to the computer of the Internet travel agency 3 through the Internet 4 through a flow F1, and inputs a place to go, a convenient time, a period, a starting point, and a budget according to menu items on the homepage.

The Internet travel agency 3 compares the existing tour with the existing tour using the optional tour collecting system 5 and, if it has already, responds to the customer 1 via the homepage.

If not, customer requests are grouped in the greatest common denominator, and tour candidates are drafted.

This tour candidate is evaluated based on the estimated travel information stored in advance, and if it is feasible, this is proposed as an optional tour plan to the travel agency 2 in a flow F2.

At this time, customers who happen to be in the same group may discuss the evaluated tour candidates.

The customer 1 gathers information by asking questions to the optional tour collecting system 5 and submits detailed request items to discuss on the electronic bulletin board. A plan is created and proposed to the travel agency 2.

The travel agency 2 discusses, based on the in-company business system, whether the tour can be realized with respect to specific feasibility, profitability, and the like, and returns the result in a flow F3.

If the tour is established, the optional tour collecting system 5 stores the tour as an existing tour, and responds to the requesting customer 1 via a flow F4 as to whether or not the tour has been established by e-mail or the like.

The travel agency 2 uses the same grammar as the flow F5
To inform the travel agency 6 of the information on tour recruitment.

The customer 1 applies for this optional tour to the Internet travel agency 3 or the travel agency 6 according to the flow F6.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a customer request and a tour, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which a customer request is grouped at a desired place.

FIG. 2 shows an optional tour collecting system of an Internet travel agency. The operation of the system will be described below with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, a customer request value is collected by a request value collection unit 11 from a customer 1 connected via the Internet 4, and the existing tour comparison unit 12 compares the customer request value with a plurality of travel requests in advance. Comparing with the existing tour information 13 collected from the trader 2, if the tour already exists, the contents of the tour (destination, schedule, application period, payment grammar, etc.) are answered by the customer answering section 14 to the customer 1 on the homepage.

If there is no existing tour, a reply to that effect is made on the homepage.

In the optional tour collecting system of the Internet travel agency 3, the grouping unit 15
In the departure point and the place where one wants to go, as shown in FIG. 3, a group is formed with the values requested by a plurality of customers 1 as a core, and individual requests are optional, and a time convenient for the customers 1 is added. Divide the group.

The tour groups α1 and α2 in FIG. 3 are examples, and α1, α2 and β1 have been drafted as tour candidates.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are graphs showing an example of grouping at a place where a customer request is to be made for easy viewing. FIG. 4A shows an example of tour groups α1 and α2, and FIG. 4B shows an example of tour group β1. .

The rough estimation section 16 calculates the cost of the tour candidate (travel agency) based on the rough travel information 17 previously collected and stored from a related organization having travel information, such as the hotel industry, the aviation industry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ) Is calculated, and whether or not the distance is within a predetermined period is calculated from the travel distance to evaluate the feasibility and price of the tour.

A possible tour candidate is proposed by electronic mail (automatic transfer) or the like to a plurality of travel agencies 2 through a proposal unit 19 of a travel agency inquiry unit 18 as an optional tour plan.

In the case where customer demands are diversified even if there is feasibility, customers in the same tour group discuss in the discussion section 20.

Although the discussion section 20 will be described later, the tour candidates evaluated by the approximate estimation section 16 are discussed, and the optional tour plan is compiled by using the approximate travel information 17 and taking into account the detailed requests of the customer.

This optional tour plan may be proposed from the proposal section 19 of the travel agency inquiry section 18 to the plurality of travel agencies 2, or the optional tour plan is evaluated by the rough estimation section 16 and then proposed. May be.

The travel agency 2 having received the proposal of the optional tour plan evaluates using the business system 21 owned by itself, and discusses whether or not the optional tour is established.

The examination result is sent to the examination result receiving section 22 of the travel agency inquiry section 18, and if the tour is established as an optional tour, the tour information established by the travel agency inquiry section 18 is stored as the existing tour information 13.

The reply information is sent to the customer answering section 14, and thereafter, the customer answering section 14 transmits the new tour information to the requesting customer 1 by electronic mail (automatic transfer) or the like.

The request value collecting unit 11, the existing tour comparing unit 12, the customer answering unit 14, the grouping unit 15, the rough estimation unit 16, the travel agent inquiry unit 18 and the discussion unit 20 are the Internet travel agency shown in FIG. Store 3
Can be realized by a program for realizing the function of each unit in the computer.

The existing tour information 13 is collected from a plurality of travel agencies 2 and stored in a storage device of a computer of the Internet travel agency 3 in advance, and is stored in a destination, an itinerary, an application method, an application period, an agency name / The information includes the name of the travel agency, sightseeing highlights, travel price, options, etc.

The approximate travel information 17 is a database collected from a related organization having travel information such as the hotel industry, the aviation industry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc., and stored in a storage device in advance. Information, security information, and the like.

The business system 21 possessed by each of the plurality of travel agents 2 includes arrangement and reservation of hotel / aircraft / local tickets, sightseeing spot information (nature / architecture / art / shopping), local information (security information / Event information), including clothes / geography / souvenir / weather / time difference / food culture / lifestyle / exchange / transportation / procedure / visa etc./currency/passenger/various service systems, and various information from those systems Is used.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the above-mentioned discussion section, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a discussion result and tour.

The discussion section includes an electronic bulletin board 31 and
An electronic bulletin board opening section 32 that automatically opens an electronic bulletin board 31 for each tour group and automatically closes after a certain period of time, for example, two weeks, and a provisional member code that is automatically registered for each customer and automatically deleted after a certain period of time, for example, two weeks. A member generating unit 33, a supporter item adding unit 34 for adding a menu item of customer's request information, a user interface unit 35 for sending and receiving to and from the customer, and a rough travel information 17 are inquired and the user interface unit 35 And an inquiry unit 36 responding to the request. The information obtaining unit 37 is a means for obtaining the approximate travel information 17 from a related organization.

The user interface unit 35 has various functions of a means 41 for individually requesting by the customer, a means 42 for free discussion, a question receiving unit 43 for receiving a question from the customer, and a customer answering unit 44 for answering the customer. Have been.

The inquiry section 36 may be substituted by the travel agency inquiry section 18 of FIG. 2, and the customer answer section 44 may be represented by the customer answer section 14 of FIG.

A provisional member of the same group is registered, and an electronic bulletin board 31 is opened. In addition to the period and the hotel, the electronic bulletin board 31 is used to ask questions about gourmet, nature, culture, history, etc., or to bring a pet. Have a few general questions like "Do you want to go?"

The request information is arranged in response to the individual request from the provisional member, and 2 days of stay are desired ... 5 people and 3 days of stay are desired.
It is set by the item-specific value setting means 38, such as 10 persons, X hotel request ... 2 persons.

In order to recruit supporters, a new required item is set, or the provisional member adds a required item by himself / herself, collects required information from the provisional member, and organizes it by the item-specific value setting means 38. I do.

As the request item added by the provisional member, an item which is easily quantified is appropriate, and the provisional member who proposes supplements the reason for proposal.

Therefore, for example, the following required items are assumed. (1) Person who wants to stay on X days in XX (Reason for proposal) (2) Person who wants to stay at X hotel (Reason for proposal) (3) Person who wants to eat food XX (Reason for proposal) (4) I want to see event XX Person (Reason for Proposal) (5) Person who wants to take a pet (Reason for Proposal) Since the information of these questions and answers is displayed on the electronic bulletin board 31, the provisional member obtains the approximate travel information 17 through the inquiry unit 36. The opinion / request is freely transmitted to the electronic bulletin board 31 by the writing / referencing means 39.

The free discussion of the provisional member proceeds in this way, and after a certain period of time, the electronic bulletin board 31 is closed, and the results of the discussion are compiled as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, a discussion is conducted by provisional members U1, U2, and U3 of the tour group α1, where the departure point is Narita, the destination nucleus is a and b, the options are c and d, the timing is set at the beginning of July, and individual The discussion results were compiled in the discussion section, with the request added to each of the other desired fields.

It should be noted that although there is no other request that a pet is desired to be taken, if there is a request from many people, the information provided by the provisional member, for example, a dog contest may be added to the location a. XX Hotel and YY Restaurant are OK to accept pets.
Such information can be useful for travel agents, and it can be used to find potential customers by planning optional tours that allow pets.

Since the provisional members U1, U2, and U3 can also be representatives of family members and other groups, the number of applicants for the tour is, for example, 20 or their personal information such as gender, age, etc. is also allocated to the room or the traffic. It is important for travel agencies because it is used as a basis for calculating (adult, child).

The optional tour plan (discussion result in FIG. 6) compiled in this way is proposed to a plurality of travel agencies from the proposal section 19 of the travel agency inquiry section 18 in FIG.

The travel agency 2 has its own business system 21
And sends a response as shown in FIG. 6 to the examination result receiving unit 22 of the travel agency inquiry unit 18.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the tour group .alpha.1 has been established, the other request of the option is taken in, the new tour information is notified to the travel agency, and the existing tour is stored in the database.

As described above, the provisional member customer is answered by e-mail or the like, and as shown in FIG. 1, the customer 1 applies to the Internet travel agency 3 or the travel agency 6 again.

In the case of tour group β1, if the number of people is insufficient and all tour operators fail to make a tour, it is possible to collect the number of people and make a request again.

This embodiment is very effective as an optional tour collecting method, since it is only necessary that one of a plurality of travel agencies can make a tour.

[0064]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects. (1) Consumers are more likely to take optional tours where they can go to a desired location at a reduced price. (2) Consumers are freed from complicated tour surveys by multiple travel agencies. (3) For a travel agency, potential customers can be expected to be found, and the risk of unprofitability is minimized. (4) The business system of a travel agency (including a travel agency) can be continuously used. (5) Total advertising cost reduction, including travel agency advertising and recruitment activities, can be expected. (6) The activity of ascertaining the needs (selling goods) of a travel agency becomes easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an optional tour collecting business according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a customer request and a tour.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of grouping at a place where a customer request is desired;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a discussion unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a discussion result and a tour.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Consumer (customer) 2 Travel agency 3 Internet travel agency 4 Internet 5 Optional tour collection system 6 Travel agency 11 Request value collection unit 12 Existing tour comparison unit 13 Existing tour information 14 Customer response unit 15 Grouping unit 16 Approximate estimation unit 17 Estimated Travel Information 18 Travel Agent Inquiry Section 20 Discussion Section 31 Electronic Bulletin Board 32 Electronic Bulletin Board Opening Section 33 Provisional Member Generation Section 34 Supporter Item Addition Section 35 User Interface Section 36 Inquiry Section

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kiichi Yamaguchi 1-7-12 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masakatsu Koyanagi 1-7-112 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiromitsu Fukushima 1-7-12 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akira Kurosawa 1-7-12 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Oki Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An optional tour collecting system collects request information of a customer for a tour sponsored by a travel agent through the Internet, groups the request information based on an item including a place and a time at which the user wants to go, and sorts the grouped tour candidates. An optional tour collecting method, wherein an optional tour plan is created based on evaluation based on preliminarily stored approximate travel information and proposed to a travel agency. 2. An optional tour collecting system collects request information of a customer for a tour sponsored by a travel agency through the Internet, groups the request information based on an item including a place and a time at which the user wants to go, and selects grouped tour candidates. Evaluating based on the estimated travel information stored in advance, forming a tour group of customers based on the evaluated tour candidates, and discussing the same group of customers using the electronic bulletin board of the optional tour collecting system, An optional tour collecting method, wherein the optional tour collecting system creates an optional tour plan based on a result of the discussion and proposes the optional tour plan to a travel agency. 3. The optional tour collecting system automatically opens the electronic bulletin board for each tour group for the discussion, automatically closes the electronic bulletin board after a certain period of time, automatically registers a provisional member code for each customer, and 3. The method for collecting optional tours according to claim 2, further comprising a function of automatically deleting the information later and adding an item of the request information. 4. The optional tour collecting system according to claim 2, wherein when the optional tour plan is established as an optional tour, the optional tour collecting system responds to the customer who transmitted the request information as new tour information. How to organize optional tours. 5. The optional tour compilation according to claim 2, wherein said tour candidate divides said desired place into a nucleus and an option, and further subdivides said place at a more convenient time. Method. 6. A request value collection unit for collecting customer request information for a tour sponsored by a travel agency through the Internet, a grouping unit for grouping based on items including a place and a time at which the request information is to be visited, a grouped tour An optional estimating unit for estimating a candidate based on estimated travel information stored in advance, and a travel agent inquiry unit for proposing a result of the approximate estimating unit to a travel agent as an optional tour plan; Tour compilation system. 7. A request value collection unit for collecting customer request information for a tour sponsored by a travel agency through the Internet, a grouping unit for grouping based on items including a place and a time when the request information is to be visited, a grouped tour A rough estimation section for evaluating candidates based on rough travel information stored in advance, and forming a tour group of customers based on the tour candidates evaluated by the rough estimation section, for the same group of customers to discuss. An optional tour that has an electronic bulletin board and a discussion section that summarizes the results of the discussion and a travel agency inquiry section that creates an optional tour plan based on the summarized discussion results and proposes it to the travel agency system. 8. The discussion section automatically opens the electronic bulletin board for each tour group and automatically closes it after a certain period of time, automatically registers a provisional member code for each customer, and automatically deletes it after a certain period of time. 8. The optional tour collecting system according to claim 7, further comprising a function of adding the following items. 9. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a customer answering unit for answering the customer who transmitted the request information as new tour information when the optional tour plan is established as an optional tour. Optional tour compilation system. 10. A terminal device of a customer, and a computer of an Internet travel agency provided with the optional tour collecting system according to claim 6.
An optional tour collecting system, wherein a computer of a travel agency and a computer of a related organization having travel information are connected via the Internet to form a network. 11. A function of collecting customer request information for a tour sponsored by a travel agency through the Internet in a computer of an Internet travel agency, and a function of grouping the request information based on items including a place and a time to go. An optional tour compilation program for realizing a function of creating an optional tour plan and proposing it to a travel agency after evaluating grouped tour candidates based on rough travel information stored in advance. 12. A function of collecting customer request information for a tour sponsored by a travel agency through the Internet on a computer of an Internet travel agency, and a function of grouping the request information based on items including a place and a time at which the user wants to go. The function to evaluate the grouped tour candidates based on the estimated travel information stored in advance, the function to form a tour group of customers based on the evaluated tour candidates, and the function to integrate the optional tour An optional tour compilation program for discussing using an electronic bulletin board, creating an optional tour plan based on the results of the discussion, and realizing the function proposed to the travel agency. 13. A function of automatically opening the electronic bulletin board for each of the tour groups for the discussion and automatically closing the electronic bulletin board after a certain period, and automatically registering a provisional member code for each customer in the computer of the Internet travel agency. 13. The optional tour collecting program according to claim 12, which realizes a function of automatically deleting after a predetermined period of time and a function of adding an item of the request information. 14. The computer according to claim 12, wherein the computer of the Internet travel agency has a function of responding to the customer who sent the request information as new tour information when the optional tour plan is established as an optional tour. 13. Optional tour compilation program described in 13.