ABSTRACT
Tour operators play a vital role in the travel and tourism industry. Their presence is necessary to effectively convey the product from the producer to the consumer, that is, the tourist. Tour operators are often called wholesalers since they buy large amounts of services such as accommodation, board and transport from providers of individual services and combine them into one tourism package. A tourism product may be prepared and promoted but it does not guarantee that customers will buy it if the operator does not deliver it to the right place or at the right time. Therefore, the distribution of tourism products and services is a very important activity in the chain of tourism. A tourism product is usually sold through a direct distribution channel when it is viewed from a narrow perspective, that is, understood as the offer of a single farm.
