What Is a Packaged Tour?

I have taught classes on the Ins and Outs of Travel in China at the University of Washington and several Community Colleges. It is a 4 hour class to help people decide on and plan a trip to China as part of their research. One question that is asked is "How Do I Compare Tour Companies and their Tours"? Tour companies must be competitive especially on the internet. Packaged tours are planned out just ONCE and then sold to many people. They are generalized and usually inexpensive as possible in order to be competitive with other tour companies. I also have packaged tours but seldom ever sell them. I put them on the internet to give people ideas on what can be done for 11, 15, 17 or more days and an approximate cost. We usually use 3 star hotels and general sightseeing for these in order to show competitive prices.. Four or 5 star hotels can be substituted with an extra cost or one can add on extension tours too. Some tours claim Deluxe 5 star hotels but there are many price levels in each star level. In Beijing as an example there are 5 star hotels in the suburbs for $150 a night and 5 star hotels for $350 a night. Location is everything. Within the hotels there are also usually 5 levels of rooms and of course packages use the lowest cost rooms for comparison. For more information on Packaged tours contact me directly with your questions at interlak@eskimo.com  My friends call me ChinaDave A poor tour is long remembered and too late once you are there. A great tour is also long remembered with good memories long after the cost is forgotten.