Client and brief

A value-added IT distributor asked Baltic Business Tour to prepare an incentive trip to Hainan for 12 participants.

The client required a five-night beach stay in Sanya, twin accommodation, pre-arranged meals and one or two private excursions.

The proposal had to remain within an agreed budget per participant. The client was willing to adjust the dates in early March if a nearby departure provided a better combination of airfare, journey time and hotel availability.

Wherever supplier conditions allowed, the principal services were to be arranged and paid for in advance. This included accommodation, meals, airport transfers, insurance and the main activities.

Flight comparison

The available routes to Hainan differed considerably in price, journey time and number of connections.

Baltic Business Tour compared several flight combinations. One route connected through Moscow on the way to Sanya. Another combined the Minsk–Moscow sector with onward connections through Beijing and a different Chinese city on the return journey.

Each option was assessed according to:

• total airfare;
• number and duration of connections;
• baggage allowance;
• arrival and departure times;
• total journey time;
• group-booking conditions;
• deposit and ticketing deadlines.

The lower-priced routes involved additional connections and longer travel times. The proposal therefore showed both the fare difference and its effect on the duration of the journey and the time available at the resort.

Hotel and room selection in Sanya

The initial request was for a reasonably priced four-star beach hotel. Five-star properties were also included so that the client could compare the accommodation standard, location, meal plan and total package cost.

The hotel shortlist covered different resort areas in Sanya and included information on:

• hotel category;
• beach access;
• distance from the airport;
• distance from central Sanya;
• room category;
• meal plan;
• price for five nights;
• services included in the rate.

Twin rooms were a mandatory requirement. Double occupancy did not always guarantee two separate beds, so Baltic Business Tour checked the bedding configuration directly with each hotel.

The review also covered the number of available twin rooms, room categories, availability for the full stay and the deadlines for submitting the final rooming list.

Full-board and half-board arrangements

The client wanted to keep additional expenses during the incentive trip to a minimum.

Meal packages were therefore compared in detail rather than assessed only by their name. Full-board arrangements varied between hotels: some included three meals but no drinks at lunch or dinner, while others offered a limited selection of local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

For each property, Baltic Business Tour checked:

• breakfast, lunch and dinner inclusions;
• drinks served with meals;
• restaurant opening hours;
• meals on arrival and departure days;
• arrangements for excursion days;
• services charged separately.

For half-board hotels, the cost of additional lunches was added to the calculation. Depending on the proposed daily programme, lunch could be arranged at the hotel, in a pre-booked restaurant or as part of a full-day excursion.

This allowed the client to compare the actual meal coverage and total cost of each hotel option.

Excursions and local transport

The client requested one or two organised excursions during the stay in Hainan.

Baltic Business Tour prepared private programme options that included:

• transport for the group;
• entrance tickets where required;
• hotel pick-up and return;
• lunch on full-day routes;
• local supplier coordination.

The duration and cost of each excursion depended partly on the location of the proposed hotel. Driving times from different resort areas in Sanya were therefore included in the comparison.

The excursion options were also assessed according to:

• total duration;
• guide availability;
• level of physical activity;
• lunch arrangements;
• return time;
• compatibility with the hotel meal schedule.

Airport transfers and insurance were included in the base travel package, while excursions were shown separately as optional services.

Package comparison and booking conditions

Baltic Business Tour prepared several versions of the incentive programme using different combinations of flights, hotels and meal plans.

The base calculations included:

• international flights;
• five nights of accommodation;
• the selected meal package;
• airport transfers;
• travel insurance.

Additional meals, private excursions, guide services and local transport were included where relevant or shown separately.

The comparison allowed the client to assess:

• a four-star hotel against a five-star property;
• full board against half board with additional lunches;
• a more direct flight against a lower-priced route with more connections;
• different resort areas in Sanya;
• included and optional services;
• total package price per participant.

Group flights and hotel allocations were subject to connected booking deadlines. Baltic Business Tour tracked airfare validity, deposits, passenger-name submission, ticketing, hotel release periods, rooming-list deadlines and supplier cancellation conditions.

The relevant payment and confirmation dates were included with each proposed package.

Result

The client received several structured options for an incentive trip to Hainan for 12 participants.

Each version combined a flight route, a beach hotel in Sanya, confirmed twin-room information, a meal package, airport transfers, insurance and optional excursions.
The calculations included the additional meals and transport required outside the hotel package. This made it possible to compare the options by total journey time, number of connections, accommodation standard, meal coverage and final cost rather than relying only on the initial flight or hotel price.

Baltic Business Tour also consolidated the group-booking conditions, payment deadlines and supplier terms for each proposed version.