When it comes to creating a distribution strategy, it isn't a case of setting it up and forgetting about it. In fact, as your company grows and changes, your tour and activity distribution strategy should be constantly evolving too.
Here's an insight into distribution for different stages of your business, whether you're just starting out as a tour and activity company, you're growing fast, or you're a DMO looking to drive tourism to your destination.
Founded by three partners Christophe Tassenon, Wim Lefebre and Erny Van de Woestyne who met at a networking event, Segway City Tours Belgium is the largest segway tour operator in Belgium. For this article, I interviewed one of the co-founders, Christophe, who tells me about his experience prior to starting the company, the business itself and what it's like to run a tour business in the 21st century.
We replenish the TrekkSoft Library every month with a new ebook, checklist, or trend report, and this month we've decided to give destination marketing our full attention.
Thirty-five pages of attention, in fact...
Let's talk about seasonality. In tourism, there's high season and there's low season. And in low season, you want to be keeping costs down.
For that reason, it might seem counterintuitive to keep using an online booking system year-round. You might also ask, "why would I pay when I'm not open?" Which is an understandable question.
But it turns out that your booking software is a cost that's worth budgeting for (and we're not just saying that as a booking software provider, I promise). Here are the facts of the matter.
This is part two of our storytelling series – check out part one on how to be a master storyteller here! This article is also translated from the original Spanish by María Eugenia Coppola.
When we talk about storytelling in marketing, we're talking about telling stories to get closer to our customers. Yes, mass media advertising has been doing it for decades. But it's not the same. Storytelling in marketing has nothing to do with selling a product (at least not directly) – it's about revealing the soul of your brand so you can connect with your consumers on an emotional level.
With the democratisation of the internet and the arrival of the prosumer (a person who consumes and produces media), it has become much harder for brands to attract people's attention and reach their hearts. To stand above your competitors and form an emotional connection with consumers, it's vital that your brand has a great story to tell.
Google just announced their latest app, Google Trips, "the personalised guide in your pocket". The app not only keeps reservations and prior hotel bookings in one place, it also recommends things to do, restaurants to try, and curates itineraries based on popular sights and attractions. And the best part? All this information can be downloaded and accessible offline.
Editor's note: This is part one of our storytelling series by guest author Viteszlav Becka. You can find part two – on how to promote your tourism company with storytelling marketing – here. Enjoy!
“The world is shaped by two things — stories told and the memories they leave behind.”
― Vera Nazarian
We love stories. A good story can convey a message, entertain or ignite a fire within your audience. As a tourism professional, we create experiences, which in turn become stories.
Many people think that the art of storytelling is something difficult and complex, reserved only for certain skilled members of society. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. The skills necessary to tell a story can be acquired through practice and with the right toolkit, everyone can become a master storyteller.
After a half day or full day tour, the way you end your tours can have a profound impact on what your customers will think of you, not just moments after the tour, but long after they've left your destination.
The reason for this is simple, people have terrible memories and tend to remember things that happen at the beginning of an experience (primacy effect) and towards the end of an experience (recency effect). Everything else in between becomes a blur.
So what can you do to make sure you end well? Here are 3 simple ideas.
Google recently published an insightful series of articles on the customer journey in the travel industry, emphasising how it revolves around what they call "micro-moments". These are "intent-rich moment(s) where a consumer turns to a device to act on a need to know, go, do, or buy" (Think With Google, 2016).
Our smart devices have fundamentally changed the way consumers consume products and services. Here are 9 things we've learned about how mobile has changed the way we travel.
This article has been adapted from the original Spanish published by María Eugenia Coppola.
Imagine that you want to go out for dinner in a new city. Would you choose a restaurant that your friends have criticised for bad service and high prices? I imagine not.
The same happens on the internet. Thanks to social media, the voice of the consumer is louder than ever before. And it's likely that even the most costly advertising isn't as persuasive as hundreds of users recommending your product... or rejecting it.
