Editor's note: This article is by Paul Richer, founding partner of Genesys Digital Transformation and industry expert. We first came into contact with Paul when he cited our research report, Making Experiences the Cornerstone of Destination Marketing, in his article "Destination Management Organisations vs. Tour Operators" for the World Travel Market blog in March 2017.

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I have been running my management consultancy, Genesys Digital Transformation, for over 20 years. In that time, I have helped many travel and tourism businesses get new systems. We are all so used to buying technology nowadays - whether it is a new mobile phone, laptop or TV - that we tend to take for granted that making the purchase will give us just what we want.

However, buying a new software system for your business is anything but straightforward.  

From tour operators to activity providers, we feel very fortunate to have so many talented, interesting customers from across the globe. From cityscapes to exotic destinations, it's always a pleasure to work with a variety of customers.

One of the most rewarding parts of what we get to do at TrekkSoft is having the opportunity to work with and learn from so many different industry professionals. From DMOs to tour operators, there's plenty of knowledge we can share. That's why we've put together this collection of advice from some of our favorite Spotlight articles.  

We hope it will give you some inspiration as we move into tourism's high season. 

If you run a tour and activity business, you've probably encountered a few obstacles before, one of them being this - How do you accept payments online? 

From the very beginning, TrekkSoft has strived to create an all-in-one solution for tour and activity providers to market, sell and manage your bookings online. That should include accepting payments online. Which is where TrekkPay comes in, TrekkSoft's very own online payment solution.

Our goal is to eliminate the hassle of you searching for a payment solution that fits the nature of tour and activity businesses around the world.

Christophe Desmarais is the founderof Catamaran Cruises Mauritius, a cruise excursion company that delights guests with sailing experiences around the islands of Mauritius. When I first spoke to Christophe a year and a half ago, he was working full time managing one of Mauritius' best-loved luxury resort and managing his own company.

It was this - that he started a new company while having a day job - that got me interested in his story. In this interview, Christophe told me about Catamaran Cruises Mauritius and we discussed the importance of a great website when building a tour and activity company. 

Since then, Christophe has managed to transition out of his day job and worked full time on his hobby. In this interview, I learned a lot about his incredible experiencesas an entrepreneur with a thriving business. Read his story here. 

This post was contributed by Lindsay Young, who recently hosted a webinar on getting SMART about digital marketing strategies.

I’m being completely serious when I say that there are hundreds of things you can spend your digital marketing budget on. And when that budget is a modest one (like most small business budgets are), allocating your spending can be utterly overwhelming. You’ve probably read so many articles on what you should be spending money on that you have more ideas than dollars, and you’re not alone. 

Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. And focus. It’s time to cut through the noise and get smart about your precious digital marketing budget. 

In any business, when it comes to choosing whether to go it alone with your own bespoke software or leave the hard work to someone else with an off-the-shelf SaaS solution, there are no easy answers. In the fast changing and seasonal nature of the tour and activity industry, it's particularly tricky deciding which way to go.

Both bespoke software and SaaS apps for tour and activity companies are long term investments that have their own risks and payoffs, and the difficult decision for every entrepreneur or business owner is always: which one will pay off in the long run?

The key to making the right decision is to understand the needs of your business, as well as the risks involved. Let's jump straight in, shall we?

While tourism is all about experiences, sales are still important for any tour or activity company. Customer satisfaction is crucial, but sales numbers can't be ignored either. Increasing your revenue is sometimes as simple as offering a few extra features or services to your customers. 

Today, we're going to look at three examples that can help tourism professionals increase their income.

Based in Berlin, Carrosse DeLouis offers the world's first ever electric carriages, blending together luxury and tech to deliver an unforgettable experience. From city and culinary tours to trips to the countryside to private and corporate events, the company is just at the start of their incredible journey. 

We met up with Peter Jumpterz, founder and co-CEO of the company to learn more about his tours, his company and why TrekkSoft was the perfect choice for his company. 

A Profit and Loss (or P&L) statement is usually calculated quarterly to give businesses an overview of how they're performing financially. It is "a financial statement that summarises the revenues, costs and expenses incurred during a specific period of time".

For tour and acitivty companies, it is especially important to know where your business stands at any given month, especially during the high and low seasons. Having such reports can help you predict what the following year might look like and gives you an idea of how you can drive more bookings.