You might have already heard of GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation - a European regulation that was already adopted in 2016, but will be effective from May 25th on.  

There is a lot of talk/rumors about this regulation, so we at TrekkSoft want to give you an update on what GDPR exactly means and how it will affect your tour & activity business.

Working with online marketplaces is a good idea for tour and activity companies who would like to expand their reach and establish a "professional" online presence. 

Large marketplaces like Viator and Expedia have long established their presence in the travel industry and are doing a fantastic job at growing their virtual presence, and even successfully bridging the transition from online to offline, real-world customer experiences. 

Last month, we hosted a webinar all about SEO in 2018. The webinar was delivered by Marcelo, our in-house SEO expert who deals with spreadsheets and Google Analytics all day. He also has extensive experience in the area, having previously worked with brands like HSBC and Volvo.

It was our largest webinar to date, with over 600 signups. It was a great session and I thought it would be great to share some insights from the session.

A Channel Manager is a feature offered by many booking systems on the market, including TrekkSoft. It's a term widely used in property management systems for hoteliers, but the term has yet to catch on in the tour and activity sector.

So this article aims to break down what a Channel Manager does, and how it can seriously help you run your business better.

Another way we like to engage with the readers of our blog (a.k.a. you) is via our live webinarswhere we answer your questions. We often get questions about marketing your trips or attractions, which are great. However, this question we got from a museum employee was particularly interesting because of the political and social backdrop that this museum is rooted in.

Hi Nicole,

I work in a museum that has a reputation for appealing only to the “old white guy” as a huge part of our museum is on the American Civil War. As times are evolving and a new generation is employed here, we want to rebuild bridges that were burned long ago and move past the “old white guy” perception. How do we move with the times and rebuild those bridges that were destroyed? I would love to market to the LGBTQ community as well as African Americans. What trends are you seeing that can help me attract them? How can we also appeal to a younger crowd (mid 20s)? What can I do for outreach?

Museum Staff

Here's our second edition of our Tourism Success Q&A. I'm excited for this becoming a regular feature on our blog and newsletter. Make sure you don't miss out on great tips and advice by signing up for our newsletter!

 

Hi Nicole,

I live and teach in Bend, Oregon, where we have a very big shoulder season. With 9 months of a shoulder season, I have challenged my students (I work in Oregon State University) to look at other areas in a similar situation. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Maeve

For so many years, sustainability meant conservation of trees and the sea and the coral reefs - which are all important issues and deserve attention. However, it left out the local communities from the conversation which led to protests which then led to “overtourism” finally taking center stage.

 

After wrapping up the recent webinar I ran about writing content that converts, it occurred to me that we didn't actually tell you how to set up a blog with your TrekkSoft website.

So without further ado, here's how you do it.

 

At WTM London 2017, we caught up with Kristian Jørgensen, Director of Tourism for Fjord Norway, the western region of Norway. Kristian participated in our panel discussion, Learn how tours & activities are the core of guest experience, and shared some great insights.

Here's our pick of some of the best quotes from the panel, covering Fjord Norway's growth as a region, their decision to go with TrekkSoft as their region's standardised booking system, and his approach to sustainably growing the region's tourism sector.

From overtourism to dinnertime conversation about diversity in the travel sector, our team got together to compare notes from WTM London 2017. 

Now that we're recovered from WTM London, here are some key takeaways from the conference and how tour and activity operators can adapt these lessons to their businesses.