5 ideas that’ll differentiate your tours in 2023

A guest blog by Saynine.

As the tourism industry bounces back to pre-pandemic levels, it goes without saying that the past few years were definitely tough. However, with the world steadily recovering from the results of international border restrictions, it’s clear that tour and activity operators can start looking forward to better days.

According to reports by the World Tourism Organization, International tourism has seen a 172% increase in 2022 compared to 2021 levels – a clear indicator that people are regaining their confidence in travel. This is the perfect opportunity for operators to seize the influx and enthusiasm of international travelers.

In this article, we’ll go through 4 ideas that will help your tour and activity business stand out from all the rest.

1. Improve social media presence

There aren’t any signs social media will stop being a vital part of people’s lives. It’s hard to underestimate its power for different kinds of businesses that strive for growth. The travel industry isn’t an exception because it’s hard to imagine successful tourism marketing without having a strong social media presence. So tour operators should definitely build a compelling social media marketing strategy.

Every social media channel demands special steps to win the game here, but in all cases, there are a few golden rules, which we’ll divide into three categories: help, educate, and engage. 

Help

First and foremost, tour agencies should be consistent and regularly connect with their potential customers. Travelers actively connect with tour agencies having different questions. And it will be a huge mistake to ignore the comment section and direct messages. Instead, giving solutions to all travelers’ concerns can create a positive relationship with potential customers. 

Educate

Next, take the opportunity to offer tips about tours and traveling in general. Educate your online audience by sharing helpful content and opening new perspectives for them about the world and tourism possibilities. Your educational content can be as simple as a list of fascinating facts about different countries and cultures. Think about creating an Instagram carousel post that shares helpful travel tips.

Engage

Lastly, make an effort to create entertaining and engaging content. It’s a great opportunity to highlight the value of the tours. Short videos offer endless opportunities for all types of businesses, so it will be a huge mistake for tour operators not to use their power. Whether it’s a TikTok video or Instagram Reels, generate a video that shares highlights of your tours. Moreover, encourage your followers to share user-generated content because they probably have great videos and videos from tours.

In all cases, whether you help, entertain, or educate social media followers, define and highlight your agency’s unique personality. This way, you can successfully market your tourism business and get a competitive advantage.

2. Provide a great mobile booking experience

In this digital era, customers use their mobiles to connect not only for communicating but also for doing research. And they plan their trip entirely using just their smartphones. The numbers speak for themselves, as 80% of customers said they prefer mobile booking to find and get information about tours. So, tour operators should try to deliver a positive experience to mobile users planning their next trip.

One of the main steps to achieve that is creating a mobile responsive website with quick and seamless navigation. This way, tour agencies can provide customers with a positive experience and increase customer retention. 

Moreover, tour operators should be available 24/7 to answer all questions and guide the right direction. For that, they should consider implementing live chat and building outstanding customer support service in order to boost the customer experience.

Lastly, we recommend offering travelers multiple payment options for mobile booking and taking the right steps to guarantee a safe payment process.

3. Offer an outstanding cultural experience

For a long time, travelers missed the opportunity to be in other countries and experience other cultures. Now they can immerse themselves in entirely different unique cultures. Travelers strive to discover hidden gems and little-known places, where they explore memorable and even shocking cultural elements.

Culture is definitely a wide concept, your job is to find out your customers’ interests. Depending on their age, values, and budget, they may prefer various things. Some prefer to stay at a nomadic camp, while others want to participate in national dance classes.

The main point is to show travelers how real life is in those countries and highlight the best aspects. it’ll also be beneficial to make it an integral component of your digital marketing efforts to educate people about other cultures and their uniqueness.

 4. Promote sustainability 

Climate changes and similar crises make travelers look for more eco-friendly travel packages. They try to choose options that ate less harmful to the environment. In fact, travelers are ready to pay more for the tours to reduce their carbon footprint. 

Travelers tend to choose tours where they can explore nature while minimizing their waste as a traveler. In addition to these, we will pay for carbon-free travel experiences. Moreover, tour agencies can offer their customers incentives, encouraging them to refer their eco-friendly travel packages to their friends and families. This tactic will be beneficial for word-of-mouth marketing efforts and will help to grow their audience.

Start by trying to become a sustainable tour operator, and encourage travelers to reduce waste during their traveling. And promote eco-friendliness and educate the importance of sustainability. This could include creating an SMS marketing campaign and social media strategy to share steps on how to be a more responsible traveler.

Finally, we also recommend encouraging travelers to use shop locally. This way, they support local businesses and reduce their carbon footprint.  

5. Nurturing positive reviews

In today’s highly competitive tourism industry, cultivating and showcasing positive reviews for your business is not just a matter of reputation management, but a strategic imperative for setting your tourism venture apart from competitors. Positive reviews act as digital endorsements, offering prospective travelers a glimpse into the real-world experiences of previous customers. In an era where travelers rely heavily on online platforms to make informed decisions, a collection of positive reviews can significantly influence a potential visitor’s choice of destination or service provider. These reviews serve as authentic testimonials that resonate more powerfully than traditional marketing efforts, establishing trust and credibility for your tourism business.

Furthermore, positive reviews contribute to the creation of a virtuous cycle. As satisfied customers share their delightful encounters, they not only attract new customers but also foster a sense of loyalty among existing ones. The emotional connection formed through positive experiences is magnified when customers witness their opinions being valued and acknowledged by the business. Responding to reviews, whether they’re positive ones or constructive criticisms, demonstrates your business’s commitment to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. Moreover, nurturing a repository of favorable reviews enhances search engine visibility and boosts your online reputation, making your tourism business stand out amidst a crowded field of competitors. In an industry where personal experiences reign supreme, harnessing the power of positive reviews becomes an essential strategy for forging a unique identity that resonates with potential customers.

Conclusion

Customers’ preferences regularly change, and travelers’ demands and expectations from tourism businesses can also transform. But there is no hesitation that in 2023 and beyond, travelers will be seeking unique and pleasant experiences. What is crucial is the ability to actively listen to customers and find out their travel preferences.

We discussed a few ideas for creating a tour that stands out. Following them, it is possible to provide an experience that will make travelers plan their next trip with your company as well.

Utilizing an online booking system such as Rezdy will help you better manage your business. Furthermore, it’ll help you differentiate your business from the 50% of tour and activity operators that don’t use an online booking system.

An online booking system equips your business with advanced tools such as a real-time availability viewer, the ability to accept secure online payments, and automate repetitive processes such as guest communication. A tour operator reservation software’s job is ultimately to streamline your processes and provide your customers with a seamless and simple booking journey.

Furthermore, as a Rezdy booking software customer, you’ll get instant access to the industry’s largest distribution platform – Rezdy Channel Manager. Easily connect with over 25,000 active resellers and distribute your tours and activities to a larger audience all in a click of a button.

Written By – Lilit Yeranyan – Content Writer, SayNine

Lilit is an SEO content writer at SayNine.ai and a literature admirer. She believes that words have power and that we should use them for good.

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