Travel and Tourism is one of the fastest-growing & revenue-generating industries in the world. Every day hundreds of people enter into the travel business and sooner or later most of them end up on a complex and confusing note.

The main reason behind the failure of new Travel Business/Startups is, people tend to start the business without proper knowledge of the industry and don’t know how to market-out their business and make a good profit out of it.

Travel and Tourism industry is becoming very competitive and it is very hard to survive if you don’t know how to market or promote your travel business.

Lets know show you the tips and advice you need to boost your tourism business.

• Top 10 tips to Boost your Tourism Business
• What should be done to Improve Tourism?
• How do I make my Travel Business Successful?
• How can we Solve the Problem of Tourism?
• How can I Improve my Tourist Destination?
• How do Small Towns Attract Tourists?
• What should the Government do to Promote Tourism?

Top 10 tips to Boost your Tourism Business

1. Have an impressive Business Website

The online presence of your business is very important in this era. An impressive and Good Business Website is the first and foremost thing to start your Travel Business.

Read Also: You Can Make Money With Tourism Online

Maximum Travel Businesses are getting customers from the web and other digital mediums. A Travel Business with a good online presence always has more chances to attract customers. Right?

And you know what; more than 50% of travel agents didn’t have any online presence or website, as per a small survey by our team. It is not necessary that you must have an online booking facility on your website at the start; you can simply start with a basic website. But, make sure your Business Website should have the following functionality and features:

Must-Have functionality and features on any Travel Business Website:

• Responsive and Attractive Design
• User-Friendly
• Quick-loading
• Good Quality Images & Content
• Products, About Us and Contact Us Page
• Social Link of your Business
• SSL certificates
• SEO Ready
• Google Maps
• Email Subscription
• Inquiry Form

2. Know Your Own Expertise

The travel and tourism industry is very vast. It has a lot of products and services like Flights, Hotels, Buses, Train, Tours, Visas, Sightseeing, Taxi, Forex, MICE, and many more. It is not possible for everyone to have expertise in all the services and products, even many big brands in Travel and Tourism have expertise in limited products and services only.

To market your travel business and become successful you should know your own expertise and work/promote only those products in which you have expertise.

3. Promote Your Business Online

Now assume, you already have your business website and you also know your expertise. Now what next you can do is promote your travel business online to reach out to more and more clients and travel agents.

For promoting your business online you can simply start with promoting your business across on all social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, and Youtube by yourself and later you can do Search Engine Optimization to get leads and business directly from the Google Search.

If you have a good budget for Online Promotion you can also run paid ads on different platforms like Google, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

4. Use Email, SMS and Whatsapp Marketing

As earlier mentioned in the 1st point that your business website must have Contact Us, Email Subscription, and Enquiry Forms. Through them, you can collect Mobile Number and Email IDs for your customers and potential customers.

To promote your travel business you must use those Email and Mobile Numbers through Email, SMS, and Whatsapp Marketing.

Whenever you want to introduce a new product or service like any New Tour Package, Any Discount or Deals or make any announcement you can Use Email, SMS, and Whatsapp Marketing through this way you can not only let people know about your new services but also get new clients.

5. Content Marketing

Content marketing is a very new and trending mode of promotion, especially for Travel Businesses. Content marketing is a form of marketing focused on creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience online.

You can write blogs and articles which are related to your products and services and post them on your website. You can also promote your product and services on the other popular niche website.

This way, there are very high chances of getting leads and customers.

6. Cashbacks and Discounts

Customers attract more with the products and services which have Cashback and Discounts, so in the travel business whenever you promote your products through any medium, mention Keywords Like Cashback, Discount, Limited Period Offer, etc.

The most effective way to give discounts and cashback in Travel and Tourism is when someone books or purchases any service or product from you, just give them a voucher for any amount which will be applicable to the next booking.

If you do this you will get more ‘returning customer’

7. Start a Referral Program

A referral program is a marketing method of promoting products or services to new customers through existing customers. It is just like word of mouth and it is the oldest and most trusted marketing strategy.

Referral program or Referral Marketing can be done by encouraging and rewarding existing customers and a wide variety of other contacts, to recommend products and services to other potential consumers.

Referral Programs can also run through both online and offline mediums.

8. Gift and Goodies for Clients

Customers have more choices than ever when it comes to choosing the products and services they buy. Also, retention of customers is crucial most important for any company’s growth.

Gifting is the easiest way to show your customers just how much you care about their business?

Here are some gift option for travel agents

• Professional Notebooks
• Calendars
• Toiletry Bag
• Passport Covers
• Portable Phone Charger
• Custom Water Bottle
• Restaurant Gift Card
• Headphones

9. Advertise locally

The advertisement needs a lot of budgets, so when you think about advertising your Travel Business it is highly recommended to start with locally or you can target just a specific audience.

The best ways to advertise locally can be:

• Local News Papers
• Radio
• Banners and Hoardings
• TV Commercial in Local Channels
• Flyers and Brochures

10. Show your presence at local trade shows or fairs

Attending travel trade shows, seminars, and trade fairs can also be very helpful to promote your travel business.

Booking a stall or booth in Travel Trade shows and Fairs is the best way to promote travel business, through this you will only get the audience who is interested in Travel and Tourism.

Through Travel Trade Fairs and Shows you can get a lot of buyers and sellers and that will be quite helpful to take your business to the next level.

If you are very new in the industry and can’t book a stall or booth for trade shows and fairs still you can market your travel business by just paying a visit to all trade shows and fairs. This should also inspire you with some exhibit booth design ideas for when you are ready to create your own exhibit! 

What should be done to Improve Tourism?

People love to travel. While some enjoy finding new and exciting places to visit, others tend to stick with the tried-and-true locations they’ve visited – and appreciated – in the past. Either way, tourism organizations can continue to learn more about their audience.

Traveler’s’ likes, dislikes, and interests should be of the utmost importance to these agencies, as the careful focus can mean increased leads and returning, happy customers. There are many steps tourism companies can take to attract more people to their websites and online booking platforms. Let’s take a look at five examples:

1. Work with a content marketer

Tourists want to hear more about a location they’re interested in from a reliable and exclusive source. Content is king in this industry, so travel organizations frequently need to publish materials to help travelers make important and costly decisions.

However, this task can often be overwhelming for smaller agencies. Without the manpower to complete the job, businesses can fall short and visitors to their sites can often become bored. Losing leads is a negative result of not creating enough relevant content for readers.

To deliver updated and interesting information, tourism companies can work with a content marketing company. These organizations can write blog posts and whitepapers, create infographics and produce informative videos, according to Stir Tourism. In addition, content marketers will develop a strategy for the delivery of these materials. That way, travelers will always have a steady stream of appropriate and helpful information at their disposal.

2. Create an email newsletter

Of course, it’s important for travel agencies to keep their websites, blogs and links updated for readers to follow to tourism offers and promotions. But what about taking a route that delivers the information directly to the tourist instead of making him or her search through a page for it?

Travel agencies would benefit from an email newsletter. If delivered regularly and with relevant materials, this outreach could help organizations can serious leads and convert those potential buyers stuck in the funnel.

Email newsletters enable tourism companies to tease helpful blog posts and offer email-only deals to engaged users. According to Zozi Advance, the key is to create a sense of urgency around the offer and highlight the exclusivity of the promotion.

By taking these steps, businesses can encourage readers to follow the instructions quickly and make a purchase before the bargain expires. An email newsletter complete with limited-time offers is a strong lead-building strategy for travel companies, encouraging both past customers and newer leads to convert.

3. Ensure the database is clean

Tourism organizations rely on their clients’ information to develop comprehensive travel packages and offers for them. This data is crucial to creating a plan that is unique to the tourist, utilizing previously entered interests and dislikes to make the experience as valuable as possible. If those materials are incorrect or out of date, however, it is much more difficult for travel companies to curate these plans.

To improve their relationship with current leads and encourage new customers to utilize their services, tourism businesses to maintain proper database management practices. Frequent information cleansing – frequently checking people’s email addresses, location, phone number, and more – will aid organizations in eradicating any materials that are no longer useful.

Taking this action ensures companies and their marketing teams aren’t losing money sending advertising information to people that don’t exist or have changed their data.

4. Curate a complete experience

While a company may be known for its availability of cheap flights, this isn’t all tourists are looking for. Instead, travelers want an entire adventure in the palm of their hand. They want the booking portion to be easy and comprehensive, so there’s little to do once they actually arrive at their destination.

Add-ons, including hotel, car rental, culinary reservations and activity bookings will all be interesting to a reader looking to really learn about his or her vacation or business spot. By removing a factor of stress from their trips, tourism companies can make sure their travelers have the best experience possible and will return for future excursions.

5. Streamline website for efficiency

There are nothing tourists searching online hate more than a slow connection or a mobile site that won’t optimize. Often, this will result in potential customers leaving a page to look for another service provider. It’s critical for travel organizations to take these steps – among others – to ensure their clients’ experience is as efficient as possible.

Whether it’s the booking element of the site or simply a request for information, tourism companies should create pages that are easy-to-use, load quickly and are available on mobile devices. Furthermore, once an inquiry has been made for additional tourism materials, travel businesses must make sure the data is delivered quickly. Sometimes, adventures are booked with little time to spare, so time is of the essence.

How do I make my Travel Business Successful?

Constantly increasing sales in a travel company is the number one focus of any travel agency manager.

The competition is rough and plentiful – and new travel agencies are popping up as you’re reading this. Every one of those agencies is fighting for their piece of the cake, every one of those agencies would like to be selling more than they currently are.

Unfortunately, many of them lose focus while fighting for their fair share of customers, and instead of winning new travelers over to their agency, they forget who they are doing it for.

We’re bringing you 8 tips you can use to keep the customer in focus, increase sales in your travel agency or tour operator business, and build a reputation that will help you book more trips.

1. Highlight the benefits of your product/service

Instead of trying to compete with your competitors, focus on pointing out the unique benefits of your service. Ask your existing, satisfied customers for a review, highlighting all the positive aspects of the experience they’ve had with your agency.

Most satisfied customers won’t hesitate to give a testimonial – some might even be glad to. Post it proudly on your company’s website and watch as you attract new potential clients.

2. Engage with customers on social media

Travelers of all age groups are using social media networks, where they talk about travel products, share experiences, or express their preferences.

Use images, videos, questions or statuses to spark conversation and motivate potential clients to follow you. Listening to their comments and receiving feedback helps you create better-tailored trips and packages.

3. Upsell products – provide an experience

Suggesting additional products on top of a standard package is the most straightforward method of increasing your revenue per customer. For example, if your customer is going on a city tour of Madrid, offer lunch and dinner options to go along with it.

On the other hand, an observatory tour operator who offers private telescope viewing sessions might offer a glass of wine and tapas prior to the viewing to make the experience more romantic for a couple who booked it.

Explore and test to find out what your customers want, and use travel agency software to easily track and manage special offers and complementary products.

4. Package travel components into unique travel products

Combine different products into a unique travel experience. Create a package and try to offer a better price by selling a hotel, flight, and activity together. This way, your customers get a fuller travel experience, and you have the opportunity to sell more services and travel items than if you were selling them individually.

But with many incoming inquiries, the process of creating a package has to be quick and simple. With the help of a tour operator software, creating a tour or a package is completed in just a few steps.

5. Find a travel niche market

One way to be a successful travel company is to establish your business in a niche market. The travel niche doesn’t need to be complicated or rare – but the more unique it is, the better. Niche travel means you are selling something that no one else sells, and that your product is different in some way.

That can mean you’re specializing in a certain demographic area, like organizing trips for senior French couples, a type of travel – like hiking through the mountains off the beaten path or doing trips only for one particular destination. This type of segmentation is rising in popularity as the competition rises significantly, too.

6. Try online booking software

The Internet has changed every aspect of modern life, and it has also affected how travelers book trips and how agencies can sell packages. You can offer your visitors the option of booking products online through the web page.

That way, you don’t have to worry about whether or not your employees are sitting at their desks. Via an online booking system, your customers can book 24/7 because the system receives and processes the reservations automatically. Providing your customers with a completely easy and safe way for both book travel arrangements online is a great policy for growing your revenue.

7. Extend your B2B network

It is no big news that your business relationship with partners is very important. Business partners help you reach new markets, acquire new customers, get new ideas for further product development and more.

But remember that making a new B2B partner is just the tip of the iceberg, and keeping one is what requires hard and honest work. 

8. Enhance your offer by integrating with GDS systems

A good way to stay ahead of your competitors is offering the best possible prices on a worldwide range of high-quality transfer services, car rentals, tickets for museums and attractions, and excursions.

With travel software, this is made simple through XML integration with different hotel systems (third-party systems). Combining different sources into a unique travel experience takes your service to the next level.

How can we Solve the Problem of Tourism?

1. The first step in solving any problem is identifying and understanding the various components of the problem. Many individuals, corporate organizations and government agencies are willing to support this industry and make it grow. The main hindrance to this is the fact that there is limited understanding of the tourism industry.

2. A lot of people think that Tourism is restricted to the main tourist sites they know. To solve this, all stakeholders including Government agencies and the media have to invest a lot of time and resources in educating the general public about the various components of the tourism industry.

Mass sensitization about the history, culture and tradition of our great country and tourist sites will go a long way to make people understand and appreciate what we have as a country.

3. Inadequate investment – There is absolutely no investor who will invest in an industry that has no previous track record of success or has no clear future. Every business person or entity will push money where they see viability or an opportunity for growth and development.

To solve the problem of lack of investment, we must make our industry very attractive. We must advertise the beauty of this great country and maintain well the already existing sites. We must also appeal for aid from corporate bodies and stakeholders. It is only when people know that help is needed will they come to our aid.

4. Lack of Professionalism – We are in a world where professionalism has become the benchmark of many successful businesses. A high sense of professionalism is what many international brands and companies dwell on. Providing a great customer service in an apt highly professional way creates a certain image for your brand or industry.

In Ghana, for example, professionalism is either limited to the ‘’bigger brands’’ or completely absent. The way out is simple but deserves close attention and time. Many hotels and tourism-related companies and organizations must frequently train staff and equip them with current practices and procedures.

Also, when employing individuals for certain positions, employers must carefully select well-equipped people to ensure a high sense of professionalism. The introduction of international brands also gives the local brands a reference point to learn from. So rather than seeing these international brands as competitors, local businesses must see them as a solution to the problem.

5. Improvement of infrastructure – After all is said and done, once we train staff, get more investors and educate people on tourism, we have to provide good enough infrastructure to various tourist sites and hotels. Unfortunately, access roads to many of our popular tourist destinations and hotels are not of the best standards. It is often difficult to find a clean pathway to many of these places and hence it is demotivating for tourists who may not return or even recommend the destination to family and friends.

Stakeholders and the Government must ensure that access roads are good and safe for travel. Also, good amenities such as portable drinking water and electricity have to be provided to make the stay of tourists very comfortable. When these are put in place, many tourists will be happy to travel down there and also recommend those places to other people.

6. High-cost tourism destinations – To attract more tourists to our tourist destinations, the cost of entry and various souvenirs should be reduced at tourist sites. Quite often, tourists are faced with the challenge of having to pay very high fees before they are allowed entry into the tourist sites.

They are also charged high prices when they purchase souvenirs. Authorities must ensure that prices are made affordable enough and souvenirs not overpriced to ensure that more people are able to visit these sites and generate more revenue.

How can I Improve my Tourist Destination?

1. Identify Your Best Prospective Visitors to Optimize Ad Buying

The most important aspect of developing a winning marketing strategy is to truly know who your visitors are and where they’re coming from to visit your tourist destination. Many tourist destinations use visitor analytics to identify demographic and psychographic insights about their visitors.

Beyond demographic variables like age, income range, and gender, these analytics reveal the lifestyle characteristics (also called psychographics) of your potential visitors. To get this information, researchers typically use credit card transaction or GPS data combined with household-level consumer characteristics.

Once complete, the studies provide insights into how to update your marketing strategies to better target the types of visitors that are more likely to visit your destination and the top origin markets for your destination marketing efforts.

2. Tailor Your Marketing Efforts by Traveler Type

As most marketers know, there are many different types of people that will be interested in your products or services. This is no different in the tourism industry. Millennials and seniors will likely be looking to do vastly different things when they come to your area. Identify your key visitor segments and be creative when coming up with new ideas for deals or offerings that will appeal to each target market.

A one-size-fits-all approach won’t yield the best results, so your marketing efforts will have to be tailored accordingly. As you test tactics and learn what works, you can adjust your strategy to better reach your best potential visitors.

3. Increase Exposure by Partnering with Influencers

Influencer marketing is becoming a huge strategy for brands across the tourism industry. And that’s because it works. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, influencers are people who have established a dedicated following for their own personal brands.

These people are usually bloggers, YouTubers and Instagram personalities. Since influencers have highly engaged audiences, Convention and Visitors Bureaus and Destination Marketing Organizations are turning to them to create content about their hotel, tourist attractions, etc.

To get started with an influencer marketing strategy, do some research about influencers who already post content about your industry. When you’ve created a list of potential influencers, reach out to set up an exchange.

An example of exchange could be an influencer visiting your area for free, and the influencer will create a YouTube video about their experience. This is a win-win for both parties. The influencer will have the opportunity to create original content for their following and your brand will be exposed to a new audience.

4. Create Destination Videos That Appeal to the Right Tourists

It’s common knowledge that videos are one of the most popular ways people like to receive information. If you’re looking to make splash on social media, begin to create exciting videos not just about a single tourist destination, but about your city as a whole.

Some additional video ideas include locals giving insight into their favorite places to dine, shop and explore; tips about getting around the city; and more. These will be a natural fit for sharing on social media and will add a nice mix of photos and videos to your feed.

5. Share What’s New in Your Area

You’re a local to your area, so make sure to stay up to date on new things happening. This allows you to be a resource for helpful visitor information, rather than solely trying to sell your destination.

Try to put yourself in the visitors’ shoes and provide insight into a variety of exciting things that you would want to see if you were visiting your area.

Regardless of your current marketing strategy, it’s never too late to gain more insight into your past visitors as well as strengthen your approach to acquiring new visitors. By leveraging visitor analytics and adopting tourism marketing trends, you can strengthen your strategy and move past your competition.

How do Small Towns Attract Tourists?

Here’s how to attract tourists that visit your city:

Step 1: Increase your distribution

Agents help you connect with customers who have not decided what to do when they reach their destination. You should reach out to as many agents as possible — from the large OTAs to the small visitor information centres that are located within your community. Here are the kinds of agents you can partner with.

A channel manager can help you effectively promote your products and your real-time availability to as many agents as possible. Make sure that your commission rates are competitive, as this will help motivate agents to book with your company.

Step 2: Optimize your website for mobile use

Many of these city trippers will reach their destination, then research what tours and activities are available on their mobile device. Without a mobile-friendly website that boasts booking capabilities, you’ll miss out on an ever-increasing number of travelers reliant on mobile devices.

Step 3: Be visible

Many weekend travelers rely on the companies they see and hear from during their trips to make their decisions. Make sure you have a physical location in a prominent space in the city, or invest in ads in crowded spaces. You need to stand out so tourists know who you are and what you offer.

Step 4: Offer unique promotions

To compete with other tour and activity providers in your region, offer promotions that entice customers to book with you. Discounts for tours, promo codes, gift cards and vouchers can be used to attract customers to book immediately. Remind travelers that they don’t need to make a phone call or stop in your office to use their promotion — they can apply it online themselves!

About 50% of respondents from the latest United States and Canada Industry Survey results say that review websites such as TripAdvisor are most effective in increasing the bookings for their business. So, marketing your tour and activity company to short-term travelers is critical to your overall success, and simplifying the booking process will attract even more customers.

What should the Government do to Promote Tourism?

Tourism makes a substantial contribution to a country’s GDP. Many countries have found innovative ways to earn foreign currency by marketing their tourist destinations abroad. To make increase tourism a country has to invest in infrastructure and provide a conducive environment for tourists. These efforts take time, but the payoff is worth it.

Security

The threat of terrorism forces people to cancel travel plans. Many governments often issue travel advisories warning their citizens on countries they consider a security threat. A government that wants to promote its tourist sites needs to put measures to control the threat of terrorism.

This will include measures like sharing confidential security information with other countries, vetting suspicious people entering their country, and border control to reduce the risk of insurgents coming into a country. 

Infrastructure

A country that does not invest in infrastructure will see their tourist numbers decline. A country needs to engage in public-private partnerships to increase bed occupancy across the country. Tourists need world-class hotels to sleep in, and this need can only be met if a country opens its borders to foreign investment.

Infrastructure extends to road networks connecting several tourist attraction sites and investment in social amenities like museums and art rooms.

Conservation

This one applies to those countries that have game reserves and marine parks. Poaching and human encroachment has led to a decline in wildlife numbers globally and countries need to engage in various conservation efforts. We now have many animals (like white rhino and pandas) who are becoming extinct due to poaching.

The sale of ivory across the world has brought elephant numbers to its knees. If these countries do not invest in conservation efforts, they will see a loss in tourism as they will be no wildlife left to see. Countries owning game reserves can engage in partnerships with the local community in an effort to reduce human-wildlife conflict.

The other option is to partner with various conservation groups to protect the few game reserves in the world. Pollution and the discharge of toxic wastes into the oceans has a direct effect on marine life. More needs to be done to reduce pollution; a ban on plastics has a direct effect on marine life.

Marketing and Advertising

There many tourist attraction sites that do not receive any media coverage and this means many tourists are not aware of their existence. A country needs to invest some considerable amounts of money in marketing efforts. A country like Kenya can promote its game reserves on international TV stations like CNN.

Brand visibility opens a countries tourist sites to the rest of the world. Marketing also involves a country engaging in global tourism exhibitions and using their heroes to promote their brands.

Expanding Airline outreach

Globalization has eased how we travel, and airlines have made many countries across the world to be accessible. More airlines operating in a country mean more people visit a particular country. Partnerships between airlines help them share passengers. Tourism is not limited to airlines only but extends to cruise liners. The later carry large passenger numbers and travel across the world through the sea.

Foreign Languages

Languages like Spanish, English or French are universal, and many tourists speak one or both. For a country to grow its tourist numbers, they need to invest in foreign language classes for its locals. As more people speak the languages, they can act as guides and translators.

It is often challenging traveling to a foreign country only to find that nobody understands you – from the hotel rooms to the cabs. Education in foreign languages can be included in the countries curriculum. Websites used to market tourism in a country should be multilingual – this will make your country tourist-friendly.

Education on the benefits of Tourism

If the population does not understand the benefit of tourism in their country, they are likely to be less supportive of any government efforts to boost tourism numbers. The government can begin by first promoting domestic tourism in a country. This can be done during off-seasons when hotels and tourism attraction sites are less congested.

Once the citizens sample what their country has to offer, they will be willing to extend this hospitality to visitors. One way to promote domestic tourism is to offer cheaper rates in national game reserves than those offered foreigners.

Clean Cities

To attract tourists make sure that your country is clean. This is not relegated to hotel rooms only but extends to various social amenities spread across the country. The government can engage the citizens in cleaning exercises – this also fosters a sense of responsibility amongst the citizens.

Ban the use of plastic bags and provide bins in parks for garbage disposal. Make it costly to throw garbage around. Some countries have seen a decline in tourist numbers in beaches due to uncleanliness.

Digital Influencers

Almost every country in the world has men and women who have a global presence. This could be movie stars, spots men, peacemakers among others. A country can ride on the influence of these men to promote their brand across the globe.

Read Also: How to Benefit From the Travel Ad Spend Increase in Europe

Having a sportsman win a marathon while carrying the national flag helps to put the message across that the country is welcoming to tourists. Promoting the countries brand extends to various social media campaigns. Some individuals have thousands of followers online, and a nation can ride on this influence.

Digital influencers, however, can be a double-edged sword because if they misbehave or do something offensive, it reflects poorly on the country.

Conclusion

Tourism is an ever-changing industry. There are always new, interesting destinations for people to visit, whether for work or personal purposes. Travel organizations, in order to continue improving their lead generation and conversion rates, must take certain steps.

These actions include utilizing a content marketing agency, developing an email newsletter, implementing data cleansing practices, curating a complete travel experience and enhancing their website for efficiency.