Sales & Marketing

Creative Ideas for Tour Operators to Attract More Customers

The early bird catches the customer! Don’t delay in setting up your calendar and open up booking windows before your season is in full swing.

Research suggests that 25% of travelers book the activities for their vacation in advanced. If you are not providing options for those travelers i.e. increase the date range on your bookings, you are leaving a potential 25% increase in revenue on the table. Here are a few ways you can leverage the early booker:

Planning

Look back at your past season to determine busy days and slow days, in order to forecast this upcoming season. Open your booking calendar to reflect the forecast and give excited customers who plan in advance the opportunity to book with your company.  If you wait until you’re closer to your season, then you miss the chance to capture those Type A travelers who want to know exactly what they are are going to do from the moment they arrive.

Promotion

When you have open booking windows, you are able to promote your business and capture customers earlier! If your high season is in the summer, then promoting sunny skies and fun water adventures in the heart of winter could capture those lusting for warmer days. Customers have to plan ahead not only with friends and family but also their work in terms of requesting vacation time. Tap into that market with early booking promotions and deals, to secure your future visitors.

Online

Your customer is online, whether they are looking at a quick review of your establishment while at lunch down the street or creating their itinerary for the family vacation 4 months in advance, they are using the internet to make buying/booking decisions. Make sure your website is up to date, mobile responsive, and have booking windows open for when they decide to click BOOK NOW. Also, include language indicating you are open to walk-ups and friendly to spontaneous travelers if your business can accommodate last-minute bookings.

Get ahead of the competition and open your booking windows today to funnel in potential customers and fill up your calendar!


aReservation by Indexic can manage your online bookings with easy-to-use and smart scheduling tools, as well as resource management that supports your forecasting needs. Contact us to schedule a free demo of Event Book Manager today.

The early bird catches the customer