But that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg here \u2014 to book out your calendar and really drive business growth, you want to put yourself in as many places as you can, giving yourself as many opportunities as possible to reach new customers. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Note: <\/span> Research has found that customers with two sales channels generate 4x as many bookings as customers promoting tours on one sales channel. The number doubles if you grow into four sales channels, and triples when you move to five. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n As a <\/span> <\/span> tour operator software brand <\/a> , we\u2019ve been working with tour and activity-based businesses for over a decade, so we put together this list of strategies to reach new potential customers and grow your business. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n As mentioned above, the convenience of the booking process can have a huge impact on booking conversions (aka the percentage of people who book with you after seeing you). <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n If customers have to call or send an email to ask about availability and confirm reservations, you risk losing them along the way to competitors who offer instantly confirmable booking options. <\/span> <\/span> The fewer touchpoints to confirm reservations, the less chance of customer drop off. <\/span><\/p>\n One of our clients, Dan Peterson from Wake up Reykjavik, saw a <\/span> <\/span> 400% increase <\/a> in bookings just by switching from his website\u2019s standard \u201ccontact us\u201d form to B\u00f3kun’s bookable widgets. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Make sure your website has booking widgets so customers can easily see your tours, availability, and pricing; choose their desired time slot; and pay online at checkout. This way, website visitors can confirm their reservation and complete the booking process in one fell swoop. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n You should give customers multiple payment options so they can pay by credit card or with Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Klarna, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n Then, booking on online travel sites like Expedia (more on these below) is naturally convenient for customers because they already use those sites to research travel and destinations \u2014 and they usually start their search for \u201cthings to do\u201d on these platforms. <\/span><\/p>\n If you list tours on OTAs, it\u2019s a good idea to connect a booking system to make it easier to manage reservations across multiple sales channels. Connecting a booking system lets you auto-update your availability in real-time, so customers see only open spots. Plus, some OTAs offer extra perks if you connect your profile to res tech software. <\/span> Booking management software <\/a> (like B\u00f3kun) is necessary to enable online booking options for customers. These software solutions offer booking widgets and connect with OTAs so you can provide customers with a smooth booking and checkout flow regardless of how they find you. (They also offer website builders, if you don\u2019t already have a site.) <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Our platform, specifically, includes a booking widget, a custom website builder, and partnerships with top payment processors. We also connect with OTAs such as Expedia, Tripadvisor, Klook, Tiqets, and more, and we have partnerships with Viator and GetYourGuide. <\/span><\/p>\n You can read more about <\/span> <\/span> how to start selling tours online here <\/a> . <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n As we talked about above, online travel sites receive millions upon millions of monthly website visitors, so joining these platforms is a really effective way to increase your visibility and get found more often. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Think about it \u2014 customers come to these sites intending to research travel and book things to do. These are the platforms you want to appear on to reach people who are a) interested in finding tours and activities and b) ready to book. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t limit yourself to one OTA or another \u2014 there isn\u2019t one \u201cbest\u201d site to join. Instead, choose a major OTA like Viator or GetYourGuide, then look for OTAs more specific to your niche (for example, Manawa for adventure-based tours). <\/span><\/p>\n You can grow your distribution network as you start to see more bookings. We suggest promoting experiences across multiple platforms so you have the best chance of booking out your tours. <\/span><\/p>\n Note: <\/span> Some OTAs also offer options to promote your tour listings through paid advertising. Investing in paid ad campaigns lets you drive new bookings fast, but at a cost; whereas increasing direct bookings can be a longer process, but potentially more profitable. <\/span> <\/span> It\u2019s easy to join these sites and most have set up tools that walk you through each step of the process. Then, they provide features to see new bookings and revenue from their platforms. <\/span><\/p>\n But it\u2019s important to note: <\/span> <\/span> Booking management software is still essential because it keeps operations organised as your distribution network grows. Otherwise, you have to manage each OTA independently \u2014 <\/span> check bookings from each site, compile reservations into a central calendar, and update availability across sites to avoid overbookings. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Booking software connects with OTAs to automatically pull online reservations \u2014 across all platforms \u2014 into a central booking calendar. You can also manage your availability from these tools so that it auto updates on OTAs, preventing issues with double bookings and cancelling or rescheduling reservations. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Our booking management system offers these conveniences, <\/span> <\/span> plus <\/span> we have a <\/span> <\/span> preferred partnership with Viator <\/a> , so we waive B\u00f3kun booking fees on reservations from those sites. (So you can grow your business on those platforms without all the extra fees). <\/span><\/p>\n Google offers its own kind of OTA with its \u201cThings to Do\u201d feature. <\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s say we\u2019re visiting San Diego, CA, and want to research things to do. Instead of starting our search on Viator or Tripadvisor (or another OTA), we search \u201cTours in San Diego\u201d on Google. Google will automatically pull suggestions from OTAs so searchers can see a few options immediately. Then, they can click on any of the listings to read more on Viator \u2014 or they can browse tour packages and other types of tours from this page. <\/span><\/p>\n Google will also pull \u201cthings to do\u201d when someone researches a general location or point of interest. For example, if someone types, \u201cEiffel Tower,\u201d Google will show options to buy tickets and attractions around the Eiffel Tower. <\/span> <\/span> Then customers can click to see available ticket options and click right to the booking site or OTA to make their purchase. <\/span><\/p>\n Enrolling in Google Things to do not only allows your tours to appear in search results, but they also appear in Google Maps and Google Travel (google.com\/travel), where customers have the same convenient options to browse and book tickets. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n We absolutely recommend <\/span> <\/span> enrolling in Google\u2019s Things to do program <\/a> , so you have a chance of appearing as a recommended listing across Google\u2019s platforms. (Our platform also integrates with Google so you can set this up through our system.) <\/span><\/p>\n At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we recommend giving yourself as many opportunities as possible to get in front of potential customers. <\/span><\/p>\n However, in addition, you can also: <\/span><\/p>\n You can enrol in Google Things to do through one of their connectivity partners (or through your booking software). You can also enrol with Google directly, and:<\/span><\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s talk about establishing partnerships. Whether you partner with major hotel chains, travel agents, or other tour operators in your local area, this strategy can be super valuable in both earning new bookings and increasing (passive) revenue. Let\u2019s explain: <\/span><\/p>\n Partnerships provide opportunities to <\/span> <\/span> promote each others\u2019 services <\/span> . Resellers can promote your tours and earn new bookings for you; you can promote partners\u2019 services and earn commission when customers book through you. You can also create bundle deals with partners to sell your tours together. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n If your primary focus is increasing bookings, partnering with resellers is a priority \u2014 but you shouldn\u2019t overlook the benefits of promoting others\u2019 tours and services. Earning commission as a reseller helps you increase revenue even if you\u2019re not booking out your calendar; then, you can use this extra income to invest in growth strategies (like paid ads on OTAs or Google). <\/span> When shopping for booking management software, look for one with a partner network where you can easily make connections with other businesses in the tourism industry. <\/span><\/p>\n These systems have tools so you can reach out to determine if there\u2019s a potential partnership, discuss the terms, and manage contracts \u2014 all communications and contracts are stored for easy reference. <\/span><\/p>\n Not only that, but these systems let you easily display partners\u2019 tours and services on your site, and even create bundle deals with your experiences, so you can promote partners\u2019 products without extra effort. <\/span> B\u00f3kun Marketplace <\/a> provides access to 27K+ businesses \u2014 hotels and resorts, attractions and theme parks, museums (even universities!), rental providers, and more \u2014 so you can find partners that complement your services. We provide all the tools to <\/span> <\/span> create and manage contracts <\/a> within our dashboard. You can renegotiate partnerships or reach out to new businesses at any time. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Read more: <\/span> Discover partnership opportunities in the marketplace <\/a><\/p>\n You can also get in touch with other businesses and establish contracts over email (the \u201cold fashioned\u201d way), but you\u2019ll eventually want to have some contract management solution so you can easily see current partners, reference past contracts, and keep all documentation in one organised place. <\/span><\/p>\n Plus, this approach creates challenges with the booking process, keeping an updated booking calendar, and attributing bookings to the right partner. If you\u2019ve reached this step, and you\u2019re ready to start exploring partnerships, you should have a booking management tool to support your operations. <\/span> We\u2019ve all heard about the benefits of social media and connecting with potential customers in their everyday lives. Brands with a strong or unique social media presence are more memorable, and social media is a great tool for shaping your brand voice and differentiating yourself from competitors. <\/span><\/p>\n Tour operators have a ton of \u201ccreative freedom\u201d in how they can use social media to promote experiences. You can post pictures from recent tours, \u201cgo live\u201d during tours to give audiences a glimpse of experiences, create reels or TikTok videos, and more. You can also interact with customers on posts or you can also encourage customers to share photos from tours and tag your page. <\/span><\/p>\n However, it\u2019s important not to get caught up in all of the technicalities of social media strategies and abandon ship altogether \u2014 the key thing is just to get active. Some tour and activity operators (especially those less tech-savvy) feel social media is too complicated or only for the younger crowd, so they overlook these strategies completely. <\/span><\/p>\n1. Simplify the booking process to promote direct bookings<\/h2>\n
Our advice: Use booking widgets<\/h3>\n
![\"Participants:](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/participants-feb-2024-dates-available-75e1968b.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Order](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/order-summary-example.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\nHow to execute<\/h3>\n
2. List tours on online travel agencies (OTAs) like Viator & GetYourGuide <\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Online](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/online-travel-agencies-and-partners.png\")
<\/p>\nOur advice: Don\u2019t limit yourself<\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\nHow to execute<\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Booking](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/booking-calendar-example.png\")
<\/p>\n 3. Connect with Google Things to do & promote tours via Google <\/span><\/h2>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/google-search-tours-in-san-diego.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/google-search-eiffel-tower-option-for-tickets-d8ef6e47.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Eiffel](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/google-eiffel-tower-tickets-0b2056ee.jpg\")
<\/p>\nOur advice: Enrol in Google\u2019s Things to do<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/google-search-tour-operators-in-san-diego.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
How to execute<\/h3>\n
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4. Partner with suppliers & resellers to promote each others\u2019 tours<\/h2>\n
Our advice: Partner up<\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\nHow to execute<\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Discover](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/bokun-discover-partners.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n 5. Use social media to build brand awareness & encourage bookings <\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Yelp](\"https:\/\/irp.cdn-website.com\/a3bf8d02\/dms3rep\/multi\/yelp-search-bike-tours-san-diego.jpg\")
<\/p>\n