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The topic on everyone’s mind — Travel amid Coronavirus
Erin Gunnuscio • Mar 10, 2020
There are opportunities in these headwinds.
We're all acutely aware of the impact COVID-19, or Coronavirus, is having on the tourism industry this year. And we’re here to help. First and foremost, we care deeply about your safety. We recommend you look to the World Health Organization (WHO) and your local government for the latest news and recommendations.
Just like you, we’re adapting our policies and our business practices day-by-day and minute-by-minute. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at support@bokun.io
if you have any questions or ideas how Bókun can help your business.
It’s an unquestionably challenging time, but we see some opportunities in these headwinds. We’ve rounded up a few ideas and tips to help drive your business and to encourage travelers to go on tours and activities.
People still want to travel, but they are adjusting how and where. Consider a refocus on private tours and outdoor activities. Collaborate with your neighboring tour operators using the Bókun Marketplace. Also, embrace last-minute bookers, and consider advertising to local travelers.
And, as always, be sure to reach out to us via support@bokun.io
or on social media with any of your own tips and ideas or questions.
1. Use promotions ... wisely
Lists are great ways to stay on track. Write down some big things you want to accomplish and some smaller things, too.
Think creatively as you offer extra incentives to travelers.
- Value-Adds: Consider offering a free “extra” like your company Tshirt, stickers, or other swag with purchase (this also turns your customers into walking billboards!) or free photos rather than discounting price.
- Buy more, save more: Offer a “buy one tour, get one 50% off” discount.
- Rebooking Offers: Consider a discount if the customer rebooks their experience for a later date rather than canceling.
- Gift Cards: Promote gift cards at a discount to those who aren’t ready to commit to a specific date.
- Read more about adding Promo Codes and Gift Cards in the Bokun Helpdesk.
2. Capture last-minute bookers
Travelers are taking a "wait and see" approach and aren't ready to book their tours and activities until the last-minute. Consider taking bookings right up until the start time of your experience.
In the past 2 weeks, we've seen a 32% increase in last-minute bookings and 6% increase in overall bookings for tours and activities that reduced their booking cutoff time to less than 4 hours.
To adjust booking cutoff time, log in to your Bókun account, select the Experience
you want to change, then select Availability > Booking cutoff in the left-hand navigation.
Need help adjusting multiple products? Contact us at support@bokun.io.
3. Work together using the Bókun Marketplace
We've recently updated the Bókun Marketplace
to make finding partners easier than ever.
Find new, local resellers to help sell your tours. Add a new revenue channel by acting as a reseller of others’ tours. And create combination products with other tour operators, giving your travelers the ability to book a small group experience with multiple tours back-to-back, keeping them within the same small group to further limit their exposure to more travelers.
4. Think small
Consider private tours and small group tours. This gives both tour guides and travelers peace of mind while interacting with less people at a given time. You can easily change any of your Experiences in Bókun to a Private Tour or reduce the traveler maximum limit. When you do so, be sure to also update your product title and description to advertise it as a private tour or small group activity.
5. Embrace the outdoors
Focus on tours and activities that are not confined to indoor spaces. Consider adjusting your tours
to bring them outside. Also make sure to emphasize that this product takes place outdoors in your product title and description so your tour stands out to travelers.
How are you coping during the COVID-19 outbreak? How have you adjusted your business and your life? And how can we at Bókun help? Email us at support@bokun.io
or in the comments below.
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