Tourpreneur Tour Business Podcast

TP team members Mitch Bach and Peter Syme talk to Chris Mark, Head of Connectivity for GetYourGuide.As we continue our Connectivity Series, we're looking at the people building the plumbing that make our industry work. When you list your tour on GetYourGuide, you might not understand the way in which it gets shared on other platforms, and how it integrates with your booking software, to bring you more sales but also make the whole process seamless.We sat down with Chris who is one of the architects making best-in-class connectivity. He comes from the tech industry, specifically Uber Eats, and learned a lot about what it takes to build the tech the makes sure everything works together nicely.Listen to the end, because Chris shares his opinion on the value proposition about tour marketplaces.More info & links at tourpreneur.com

In this episode, Mitch Bach and Pete Syme interview fellow Tourpreneur partner Chris Torres, a seasoned marketing expert, who shares insights from his extensive career in the industry.Chris announces the sale of his business, discusses the evolving landscape of marketing, and emphasises the importance of storytelling and innovation in attracting customers.The conversation covers the differences between marketing strategies for day tours and multi-day tours, the significance of print marketing, and what tour operators should look for in a marketing agency. Chris also reflects on his future plans and the changes in his professional journey.Tourism Marketing AgencyTrikon GroupRead the full Press ReleaseTakeawaysChris Torres has been in marketing and design since he was 16.He sold his business after 17 years to focus on new opportunities.Marketing is more crucial than ever in today's cluttered landscape.Agencies must adapt to technological changes and customer needs.Tour operators should invest in long-term marketing strategies.Video content is a powerful tool for differentiation.Understanding your customer is key to effective marketing.Print marketing remains relevant and impactful.Agencies should be evaluated based on results over time.It's important for operators to know when to move on from an agency, and vice versa.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Chris Torres and His Journey01:24 Chris Torres Announces Business Sale03:48 The Importance of Marketing in Today's World07:46 The Evolving Role of Marketing Agencies11:06 What Tour Operators Should Look for in Agencies13:30 When to Move On from an Agency18:04 Day Tours vs. Multi-Day Tours Marketing Strategies19:53 Standing Out in a Crowded Market26:02 The Role of Print Marketing27:34 Looking Ahead: Chris's Future Plans

Evan Frank, CEO of Fora Travel and former CEO of Context Travel, shares insights on the changing dynamics in the travel industry. He discusses how travel advisors are evolving into modern, relatable figures, leveraging social media and relationship-building skills. The importance of multichannel distribution and personal branding for tour suppliers is highlighted. Evan also emphasizes proactive planning in travel experiences, showcasing how technology reshapes the connection between advisors and operators in this post-COVID landscape.

This week we begin a mini-series on connectivity: interviews with people helping tour operators grow their B2B partnerships through tech tools that connect with other industry sectors.We start the series off looking at short term rentals. This is often a desired B2B relationship for tour operators, but one that's hard to decipher and connect with.Our guests are Karen Piscitelli, Founder of Explorabout and Annie Holcombe of the channel manager NextPax. Karen is building a platform to allow property managers to tap into inventory of unique bookable experiences, and Annie is an expert in the connectivity landscape for the short term rental market.We look at:how to understand the short term rental spacestrategies tour operators can use to creatively connect with property managerstech challenges in connecting properties to tours & activitiesworking with OTAs like Airbnb vs. direct relationships with propertieshow Explorabout and Nextpax are thinking about channel management andthe opportunity for designing tours in partnership with property managersopportunities in remote workersShow notes and more available at tourpreneur.com

Dan Christian has spent decades in the industry working at some of the world's largest travel brands: The Travel Corporation, G Adventures, Lonely Planet.Today he's the host of the Travel Trends podcast and CEO of the Acceleration Team, helping travel companies achieve rapid growth.Dan knows marketing and business transformation like nobody else, and in this episode he spills the secrets of the world's largest companies:How do the largest tour companies really make their money?What have they learned about marketing tours?How do you scale up your operations efficiently as you add new regions?What does smart growth look like?How important is brand and USP?How do you leverage technology?What are the best distribution channels for selling your tours?Are travel advisors worth working with?More information...Show notes with more of Dan's insightsTourpreneur's full event schedule including CONNECT NYC in February, and our Tour Product Boot Camp in Berlin, March 3.Join our 16,000+ tour operator community on FacebookGet our free Tour Business Toolkit by joining our Community Hub

Tao Tao, Co-founder and COO of GetYourGuide, shares insights from his extensive experience in scaling an online experiences marketplace. He discusses the significant shift in traveler booking behaviors, with many opting for last-minute arrangements. Tao highlights the importance of curating unique, high-quality tours to meet evolving traveler needs while navigating the challenges of supplier relationships and commission structures. He also explores how AI is being integrated into the marketplace, ensuring a balance between customer satisfaction and supplier interests.

A Christmas Eve gift for you! We're just days away from 2025, so it's clearly time to start thinking about how you're going to grow and improve your business next year!Tourpreneur hosts Mitch Bach and Peter Syme have a conversation about what Pete calls the 70-20-10 rule for how to spend your time doing business development in the off season. (You'll have to listen to find out).We cover topics such as:Leading guide training and innovation workshopsfinding new sales partnerslooking at your financesa system for figuring out what's working and what's notAnd so much more.Thank you all so much for being supporters and listeners of Tourpreneur in 2024. We have so much in store for you for next year.Join Tourpreneur.com for free courses, resources, and full archives of all our podcastsAttend one of dozens of global meetups in 2025

The hosts share insights from their California Road Show, discussing shifting travel behaviors and the importance of food experiences in tourism. They reveal six easy fixes for tour businesses based on live audits, and explore the dynamics of direct bookings versus OTAs. Tactical advice on leveraging Google Ads, corporate partnerships, and optimizing websites for customer engagement takes center stage. Tips for maximizing potential with corporate tours and the vital role of partnerships to boost sales are also highlighted.

This episode is going to inspire and surprise you. Rodrigo Atuesta is the CEO of Impulse Travel. From humble beginnings as a guide and Couch Surfer, Rodrigo and his partners have built a DMC in Colombia that has now served over 30,000 travelers. But the way he's built it has been extraordinary, challenging assumptions about how DMCs should work, and understanding the responsibility and power that a travel company has to transform destinations.In this far-reaching conversation, Tourpreneur's Mitch Bach talks a variety of topics with Rodrigo:What he learned about hospitality and “meaningful interactions” from his days of Couch Surfinghow he participates in and hosts FAM trips with agents to promote his business and countryhow to challenge and change global stereotypes about Colombiahis approach to the “co-creation” process as a DMC working with tour operatorsthe surprising lessons learned from his experience with Booking.com’s Booking Booster accelerator programwhat true leadership … soft skills, good leadership is the capacity to reinvent yourself. Learning to be vulnerable in leadership perspectives.the importance of thinking intentionally about company culture as you build your company, not after.his discovery of how developing tourism in a community, and fostering local leadership brought change and impact to a community… watching the murder rate drop.how you can build a company as a response to a need within a community, rather than imposing your vision on a place.His team's HEART design process for product development: (Human Encounters & Connection, Economic Opportunity, Authenticity, Regenerative Narratives, Top Notch)his thinking around how to tell the story of Colombia and develop tourism in a way that improves communities and changes narrativeshow Impulse takes travelers' assumptions about what they want to do (see Pablo Escobar sights) and changes those intentions into something positivehow his DMC builds bridges with other tour operators through partnerships, creating an association, and supporting each other to grow the whole pie.Impulse's surprising “total transparency” model, in which they disclose everything down to the penny to the client!My favorite quote from the episode:"A true leader is anyone who is aware of their impact on other people, and acts on this awareness.”For more information, visit tourpreneur.com.And don't forget great upcoming TP events!the Tourpreneur California Road Show starting December 8, 2024 thanks to our partnership with GetYourGuideTourpreneurCONNECT:NYC sales & operations conference in FebruaryTourpreneur Shindigs — global small group meetups in dozens of countries around the worldVisit our global events calendar here.

In this episode of Tourpreneur, we dive into the intricacies of sustainable travel with Xavier Font, a seasoned expert in travel and sustainability. With over two decades of experience and a professorship at the University of Surrey, Xavier brings a wealth of knowledge to our discussion. We explore the necessity of rethinking travel for environmental reasons and the potential for combining work and travel for greater efficiency and satisfaction. Xavier emphasizes designing meaningful travel experiences that foster personal interactions, rather than purely focusing on technical sustainability measures. We also tackle the growth of sustainable consumer interest, the implications of certifications like B Corp, and the practical steps small to medium-sized operators can take to integrate sustainability.Join us as we unpack the opportunities and challenges facing the travel industry and discover how tour operators can lead the charge towards a more sustainable future.