Tourpreneur Tour Business Podcast

In January, 11 tour operators shared the critical skills they aim to master this year for business growth. Strategies focused on partnerships and leveraging technology to enhance efficiency. Unique experiences and storytelling emerged as vital components to attract high-end travelers. The discussion also emphasized improving engagement through better interview techniques. Lastly, insights into future advancements in the tour and travel podcasting community were shared, fostering a spirit of collaboration and continuous improvement.

Evan Tipton from TOMIS shares insights on AI chatbots while Billy from Arkansas River Tours reveals how he's leveraged this technology to boost his tour business. They discuss the transformative impact of AI on customer interactions and booking processes. Billy highlights how his chatbot generates over $60k in bookings, improves efficiency, and enhances customer engagement. Together, they emphasize the importance of continuous learning and collaboration in adopting AI to stay competitive in the tour industry.

Our guests discuss how tour operators can facilitate conversations toward understanding diverse history.They also explore how tour operators can discuss historical issues on tours effectively and safely. They consider engaging travelers who discover an unpleasant aspect of their ancestors’ history while on a historical tour.Or podcast guests also highlight why running tours is a distinct art form in itself and underscore how She Shapes History strives to encourage people to engage in the democratic process.

Today on Tourpreneur we hear from three listeners who attended the TIS Seville. What did they learn? And what are they going to do differently in their businesses as a result of attending? TIS is a new one for me so here is the official blurb. 'Tourism Innovation Summit is aimed to help tourism and travel industry to face all those short and long-term challenges. Seville will host again three days of disruptive masterclasses where success stories of travel are going on stage. Digitalization and innovation will be main discussion and plenty of solutions will be presented to the tourism industry to address these challenges. An event to find the right partners to evolve their digital strategies and implement them.A wide variety of technologies will be showcased in order to help tourism businesses become more competitive and, more importantly, restart the new ways of travel. There are many buzzwords here so we thought it would be useful to get the lowdown on this event from Three tourpreneurs who attended TIS and Arival @TISWe have two first time guests on the show today, please welcome Filipa Loule Founder at Portuguese For a Day Tours Jon French - Regional Sales Manager, Redeam.com and let's welcome back Peter Syme, Tourpreneur, adventurer, and digital transformation expert

Evan Tipton, a digital marketing specialist from TOMIS, shares valuable insights for tour operators. He discusses effective SEO practices and the crucial role of Google Ads. With an emphasis on enhancing customer communication, Evan highlights how AI chatbots and live chat can streamline interactions. He also explains Google Core Vitals, stressing the importance of mobile-friendly websites. Collaborating with marketing agencies is key, and Evan cautions against skimping on website hosting to ensure optimal performance and profitability.

Shawn Teasley, a digital marketing consultant, joins Chris Torres, founder of the Tourism Marketing Agency, and Alan Rust, CEO of America Tour Company, in a vibrant discussion on maximizing Facebook marketing for tour operators. They unveil crucial insights like the top three things to know before partnering with agencies and the art of creating compelling Facebook ads. The conversation also covers effective budget allocation beyond Facebook, the necessity of active social media engagement, and the power of authentic content to drive customer connections.

Danielle Desir, an expert in building brands through podcasting, joins Sita and Ripley to discuss how tour operators can leverage podcasts for brand expansion. They delve into content creation strategies that align with company values and explore methods to generate passive income through effective storytelling. The trio highlights the significance of community engagement and strategic planning in building a loyal audience. Additionally, they provide tips for developing a compelling podcast brand to navigate the competitive landscape.

Dorene Wharton, a tourism marketing expert and founder of Travel Life Media, shares her insights on crafting SEO-friendly blogs for tour operators. She explains how to navigate Google's evolving algorithms while emphasizing the importance of E-A-T guidelines. Dorene discusses the significance of keyword research and suggests tools like Keysearch for budget-friendly options. She underscores the role of internal and external links in boosting page rankings and offers tips on writing compelling titles that balance SEO with engaging content.

Trish Higgins bought Cap’n Fish’s cruises in idyllic Boothbay Harbor, Maine: known for its puffins, whale-watching, and picturesque lighthouses. So what could go wrong? For starters, she signed the docs for her new tour business just days before the COVID-19 epidemic shut down most of the country, adding a totally new and unforeseen obstacle to tour operations, planning, and staff communication. But needless to say, Trish was determined to make the best of it and help the team at Cap’n Fish - a family-run business that had been around since the 1930’s - to reach their full potential. And we’re all about tackling challenges head first, and sharing those experiences when we live to tell the tale. So if you’re curious how Trish managed to help Cap’n Fish thrive, even during a pandemic, here are some of her key takeaways. She shared some first-hand tips for anyone who might consider purchasing (or selling) a tour business of their own.

In this episode of the Tour Operator Start-Up Series, Sita, Ripley, and Nancy discuss how She Shapes History Tours can leverage social media as marketing tools to attract attention. They explore how Sita and Ripley can use their values and advocacy for social media to create content that will engage their demographic audience. They discuss different ways to brainstorm for social media content and how they can manage time between running digital marketing and the other aspects of She Shapes History. Sita and Ripley also describe what they learned from the success of their launch and share the next steps they plan to take for She Shapes History.