Tourpreneur Tour Business Podcast

Arival, the event for the tours, activities, experiences and attractions industry has officially announced that the Arival Phoenix event is canceled. We talk with co-founder Bruce Rosard to learn what this means for those who have registered for the Phoenix event as well as what is next for Arival as it goes virtual.

This week I was honored to be one of four judges at the first ever online tour guide throwdown hosted by Redeam. The event was a resounding success, well done Redeam and on this episode of What I Learned This Week I share with you why I admire tour guides even more following the event. I share with you how I combated groupthink and how refreshing it was to spend two hours enjoying a virtual event that was positive and fun.Check out the Tour Guide Throwdown Winners here.In this episode, I reveal some of the trends I am seeing on our listener's survey and discuss new features I am scoping out for future episodes of the Tourpreneur Podcast.I also invite a tour operator who is potentially looking for a new booking platform to join me for sessions with tour operator booking platforms on our brand new Meet the Res Tech series. I can be emailed at shane@tourpreneur.com

What's it really like to work with GetYourGuide for tour operators? Carlee and Marc join me today to discuss the relationship between OTA GetYourGuide and tour operators. Marc shares how GetYourGuide extended the reach of his tour business, giving him access to new international customers, and discusses how cooperation with GetYourGuide has improved his business growth.

Ralph joins me today to share the story behind PhotoEnrichment Adventures and how he decided to switch from being a restaurateur to a tour organizer. He discusses his most popular tours and how he puts them together with local tour operators, creating a product that has seen a 42% repeat customer rate. He discusses the difference between PhotoEnrichment Adventures and Alla Campagna and how his business responds and adapts to the coronavirus crisis. Ralph also discusses the marketing tools and apps he uses and his strategies for building client-relationships and pricing.

Tour operator Dov Selby joins us today to share the story behind Berlin Food Tour Fork and Walk Tours. He discusses the hurdles that he faced to become a tourpreneur and to start his own Berlin Food Tour business. He shares how Fork and Walk Tours in Berlin and Munich create interest around its products and the roles of OTAs, organic marketing, and paid advertising. Dov reveals how he builds relationships with local business and tour guides and highlights why it is vital to create a team that is passionate about your business. Dov also discusses how his new website captures sales from the corporate market and his mindset on finding the right work/life balance.

Tour industry veteran and adventure specialist, Peter Syme, joins us today to share his perspective and advice on Matthew Smith's multi-day tour business, SOE Expeditions. This is a unique podcast episode of Tourpreneur as Matthew is at the early stage of building this particular tour business and he goes into detail for us about how to build a multi-day tour with a difference. Matthew shares the type of clients who are booking his niche multi-day tours and the physical and mental endurance needed to complete them. We discuss how to find a balance between pricing and profit and how insurance and liability are managed for endurance tours. We also discuss marketing channels, raising awareness, the importance of testimonials, and the huge benefits people experience once they complete an endurance tour or challenge. We discuss the vitally important life skills and history of the S.O.E. executive operations.

Dorene Wharton joins us today to share copywriting tips for tour operators. She shares how writing copy is an art and science that tour operators can learn to produce powerfully engaging copy. We discuss what has changed since Covid-19, how to establish trust, and what hasn’t changed in terms of effective copy. Dorene's copywriting tips for tour operators highlight the must-haves for your content and stresses the importance of authenticity. She also discusses why good copywriting starts with your purpose and reveals how you can find the right balance between SEO keywords and your brand’s voice. This week on Tourpreneur - copywriting tips for tour operators: The pre-COVID authentic, conscious consumer buying trends that are becoming more pronounced Why consumers are becoming more skeptical with brands and their motives How to reassure people in your copy that you have taken the necessary steps to ensure visitor and employee safety How to conduct a deep dive into your customer's persona and uncover what they are asking for Why your About Us page is essential and should be one of your top three visited pages How to write your About Us page and convey your personal story How to use descriptive words and verbs and why you should avoid adjectives How to make your copy easier to digest through sectioning and titling Why you should conduct keyword research before you write Why your blog titles need to be consistent with your content How to improve your copywriting by using authenticity, emotion, and personality Interview questions and how to find a copywriter and determine if they will be good for your business Our Favorite Quotes: “People buy products that they value; that do not just make money, but they are equally focused on improving the world in some way.” - Dorene Wharton “We want to support brands who do and say the things we believe in.” - Dorene Wharton Resources Mentioned: Your About Page: The Secret Weapon to Build Trust and Future Sales Grammarly 10 Tips for Better Tourism Website Copywriting - Blog Post Great COVID Safety Copy by Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours Devour Tours Impulse Travel Taste of Thailand Food Tours Great Benefits Copy by Rewind Dubrovnik

Travel Curious is a leading online marketplace for booking private bespoke tours in the world's greatest cities.They partner with large travel partners such as Marriott, Hilton, Sunday Times Travel via API or white label solution. Today we bring you the story behind Travel Curious.Founder Alex Grant joins me today to share the story behind Travel Curious and what makes an excellent tour guide and immersive experience. Alex reveals his journey and inspiration for creating Travel Curious, his relationships with hotels, and how many hotels can generate extra revenue by learning how cruise ship operators sell tours online.

In this episode of the Tourpreneur Podcast for tour operators, you can learn how you can help shape the content for future episodes. I explain why creating content for tours, activities, and experiences is challenging and ask you for your feedback on how I can create the content that will help you grow your tour business. The survey is available here - www.tourpreneur.com/survey

Jaume Vidal, Tiqets Regional Manager joins me today to discuss how Spain and Portugal are reopening tourist attractions amidst the coronavirus pandemic. He also shares with us what it is really like working at Tiqets. He explains how the Tiqets platform works and how it helps travelers find new attractions and events to explore. He explains why he believes Portugal fared better than Spain during the coronavirus pandemic and how the pandemic has impacted international tourist travel. He discusses how Barcelona venues are communicating their safety and security measures to reassure travelers to visit attractions and how the venues are promoting to local markets. Jaume also shares what it’s really like to work at Tiqets and explains how Tiqets is currently marketing its services to help local venues increase their bookings.