Entrepreneurial Ideas for Tour Operators: 5 Strategies to Try

After perhaps the most difficult year ever for tour and activity operators, the travel industry is finally set to rebound. More travelers are ready to dip their toes into the water again, with many considering both domestic and international trips, now that the vaccination is rolling out in some parts of the world.

While the industry is gearing up, it’s important to note that a lot has changed in the wake of the covid 19 pandemic. The same ideas and tactics that you used 18 months ago may not work in a post-pandemic world. As a result, it’s time to start thinking creatively and making connections with local entrepreneurs who can help you kick-start your business.

Here are a few entrepreneur ideas that any tour operator can incorporate into their business:

Partner with a social media influencer to promote your brand

Social media influencers are more than just influential — they are downright powerful. If you find an influencer who specializes in travel-related products and experiences who also has a following of several thousand people, you should reach out to them to see if they would promote your brand. You could offer them a free tour or activity experience with your company in exchange for them marketing your products on their social feeds. This is an easy way to get valuable advertising for your business in this trying time.

But here’s the truth: there will be a ton of social media influencers who have bought fake followers, or who are a nightmare to work with, and are not worth your time. Building a reliable influencer network requires being able to deal with ambiguity, a valuable characteristic for tour operators, and the strategy can pay dividends if managed well. After all, nearly 90% of all marketers find return on investment from influencer marketing comparable to or better than other marketing channels (BigCommerce).

Hire a freelance graphic designer to design a fresh logo

Graphic designers are entrepreneurs who often work independently, and they are known for their creative spirits and innovative ideas. A local graphic designer can help you design a new logo that will showcase your brand’s efforts to begin a fresh start.

Work with an independent event planner to create innovative products for your company

While traditional tour and activity products are still in high demand, you may find that you need to create other types of experiences in order to attract new market segments to your business. For example, events-based products are particularly popular right now. You could hire an entrepreneur who specializes in event planning to create a few events that may appeal to people who may not normally book one of your tours. For instance, you could host a book signing for a local author that includes a short tour of places featured in the author’s book. These events can drive revenue for your business while also boosting your presence in the community.

Invite a travel blogger to experience your tours and activities

Another way to increase your visibility online and reach new demographics is to invite a travel blogger to come to your destination and enjoy one of your tours on the house. As a trade-off, the blogger could give honest feedback about their experience and describe it for their followers in a post that includes videos, links and high-resolution photographs.

Network with local companies to offer lunch hour experiences for remote workers

While the world is slowly getting back to normal, many workers will be remote for the foreseeable future. You can partner with local companies in order to offer safe and enjoyable team-building experiences during the lunch break at your tour company. This is a fun way to get people out of the house and interacting with their co-workers again.

Any entrepreneur will tell you that no idea is insignificant. Now is the perfect time to start thinking creatively and to come up with new and exciting ways for both local residents and travelers to interact with your tour company.

In addition to considering all the entrepreneur ideas that come your way, you also will want to make sure that your tour company is ready with the latest and greatest online booking system. Rezdy is an online booking system geared specifically toward the tour and activity sector. By implementing Rezdy, you can be ready to handle the increase in bookings that is on the way, and you can easily offer interesting and unique products to your customers.

For more information about how Rezdy can help you grow your tour and activity business in the post-pandemic world, begin your free trial today.