1 Aug 2016 Starting Your Tour Business? Focus on Distribution and Referrals

As you watched the craft beer and microbrewing industry come into its own in your region, you realized there was untapped potential in the tourism market. Suddenly, you knew that you wanted to begin a company that offered chauffeured tours to local craft brewing companies, allowing residents and visitors alike the opportunity to safely visit many breweries, enjoy tours of their facilities and sample their beers. You’re about the launch your tour and activity company, but now the trick is getting it off the ground. The first step is to focus on the distribution of your products and customer referrals.

Step 1: Get Local Agents to Back You

Agents in the local area are most concerned with promoting tourism in your region, and they will be excited to announce your products to the customers that they work with each day. Here’s some of the top local agents to contact:

• Hotels — Large hotels have concierge services for their guests, and their job is to recommend the top activities and tours to try in the region. Provide local hotels with information about your new company and the tours that you have available, and allow them to resell your tours for a commission.
• Visitor Information Centres — Travelers who are looking for something to do will head to the local visitor information centre for more information what is available in your town. Provide brochures that can be passed out at these facilities, and allow those who operate the centre to book with you directly through your Channel Manager.

Step 2: Offer incentives for reviews and referrals.

Referrals are one of the best ways to grow your new business, and you can offer customers a discount for bringing a referral along for the adventure. You also should request feedback from your customers in the form of reviews, as this is the most effective way to develop your brand online and establish credibility in the industry. Your first customers should include:

• Family members and friends — Ask your closest relatives and friends to try out one of your tours, and tell them to leave a positive review after it is finished.
• Local business people — Encourage local business owners and their employees to try one of your tours by giving them a resident discount. They understand the importance of referrals and positive feedback, and will be more sympathetic to your cause.
• Hotel staff members — Invite hotel staff members to try a tour for free, so that they will be able to provide accurate and reliable recommendations for their own guests and visitors.

By creating a broad distribution strategy and partnering with an online booking system specifically designed for tour and activity providers, your craft brew tour company will be the talk of the town in no time at all. To find out more information about the best way to generate additional revenue and increase the number of agents willing to resell your tours, download the Rezdy distribution ebook today.

Topics small tour operators