In many ways, your tour resources are your most valuable assets. You need a bus in order to transport your customers to their destination. You need tour guides and operators who are willing to direct those tours. You need the reserve the restaurant space for the lunch stop for each scheduled tour. Your resources are valuable, and they will make or break the experience that your customers have while on your tours. As a tour and activity provider, you need to strike the delicate balance of booking your tours to capacity without overbooking your resources.

Tips for Tour Resource Management

  • Stay organized, and make a plan for your resources for each day. When you look at your manifest for the upcoming tour schedule, be sure to plan accordingly. Always have more resources available during your busy season, but be prepared for an unexpected surge during the slow season as well. When you are creating a timeline, don’t forget about the time it takes to prepare your resources for the next tour. Using the same bus five minutes after a tour concludes is probably not going to allow you to stay on schedule.
  • Utilize a resource management tool to reduce the risk of overbooking. A resource management tool takes the guesswork out of allocating your resources. This automates the process by managing your bookings and reserving the necessary resources for the tours of the day. No longer will you have to worry about having enough tour guides, vans or kayaks for the next day’s activities. Not only does this help you with your resource management tactics, but it also allows you to prioritize other areas of your business, since you won’t be consumed with scheduling on a daily basis. Now you will be able to focus on more direct interactions with your customers, planning out future goals for your business and creating new marketing campaigns.
  • Treat your staff well. When you respect your staff and you show your appreciation for them, they will remain committed and dedicated to your company. This reduces staff turnover, which allows you to keep your operations running smoothly. When your tour guides stick with you for long periods of time, they know the equipment and they are familiar with the tours. They promote your product for you, and you don’t have to worry about constantly recruiting qualified staff members for your tour and activity company.

Rezdy is an online booking system that was created specifically for tour and activity providers. In addition to automating the booking process and connecting you with agents through the Channel Manager, this system features a resource management tool that allows you to allocate your resources effectively. You don’t have to worry about overbooking your tours and not having enough vehicles, tour guides or venues available for your guests.