The Weatherman: Tourism’s Worst Enemy

When people imagine themselves on vacation, they think of bright sunshine, warm breezes and enjoyable outdoor activities. Whether it’s surfing lessons or kayaking or whale watching, most people head out on their trips ready to experience the world around them in the great outdoors. Everyone wants nice weather — including the tour and activity operators.

Unfortunately, the one thing you can’t control with your business is the weather. If you run a tour and activity company that offers outdoor excursions, you will want to consider the following things when developing your business:

Set a Cancellation Policy and Stick to It

Your cancellation policy needs to address your specific business and customer base. Some tour and activity operators opt to create a policy in which tours go off regardless of the weather conditions. If your tours will be running rain or shine, you need to inform your customers of this policy when they book. Within the cancellation policy, you need to outline if and when customers will receive refunds for their tours, and you need to be consistent in enforcing the cancellation policy.

It can be helpful to remind people about the cancellation policy that you have in place. Provide them with this information before they book their tour, send them a notice about the cancellation policy when you send their confirmation, and give them a reminder about it closer to the tour itself. Customers should be aware of the policy that is in place, and know that you are going to stand by it.

Prepare for all Weather with the Appropriate Resources

If you are going to take tours out regardless of the weather, you also need to make sure that you invest in the resources you need to keep your customers safe, comfortable and happy. It is wise to have enough umbrellas available for everyone on the tour, or to stock ponchos that you can sell in the event that there is bad weather. It’s not ideal to take a tour in the rain — nearly everyone can agree on that — but it’s imperative that you help your customers feel as comfortable as possible so that they can still enjoy the experience that you offer. These extra touches go a long way when it comes to impressing a customer, so it’s important to consider the resources that you have and think about investing in more if necessary.

Whether you need to send out automatic text messages to remind people about your cancellation policy, or you are searching for a system that will help you better manage your resources.