Over the recent years with social media becoming one of the top defining factors of the decade, a number of travel bloggers, vloggers, and influencers have given a push to the wanderlust among people which has of late given a huge push to the tourism industry. If one dreams of Egypt or India, a social media search will offer such lucrative pictures of India or Egypt tours that it becomes hard to resist. Another factor contributing to a travel spur is the recent growth of affordable airlines offering cheaper airfares which has prompted more and more young people to travel outside the borders of their own country and explore foreign lands. In this ethos if you are trying to run a tourism business, simply a little bit of smarter marketing tactics is all you need to flourish.
Personalisation is the key
When it comes to travelling, personalisation goes a long way in ensuring a better travel experience for people. Therefore, instead of a set travel plan for all, offer your customers a customised travel plan to suit their needs. For example, a travel plan for a family with kids should include tons of activity options to keep them entertained and channel their energy. But the same travel plan would definitely not be a good idea for a group of retired senior citizens. So, look into the needs of the customers, their preferences and personalise trip plans for them.
Give your customers options
When you are offering a travel plans for a destination, instead of sticking with only the most popular tourist spots, offer better options of lesser explored and niche places as well. For example, if someone is travelling to a particular destination, not for the first time, it is likely that the common spots have been covered in the earlier trip, so offering them the same places would definitely not encourage them to travel with you. Instead, give them the option to pick from a number of places to go and things to see.
Give out freebies and offers
Nothing excites people more than the prospect of free stuff! Utilise this instinct to your benefit and offer people freebies and discounts on special holidays etc. Hold contests and competitions or time limited offers which will encourage people to travel with your business. This will help you arouse more interest in people and even establish a strong customer base. Offer your repeat customers additional discounts and offers for their birthdays, anniversaries etc.
Offer additional travel related services
People love having their trip taken care of, so go the extra mile and offer them additional services to aid their tour. For example, if you are conducting UAE tours, offer your customers extra help with visa and if possible, help them even apply their visa, and other related assistance. Offer them currency exchange services so that they can get their money converted into UAE Dirham without having to run to another agency for that. These extra touches will go a long way.
Use social media to boost your reach
Social media is a powerful tool to help you boost your reach. Now you can spread your business beyond local reach simply with social media. Make use of various platforms to ensure a wider reach for your business. Make sure that you post exciting content, photos and any discounts and offers on your social media pages from time to time to ensure better engagement from people. Your posts should aim at drawing more customers but offering them a glimpse of what they can experience if they avail your services for their own travel plans. You can also hold social media contests to spike up audience engagement.
Partner with local businesses
Partner up with local businesses and social media influencers to promote your business. It will cost you less than a conventional advertisement and yet, offer you a greater expanse of reach. Team up with local cafes, restaurants, book stores, hotels etc. so that you can make use of them to spread the word about your business. It is a win-win deal for both the parties as they can also use your tourism business to get more tourists as their customers. You can team up for merchandise, souvenirs, hotel and food deals etc. Not only will such a partnership help both the businesses, it also gives your travellers a better, and more pocket friendly travel experience so every party win!
Use your customers as PR
Offer your customers extra incentives in the form of discounts and offers in exchange for promoting your services. You can give them coupons in exchange of online check-ins and reviews or even create customised coupon codes for sharing your business with their friends and family. For every trip booked on their code, both the new and the existing customers get discounts.
With travel bug hitting the people hard, these simple and marketing strategies will not only help you make better profits, these will also ensure your clients a superior travel experience with your agency, and also, help you improve your services.
