November 29, 2021
Do you have new year’s resolutions… when it comes to your tour & activity? We think you should! Now is a great time to set some intentions and focus on how you can make your tour even better in 2022.
Oftentimes this isn’t about investing in new infrastructure and tangible goods. It’s really about re-aligning with your passions and infusing that energy into your experience. During the last 1.5 years, the majority of business owners in the travel industry faced burnout and disconnection from what lights them up as they struggled to survive.
We saw in the 2021 survey that businesses are bouncing back, and a big part of bouncing back requires getting back into your own personal groove! Tapping back into your creativity! That’s what the best tours & activities have in common, and we hope this inspires you to rise to new heights this coming year.
We said it before, and we’ll say it again: passion is the key ingredient for success. So many tour & activity operators start their business because they’re incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about something. Unfortunately, daily operations can get in the way of connecting with your enthusiasm and devotion. Especially in today’s current environment, where even the most passionate are languishing. This means you have to be extra intentional when it comes to re-igniting your fire on a consistent basis – and here are some great ways to go about it.
The best tours are ones that do things a little differently! If we were to line your experience up next to your competitors, what are the novel features & benefits that set your tour or activity apart? A competitive analysis is an important thing to do on a recurring basis in your business. It helps you see where novelty may be waning, and where your greatest opportunities to surprise & delight are.
Instead of trying to be a generalized experience that is everything to everyone, the best tours & activities have a distinct experience that arises from a clear set of values. They use their values as a filter to make all decisions. In business we often see value-driven businesses center their experience around things like sustainability, compassion, integrity, etc.… but this is just the beginning. Values can be as general or specific as you choose. The more specific, the more unique an experience becomes. What values are driving your tour & activity?
As destinations change over the years, it’s important for tour & activity hosts to maintain a proper balance between honoring their heritage and embracing new trends. It requires a certain amount of skill to be able to judge which trends are worth embracing, which goes back to our earlier point on making decisions with brand values in mind. Trends are trends for a reason – they don’t always last long and to follow every new movement on a whim can be costly. The best tour & activities act as trend setters in a way that aligns with their unique personality. These are hosts that see 10 steps ahead and only pursue movements that deliver real value to their guests. Oftentimes this requires taking a step back from your business and looking at it from all angles with fresh eyes.
You won’t see five-star reviews for aloof and apathetic behavior. The best tours & activities have their own unique personality and even a sense of humor. Since people are on vacation, after all, a playful, care-free vibe goes a long way. Too many rules and too much seriousness can quickly turn a great experience into a depressing one. How would you explain the underlying emotional vibe of your experience? Is everyone on your team on the same page or does it often feel discombobulated? Consistency is important so the guests don’t feel confused.
So, there you have it! The top 5 characteristics of the best tours and travel activities. What would you add to this list? Are any of these five areas of opportunity something you’d like to focus on improving in the new year? Share your resolution in our free Facebook group!
