Constantly increasing sales in a tour operating company, especially as travel begins to return, should be the number one priority for any travel business.
The competition is rough and plentiful – and even now, the new tour operators, OTA-s, and travel agencies are popping up as you read this. On the other hand, the ones that survived the crisis are hungry for new revenue and putting a lot of effort into ensuring they get their piece of the cake on the travel rebound market.
We’ve talked to many of our customers going through the same situation and compiled eight tips to keep the customer in focus, increase sales in your travel agency or tour operator business, and build a reputation that will help you book more trips.
“Have we sold anything today?”
Related: 5 Advantages of B2B Online Booking for Tour Operators
1. Highlight the Benefits of Your Product/Service
Instead of trying to compete with your competitors, focus on pointing out the unique benefits of your service. Ask your existing, satisfied customers for a review, highlighting all the positive aspects of their experience with your agency.
Most satisfied customers won’t hesitate to give a testimonial – some might even be glad to. Post it proudly on your company’s website and watch as you attract new potential clients.
Always remember – focus on providing the best experience to your customer! That ensures returning customers and good word of mouth.
2. Engage with Customers on Social Media
Travelers of all age groups use social media networks to talk about travel products, share experiences, or express their preferences.
Use images, videos, questions, or statuses to spark conversation and motivate potential clients to follow you. Listening to their comments and receiving feedback helps you create better-tailored trips and packages and increase travel sales.
3. Upsell Products – Provide an Experience
Suggesting additional products on top of a standard package is the most straightforward method of increasing your revenue per customer. For example, if your customer is going on a city tour of Madrid, offer lunch and dinner options to go along with it.
On the other hand, an observatory tour operator who offers private telescope viewing sessions might offer a glass of wine and tapas before the viewing to make the experience more romantic for a couple who booked it.
Explore and test to find out what your customers want, and use travel agency software to track and manage special offers and complementary products easily to increase sales.
4. Package Travel Components Into Unique Travel Products and Multi-day Tours
Combine different products into a unique travel experience to increase your travel sales. Create multi-day tours and try to offer a better price by selling hotels, flights, and activities together to create a unique experience.
But with many incoming inquiries, the process of creating a package has to be quick and simple. With the help of tour operator software, creating a multi-day tour or a package is completed in just a few steps.
5. Find a Travel Niche Market
One way to be a successful travel company is to establish your business in a niche market. The travel niche doesn’t need to be complicated or rare – but the more unique it is, the better. Niche travel means you are selling something that no one else sells and that your travel product is different in some way.
That can mean you specialize in a particular demographic area, like organizing trips for senior French couples, a type of travel sales – like hiking through the mountains off the beaten path or making trips only for one destination. This type of segmentation is rising in popularity as the competition increases significantly.
6. Introduce Travel Technology to Create Multi-day Tours
The Covid crisis has accelerated the digitalization of the travel industry. It has also affected how travelers book trips and how agencies can sell their products and multi-day tours. You can offer your visitors the option of booking multi-day tours online through the web page.
That way, you don’t have to worry about whether or not your employees are sitting at their desks. Via an online booking system, your customers can book 24/7 because the system receives and processes the reservations automatically. Providing customers with an easy and safe way to book travel arrangements online is an excellent policy to grow your revenue and boost travel sales.
7. Extend Your B2B Network
It is no big news that your business relationship with partners is essential. Business partners help you reach new markets, acquire new customers, get new ideas for further product development, and more. When your work is supported by good travel technology, you can focus on the relationship with your B2B partners, not the administration that comes with it.
But remember that finding a new B2B partner is just the tip of the iceberg, and keeping one requires hard and honest work. Learn how to extend your B2B network easily.
8. Enhance Your Offer by Integrating with GDS Systems
An excellent way to stay ahead of competitors is by offering the best possible prices on a worldwide range of high-quality transfer services, car rentals, tickets for museums and attractions, and excursions.
Travel software makes this simple through XML integration with different hotel systems (third-party systems). Combining other sources into a unique travel experience takes your service to the next level.
Ready to automate your business? See Lemax in action!
