Creative Marketing Ideas for Small Tour Operators
Are you looking to grow your tour operator business – or at least improve your current operations? Look to marketing as a source of fuel to boost your overall customer experience, profitability, and potential.
Small tour operators often face a unique set of challenges when it comes to marketing. With limited budgets and fewer resources compared to large operators, finding innovative ways to stand out and attract customers forces you to get creative. Fortunately, there are numerous low-cost, effective strategies that can help you compete in the travel industry.
No matter what stage of starting, building, or growing your tour business is at, now is the time to make marketing a priority. Your current and future self, staff, suppliers, and customers will thank you!
Below are some proven marketing ideas for small tour operators, each with specific examples to show how they can be applied.
Leverage Local Partnerships
One of the most effective strategies for small tour operators is to build partnerships with other local businesses. This allows both parties to benefit from each other’s customer base and resources, while also creating a stronger sense of community. You can collaborate with hotels, restaurants, transportation services, or even local artisans to offer joint packages, discounts, or co-branded promotions.
Example:
A small hiking tour company in Asheville, NC, partnered with a local yoga studio to offer exclusive benefits to each other’s customers. Guests on the hiking tour received a voucher for a free yoga class, while the yoga studio promoted the hiking tours to its members. The partnership not only helped both businesses attract more clients but also strengthened their presence in the wellness-focused local market. In addition, the tour operator hosted a “yoga & hike” experience where participants enjoyed a morning yoga session at the studio before setting out on a guided hike. This collaboration created a unique, holistic experience that larger operators couldn’t replicate, helping the tour company stand out.
How You Can Do It:
Identify local businesses that share a similar customer base but aren’t direct competitors. Consider partnering with a hotel for bundled packages, or work with a souvenir shop to give tour participants a discount. You could even organize cross-promotional social media campaigns, where both businesses tag and feature each other.
Host Virtual Experiences
Think outside the tour! Virtual experiences are a fantastic way of marketing for small tour operators, that allow you to connect with a global audience and engage with potential customers who may not be ready to travel just yet. Whether it’s live guided tours via video chat, interactive webinars about your destination, or cooking classes that feature the local cuisine of your tours, virtual experiences help you build a connection and generate income beyond traditional in-person tours.
Example:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a cooking tour operator in Italy pivoted to offering online pasta-making classes. Participants could learn how to create traditional Italian dishes in the comfort of their homes, which kept the operator’s business afloat during a time when travel was restricted. What’s more, the online classes became so popular that the operator decided to continue offering them even after travel restrictions were lifted. Customers who participated in the virtual classes felt a personal connection to the brand and were more likely to book an in-person tour once they could travel.
How You Can Do It:
Think about what makes your tour special and how that experience can be translated into a virtual setting. It could be a live stream of a cultural ceremony, an online bird-watching event, or a virtual walking tour of a historical site. Promote these experiences on social media, on your website, and via email marketing. You can also offer gift cards for virtual experiences as a way to entice future travelers.
Create Niche Packages
Rather than trying to appeal to everyone, any marketing for small tour operators should focus on what they do best and create specialized packages that cater to niche markets. This could mean focusing on eco-tourism, adventure travel, wellness retreats, cultural immersion, or other specialized interests. Niche marketing allows you to target a specific audience that is more likely to book a tour because it aligns with their interests.
Example:
A tour operator in Costa Rica recognized the growing trend of wellness travel and designed a “Yoga & Surf” package. This package combined the natural beauty of Costa Rica’s beaches with yoga classes and surfing lessons, attracting wellness enthusiasts and surfers alike. By marketing this unique offering through social media, yoga magazines, and wellness influencers, they were able to carve out a niche market that drew in repeat customers who couldn’t find a similar package elsewhere.
How You Can Do It:
Identify your strengths as a tour operator and think about what niche markets you could target. For example, if you operate in a rural area, you could create an agritourism experience that takes travelers behind the scenes of local farms. Or if you’re located in a wine region, you could create a specialized vineyard tour. Once you’ve identified your niche, tailor your marketing efforts to reach that audience through targeted ads, niche influencers, and specialized online forums or groups.
Rely On User-Generated Content (UGC)
User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most cost-effective and impactful marketing strategies available to small tour operators. By encouraging your customers to share photos, videos, and testimonials from their experiences with your tours, you create authentic and trustworthy content that speaks directly to potential customers. People are more likely to trust a recommendation from a fellow traveler than from a business.
Example:
A small safari tour operator in South Africa encourages guests to post pictures of their trip on Instagram using a branded hashtag. Every month, the company selects the best photo and rewards the photographer with a discount on their next booking or a small prize like a free merchandise item. Over time, the operator amassed thousands of photos showcasing beautiful wildlife and satisfied customers, creating a treasure trove of UGC that could be used in future marketing campaigns. More importantly, potential customers saw real people enjoying the safari tours, which built credibility and trust.
How You Can Do It:
Start by creating a unique hashtag that customers can use when posting about your tours. You can also incentivize UGC by offering a small discount or entering participants into a monthly giveaway for a free tour or merchandise. Make sure to engage with the posts by liking, sharing, and commenting on them, which will encourage others to participate. Use the best UGC on your website, social media channels, and email newsletters.
Run a Referral Program
Word-of-mouth marketing is especially powerful in the travel industry. People are more likely to book a tour if it is highly recommended by someone they know. By setting up a referral program, you can incentivize past customers to spread the word about your business in exchange for discounts or rewards. Not only does this help bring in new business, but it also encourages repeat bookings from existing customers.
Example:
A multi-day kayaking tour company in the Pacific Northwest implemented a referral program that offered a 15% discount on a future tour for every new customer referred. The referred customer also received a small discount, making it a win-win for both parties. Over time, the operator saw a steady increase in bookings from people who had been referred by friends, which helped them grow their business without spending heavily on advertising.
How You Can Do It:
To set up a referral program, start by offering an attractive reward—whether it’s a discount, free add-ons, or a small gift. Promote the program on your website, social media, and through email newsletters. Make it easy for customers to refer others by providing them with a referral code or a simple form they can share with friends and family. Tracking referrals and ensuring rewards are distributed promptly will encourage ongoing participation.
Get Involved in Local Events and Festivals
Participating in local events, festivals, and fairs is a great way to increase your tours’ visibility within the community and reach potential customers. Setting up a booth at a local event allows you to engage with attendees in person, offer special promotions, and build awareness about your brand. Even sponsoring a local charity event or offering your services in exchange for free exposure can have significant benefits for small operators.
Example:
Maximum Adventure, one of the UK’s leading challenge events and adventure travel operators, has successfully leveraged a wide range of marketing strategies to become a trusted provider for many of the UK’s largest corporate and charity names. By focusing on highly targeted marketing campaigns and building relationships with both corporate clients and charity organizations, they have positioned themselves as the go-to partner for adventure and challenge events.
How You Can Do It:
Look for local events that align with your tours or target audience and inquire about opportunities to participate. Consider setting up a booth, offering discounted tour packages to event attendees, or hosting a mini experience (such as a short, guided walk) at the event. Engaging with locals and tourists at these events can help you create lasting relationships and build brand loyalty.
Invest in Content Marketing
Content marketing is an excellent way for small tour operators to showcase their expertise, educate potential customers, and improve their online visibility. A blog, YouTube channel, or social media presence where you share valuable travel tips, destination guides, or insider knowledge can help you build trust with your audience and improve your search engine rankings.
Example:
A cycling tour operator in Spain started a blog that provided detailed guides on “The Best Cycling Routes in Spain,” “How to Prepare for a Multi-Day Bike Tour,” and “What to Pack for a Cycling Vacation.” They optimized their posts for SEO, ensuring they ranked well in search engine results for people searching for cycling trips in Spain. Over time, their blog became a go-to resource for cyclists planning trips to the region, leading to a steady flow of organic traffic to their website and increased bookings.
How You Can Do It:
Start by creating a content calendar that focuses on topics related to your tours and target audience. Research popular keywords and frequently asked questions to ensure your content aligns with what potential customers are searching for. Use a variety of formats—blog posts, videos, infographics, and social media content—to reach different segments of your audience. Promoting this content via your social channels, email newsletters, and even guest posts on travel blogs can further extend your reach.
Why You Need Software to Facilitate Marketing for Small Tour Operators
Implementing the marketing for small tour operators strategies mentioned above can be time-consuming and require significant organization. Tour operator software can streamline many of these processes, making it easier to manage bookings, track referrals, run promotions, and automate marketing tasks. For example, referral programs and last-minute deals can be managed more efficiently with the right software, ensuring that discounts are applied correctly, and customers are notified of promotions.
Integrated systems can also help you manage user-generated content by automatically gathering feedback and reviews, which you can then use in your marketing. Additionally, by providing a seamless booking experience, tour operator software ensures that your marketing efforts result in a smooth customer journey, from discovery to booking. Having these tools in place allows you to focus more on growing your business and less on the operational details.
Marketing for small tour operators doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to be creative and targeted. By leveraging local partnerships, encouraging user-generated content, offering niche packages, and making the most of digital marketing, even the smallest operators can stand out in a competitive market.
Want to learn more about how Softrip can help? Set up a call with us today!
