How to Market a Tourism Business

Without regard to how big or small your budget is, there are a lot of things you can do to successfully market a tourism business, even before you set foot outside your office. Since you can promote both online and face to face, it is important to create a plan of action and keep accurate records of the different methods and promotions used to attract new clients.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Identify your target customers. It makes more sense to target one specific group (adventure travelers, group travelers, honeymooners) rather than trying to reach everybody. Once you find your niche, you have more of a chance to make your mark.
2. Take full advantage of the Internet to market your tourism business. Not only is it practically free to market a tourism business online, but it is also a good way to reach potential clients beyond your immediate location. Create a website, start a blog and join forums and online organizations to spread the word.
3. Stay in touch with former clients. Rather than seeing people as one-time customers, find a way to keep them around and coming back for more. Create an online newsletter (or a print one if you deal primarily with walk-in clients), send periodic emails announcing special offers and offer discounts to return customers.
4. Join your local Chamber of Commerce to market your tourism business through fairs, conventions and other public events. If you can afford to, give something away, even if it is just a discount for future bookings. You may attract tons of customers by promising to give something away.
5. Print brochures and business cards in full color. Nothing attracts more prospective tourism clients than full-color photographs of destinations, beautiful hotels and luxurious cruises. Even if you also offer more modest destinations, capture attention with color and glamor in all your printed material.
6. Attend tourism trade shows in other areas outside your immediate locale. Attending a seminar or conference in Las Vegas may seem fruitless if you are in Miami, but never discount the opportunities and the contacts you can make by reaching out to others in the industry. When attending a trade show, always take promotional material with you, and make sure you share it not only with other attendees, but also with local businesses and patrons.

Tips & Warnings

• Try joining expert databases, writing articles on related topics or offering your knowledge for free to the media as a way to create a name and reputation for yourself.