Half of your prospective customers are likely to already be in your destination. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it?
According to recent studies, 48% of experiences are booked in-destination (Google/Greenberg, 2019).
When publishing the Travel Trends Report 2019, we found that last minute bookings was the number one booking trend experienced among tour operators internationally. In addition, we noticed a clear pattern in our own TrekkSoft booking data: tours and activities which last 1 to 3 hours tend to be booked in-destination or just before arrival.
Teaming up with - and gaining advocacy from - established players is vital for market presence and a steady revenue stream.
This blog post outlines a different approach to driving in-destination bookings, one that is driven by strong partnerships with other local businesses.
For more in-depth discussion, you can download our Simple Guide: Increase Bookings In-Destination.
Discovery
The early bird catches the worm. Reaching travellers at breakfast - or even at the point of their accommodation arrival - is a great way to attract those with open agendas.
Thanks to their prime locations and excellent exposure to target groups, representatives at hotel concierge are a popular channel for promotion of local experiences.
Conversion
Distributing your tours through local hotels requires dedicated time to build a strong relationship and understanding of your business USPs. How could the hotel benefit from distributing your tours and activities?
A win-win scenario could be offering discounted tickets for hotels to sell at their own price, seat upgrades, a free meal or a souvenir item. Choose a tour offering that benefits or matches the partnering hotel’s profile and values for a successful long term collaboration.
Some companies will pay a commission fee for concierge bookings - just like an agent booking. This would range from 5-10% of the ticket price. However, you don’t have to choose a cash fee option.
For processing of 3rd party bookings, make sure to choose a booking system that supports multi-channel distribution and dynamic pricing.
This will enable a concierge to see the live status of your tour capacity and availability, issue exclusive discount codes or vouchers and process payments on site - without phone calls or email correspondence.
Want more in-destination booking conversion methods? Download our free guide:
