The Blog

There’s an art to the sacred journey. More than just paying homage to a religious site, it’s sharing in a spiritual experience with the thousands of pilgrims that came before— and the thousands that have yet to arrive. For a tour company operating in Israel, creating a niche for your Holy Land tour offerings is critical to success. But how do you breathe new life into a pilgrimage that’s so steeped in tradition? How do you keep your business afloat in the highly competitive Dead Sea market?

Family travel is one of the fastest-growing segments of our industry. Reaching this audience in a meaningful way may require tour operators to rethink their approach. What do families want most out of their vacation? How might their needs differ from a couple traveling without kids? With these tips, you can learn how to create more value for families—and offer a standout experience they’ll never forget.

With the rise of the Experiential Age, the travel industry has a competitive edge. Travel has always been about the experience, finding that authentic connection with a place, its people and its culture. Only now, the modern traveler demands an even more enhanced experience. They don’t just want to eat Pasta alla Carbonara in Rome; they want to learn how to make it themselves. They want more hands-on, more face-to-face, more real-world interaction. For tour operators, being mindful of this shift presents a lucrative opportunity.

Ever since Neil Armstrong left footprints on the moon, people have dreamt of space travel. Now more than ever, it's becoming a reality. While most of our customers aren't quite in that income range, they are dreamers. If we can enable our customers to have that once in a lifetime experience, we can capture the attention of the bucket list traveler.

Undoubtedly, luxury riverboat cruises in Europe are booming, as scenic river cruises surge in popularity. According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), in their 2018 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook and Cruise Travel Trends report, 27 new ocean, river and specialty ships have or will launch this year.

Improving online bookings is easier than one may think. Little things like tweaking messaging and understanding that how you disseminate your messaging is an ever evolving and shifting avenue that requires regular strategy adjustments in order to improve online bookings and overall increases in revenue.

Get ready to double, triple or even quadruple your tour operator business: The global cruise ship industry are launching 13 new ships in 2018—most from world’s largest and most-recognized brands—accommodating between 200 and 5,200 passengers per sailing, bringing as many as 30,000 potential new (and repeat) guests for tour operators around the world.

Ah, Autumn is here: Summer vacation is over, the kids are back in school, working adults are back in the office…and bookings for your tour operator company are down. Significantly. Again. Just like last year.

The world’s major hospitality brands understand that repeat business drives new business—and that business is driven by customer loyalty. Travelers, as you know, can be quite picky about their preferences, though they often remain loyal to their favorite brands through the years. How can you, as a tour operator, inspire such recurring loyalty? How can you make travelers just as excited about your brand—and remember to book another excursion the next time they are in town? Here are a few ways you can generate repeat business as a tour operator:

Remember when you first launched your tour operator business? Perhaps you just started out with a handful of kayaks and a passion for coastal birdwatching. Over time, you created a successful one-person operation—planning the logistics, managing bookings, and hosting all the tours yourself. But as your kayaking eco-adventure grew in popularity, you realized—you can’t do it alone.