travel tech insights

How Tour Operators Benefit From Mobile Technology

Today’s travel industry is becoming increasingly mobile. Not only are more and more travel companies embracing the idea of mobile apps or platforms, but travelers are now more than ever before researching, booking, and reviewing travel and tourism options on-the-go. This movement has essentially pushed the entire travel booking experience into a real-time mode where travel companies and customers are communicating and engaging in the moment rather than during the span of several hours or days.

For tour operators, whose ability to leverage growth and productivity depends largely on real-time visibility and access to products and services, embracing mobile technology is a key avenue to create lasting, profitable relationships with customers. Because so many tours and activities in today’s travel landscape are booked on-the-fly — for example, a customer might learn of a winery tour during a breakfast and want to book a spot on the tour for later that afternoon — tour operators who incorporate mobile technology will be able to capitalize on this new brand of customer who seeks quick accommodation and rapid responsiveness from travel companies.

Topics: Mobile Technology Mobile App Tour Operators Mobile Travel

Essential Software Features for Today’s Tour Operators

If there’s one segment of the travel industry most impacted by trends or fads in today’s travel landscape, it’s tour operators. Because tours, activities, and other excursions can vary widely depending on location, supplier networks, and customer demand, the tour operator facet of the travel industry is a variant rich enterprise which can result in increasing complexity when it comes to sourcing products and services. Plus, the recent push for individualization, personalization, and unique tour and travel experiences means tour operators must deploy powerful software solutions to meet the needs of a fluctuating customer base that craves authenticity in how and where they travel.

As one can imagine, the drive for more intimate, specifically-tailored tours and activities and the growth of new and emerging markets across the globe - not to mention the continued fragmentation of the travel industry’s customer pool - means tour operators must work harder than ever before satisfy customers and grow their businesses.

Topics: travel technology Tour Operator Software Tour Operators Booking engines tour operator solution

Why the Evolution of Luxury Travel is Important for Tour Operators

Like so many concepts in today’s global travel industry, the definition of luxury travel has changed. In the last five or so years, travelers - many of which are millennials or even younger - have made the move away from the posh hotels, lavish resorts, and all-inclusive nature of these bookings to a more unique, culturally experience when it comes to luxury travel. Not that long ago, a vacation to Mexico might have meant lazy days by the pool, surf lessons, and perhaps a guided tour of an open-air market not far from the resort. But today, with the rise and proliferation of social media, travel review websites, and mobile apps, luxury travel means leaving the hotel behind and experiencing the heritage and diversity of a destination through unique, individually-curated activities.

While this is an important development for travel agencies, travel management companies, and other major players across the value chain, it’s particularly relevant for tour operators in how they source and position tours and activities.

Topics: Millennials Tour Operators Luxury traveler

Why Shopping Baskets Are a Winning Proposition for Tour Operators

Flexibility is the cornerstone of modern travel. In an era where consumers are given more options and more freedom when it comes to booking travel than ever before, travelers are growing increasingly accustomed to the idea that their itineraries should be personalized to their exact desires.

Of course, such a high degree of freedom and such a tremendous wealth of travel options can become daunting, or even disorienting, especially when it comes to booking tours, attractions, and other activities as part of a trip. However, today’s tour operators are well-equipped to provide value to their customers by helping them make sense of the infinite options available to them.

This is where the shopping basket comes in. In this context, a shopping basket simply refers to the mechanism by which travelers are able to customize their own itineraries, selecting and purchasing transport and accommodations for a tour that would not necessarily have been packaged together otherwise.

Topics: Tour Companies Tour Operators shopping baskets shopping carts

Inside the Locker Room: How Tour Operators Prepare for A New Season

Think about your favorite sports team as they begin to ready themselves for a new season. The team meets to watch and discuss game film; they work on game strategy, conceive new, and revise old plays; they engage in individual and team practices to sharpen or refine their skills; and they work closely with coaches and other levels of team management to ensure optimal levels of fitness and mental readiness for the long season ahead.

For tour operators in today’s global travel industry, the preparation necessary to ready themselves for the next travel season is not unlike the measures teams take to prep for their next campaign. The operational, back-office, and even customer-facing duties and tasks tour operators engage in before the season directly reflects business outcomes by the season’s end. Of course, tour operators aren’t watching game film of an opponent or taking part in intense practice sessions, but strategizing about which products and services to offer, where and how to source them, selecting the right itineraries to promote, and more are critical drivers for tour operators in ensuring an efficient, productive travel campaign.

Topics: travel Tour Operator Tour Companies Tour Operators