“Tourism Tim’s” Travel Marketing Tips
Please let me know your #1 travel and hospitality question on business, marketing, e-marketing, sales, 
management, strategic planning, public relations, career and more. Plus if there’s another topic you want covered, or don’t like something I’ve said or done, I want to know that too.
I will personally do my best to offer you answers to your questions, guidance, tools, and no BS advice. I will also tap into my extensive relationships with global travel professionals to get their input and advice to help you too.
About Tim Warren
Hello MR /TIM;
Hope you are fine. We really appreciate your advices about our visit to the world travel market 2011
We are not exhibitors. We will attend as visitor and our goal for the visit is to get some buyer for Egypt.
We have updated our website last week and we add new language Japanese. We are talking about safety in Egypt in the social network as facebook and twitter, linkedin and other
I followed your tip about Trip Advisor and have successfully registered my business on it, so a bit THANK YOU to you! I have received my first review. However, in one of your recent weekly emails on Tourism Marketing TV that you send out, you had more information on how to get the best out of Trip Advisor. When I click on the links in the email, they don´t see to work any more and I´m not having much luck finding out the information on the website. Please could you send me a link to that particular email/training session. Thank you!
Great job Lucy;
Now work on getting your client to positively and regularly make their comments about your Go Granada tours!
Getting our best clients recommending us, “Liking” on Facebook, giving reviews on Yelp, and providing audio and video testimonials you can post on your site – all will help you convert more prospects into sales and $$$.
Check out the Tourism Marketing TV episode I did using audio and videos. It’s easy, fun and you’ll sell more tourism guaranteed!
http://www.travelbusinesssuccess.com/how-to-sell-more-travel-with-testimonials-tourism-marketing-tv/
The simple online system I use is http://www.audioacrobatnow.com
Keep me posted on your success. Thanks for sharing my site and videos, “Liking” them in Facebook and tweeting it too.
TOURISM TIM SAVED MY BACON!! I asked my previous clients to put reviews on Trip Advisor and they were really happy to do that for me. Suddenly, I started getting calls and emails enquiring about more tours and I know this is a direct result of being on Trip Advisor!!! IT WORKS!!! The graph on my Google Analytics has suddenly shot up. I can´t tell you how grateful I am! I´m now working on getting the link on my website. It really is as you say – great publicity that with my non existent budget, I just couldn´t have bought! Thank you, thank you!
Thanks for making my day Lucy!
Few things brings me greater pleasure than providing solid tourism marketing advice, then seeing travel professionals like you Lucy, take action and get profitable results!
Good on you. And when you add the Tripadvisor badge in a high visible, near the upper part of your webpage, you will convert even more shoppers into buyers. I prefer the badge that shows a rating or two.
Keep on asking happy clients for positive reviews, get more high rankings and soon you will be a top rated tour operator in Granada!
Actively pursuing positive reviews and ratings in tripadvisor, AND Yelp.com and Google Places is what I call ” Tourism Marketing 2.0 Plus©” This process will increase your prospect inquiries, sales conversion, your search engine ranking and your profits big time!
Keep up the good work Lucy and thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, sharing my site with other travel professionals and “Liking” and commenting in Facebook.
See I practice ” Tourism Marketing 2.0 Plus©” too
Hi Tim,
My Name is Dilshan from Sri Lanka. I have recently started a tour operating company which we organise many tours in Sri Lanka. I have gone through your site and I find it site very useful to learn about travel market.
My question is now how do I find gusts/travels who wants to visit to Sri Lanka for holidays I know there are so many wants to come to Sri Lanka and I really find hard to reach them. I have gone through you trip advisor video as well , but unfortunately it doesn’t allow tour operators to advertise or list the business there.
Therefore it would be very much grateful if you can advise me on how to find travels for my business and is there is any site like Trip advisor whether I can promote my business.
Thanking you advance
Dilshan
Congratulations Dilshan on your new tour company!
Thank you so much for the compliments on my site. Glad you have found it useful.
I have 2 initial recommendations for you to start and grow your tourism business.
#1: Targeting prospects interested in Sri Lanka travel is the easy part of tourism marketing. ( more later on this)
You can have all the website traffic in the world, but if your website does not communicate what you specialize in, where you go and why they should consider traveling with you — And you have about 10 seconds to do this– these web visitors are gone. Usually forever…
Your website must sell. Here’s an article on how to make your website sell. And here’s my step by step course designed to help all your travel marketing convert more travel shoppers into travel BUYERS
Granted I am a bit biased on my course.
If you like my free travel business advice, you will love my course.
Listen to what many other travel professionals have to say about my tourism marketing course.
#2: Driving Targeted Prospects:
Nothing is better than Google Pay per Click advertising – WHEN YOU DO IT CORRECT. Warning. Most do not know how to advertise travel using Google Adwords. Here’s a free tele-seminar I did with Google Adwords Guru Perry Marshall.
Perry also has a free 5-day mini course on Google Adwords I highly recommend.
Don’t spend a dime on advertising your Sri Lanka tours until you help your travel website sell and you learn how to do pay per click advertising right.
Keep me posted on your success, Tourism Tim
PS Thanks for Sharing, Tweeting and “Liking” my weekly video postings
Thanks Joe for the accolades on my podcast. I really appreciate it.
Congrats on your cool Segway biz. I like your marketing angle and I do have some thoughts below.
Be sure to check out my new online tourism marketing training videos I have started at YouTube:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/adventuretim
Same focus on helping you succeed, but shorter and with hands on, step by step guidance.
PLease check it out, make some some comments and “Like” the videos. I’d really appreciate it.
Here’s some quick comments and I tore cartilage in my shoulder and at the moment, I am on some strong pain meds so bare with me…
How to Market Local Regional Day Trip Adventures
1: Tap are the concierges in the area. Donuts are OK, but a demo ride would rock. In the travel industry it is called a FAM ( familiarization trip). I would do a few with your the concierges first you are getting to know. Find out when they get off, and have one waiting there for a fun sample trip with you as guide. Back at the hotel, by them a drink, connect and leave them some NICE discount passes for his friends and family so he /she can look like a star.
Aslo find out if the regional concierges / or hotels have a regional associate or get together? If they do, once you have connected with a dozen or so, see about providing a Boston Glider trial at one of their event, Maybe a fun contest with prizes?
DO you pay referral commissions to concierges or any other reginal tourism stakeholder? Can be a nice incentive too.
A strong network of reginal tourism stakeholder could be a non stop flow of referred guests and profits.
Let me know how that goes.
Keep on listening, watching and look for announcments in my newsletter. I am going to be doing alot more fun and profitable tourism marketing webinars starting this year.
To your success, TOurism TIm
PS Don’t forget about ” Trip Advisor”. Set up a free account and actively encourage your clients to make postive comments – assuming your customer service ROCKS!
Hi Tim,
First off thank you for your podcast. I am new to this industry and it has been a real help to me. I have gotten a lot of good ideas and it has certainly helped me to realize new channels that i can pursue. I have just started my new job as Marketing Manager of a Segway tourism company in Boston. The business is booming but there is tremendous room for growth.
One of the resources I really want to tap are the concierges in the area. Little things have been done in the past (like dropping of dunkin donuts cards etc) but honestly i think the efforts have been more insulting that anything else. I really want to develop a relationship with the concierges so it doesnt feel like a take take take relationship…if that makes sense.
So, do you have any ideas how i can introduce myself to them and start a good working relationship with them? I was thinking about just stopping in and introducing myself and who i work with and then stopping back in a few times a week to get a feel for their likes and dislikes and then maybe bring them a delicious snack etc every once in a while.
Please let me know your thoughts when you have a sec. Thanks very much for your time.
Joe
PS: i heard on a podcast that you are into cycling and were looking to spend some money on a new ride. In my previous job I worked for Independent Fabrication (ifbikes.com) who makes beautiful custom frames for enthusiastic cyclist. let me know if you have any questions that i could help with.
Hay, thanks for the information given, may I please request you to help me formulate a Business plan for a Tour and Travel company based in Uganda, that will grow with time.
I definitely wish to have it run on ground and on net as well as prosper to an encouraging level.
thanks
I understand your frustration Alpha on not getting clients from your Smart Africa Travel website.
It’s not your fault. I bet your expertise is in running tours, being a guide or working with local operators to provide your guiding and support services. Am I correct?
Running a tour company and marketing and selling travel is an entirely different skill set.
In order to sell your tours ( and this applies to all travel and hospitality professionals around the world), YOU MUST THINK LIKE YOUR PROSPECTS. WHAT QUESTIONS, CONCERNS AND NEEDS DO THEY HAVE WHEN CONSIDERING A TOUR OPERATOR CHOICE?
Although your safari website looks nice, it lacks what I call the “Big 3″ of marketing travel.
Your prospective clients need to know 3 things about your company when they visit your travel website ( or look at any of your travel marketing brochures, ads, tradeshow booths, etc.), and they need to know it in less then 20 seconds, or they are gone forever.
1: SOMEONE WENT BEFORE THEM. (Meaning you are an experienced operator and didn’t start operating last week). Your website doesn’t show me anything immediately that you and your team have much expertise in Tanzania safaris.
2: THEY HAD A GOOD TIME. ( meaning you run fun quality experiences that will provide a lifetime of fond memories.)
3: NOBODY DIED. ( Meaning your clients safety and security is your #1 priority)
Do not underestimate they critical importance of convincing your prospects immediately that you are a good choice and worthy of staying longer on your website, e-mailing or calling you.
If you have website log reports, I bet the vast majority of your website visitors, spend less then 1 minute on your site.
For a specific article on: How to Create a Travel Website That SELLS., go to http://www.adventurebizsuccess.com/business_articles_tourism_websites.php
I also recommend you check out my step by step guide, Tourism Marketing Success, specifically designed to help you turn your travel shoppers into travel buyers:
http://www.adventurebizsuccess.com/tourismmarketingbook.php
Your travel website also needs Search engine marketing to get better ranking and traffic in Google. I recommend for starts if you can get the domain with the following words in it: Tanzania-Safari-Travel.com
Since you are a specialist in Tanzania travel and safaris, and not competing in Africa travel in general, being more specialized in your web marketing and offering will help you on your journey to get higher ranking.
I am going to start doing some travel video website reviews and recommendation for customers of my guide, Tourism Marketing Success. If this is something you are interested in, drop me an e-mail.
To your success, “Tourism Tim”