How to Maximize Sales For Your Holiday Tour

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), small to medium sized businesses that specialize in retail will receive as much as 40% of their annual revenue in November and December. The holiday season is a critical time of year for almost everyone, with brisk business for restaurants, caterers, and other service-based businesses as well—but what about tour companies?

The truth is, holiday tours are an extremely popular event. Polar Express train rides are often booked completely before the season even arrives, and other holiday themed events tend to be packed. Most people love the holidays and getting a chance to see something special is part of that.

Now is the time to advertise

The holidays are when people are most in the mood to buy. More people are searching, looking at advertisements, and talking on social media. A spectacular photo of your tour during the holiday season can be a great motivator to get people to buy.

Now is the perfect time to increase your advertising budget and reach out to customers the most.

Take even random requests seriously

We’ve all had that flood of emails with spam-like questions. Often, they come as single questions with no other information. How much is your tour? What kind of tours do you have?

During the busy holiday season you may feel tempted to ignore these one line emails, but if you do, you may be losing a valuable opportunity. Instead, treat these emails or messages with genuine interest and respond to them in detail. To encourage the customer to engage with you, finish your response with a question, such as asking when they would like to take the tour, or something similar that will encourage them to respond.

Customers expect a response within 72 hours, so make sure you reply to all emails promptly to encourage people to choose your tour instead of moving on to others.

Use tour software

Forty percent of travel bookings are made outside of office hours, and when you think of how busy the holiday season is, you can imagine just how many people don’t have time to buy tickets until late at night.

Tour software allows potential customers to book at any time, day or night. This means you can handle more business, because there may potentially be fewer people calling during the day.

Only about 10% of customers will leave a voice mail after hours. With automated booking, customers can book online rather than wait to call during regular business hours when someone is typically available.

Every client who chooses to book online is one less person to tie up the phone lines. It also means more time for your staff to engage with the customers who do call, so their experience does not feel rushed or shortened.

Holidays, in particular Christmas and Thanksgiving, are generally about family. A tour provides the perfect opportunity for families to share an experience they will remember forever. Make that event yours by utilizing these top tips to bring new people to your holiday tour.

To learn how TourTools can simplify your bookings during the holiday season or anytime of year, visit our website at https://www.tourtools.com/