It goes without saying that the domestic market is now even more important owing to the travel restrictions and uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More people prefer to tour their own country rather than travel abroad.

So how can your tours and activities business take advantage of this domestic market?

In this article, we’re going to discuss how to market your product and services locally, from reframing your perspective from an international audience to a local audience to reviewing your business model and boosting local promotional channels. 

Without further ado, let’s begin.

6 Tips To Market Your Tour and Activity Locally

To adapt to the current COVID-19 crisis where international travelers are out of the picture, for the time being, your tours or activities business needs to learn how to attract local travelers. 

Marketing your tours or activities to local tourists is different from marketing to international clients. It calls for restrategizing and shifting your focus to aspects that resonate more with the locals.

Let’s go through the actionable tips you can use to capture this local market and be in a position to continue making sales.

1. Reframe your perspective (from international to local audience)

Being flexible and open to changing your perspective in the face of a crisis is critical for the long-term success of your tour business (or any other business for that matter). 

Let’s elaborate on that using an example.

Before the Coronavirus pandemic, if your tour business largely depended on international customers, the current travel restrictions may seem to spell doom for your company. But you can view the situation from a different perspective and take it as an opportunity to explore new markets and a different kind of audience – the local audience. 

According to a survey by UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization), domestic tourism is helping with the tourism sector recovery in several regions, even though only partially in some.

Source

Therefore, one of the best strategies during this pandemic involves shifting your focus to local domestic tourism. 

This change will include identifying the various local market groups to target. For example:

• Families with children: The new norm of working from home and children getting homeschooled can get quite tiring. Offering these families some fun activities away from the four walls of their homes can be quite refreshing.
• Couples: Romantic tours or activities are a great idea for couples looking to get away from their busy lives at work and in the home.
• Local specialty groups: If your tours or activities company is niche-specific e.g based on heritage tourism, art tourism, golf, etc., you can target local specialty clubs or societies with similar interests.
• Corporate groups: Companies are often looking for opportunities to engage their workers in team-building activities. You can tailor-make your activities to suit such a market.

Having these local markets in mind can help you strategize on how to market your offering. First, determine your ideal products/ services that will appeal to them, and secondly, develop a marketing language they will incline towards. This leads us to our next tip.

2. Review your business model and products/services 

An international and local audience are quite different and each needs a unique strategy to market to successfully. For your tour business to earn a share of the domestic tourism market, you have to first ensure the service or product you are offering resonates with the needs of the local audience. 

Take time to review your business model, with the local market groups in mind, and make necessary adjustments in order to create an irresistible offering. 

Let’s say you run a walking tour company – consider developing more advanced itineraries outside the typical attractions. The local market is most likely extensively aware of the biggest attractions and so would probably be looking for something out of the ordinary. Add pomp and color to your services and make it exciting so that even a local traveler who’s lived in the same city for years will be excited to see what it is that you are offering.

Next, make sure your marketing language is appealing to the local audience. In view of the pandemic situation, clearly highlight how your company is enforcing health and safety measures as per your local government’s directives.

When marketing to international tourists, you may have been pivoting on messages like “great weather” or “friendly locals.” You’ll have to modify that to attract the local audience. For example, you can offer discounts for kids in order to attract young families with children. 

3. Establish local promotion channels 

Your promotional efforts should be geared towards the local audience as well. This includes advertising in local promotion channels or location-specific online paid ads.

Online promotion efforts can help your business gain more visibility and therefore increase chances of boosting sales.

Here are some ways to establish your local marketing strategy:

• Optimize your website for local SEO
• Create and optimize your Google My Business (GMB) account
• Attract the local travelers using social media e.g Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube
• Revise your online ad targeting on Facebook and Google to target people in your location
• Partner with local publications and publish PR articles
• Partner with local influencers

4. Produce content geared towards locals 

If you have a website, creating a blog and publishing relevant content will help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 

Source

Optimizing for SEO is one of the best strategies to gain organic traffic to your website which creates the opportunity to convert page visitors to customers.

But simply having a blog is not enough, you’ll need to post content on a regular basis and optimize each of the posts. This will include using relevant keywords and adding images, infographics, or videos. More to that, the content itself should be captivating so as to keep people reading and drive them to take action.

The language you use for your content is another important factor. Since you’re targeting domestic tourists, it’ll be very beneficial to use the local language. Therefore, if you had previously standardized all your content to English in order to reach different nationals, you can create translated versions of the website in your local language. This way you will still be able to reach your international clients when that market re-opens.

All in all, ensure your content is tailor-made to serve the local travelers. 

5. Revise your analytics setup and monitor your results

In order to know whether all your marketing efforts are paying off, you’ll need to look at more than just your number of sales. This is where analytics come in. Google Analytics enables you to track your website visits and gives you insight into your business performance. 

Considering we’ve changed our focus from the international market to the domestic tourism market, then you’ll also need to revise your analytics setup and ensure your goals are in line with your new booking and product pages. 

Consistently monitor your results in order to understand your customers’ behavior, determine whether you’re meeting their needs effectively, and find new growth opportunities. With all this information, you can make necessary changes to improve your business outcome.

What’s more, you can do the same thing for different channels where you’ve set up ads for your tour company e.g Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube.

6. Improve over time so you have a good setup for both domestic and international tourists

As is the case with all optimization efforts, start small, do the drill regularly, and improve over time. This means that not only will you have your initial setup for international tourists, but also for domestic tourists. This way your business is well prepared to take on whichever market is more favorable.

Final Words

With these tips, we believe you are well equipped to take your share of the domestic tourism market and keep your business going despite the pandemic.

Here’s a summary of the steps you’ll need to take:

• Reframe your perspective from international to local audience
• Review your business model
• Establish local promotion channels
• Create content geared to locals
• Revise your analytics setup and monitor results
• Improve over time

The post How to Earn Your Share of the Domestic Tourism Market appeared first on Regiondo.

We created this checklist to help tour and activity companies begin their path to recovery on time.

And there is one clear core message we have for you based on the experience of operators on other continents: you have to prepare now, as recovery will come faster and bigger than you might expect.

Let’s dive in.

1. Make a plan for reopening

With social distancing and COVID-19 measures likely to be in place for many months to come, you need to continue staying in line with the regulations. That is why you should make a plan for action before you reopen.

Firstly, check what are the latest coronavirus rules and restrictions in your area. Then stock up with the necessary sanitizing and PPE supplies for your staff and customers. Last but not least, think of ways to implement social distancing measures while making most of your space.

Don’t forget to follow WHO’s latest advice on prevention and control. Also, check the up-to-date regulations issued by the local authorities to make sure you are ticking all boxes.

2. Anticipate and alleviate customer concerns

Your customers will likely be following precautionary measures while traveling and enjoying different activities. Be empathetic to their requests and try to accommodate any particular needs.

By adding sanitizing stations at various locations and providing free masks/gloves, you will demonstrate dedication to the rules in place. Perhaps put safety signboards with guidelines for preventing the spread of coronavirus.

3. Getting your workspace ready for your team

The priority for every business should be managing a safe return to the workplace for both customers and staff. That is why you need to implement infection prevention and control measures in your office or other workspace.

Ensure your workplace is deep cleaned before you reopen since contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads. Don’t forget to organize the space so people can easily keep the required physical distance.

It is crucial to promote good respiratory hygiene in the workspace once everyone is back.  Instruct everyone to clean the tools/equipment they used and wear face coverings when entering your premises.

To make your workspace even safer for employees, you can:

• designate areas with disinfectant, spare gloves, and masks
• rearrange desks to allow more space in between
• provide chemical disinfectants for cleaning surfaces (desks) and objects (keyboards)

4. Update your product portfolio

As a tour and activity provider, you need to update your product offerings so they comply with the rules. Be inventive and make the most of what’s allowed.

For example, adjust your tours and activities for smaller groups. Perhaps, design experiences that can take place outdoors or online.

Don‘t forget to adjust prices accordingly – a new product structure will change your costs and potentially the overall experience so make sure your prices are up-to-date.

5. Run a website audit

Keeping the content up to date on your website helps establish authenticity and build trust between you and your clients. You need to revise all information concerning your reopening schedule and hours. Also, be transparent on the hygiene and distancing measures you follow to give customers peace of mind.

Tip: You can also use your website to tease the market for attention on the new service launches and spread the word about your reopening.

6. Review your sales channels/OTAs

If you change your product structure, you will need to reflect this not just on your website but external sales channels too. Make sure all your third-party channels and OTAs are updated with your latest prices and availability. Don’t forget to adjust your PPC campaigns accordingly too.

7. Hire people

In case you have reduced your staff, it is time to rebuild your recruitment strategy. Now that you are about to reopen, you need to consider hiring employees to meet the new demand.

Although your expectations might be high, remember to scale up the hiring process gradually. Take on board just the right number of team members and expand as demand grows.

8. Manage bookings in real-time

If you’re using multiple channels to sell your offers, things can get out of hand quickly.

Use the Regiondo booking software to manage all of your bookings in one place and track sales using a central platform.

Our software can help you strictly manage capacity and bookings so you’re in full control of the post-COVID situation in your business. In addition, you can integrate with 100+ sales channels, including Viator and GetYourGuide so you don’t have to manage each listing manually.

Other ways we can help you manage the crisis:

• Resources to handle the COVID-19 crisis

We regularly publish updates on best practices to handle COVID-19 based on our work with thousands of tour and activity operators. Learn more at https://pro.regiondo.com/blog/

• Free online seminars

Keep an eye on our our social media or follow our newsletter to see upcoming online seminars.

• Dedicated POS solution 

Reduce queues and introduce a faster checkout with our new POS solution built for tablet and smartphone screens.

9. Check your inventory/equipment

If you rely on equipment and/or sell physical products as part of your offering, make sure you have enough to meet the initial high demand. Even if this is only part of your business, you need to use it as a chance to compensate for the previous losses.

This is also a good time to run a maintenance check on your equipment to make sure everything works well.

10. See if you can increase capacity

The upcoming summer will be busy, especially for outdoor operators. Travelers want to enjoy places away from their normal environment more than ever.

To ensure you can accommodate more bookings, you can extend your opening hours and look for temporary workers during the summer.

Conclusion

Our checklist aims to help you do better than your competitors once you reopen. And so we hope that if you follow it, you will be in a better position to meet the demand and customer expectations.

The post 10 Key Steps to Reopen Your Tour or Experience Business appeared first on Regiondo.

The good news is that there is still a lot you can do to revive your business by utilizing digital technology!

We prepared this practical advice guide for all activities and outdoor adventure providers out there that are getting ready for the post COVID era.

Read on to learn what are the benefits of digital transformation and how it can improve your customer experience and sales. You will also find out how to adapt your marketing models to the new reality and make the most of it.

Ready? Let’s go!

Opportunities for growth despite COVID-19

Once the pandemic is over, there will be many twists and turns ahead for the travel industry. But COVID-19 has also opened up a world of opportunities for small to mid-sized outdoor activity providers. What’s more – it has given businesses time to evaluate and reflect on their goals and performance.

Marketing and research

Although analyzing and planning for the future may seem difficult or even pointless right now, it is probably the best moment to do it. Perhaps you can work on the tasks and areas of your business you never had the time for. For example, improving your website or creating more content to share on social media.

Online events

Another great idea is to start networking with other people from the industry. Online travel and tourism conferences are a great place to start. Share your experiences and borrow some ideas that might make a positive difference for your company.

New digital trends

Quieter times can therefore be a good opportunity to collaborate and transform. But they have also given businesses a push to make some vital changes. Recent surveys find that responses to COVID-19 have accelerated the adoption of digital technologies by several years. So now you also have the chance to catch up with the emerging industry trends and prepare your outdoor activity business for the future.

Why you should digitize now

The COVID-19 pandemic proved digital technology to be the key to keeping your company going during hard times. Following the massive shift in the travel and tourism industry, most activity providers turned to technology to survive the crisis.

It helped them identify new ways to communicate and engage with customers. What’s more, utilizing modern technologies allowed many activities and outdoor adventure businesses to continue operating through online experiences and digital gifts.

So if you haven’t digitalized your processes and systems yet, now you have the ideal opportunity to do so. Use the spare time to analyze and reassess your previous marketing initiatives. Also, ask yourselves what were the bold digital moves you hesitated to pursue in the past. They might help you rebuild your business around the customer and thus beat your competition.

Whether you focus on international or domestic customers, going digital would extend your reach, brand awareness, and revenue. Moreover, this will prepare you for the demand as the economy lurches back.

How Regiondo can help you digitize

Digitalization can mean anything from hosting virtual experiences and tours to selling online by integrating the internet and even artificial intelligence in your company processes. It allows you to create a smoother user journey and thus achieve better customer retention, satisfaction, and conversions. All this will not only make your brand look and feel more modern but will also help you stand out from the competition.

Here at Regiondo, we also aim to play our role in the industry’s digital transformation. The Regiondo Booking System is a powerful solution to centralize your sales and bookings management in one place.

Create offers and accept payments

Having an integrated booking software on your website allows you to create beautiful offers and accept payments securely in multiple currencies – using credit, debit cards, and PayPal, among others.

Distribution

Our system gives you access to 100+ sales partners like Viator and GetYourGuide who can distribute your offers to a highly targeted audience. In addition, our handy connection to Reserve with Google allows your customers to book directly from search results.

Bookings management

You can also optimize your bookings management with our calendar feature and message your customers instantly. This process automation leads to less time spent on admin, more time for working ON your business, and higher clarity of your best sales channels and offers.

Wrapping Up

Digitalization and technologies are revolutionizing the travel industry like never before. They have been key for achieving growth and success amid a pandemic.

In fact, digital innovation will be vital for every business and industry during the next decade. So don’t postpone taking action but rather make the most of the quiet times ahead and get your outdoor activities business ready for the digital future.

And why not start with our all-in-one booking system made specifically for tours and activities?

The post Why Outdoor Activities Should Go Digital Now appeared first on Regiondo.

While all sectors of the world’s economy were somehow affected by the pandemic, the hospitality and leisure industries have been hit particularly hard. Consumer habits and demand were impacted in a way not experienced before.

What’s even worse, despite sticking to the rules in place, most owners of tour and activity businesses still suffer great losses. The majority of them started questioning the worth of their marketing strategies and whether they should cut the allocated budgets.

If you are involved in the leisure sector and asking yourself the same questions, then this article is for you. Carry on reading to find out why investing time and effort in your marketing is important during this crisis and for your long-term success.  

Why you should continue marketing

We appreciate that there are some strategies and advertising models that require high spending. However, there are also cheaper alternatives and new revenue streams to explore.

For example, digital experiences and virtual tours have proven to be a good strategy during the first wave of COVID.  

In addition, gift voucher sales and early-bird ticket sales remain stable despite the lockdown across Europe. 

All in all, there are ways to reduce your costs and keep gaining revenue, without sacrificing your marketing efforts. This is what we’ll explore next. 

How to market during the COVID-19 crisis

Minimize the big costs

The way your business operates in light of the coronavirus crisis is different and so your budget should be. That is why priority number one in your new marketing strategy should be minimizing the costs that are not indispensable.

PPC

Many tour and activity businesses benefit from the advantages of online advertising. This model allows them to target certain demographics, locations, and devices at any time of the day. 

But if your search and display campaigns aim to drive more direct sales and impressions, you should probably pause them for a while. Or perhaps, amend their structure and cost per click to serve better your current goals. 

For example, if you host any virtual experiences, you can start promoting them to international audiences and thus increase your reach and invest in brand awareness. 

SEO

Search engine optimization is always a good idea for any business that operates online. But it could also be quite expensive. So one of the best ways to utilize your free time and spare budget is to start learning about SEO. Use your new skills to produce optimized content for your website and social channels. This will give you more control of your digital platforms and help you improve the quality of website traffic too!

Print Advertising

Many businesses continue investing in magazines and directories that provide advertising slots. We believe that is a non-essential cost that you can put on hold until things are back to normal. 

Other types of print advertising materials such as brochures, leaflets, and billboard advertising could also be paused for a while. They involve charges for artwork design, printing, and delivery of the materials that all tend to be quite expensive. So consider reallocating the relevant budgets to other marketing activities or aspects of your business like rent and salaries. 

Set a standard daily schedule for your marketing 

Getting into a habit is one of the best ways to stay on top of the challenges. So we suggest dedicating some of your work time to developing marketing strategies and activities crafted for the current climate.

Do this yourself or perhaps assign it to a member of your staff that is not as busy at the moment. Research what your competitors do and brainstorm ideas that might make a difference for your business too. 

Make the most of the quiet times by investing in online channels that don’t require any spending. Improving your website content and becoming more consistent on social media wouldn’t cost a dime but will surely have a positive impact on your brand. 

Use the time to fix your processes

Another way to utilize the slow times is by revising the organizational structure and various operations in your company. Go through all the time-consuming procedures that you’ve always been postponing before the pandemic.

Make sure you offer a smooth customer journey online and offline. and if not, spend some time training your team to better serve the needs of your customers. Perhaps, evaluate your online and social platforms and rebuild them if necessary. 

Since Covid-19 is expected to change the travel industry forever, make sure to do as much as you can to prepare your business for what’s coming next. 

Invest in a risk-free environment that will allow you to reopen as soon as the restrictions in place are lifted. Additionally, prepare your physical locations for the post-Covid-19 era by providing the equipment and instructions for both employees and visitors.

Explore digital experiences as a new offering

You probably know about the recent launch of Airbnb Online Experiences earlier this year. The platform shares and promotes all kinds of activities that are designed by local hosts or tour operators from around the world. And its goal –  to encourage businesses to keep going and generate sales in new creative ways despite the unexpected turns that the crisis is taking. 

Following this example, think about which one of your product offerings, activities, or services can be adapted for the online environment. Design experiences aimed at a broader international audience and start offering them on your website and platforms like Airbnb Experiences. This will not only accelerate your sales performance but also help you extend your product or service line.

Push gift vouchers

Gift vouchers are another great idea to create a sustainable digital product that will continue bringing you profit after the end of the crisis. They will help you sell some tours and activities even at times when you are closed and not selling any. So if you haven’t thought about launching gift vouchers yet, now is the best time to consider it. 

Remember to provide flexible terms of use that allow people to redeem at any time of the year. Having the recent challenges everyone has been experiencing with refunds for canceled holiday bookings, flights, and events, people don’t want to throw more money away.

Collaborate with other businesses

The message “we are stronger together” has never been more true than right now. We believe that combining efforts with other similar businesses is one of the best ways to overcome the crisis. You can collaborate with other local and international companies to promote each other in different ways. If you are working in the same area of the leisure industry, you can even partner together to create a digital experience or product. 

Conclusion

Coronavirus may change the world of travel forever. People might be exploring and experiencing the world through a face mask while keeping social distance. But at the end of the day, we need to accept things as they are and make the most of the situation.

By putting all marketing campaigns on hold, you won’t do the best for your business in the long run. So try to balance out your business moves. We know decision-making under uncertainty is not easy but you need to get it right. 

We hope our tips will help you manage the crisis now and prepare for any challenge that the future holds. Don’t forget to keep checking our blog for more essential advice and hints on how to navigate the Covid-19 crisis.

Related resource: The Five-Point Digital Recovery Game Plan for Tours & Activities. Download your copy now.

The post Should You Continue Marketing Despite COVID-19? appeared first on Regiondo.

As the world tackles the second wave of coronavirus, the global tourism sector is facing massive job and revenue losses. 

So if your business falls into this group, know that you are not alone! We prepared this guide to help all tour and activity operators navigate through the coronavirus crisis and come out of it stronger than before.

Have a read through to explore useful data and valuable tips that will help you manage this challenge.

Tracking the global coronavirus outbreak: cases and spread

While the first wave of coronavirus caused chaos and a state of uncertainty among governments, healthcare authorities, and the general public, the second wave is bringing up some more serious debates about the future. 

Looking at the rapidly spreading disease, the world is nowhere near the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Cases of COVID-19 are confirmed in 220 countries and territories. The global number of affected is increasing day by day around the world, with over 59,470,528 cases as of November 24th, 2020. 41,112,909 have successfully recovered and 16,956,219 cases are still active. The countries with the most cases are the USA, India, Brazil, France, Russia, Spain, UK, Italy, and Argentina.

A few months ago we struggled to supply PPE and organize the workload in medical wards. Our main concern was how soon we will go back to normal. And now, when a second wave hit us much harder than the first, we are starting to recognize some more significant impacts of the crisis. We are not too excited to see what the future holds but rather evaluate the consequences first.

The impact on the leisure industry

The spread of Coronavirus brought a wealth of challenges for the leisure industry.

The uncertainty around travel regulations makes it hard to plan any sort of trips or leisure activities, with businesses like tour operators and restaurants taking the hardest hits.

The world being in lockdown has led to: 

• Local and global travel restrictions
• Cancellations of bookings, flights, and planned trips.
• Border shutdowns
• Closure of popular tourist attractions, hotels, and travel companies

Museums, theaters, and popular places of interest have been entirely or partially closed. Among them the Louvre, the Tokyo Skytree, Shanghai Disney, the imperial palace in Beijing, and the Great Wall of China. 

These and many other attractions reopened for a few months during the summer months while operating with reduced capacity due to the social distancing rules in place. But just when things started to get back to normal, they had to close down again after the second outbreak of coronavirus.

The pandemic affected significantly all sports events around the world. Euro 2020 was postponed for one year. Additionally, the Tokyo Olympic Games will now begin on July 23, 2021, and run until August 8. 

Countries that rely most on holiday tourism like Spain, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey, and Mexico, experienced a massive decline in the number of tourists compared to previous years. This was further complicated by the ton of precautionary measures they had to implement. 

These are just a few of the issues Covid-19 created in the leisure industry. And they have already cost businesses and governments billions. 

However, the most significant challenge going forward is probably the fact that people are afraid to travel or can’t afford it anymore due to the losses they suffered themselves. 

How governments and businesses responded to the crisis

In their effort to provide a rapid response to the situation, governments have been implementing precautionary measures since March 2020. Among them:

• Enhanced monitoring at ports and airports
• Closed transport hubs (airports, railway and bus stations)
• Closure of cruise and ocean terminals
• Prohibited group gatherings and travel
• Maintain at least a 1-meter distance 
• Avoid unnecessary travel

Although these were regularly revised, they had unavoidably impacted the tour and activity operators worldwide. Tour and activity business owners observed a great decline in advance bookings and an increase in cancellations.

Still, governments and related organizations made a great effort to support the tourism industry and prevent it from collapsing by all means. Financial support for businesses and their employees were provided in all sectors. A number of grants and funds were released. Those who experienced even more financial hardships were offered to apply for loan payment holidays and tax release schemes. 

In the meantime, tour and activity operators tried to make the most of the situation by targeting local markets and demographics. This practice was further supported by governments as they also promoted exploring the domestic tourism market during the pandemic.

How to minimize the effects of COVID-19 on your business

So let’s look at the bigger picture. What can you do in the face of declining bookings and increasing cancellations?

We prepared a list of best-practice ideas to help you handle the Coronavirus situation.

We all know the preventive measures to contain the virus on a personal level. Think of the actions below as similar guidelines but for your business.  

Promote Gift Vouchers

While we’ve seen a big decline in overall bookings, gift voucher sales remain relatively stable. They can be redeemed at a later point so it’s less risky for consumers to make that decision.

If you’re looking for a quick way to boost cash flow, consider promoting gift vouchers in central places on your website and other channels. This will increase the likelihood of people making a purchase so you can make it through these difficult few weeks.

With Regiondo, you can activate gift vouchers and highlight them on your website so it’s the first thing your customers see. Click here for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Use Value Vouchers as refunds

As cancellation requests mount up, consider offering value vouchers instead of cash refunds.

Value vouchers have a monetary value (that you set) and they can be used at a future date. Think of it as credits for buying your services in the future.

So if you receive a cancellation request, ask the customer if they would like to receive the refund via a value voucher. Consider increasing its value so there is an extra incentive for customers to accept this form of refund. For example, if they spent 100 EUR initially, you can offer them a value voucher worth 120 EUR.

Yes, it could eat into your profitability in the future but it can help you in the short term so this crisis goes by without long-lasting consequences.

You can choose the value voucher option when you cancel a booking in Regiondo. Click here for more details about value vouchers.

Alter bookings to a different date

Another way to turn around a cancellation request is by altering the booking to a future date.

This might be a viable option for locals or people who changed their flight tickets.

In order to make this a more attractive choice for customers, consider upgrading their booking where possible. Perhaps, offer guests the flexibility to change or postpone up to 15 days before their travel/visit date. 

Click here for a step-by-step walkthrough for altering a booking with Regiondo.

Utilize employees in other roles

If unpaid leave isn’t an option, think of ways to improve neglected areas of your business with help from your current employees.

As fewer and fewer bookings come in, retraining your staff in new skills can prove useful during the crisis and later down the road.

This is a good time to review things like Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), sales, and marketing activities so you are ready for a strong start once the crisis is over.

And if you’re paying salaries anyway, you might as well use the opportunity to improve areas of your business that don’t require customer interaction.

Negotiate your rent terms and supplier payments

If you’re renting an office, this might be one of the biggest expenses putting a strain on your budget during the next few months.

Try to negotiate a future payment with your landlord in a bid to reduce immediate expenses.

And this is also in their best interest. After all, if you leave or go out of business, they will lose their tenant and might have a hard time finding someone else.

It’s a similar situation when it comes to other suppliers – try to negotiate payment terms so you minimize current expenses. They might be willing to postpone payments to a future date or at least give you a discounted rate for the time being.

Review your financing options

While you don’t want to get to that point, if worst comes to worst, you need to be prepared with alternative financing options.

This could be loans or ideally government grants to get you back on track. No one expects this to last forever and many governments throughout Europe are offering subsidies to get businesses through the crisis.

So spend some time now to consider your financing options so you’re prepared if things get to that point.

Offer digital experiences

Many tour and activity operators found that digital experiences are a good option to boost revenue during the first wave of the crisis. Consider hosting digital and virtual experiences, that would allow people to enjoy a great tour from the comfort of their home.

For a detailed example of how to do this, check out this case study with ArtViva in Florence.

Conclusion

These are just some of the measures we’d recommend to cut costs immediately and try to boost revenue.

As the situation develops, we’ll keep posting new information to help get our customers and community through these tough times.

In the meantime, follow your government’s regulations and remember to always put your customers’, staff, and personal safety first.

Related resource: The Five-Point Digital Recovery Game Plan for Tours & Activities. Download your copy now.

The post How to Navigate the COVID-19 Crisis as a Tour or Activity Operator appeared first on Regiondo.

So we created this checklist to help tour and activity companies prepare for the “new normal”. In this post, we’re going to suggest measures to prepare your workspace, protect your employees and wow your customers for a successful reopening of your business.

Ready? Let’s go.

Staying in line with regulations

Since social distancing is expected to continue through the end of the summer season, you need to keep following the protective measures currently in place. Here are two ways to do that:

• Follow the World Health Organisation’s latest advice on prevention and control that could be accessed through their website www.who.int.
• Regularly check the up to date regulations issued by your local authority and the government.

Your Workspace

Contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads.  That is why you need to implement infection prevention and control measures to make your premises safer for everyone. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

• Regularly clean premises and equipment to maintain excellent hygiene.
• Display posters with instructions for your employees and visitors to follow.
• Provide chemical disinfectants for cleaning frequently used surfaces like desks and items like keyboards.
• Ask everyone to clean the tools and equipment they used.
• Rearrange desks to allow space between employees (if possible, leave at least 50% of the workspace unoccupied).
• Designate areas where people can get disinfectant, spare gloves, tissues and masks
• Provide metal bins where tissues and cleaning materials can be disposed of immediately after use.

Preparing and protecting your employees

Maintaining health and safety standards will largely depend on your employees. So it’s crucial that you’re all on the same page about expectations and responsibilities on both a personal and team level. Here are a few things to consider:  

• Display posters promoting hand-washing and cleaning surfaces, objects, and tools.
• Host briefing meetings with up to date information as regulations change.
• Promote social distancing via remote meetings and videoconferencing where possible.
• Put business trips on hold where possible.

Meeting customers

Once you have your workspace ready and your team understands new policies, it’s time to prepare for serving customers once again. Consider the following steps to ensure customer safety and make the most of demand during the reopening phase:

• Buy an infrared digital thermometer to take the temperature of customers entering your premises.
• Put sanitizing hand rub dispensers near the building entrance.
• Tape off zones so people have enough space around them.
• If your premises allow it, introduce 1-way aisles.
• Consider installing plastic barriers to control queues.
• Limit visitor capacity in line with your government’s regulations.

Conclusion

This was a quick checklist with things you can do to ensure the safety of your customers and employees. We hope it’s going to help you to successfully reopen your experience business.

Related resource: The Five-Point Digital Recovery Game Plan for Tours & Activities. Download your copy now.

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