Today’s world is unpredictable. Every day we face unique challenges that need to be confronted head-on. This can become overwhelming, and we find ourselves facing a number of questions. ‍

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How can I maximize revenue in every step of the customer journey?

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How can I talk to my customers, quickly and powerfully?

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How can I grow my customer base and scale my operations?

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‍Peek launched over 700 updates to help operators thrive during the pandemic. Now we’re thrilled to unveil a special update with even more new features and tools to help you answer these questions and more.

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Introducing Peek Pro 7: the most advanced operating system for experiences, giving you the tools to be unstoppable.

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7 ways to achieve unstoppable growth:

1. Say Hello to Memberships

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Your loyal customers represent a steady revenue stream that returns to your business again and again. Why not take advantage of their customer loyalty by offering them a membership?

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Here are some the benefits of Peek’s brand new memberships feature:

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Maximize Revenue  

• Generate a dependable, steady stream of income from your most passionate customers.
• Launch a marketing campaign in May to boost cash-flow at the start of your season.

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Flexible Configuration

• Create unique memberships that work for your business. Peek’s flexible configuration rules allow you to customize everything from duration and pricing, to imagery and description.

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Customer Loyalty Rewards

• Hold onto your most frequent guests by offering them exclusive access to unique benefits and perks.

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Total Back Office Control

• Easily track and download member information and membership revenue with new back-office reporting.

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With Peek Pro 7, setting up Memberships is easy. If you’re already using Peek, you can find detailed instructions here. If not, set up a call with our sales team here to find about memberships and more.

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What are some examples of membership programs I could offer?

2. All Together Now

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New to Peek Pro 7, your customers now have the ability to view and interact with important booking details through Customer Portal! This customer-facing feature allows your customers to easily access all their booking information in one spot, and make any necessary changes prior to the start of the activity.

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These self-service tools enable you to spend less time manually updating bookings and more time focusing on creating the best experience possible for your customers!

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Your customers can seamlessly access their Customer Portal through one of three ways:

• In the booking widget after a purchase has been completed
• In an automated email triggered at a time of your choice
• Via SMS text message

With Customer Portal, you control the information that your customers see prior to their booking. Customize your Customer Portal by designing your own unique layout that reflects your company’s branding and values. Once you’ve chosen your theme, select which actions you’d like to include:

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‍Top Tip: Include a customer testimonial or a highlights video so customers know what to expect and get excited for your experience!

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‍Learn more about how Customer Portal can help you share the most important details with your customers and save time on manual back-office tasks in this Helpdesk article.

3. Instant Connection

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Drive demand and broaden your customer base with direct integrations to your favorite resellers, using new industry-standard technology OCTO.

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Octo is an industry standardization protocol for sharing booking and availability information with large reseller platforms; Peek is a founding member of the OCTO development committee and we are working with other platforms across the travel industry to solidify this as the industry standard.

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Configure your products to resell with partners that fit you. Send custom API keys to any resellers, or set up one of our new integrations with TourDesk, Tiqets, Klook, and many more.

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‍Here are some of the benefits of Peek’s ‍Reseller Hub:

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All-in-One Integration Management

• Manage all your reseller activity directly from Peek Pro, from product migration to sales revenue.
• Access all your bookings in one place and see the big picture when it comes to your business.

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Streamlined Configuration

• Setting up an activity on Peek Pro’s Reseller Hub is easy and can be created for both rentals and activities.
• Package all your activity and rental information into a format that directly integrates with 15 resellers (and counting!).
• This is a one-time process that can be applied to all connections instead of configuring these settings for every reseller.

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Reseller Reporting

• Use Reseller Reports to analyze all bookings and commissions from connected resellers.
• Identify trends and useful insights by tracking booking quantity and purchase size.

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Complete Control

• Choose which ticket types, time-slots and durations can be sold by your resellers.
• Customize rules for each reseller to maximize revenue; allow your most valuable resellers to sell more tickets.

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Currently working with a reseller that doesn’t have a direct Peek Pro integration? Not a problem: easily share Peek Pro’s API documentation to start working towards building a connection.

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With Peek Pro’s Reseller Hub, you have the power to effortlessly integrate with your favorite resellers. Check out how you can start setting up your reseller integration in this Helpdesk article.

4. Talk Less, Say More

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Communication is crucial when it comes to providing a superior guest experience. Peek Texting enables automated text messages to US & Canada-based customers, ensuring your guest stays informed at every step of their experience. Provide them with the most up-to-date information by sending out meeting points, weather updates and reminders.

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‍How can I use Peek Texting?

• Booking Confirmation

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Keep your customers informed quickly and efficiently. Once a booking is made, automatically send a text confirming their reservation and share all key information needed like activity time, meeting location and any other details.

• Smart Reviews

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Capture more five-star reviews by sending a follow-up text once an activity ends! With Peek Texting,  you can enable automated texts to send following the completion of an activity. These texts will link out directly to your review form to guarantee all customers have the opportunity to write an amazing review!

• Activity Reminder

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Trigger automated text messages to go out 24 hrs before an activity to cut down on no-shows and late arrivals, and make sure your customers stay up-to-date with important info.

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Set up Texting in minutes using Peek’s optimized default text template, or create an original template and put your own unique spin on it! Learn more about seamlessly communicating with your customers using Peek Texting in this Helpdesk article. With Peek Texting, you can ensure there’s never a miscommunication!

5. All Hail Scale

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Peek Pro 7 not only gives you the software tools to be unstoppable, but also helps you obtain the necessary capital to take your business to the next level. With Peek Capital, you can get a business loan from approved lenders ranging from $1K to $5M at the most competitive rate. As travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, now is the time to invest and make the most of the impending flush of customers.

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Accessing capital opens up a range of possibilities for growth and taking your business to the next level:

• Add more products and experiences to your offering
• Hire more tour guides and staff
• Invest in your brand and new marketing strategies
• Cover unexpected costs that may arise
• Purchase new equipment

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While other loan processes can be challenging and prolonged, Peek Capital works with lenders to fast-track your loan. Filling out an application takes around 15 minutes and you could get access to funding in as soon as 24 hours after approval. Peek’s lending partners work with you to find the capital option that’s right for your company and can provide the  growth opportunities to take your business to the next level. Learn more about Peek Capital and easily apply for different funding options here.

6. The Price is Right

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Peek’s advanced dynamic pricing functionality gives you the tools to drive additional revenue and demand based on your customers’ behavior.

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Attract more customers on slower days and boost profit on your busiest. Set up your pricing to reflect expected demand for your most popular times of the year, as well as slower periods.

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To get started select your rule, create the specifics and then apply to your different activities. Take advantage of some of the use cases below to maximize revenue and ensure no ticket goes unused:

Maximize revenue on busy weekends

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• Does your business get super busy on the weekends? Set up your dynamic pricing in advance so that your weekday tickets differ from weekend prices. Creating a weekend rule ensures a revenue boost for when customers inevitably book on Saturday and Sunday.

Increase last-minute bookings

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• Sell every ticket with Peek’s Last Minute Availability dynamic pricing rule. Offer last-minute discounts to fill open spots in activities as you get close to the start of an activity. Your last seats are the most profitable as you’ve already met your fixed costs so this is a great way to maximize revenue and overall bookings.

Boost demand for quieter timeslots

• Early bird or night owl? If your activity is more popular in the evening, set up a rule that offers your morning hours at a discounted rate. Choose your desired time range for the advanced pricing rule and watch as you increase morning bookings.

Check out our Helpdesk article to learn how you can easily set up advanced dynamic pricing to maximize revenue and boost demand!

7. The More You Know

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Peek Pro 7 offers even more customizable reporting options to help you explore, analyze, and share real-time insights easily and drive better outcomes that benefit your business. Some of the new reporting functionalities available in this update include Membership revenue & member data, Custom Question breakdowns and additional Reseller reports.

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Here’s a reminder of some of the most helpful business intelligence reports accessible on Peek Pro:

Manifest Based Sales Report

• See total sales broken down by activity and start time for a custom date range to see which activities are your biggest sellers at different points in the year.  
• You can also add additional purchase types such as add-ons and tips to get a more granular understanding of additional revenue from each activity.
• Use this information to identify trends and optimize your marketing campaign calendar.

Mobile vs Web Online Sales Report

• Get an in-depth look at whether your customers are booking from their mobile device or planning in advance from their desktop computer.
• If you're getting the majority of bookings from mobile, it might be a sign to optimize your booking flow and site for mobile usage rather than desktop.

Resellers Report

• Track the bookings and commissions of all activities sold through your connected resellers. Use this report to see which resellers are most successful, break this down by the number of bookings and purchase sizes  
• Use these insights to determine cut-off limits for your different resellers. For example, if one reseller tends to get more high-value bookings you may want to increase the number of tickets they can sell per time slot.

Sales Day by Weekday

• You can see which days of the week are busiest and generate the most revenue for you.
• Configure your Advanced Dynamic Pricing rules based on the findings of this report. If certain days of the week attract a higher number of customers you may want to increase prices to drive demand to quieter days.

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Peek Pro’s reporting system not only is key for tracking the different metrics of your business, but it provides information fundamental to making the most important decisions. Discover more of Peek Pro’s advanced reports in this Helpdesk article.

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Peek Pro 7 is so much more than your average software update. These new tools build on an already state-of-the-art product, allowing you to further maximize revenue, communicate powerfully with guests and scale your business.

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Already using Peek Pro? These tools are available to use today! If you’re not yet using Peek Pro, schedule a free demo to see how Peek can help you be unstoppable.

Thanks for Joining Us for Growvember!

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We had another incredible year of learning and connecting with the tours, activities and attractions industry. Peek hosted 7 30min workshops on topics ranging from pricing and business strategy to PR and TikTok, and we caught up with 4 awesome operators and got their thoughts on the year to come.

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Big thanks to all of the speakers and to those who joined us live for the discussions. Growvember 2022 is now over, but don’t worry! You can access the recordings of all talks right here.

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‍Mitch Bach

Co-Founder, TripSchool

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Catherine Warrilow

Managing Director, Daysout.com

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Joanna Gruau

Multi-day Trips Product Manager, Wheel The World

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Casey Clark

CEO, Cultivate Advisors

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Jazlyn Richardson

Social Media Manager, AAMP

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Kelsey Tonner

Founder & Lead Coach, Guest Focus

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Joshua Pacheco

Account Executive, Peek

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Tour Operator Roundtable

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Forrest Parker, Undiscovered Charleston, Paola Osuna, Tomatl Mexican Culinary Experiences, Mark Runyan, Kayak Connection, Jaime Lewis, Islandz Tours, John Lynch, Peek

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See you next year for Growvember 2023!

Thanks for Registering for Growvember!

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Peek gathered experts from around the tourism industry to share their knowledge in 40-minute workshops and roundtable discussions! These industry experts delivered invaluable workshops centered around customer communication, accessibility, digital marketing, social media & much more!

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Big thanks to all of the speakers and to those who joined us live for the discussions. Growvember 2021 is now over, but don’t worry! You can access the recordings of all talks right here.

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Arturo Gaona

Co-Founder, Wheel the World

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Alan Armijo

Co-Founder, TripSchool

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Ben Page

Director of Search Marketing, Blend Marketing

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Evan Tipton

Founder & CEO, TOMIS Tech

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Oskar Bruening

Co-Founder, Peek

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Chris Torres

Founder & Director, Tourism Marketing Agency

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Mitch Bach

Co-Founder, TripSchool & Campfire

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Robin Harnish

Co-Founder & Head of Operations, TourismSolved

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Marica Mackenroth Brewster

Founder & CEO, Von Mack Agency

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Tour Operator Roundtable

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Brian Cain, Owner & Operator, Crawl New Orleans, Lori Ventura, Owner, Kansas City Fountain Tours, Juan Carlos Carraza, Commercial Director, Selvatura Park, Austin Riley, Chief Pilot & Director of Operations, Branson Helicopters, John Lynch, COO, Peek

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See you next year for Growvember 2022!

We have created this page as a hub for advice, resources and updates regarding the impact of Hurricane Ian on tour and activity operators.

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We wanted to let you know that we are here to help and it’s not a losing battle – there are many ways of support to help you return to daily operations.

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We know this is a difficult time for those affected and understand that you may have questions about rebuilding or the future of your business. The Peek Team is here to help if you or any other tour operator need assistance during these difficult times.

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How to Take Action

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Government Financial Support

• IRS

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Stay up to date on the latest updates from the IRS of any changes to tax relief applications for those living in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina who were impacted by Hurricane Ian. The IRS has also recently expanded many of its deadlines from October 17th to February 15th giving victims extended time to apply for different forms of financial support. If your tax and financial records were damaged or lost due to the hurricane, learn more at this guide to help reconstruct your records to properly apply for financial aid.

• FEMA - Florida

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FEMA has set up a designated page to provide all information needed to access support on both a federal and local level. On this page, you can find resources translated to multiple languages, the direct link to apply for Disaster Assistance and many more key resources offering support. FEMA has also created this helpful video on the different ways you can apply through phone, web and mobile app.

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FEMA has also set up dedicated pages for North Carolina, South Carolina and Seminole Tribe of Florida.

• Small Business Association

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Through the SBA, you can check if you live in a county that qualifies for an SBA Disaster loan. The SBA has created this helpful fact sheet that goes more in-depth on the different types of loans, loan limits, interest rates and more. While completing your SBA loan application, the SBA is available to answer questions and provide support through their support line at 800‐659‐2955.

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Other Forms of Support

• Red Cross

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The Red Cross is still providing assistance to Hurricane Ian victims by helping find open shelters, offering support for pet owners and raising donations to be distributed to those in need. The Red Cross is on the front lines assisting hurricane victims and will continue doing so in the near future. Read some stories to learn how the Red Cross is helping victims in need.

• Disaster Distress Hotline

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Available 24/7, 365 days a year, the Disaster Distress Hotline helps connect victims with trained counselors to help find support and offer crisis counseling. If you’re looking to speak with a counselor, you can call or text the hotline at 1-800-985-5990.

• Tripshock GoFundMe

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Our friends at Tripshock have created a GoFundMe page to raise money specifically for watersports and boat operators impacted by Hurricane Ian. 100% of the funds raised will be distributed to operators, their families and staff. At the time of writing, the GoFundMe has raised just under half of its goal of $20,000. Tripshock also maintains a Facebook group specifically for watersports and boat operators where you can learn more.

• Operation Blue Roof

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Created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Operation Blue Roof aims to construct safe, stable temporary roofing for those whose roofing has been damaged or destroyed on their home due to natural disasters. If you’re a Florida resident of Lee, Sarasota, Collier, DeSoto or Charlotte county, you may be eligible for assistance from Operation Blue Roof.

Additional Resources

• US GOV

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Dedicated to all things Hurricane Ian relief, this homepage set up by the USA GOV is a great resource to use for general information. Along with key details on obtaining financial relief, the homepage has links offering disability services, veteran support and updates on resources for those employed by the federal government.

• FDIC

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The FDIC is actively working to ensure victims of Hurricane Ian can access their finances and is keeping a running list of banks

currently operating in affected communities. FDIC also has created numerous resources for avoiding possible scams run by those looking to take advantage of those most vulnerable.

• Website of Florida Governor

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The official website of the Florida Governor is providing updates on all things related to Hurricane Ian recovery on his official website. From frequent updates on health and safety to cleanup processes, the Governor’s site is a good one to follow to stay informed.

The summer travel boom looks to continue into the fall as demand remains high and the price of flights begins to drop. Travelers are determined to make up for lost time with beach stays, city breaks, road trips and even “staycations” as COVID restrictions relax.

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Part of Peek’s mission to connect the world through experiences means empowering businesses in the travel and activities industry to reach more customers and capture growing demand. In a continual effort to expand distribution opportunities for partners, Peek is incredibly excited to announce a new partnership with JetBlue!

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Peek helps customers who have purchased a JetBlue flight enhance their trip with easy-to-find experiences in the area they’ll be visiting. “We are constantly looking for new ways to drive demand for the thousands of business owners on our platform,” says Ruzwana Bashir, CEO of Peek.com. “Businesses that use Peek.com see an average of 30% revenue growth, and this new partnership with JetBlue kicks off a whole new era of connecting people to experiences in 2022.”

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With the summer demand set to continue into the fall, this is an optimal window for partners to access this new stream of demand. Peek operators will be able to reap the benefits of a broad customer base by booking cheaper flights and searching for fun things to do across the U.S.

What does this mean for operators?

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Peek’s partnership with JetBlue offers the opportunity to drive sales for partners in markets where JetBlue flies - with no extra effort on their end. As trip demand continues to remain strong, operators with activities on the PeekPlus network will get to tap into the travel boom and reap the rewards of the JetBlue customer base, eager to discover new experiences on their next trip.

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Partners who are part of PeekPlus will now have the exciting chance to reach more customers faster, easier, and in volumes like never before. This collaboration is an incredible opportunity for all operators to increase exposure to their activities, and is backed by one of America’s largest airlines.

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How do operators start taking advantage of this partnership?

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For Peek operators already on the PeekPlus network, you don’t need to do anything! This partnership simply expands the channels you can receive bookings from. You’ll see any bookings come through alongside other reseller bookings in the PeekPlus section of Peek Pro. All you have to do is enjoy the new influx of customers!

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For partners not yet on the PeekPlus network, it’s easy to list your activities on Peek.com and start enjoying the benefits of an expansive network of additional booking channels. For even more connectivity across resellers, check out the Peek Reseller Hub. The Peek Reseller Hub connects to over 15 reseller integrations giving you increased visibility and sales, while easily managing them in your Peek Pro account!

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Head to your Peek Pro account to start listing your activities - our partner support is always on hand to address any questions or concerns you may have. Not on Peek Pro? Reach out for a free demo to learn more about Peek Pro’s industry-leading booking software!

2022 is looking to be the year that travel makes its long-awaited comeback to pre-pandemic levels. Some even think that this year’s summer season will eclipse previous ones to be the busiest travel season ever. Take a look at some of the biggest travel marketing trends so you can prepare your marketing strategy to find new customers and ultimately, boost revenue.

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1. Short-Form Video Content Continues its Meteoric Rise

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While TikTok was once viewed as a platform for Gen Z to recreate their favorite dances, the rapid growth and potential of this app can no longer be ignored. TikTok’s short-form videos are perfect for the average attention span - which currently sits about 8 seconds. The platform averaged close to 1 billion monthly users in 2022, growing to 1.4 billion in 2023, and represents a key tactic in reaching younger markets. 55% of 18-24-year-olds use the app while research shows that its demographic range is only growing.

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Along with TikTok, imitation from competitors now gives brands even more options for promoting their short-form content. YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and Facebook Watch are just a few of the options to take advantage of. The multitude of options means short-form video content is great to be easily repurposed and distributed with little editing for different channels.

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Wondering where to start on your short-form content? Some options to get started include:

• Highlights of your activities
• A behind-the-scenes look at your business
• “How to” or educational videos
• Responses to customer questions and comments

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Though TikTok may not be the biggest part of your marketing spend, its success shows that short-form content is here to stay.

2. Membership and Subscription Boom

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From movies to chocolate to hygiene products, subscription services took off during the pandemic. Americans spend an average of $273 a month on subscription services, and the subscription economy is expected to double to a worth of $1.5 trillionby 2025.

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Subscription services have already infiltrated the tourism industry through programs like TSA PreCheck, America the Beautiful National Parks Pass, and Selina Hostel’s CoLive digital nomad subscription.

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With the future of subscription and membership programs looking bright, now is a great time for more tourism businesses to offer some sort of subscription pricing plan. Subscriptions generate recurring revenue while creating brand loyalty among customers. Options for using memberships to your advantage are endless, but here are some examples to help you begin:

• Seasonal memberships
• Loyalty programs for frequent customers offering exclusive offers
• Punch passes gifting a free activity or discount after 5 uses
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Programs like these are great ways to start taking advantage of this membership boom happening throughout the tour and activity space. Watch for more operators to integrate a membership program into their operations in the coming future.

3. The Arrival of VR and Metaverse

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If Facebook’s recent multibillion-dollar bet on the metaverse tells us anything, it’s that we’ll be seeing more and more industries make the jump to virtual reality in the future. While still in its early stages, the tourism industry already made a jump into VR. Over the past few years, museums have introduced more creative ways to interact with exhibits. This practice only accelerated during the pandemic when we wanted a piece of history or art, but couldn’t physically go to our favorite museums.

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Travel company Thomas Cook let customers get a test drive before booking through 360° VR videos. These VR videos of available destination results were incredible with the initiative helping grow New York bookings by 190% and showing that there is a place for VR in tourism. While real-world travel isn’t disappearing any time soon, technological advancements such as VR offer endless possibilities for the future of tourism. Watch out for more major companies investing in VR programs as the technology becomes more inexpensive and available.
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4. More Opportunities for Influencer Promotion

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When used correctly, influencers can be a relatively cheap way of marketing that pays dividends. Influencers are becoming a force in marketing, as studies show that nearly 2 out of 3 consumers trust messaging coming from influencers rather than directly from the brand. Not only are these  “micro-influencers” (influencers with 10,00-50,000 followers) more trusted than brands, but relatability is also a key component to influencer success. 70% of Gen Z consumers put more trust in YouTube content creators than celebrities. This growing trust is the reason why last year 71% of marketers had plans to increase their budget to include a greater focus on influencer marketing.

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Remember that while influencers can help you reach new markets and grow your customer base, you should be doing your research on what the results should be from offering your services free of charge. Make sure you get all necessary information like number of subscribers, general demographics (age, location, gender) and ROI from previous collaborations.
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5. Google SEO is Alive and Well

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With marketing budgets growing and strategies becoming increasingly more complex, it’s easy to consider SEO an afterthought with so many other options for marketing your business available. While it’s important to have a well-rounded strategy, SEO should remain a top priority for its importance in driving direct bookings, long-term effectiveness and overall cost-effectiveness.

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Getting your name on the first page of results is crucial to success when 93% of searches start with a search engine and more than 25% click the first result that comes up. This organic traffic is key to boosting bookings directly from your sights rather than a third party or even worse, a competitor. While you may have already spent on SEO in the past, it’s a good idea to have an SEO check-up from time to time to make sure you’re following strategies that are relevant to Google. Since Google owns close to 92% of the search engine market share and is constantly making changes to its SEO algorithm, it’s important to keep your site updated even with your core practices set (quick loading times, relevant keywords, and an easy to navigate site).

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Not only is SEO still very relevant, but it’s also cost-effective. Spending on paid ads can get expensive quickly and doesn’t guarantee results. SEO, on the other hand, is relatively inexpensive to maintain. Improving your SEO can be obtained through tools like including functioning links and quality content that increases time spent per page. Now, this isn’t to say SEO isn’t worthy of marketing budget allocation. The price you pay to not cut corners will ultimately be worth it when you see your ROI.

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With these trends in mind, you can now create the marketing strategy that best fits your business and demographics. Remember that while these trends are popular in the industry, your marketing strategy is unique and you should choose tactics that best fit your business and customer demographic. Keep an eye out for new marketing trends that could help you get a leg up on your competitors in the new year!