Staying up to date on tourism trends can help you learn a lot about how consumers think. What types of experiences pique their interest? How are they booking their plans? Where are they headed? All of these considerations are helpful in knowing how to appeal to your customer—even if your business caters to locals, not travelers. So whether you're promoting wine tasting tours, nature excursions, or guided city tours, here are five tourism trends you can't ignore.

1. Desire to Spend More on Experiences, Not Things

Experts at Cornell University have been studying the connection between money and happiness for decades. Their conclusion: people are happier when they spend money on experiences, not things. Capitalize on this by promoting the experiential benefits of your tours and activities. You offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences, so highlight this through testimonials from loyal customers, picking out reviews that describe the customer's unique experience and what they enjoyed most about it. Or, get creative. Literally compare apples to oranges by showing the consumer what they might be missing should they spend money elsewhere. For example, be clever with something like, "A week's worth of Starbucks would pay for this tour."Another great way to entice customers: vivid photography. As in most aspects of life, emotions rule in purchasing decisions. And, imagery is a key to that. According to KISSmetrics, consumers will connect better to your company if you use imagery that shows emotion. Want them to feel happy and want to participate? Display photos of real people enjoying your service—be it smiling while hiking on your tour or clinking glasses on a brewery tour—and watch your conversions soar.

2. Affinity for Staycations

Local isn't just a fad in the food and craft beer scene—more and more people are now searching close to home for travel-related activities. To make sure you're showing up in these local searches, optimize your website. Include your area of operation in the keywords of each page. It also helps to link to any relevant local pages. Were you included in a local newspaper write up? Link to it on your page.Read more about the rise of staycations here on our blog.Speaking of which, local papers, magazines, and blogs are great ways to catch the eye of local consumers. Reach out to local press, inviting them to experience your tour or activity first-hand. An editorial can go a long way to gaining trust from local consumers. Other ways to garner local bookings: running a state resident special or offering a discount to local residents if they show a valid driver's license; running ads in the local newspaper's 'things to do' section; running radio ads during peak listening hours; or even a short television commercial on local TV stations.

Local papers, magazines, and blogs are great ways to advertise to local consumers

3. The Need to Be Social

Results of a study from Amadeus North America reveals that the next generation of travelers are more adventurous and social. They're searching for experiences they can share with friends—so anything tour operators and merchants can do to make this process easier will help to better serve this market. Customers want to share their experience—so give them the tools to do so. Make it easy on yourself, and have the customers do the work for you. Create a hashtag—and send it out in confirmation and follow up emails—that customers can use after the experience to share photos or videos via social media. Or, run promote loyalty programs, as well as discounts for any referrals to entice customers to share with friends and family.

4. Increased Demand for Wellness Travel

Wellness tourism is a rapidly growing, $494 billion industry, according to the Well-Being Travel Symposium. But, wellness travel isn't just about spa getaways. It's about getting back to nature. According to a recent survey, 58 percent of respondents ranked outdoor activities as being most important for a wellness vacation. And, according to the IB Times, people booking wellness vacations are also looking for unique experiences—ones that will have them interacting with local cultures, educate them on local foods, or provide them some physical activity.Activity and tour companies are in a unique position to tap into this growing segment. You already have what the consumers are looking for—outdoor activities that give them local flavor. Now, make yourself known to them. Reach out to the local tourism board to have your business listed on their website and in brochures. Get yourself on local concierges' radar so they can recommend your experience to guests. On your own site, highlight the aspects of your business that may appeal to this demographic. Post vivid images of the outdoor activities you provide. Do you offer outdoor bike tours? Post photos of smiling customers basking in the sunshine atop their bikes. Offering cooking classes? Be sure to mix in local cuisine, along with descriptions of local purveyors and farms you source ingredients from.

5. Rise of Mobile Bookings

About 27 percent of all digital travel transactions in the United States take place on a mobile device, according to data from Criteo. Whether you're selling tours, classes, or activities, customers want to be able to shop and secure their purchase with a few taps and screen swipes. Make use of this growing market of tech-savvy travelers with a mobile-friendly website and branded applications that make the research and booking process simple and efficient. Make sure your website—especially the checkout process—is mobile-friendly. Use mobile-optimized online booking software, such as Peek Pro, which makes it easy for customers to book directly through a merchant's website and complete the checkout process seamlessly.From the increased demand of experiences over things to the rise of mobile bookings, trends in travel trickle down to tour and activity operators. The more local merchants pay attention to these trends, the better equipped they'll be to tap into many different segments of the market.

Things don't always go to plan. There will always be times when a customer has a family emergency, a scheduling conflict, or simply changes their itinerary. So when the unexpected happens, you need to make sure your customers are aware of their rights, and any fees associated with a cancellation. On top of that, you need to make sure you protect yourself, giving enough time to fill that now vacant spot, along with collecting enough of the booking fee to ensure you don't lose out financially.That's why it's so important to implement a simple, clear cancellation policy for your campground. To help you construct the best possible policy, here are a few tips and examples to follow.

1. Determine your cancellation fees.

Airlines and hotels do this to not only cover the costs associated with a cancellation but to also discourage customers from cancelling before their trip. Whether you decide to refund the entire amount of the reservation or provide a partial refund to a customer who cancels within a certain timeframe, you should impose some type of cancellation fee to handle the request. This fee would cover administrative time to process the request, credit card or debit card transaction fees, and any other costs associated with cancelling a booking.

2. Draft your cancellation policy.

Your cancellation policy doesn't have to be complicated, but it does need to contain key details about how much the customer owes you to proceed with the cancellation, what type of time window they have to cancel without any fees, and what their options are for proceeding with the cancellation process.When drafting your cancellation policy, be sure to include the following key details:

• Time window that you will honor a cancellation
• Time windows for various fees charged for a cancellation
• Whether reservations are non-refundable at the time of booking
• Security deposit policy
• Acceptable ways to cancel — over the phone, via email, or through an online booking program

For example:

Georgia State Parks details both its cancellation and transfer policy, and its policy about security deposits on its website. If you specialise in extended stays, you may consider requesting a security deposit and determining whether that deposit can be partially refunded based on when the cancellation takes place:Cancellation/Transfer Policy: Cancellations/Transfers must be made at least 30 days prior to scheduled arrival date. A $10 handling fee per reservation is charged for cancellations. Reservations made within 30 days of arrival are non-refundable and non-transferable. Reservations can be changed one time, at no charge, provided a 30-day notice is given.

3. Post your cancellation policy in several visible locations.

In addition to outlining your cancellation policy in great detail on your website, have customers agree to the cancellation policy at the time of booking. This can reduce liability on your part when a customer decides to cancel and has to pay a fee. You can include a small blurb of the cancellation policy in your terms and conditions section, or simply have it listed somewhere on your booking page so that customers can view it when they check out.

Have customers agree to your cancellation policy at the time of booking

4. Train staff to handle cancellations appropriately.

When a customer calls to cancel their reservation over the phone, make sure your staff is prepared to handle the situation with professionalism and explain exactly how much the customer will be charged for initiating the cancellation.Be sure to have staff members follow up with the customer to see if they would like to re-book for another day and time, or when they plan to travel again so that a staff member can follow up with the customer again to confirm the booking later. The goal, if possible, is to retain the customer.If you accept cancellations via email, make sure you have a dedicated staff member to handle all online communications so you can process the cancellation and open up the reservation to another customer in a timely manner. This might require setting up a separate email account specifically for cancellation requests and having a staff member monitor this account multiple times a day to handle all incoming messages appropriately.

5. Revise your cancellation policy as needed.

You may need to revise your cancellation policy when you add more reservation options at your campsite and need to elaborate on policies for different types of reservations (e.g. group bookings, long-term stays, etc.). Make sure to update and revise your campground cancellation policy frequently so that your customers are well aware of their rights to a refund (or forfeiture of a deposit), and you are fully disclosing your policy upfront.Developing and implementing a cancellation can improve customer service and even deter customers from cancelling at the last minute—thereby increasing the risk you lose another potential booking. Use these tips to develop and impose an effective cancellation policy for your campground reservations.

Americans can't seem to break away from their smartphones. In the U.S., mobile usage now accounts for 51% of digital media time. And that trend continues to seep into the travel industry, as mobile bookings now make up 40% of all transactions for travel businesses. In other words: It's very likely that potential customers can be looking to book campsites while hiking into town.So it's time to start taking strides to attract these on-the-go travelers. Luckily, this won't take thousands of marketing dollars to accomplish. A few small-scale tactics will help you find the campers you're looking for, and more importantly, help them find you.

Be smartphone friendly

There's little use in having an amazing website if it doesn't work on smartphones. At the very least, make sure that all the important information—like your location, contact details, and opening hours—is easy to find. This is likely the key information potential customers will be searching for.You'll also want to optimize your most popular site pages. (The information you'll need to do this can be examined in your site analytics, including what pages visitors are landing on when they first come to your site, whether they are using a mobile or desktop, how long they spend on each page, and much more.)But perhaps the most important feature to make mobile friendly: your booking page—and online reservation software, such as Peek Pro, will let your campers do this by incorporating mobile booking options right into your website.

Make sure all your important information is easy to find on your mobile site

Social media is your best friend

Today's campers are no strangers to technology. This means that there is a very heavy reliance on social media to find information, ask for suggestions, and share opinions with the world. In fact, Forbes recently reported that one-fifth of leisure travelers worldwide turn to social media platforms for inspiration for their travel planning, with Facebook at the top of that list. Research for ADARA further shows that up to 50% of those travelers are booking their trips last minute. This is where the immediacy of social media can come in handy!By using a thoughtful social media strategy, you can ensure that you find a much larger number of new and returning customers than if you had kept all of your marketing efforts completely offline. Keep your Facebook page up-to-date with relevant information, respond to comments quickly, and generally, be a friendly face for the traveler that is breezing through your area.

How to become more search friendly

There are a few things you can do to make sure that your campground is more search friendly when it comes to Google. As mentioned earlier, you have to make sure you give visitors what they're looking for. Write clearly, and think about what words users would type in to look for what you offer (such as "campground near [location]). Make sure other sites link to yours when possible. Are you friendly with the local kayak rental company? Ask them to link to your campground. Create a helpful, information-rich site, and let Google do the rest.

Don't be afraid of geolocation

One of the joys of having a smartphone is the ability to use the device as a map. Today's smartphones have a GPS chip inside, which uses satellite data to calculate its exact position. Services like Google Maps can then map out the area using this location.This means that geolocation apps essentially do two things: they report a user's location to others, and they associate real-world locations (like your campground) to others who happen to be in the area. As a campground owner, geolocation can be a powerful tool in your marketing toolkit. Tapping into geolocational features—such as paying to advertise to people searching Google for campsites in your area, or making your location obvious to all by having an address visible on your site and a Google Maps listing—can help potential campers find you when they are nearby, desperately in search of a well-reviewed campground in their vicinity.With more and more travelers booking their trips and amenities from their smartphones, it's important to make sure you're doing all you can to capture this on-the-go market. From making your site more mobile friendly to taking advantage of geolocation services, you can take a few easy steps to begin increasing these last minute booking.

Site reservations and general stores shouldn't be the only revenue stream for your campground. In fact, almost 27 percent of total income earned from a camper was generated from sources other than campsite reservations, according to a study by the Journal of Travel Research. You can tap into several revenue opportunities to maximize sales from each and every camper that sets foot on your campground.Here are just a few ways to optimize your campground's profit centers.

1. Recreational Equipment Rentals

Not all of your campers will have enough room in their RV or vehicle to bring along recreational gear and equipment such as kayaks, canoes, or even pop-up tables for meal time. Make things easy for your customers by offering equipment rental options for a modest fee, and set up a pickup station or area where staff can keep track of inventory and store it safely after each use.

Create packages for newer campers who need basic equipment such as a grill, tables and chairs, or other necessities to round out their experience.

Create packages for newer campers who need basic equipment such as a grill, tables and chairs, or other necessities to round out their experience. If you are using a campground reservation system like Peek Pro, you can manage equipment rental inventory and payments all in the same system.

2. Special Events and Activities

From hosting fun holiday events like carols and s'mores around a big bonfire, or providing live entertainment during the summer months, ticketed events are a great way for your guests to build fun, lasting memories at your campground. These might appeal to both campers and visitors in the area looking for something to do during a vacation. If you open up these events to the public, could also attract locals and garner some attention from area businesses during the season.Make sure to promote these events heavily on social media sites, and set up a Facebook event so the general public can easily find it when they're searching for local things to do on the Internet. You could also list your event with area magazines and publications as part of your promotional efforts.

3. Lessons and Workshops

Lots of campgrounds offer activities such as painting lessons, tie-dye t-shirt making classes, and games. While these mainly cater to children, such workshops are a big revenue generator. Additionally, watersport activities like kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding can be turned into educational opportunities for first-timers or beginners. Offer lessons as part of your roster of daily activities on the campground for an extra fee. Another option is to host educational workshops, such as seminars or hands-on activities from nature guides, teachers, and other experts to give campers something to look forward to during their visit.Consider partnering up with local instructors who can offer services your staff isn't trained to provide, so that you can offer a variety of experiences for outdoor enthusiasts.

4. Breakfast or Meal Service

Give campers the option to purchase a meal onsite so they can save time and effort during their vacation—some visitors will probably appreciate less time doing dishes, and more time going on hikes in the surrounding area! As long as you have a food and beverage license for your operation, you can set up a dining area to serve meals as part of the camping experience. Use this food and beverage cost calculator formula provided by Buzztime to estimate your total investment for managing food costs and setting up reasonable pricing. Consider selling meal tickets as part of the camping reservation or sell meal plan packages for guests who may want to enjoy multiple meals onsite during their visit.From offering memorable experiences to renting equipment, there are several ways to enhance your guest's outdoor stay, while generating revenue beyond the campsite reservation. Explore some of these ideas to leverage your campground's profit potential.

During the time between a customer's booking and their onsite arrival, tour operators have a unique opportunity to curate an experience that really wows their guests. Though some travelers are more spontaneous than others, most enjoy having at least a short list of activities they absolutely must do at their destination. In any case, they could always use your help navigating the city and packing for their journey.Here are some simple ways you can enhance your guests' vacation experience long before they arrive.

1. Help guests build their itinerary

As we've suggested before, “Take the time to ask guests about their travel planning and offer to help them plan the rest of their trip with local recommendations." One way to do this is to provide a "destination cheat sheet' for download on your website or send guests a PDF via email as a complimentary service to help them get to know the area.With your recommendations, be sure to group activities that are located in the same areas. Add estimates for how long visitors should spend on each destination and note opening and closing times for those amusements. This helps travelers avoid wasting precious time revisiting a neighborhood only to see one or two things they missed on an earlier visit.

2. Prepare travelers for the adventure

Caught up in the excitement of their upcoming trip, guests may forget to prepare their travel documents, get necessary vaccinations, or pack essential items. To save travelers from an embarrassing encounter at the border, tour operators can share information visitors from other countries will need to know prior to travel.Email guests packing tips. For instance, if you're located in a mountainous region, advise guests to bring sturdy hiking boots, especially if you offer outdoor excursions. During the rainy season, recommend packing waterproof or water-resistant shoes. Remind travelers about what not to bring as well.Finally, share a few fun language lessons. For guests who speak the same language, provide a list of common slang non-locals might not be familiar with.

Tour operators can share information that visitors from other countries will need to know prior to travel

3. Invite visitors to eat like a local

On Facebook and Instagram, it can feel as though travelers spend more time documenting their meals than their journey. Indeed, one of the most exciting things about travel is experiencing local culture through its cuisine.Of course, many first-time visitors may not know what to eat or where to eat it. That said, tour operators can offer their best recommendations for specific dishes to try and restaurants to visit.

The Bottom Line

By simply sharing extra information (and providing concierge-like services), tour operators demonstrate their commitment to an exceptional customer experience. In return, guests will reciprocate with positive reviews and referrals to help you grow your business and bookings.

Americans—more than 40 million a year, to be exact—continue to head to the hills for that weekend camping trip. And while the activity of camping hasn't changed much in the past 30 years, the needs and habits of today's campers continue to evolve. Large tents have been replaced for lightweight models; small RVs have been traded up for larger, tech-infused vehicles; and tech-savvy travelers are now booking their camping getaways online.Here is a closer look at the needs and travel habits of today's campers, and how your campground can best cater to them.

Understanding Travel Needs and Booking Behavior of Today's Campers

Experts at Virtuoso have found that baby boomers and millennials travel for very different purposes. Boomers see travel as an opportunity to enjoy quality time together and value escapism. They're not afraid to splurge and prefer to travel with families. Millennials, on the other hand, tend to travel for personal fulfillment and look for customized experiences when traveling. Also, most prefer to travel with friends.Knowing this means you can tailor your offerings and marketing messages for these two distinct groups. Baby boomers may be attracted to camping packages that include a trip to an area day spa, for example, where they can unplug and de-stress. Millennials may be more eager to book packages for groups with kayaking lessons, paddle-boarding adventures, or other outdoor activities they can enjoy with friends on or near the campsite.

Upgrading Campsites and Amenities to Appeal to Today's Campers

Your campground may not be able to accommodate larger RVs or provide enough electricity to support some of the upgraded vehicles, gear, and accessories today's campers rely on. Consider expanding parking sites (by trimming trees and shrubs) to accommodate for larger vehicles. (Class-A RVs can be as long as 45 feet, so you should have at least one spot that could easily fit this type of vehicle.) Also, many campsites aren't able to support the 50-amp plugins required by some newer RV models, so consider updating your electrical outlets if you can't handle this type of setup.A large portion of campers will be looking for some type of hiking activity, according to the Outdoor Foundation. These hiking enthusiasts will often rely on GPS devices and smartphone apps to map out their routes. In order to stay connected and maximize their experience using technology, these campers need high-speed Internet access. Campgrounds and RV parks that offer free WiFi access and connectivity amenities, such as power outlets to charge phones and camera batteries, will be a more attractive destination for the modern traveler.Another interesting fact: 52 percent of campers between the ages of 18 and 34 years did online research to buy items for their camping trip and then purchased in-store, according to the Outdoor Foundation. Be the campground that sells accessories and other items—from extra batteries for portable coolers to basic cooking utensils—through your own online store or at your campsite to cater to these shoppers. This will also open up another revenue stream for your campground business.

Be the campground that sells accessories and other items through your own online store or at your campsite to cater to these shoppers

Providing Mobile Booking Options for Today's Campers

The vast majority—90 percent—of millennials book travel online, according to Virtuoso. Take advantage of online reservation software, such as Peek Pro, to incorporate online and mobile booking options into your website to capture this large segment of the market. This will make it a cinch for campers to reserve spots that fit their RVs, or to make reservations for outdoor gear and supplies.Also, as Skift points out, personalization in travel is one trend travel operators simply can't ignore2. Instead of booking a campsite and settling in for the day, campers may be interested in enjoying localized experiences during the trip. Offering the option to customize a camping experience—such as adding a workshop or educational tour to the visit, or giving guests a chance to have food or groceries delivered from area businesses—can make for a personalized experience.And don't overlook social media activity. Encourage visitors to use Instagram and Twitter to share their photos and updates while mentioning your business. This allows them to join a community of fellow travelers while helping your business become more visible in the social media sphere.The American tradition of camping isn't disappearing anytime soon. But the needs of today's campers continue to evolve with technology. Catering to today's tech-savvy campers with online booking options and introducing modern amenities into your campsite will help keep your booking calendar full year-round.