Like it or not, online reviews can make or break your business. Hidden travel gems have been propelled to must-visit status on the back of a few effusive 5-star reviews, while lackluster destinations can suffer, or even go bankrupt entirely, if they start racking up 1-star feedback.As a tour and activity operator, it's important to do all you can to encourage travelers to review you. A Cornell University study found that there is a direct correlation between positive visitor reviews online and increasing revenue. In fact, a one-star increase in average review translates to nearly a 2-percent increase in revenue. (Read our tips on how to get more reviews here.)Asking isn't enough, though—you have to be smart about it. We've all had automated “Please review us" emails after buying something online or going to a restaurant, but how many times have you acted on them? Probably not very often.The key to getting a glowing review from a customer is to trigger an emotional response —called a “moment of truth" in marketing circles. If you can recreate the feeling they had on the tour they took with you, they're much more likely to give you a good review. This is why those “review your product" emails from Amazon always arrive just after you've taken delivery. You've just received a new toy and Amazon wants to capitalize on that feeling.

The key to a glowing review from a customer is to trigger an emotional response

Tour and activity operators are already in a great position to make this happen. The experience a lifetime—be it discovering decadent foods in a new city, or kayaking for the first time—is a much bigger occasion than buying some new headphones, and people are likely to have much stronger positive feelings about their first scuba dive, a guided hike, or skydiving.Your options for creating your own moment of truth are limited only by your imagination, and the more creative you are the bigger the potential for amazing results.Take a lesson from theme parks: They'll email on-ride photos to their visitors, and the smart ones include a request for a review. What could bring back the memories of an amazing day better than a photo of you having an amazing time?Activity operators are perfectly set up to use a similar tactic. Make sure your guides are taking photos (or even better, video) of your guests having a great time skiing, surfing, jumping out of a plane, or whatever types of activities you offer. Send the photos and videos to the guest shortly after they return from their trip (so your email isn't buried in their post-holiday inbox avalanche, and they have a reliable connection over which to view the video) and watch the memories come flooding back, and the reviews rolling in.For smaller or boutique operators, the best option can often be simply to ask guests. If your personality and customer service are big selling points for your business, it makes sense to ask for a review personally. Explain the value of those five stars to the visitor, and often they'll happily review you. Stephen Peters, director of the Pacific Sands Resort, reports that since he started proactively asking for reviews, their volume has tripled.Finding your moment of truth is as simple as looking at your current reviews—which part of their trip do your reviewers rave about? Find a way to bring back those memories when you ask for a review and both the number and star ratings will go through the roof.

There's a huge pool of potential customers that just keeps getting deeper. So how do you keep your head above water, and prepare yourself for a new wave of customers? Here are some tips on how to best handle an increase in customers.

1. Increase the manpower and implement necessary systems

To make sure you are well equipped to handle more customers, hire new, experienced staffers, while also rearranging current teams to maximize capacity, performance, and overall service. That includes implementing an online booking system and tour management software, and assigning supervisors to double check all forms to ensure smooth operations.Another aspect to maintaining a great customer experience with rising demand: renegotiating with suppliers. Work with suppliers to offer more possible destinations, activities, or pieces of equipment so that customers have more options (and existing tours won't be over-crowded).

2. Focus on your core customers

HVM Consulting, a Belgium-based tour agency, owes much of its 25 years of success to the relationships it builds with customers. “The success of HVM Consulting is founded on its personalized relationship with clients and suppliers—we simply build rapport with them in person, listen to their specific needs and requests, and ensure that their trip arrangements correspond to their expectations," says Hans Vanmaele, managing director of HVM Consulting. "Because of this, our best sales people are actually our satisfied clients." A core of their business practices: the Pareto Principle, in which they prioritize and recognize their clients' potential and productivity. "We maintain focus on the 20% of our clients who produce 80% of our sales," says Vanmaele.

Your best sales people are your most sastisfied clients

3. Match customer requests with complimentary offerings

To increase your revenue per customer, you need an efficient system, in which you offer personalized experiences alongside complementary offerings that will dramatically enhance the over-all experience for the customer.During the booking process, it's important to learn about each customer as much as possible to provide them their ultimate dream vacation, so ask if they have any specific requests to best prepare prior to their arrival. To achieve this, incorporate segmented email marketing campaigns on each of your website's landing pages, segmenting these visitors based on their previous travel history and upcoming trips. For example, a couple who recently booked a trip to Italy will get a complimentary quick guide to the city they're looking to visit. If your company has local partners in the area, include in special packages and discounts from those partners to sweeten the deal.While no business would complain about a new influx of customers, it could cause problems if you're not properly prepared. But if you reinforce the systems you have in place, you'll free yourself up to build and maintain relationships with your customers that will keep them coming back.

Activities previously enjoyed together with a companion can now be done on your own as more and more travelers are choosing to travel solo as opposed to planning groups or couple trips.

Solo travel on the rise among women and superboomers

In fact, according to a study across 25 countries conducted by Visa on Global Travel Intentions , one in five travelers aged 18-35 chose to travel by themselves in their most recent leisure trips. Solo travel has continued to grow among the affluent and first-time travelers and has increased among the so-called 'superboomers' group - these are adults over the age of 44.

Off-beat destinations preferred by solo travelers

In an interview with Jennifer Halboth, director of channel marketing for the Globus Family of Brands, she shared that solo travelers are in search for exotic and less traveled places, “Solo travelers gravitate more toward exotics and off-the-beaten-path Europe, because people want to be in a group environment when going to those types of places".Tour companies looking to target these travelers have the opportunity to customize trips by holding singles-only food tour, offering promo codes for exclusive for single travelers and incorporate 'feel-good' activities that they could try for the first time and participate with other solo travelers as a group and focusing on boosting promotions towards less-traveled destinations.

Challenging activities appeal to most 'wander women'

Solo travel has also been on the rise among female travelers with 50 percent embracing their solitude and independence during the trip.According to an interview by CTV News with Prof. Gabor Forgacs, from Ryerson University's Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, rise of solo travel is a reflection of changing population trends. "The travel industry looks very carefully at demographics, and tries to understand people's changing travel pattern"."They noticed that there's a significant growth in single households; there are more people living alone than ever before, so logically there's a change in travel patterns", Forgacs added."Even people in relationships, more frequently than ever before, are electing to take a solo trip," Forgacs said, noting that different hobbies and interests usually lead couples to take separate holidays."And the industry is eager to capitalize on this growing group of travelers, by offering special packages, tours and accommodations geared towards single people", according to Forgacs.

Those in relationships are also taking solo travel trips due to differing interests

Customized and guided packages for solo travelers

As the numbers of solo travelers move up, more travel and tour companies are paying attention by offering guided tours and getaways customized toward activities preferred by solo travelers such as horseback riding, trekking and rappelling.Recommend activities based on tours taken by similar demographicsBy taking notice at the solo travelers travel behaviors, tour operators could start offering customized experience right from the booking process where they could proactively suggest trip locations and activities based on previously visited destinations by people within a similar demographic. For example, based on the data provided by the solo traveler, the tour operators could either automate the suggestion process or get their account managers to contact the customer by recommending the most popular travel destinations and activities taken by other solo travelers in the past.Other tour operators responded to the rising demand by adding more cabins dedicated to solo travelers and single supplements. Other companies including the taxi-booking app, Uber, decided to offer group discounts to solo travelers. In April, the on-demand car service Uber sent customers an email before a San Francisco Giants game that said, “If you're headed to today's game solo, or even with one friend, opt for uberPOOL. UberPOOL will match you with a rider going to a similar destination, and get you there for $7 or less."With the increase of the demand for solo travels, tour companies could make great use of the upward trend and demand to customize specific packages by providing its travelers a preview of the kind of experiences they would have on their website and social accounts to help solo travelers decide quicker during their planning stages. Incorporating “feel good" and extreme activities and making it really easy to book online will not only elicit interest from solo travelers but also easily convert visitors into loyal customers in the long run.

One of the most effective ways tour and activity CEOs can grow their business: positioning themselves as a trusted expert in the industry. It'll help expand your company's reach and can even generate more bookings each season. Spreading your wealth of industry knowledge by publishing articles about your business, leading speaking events that get posted online, or participating in online forums will increase your visibility to both customers and competitors — and can even make it easier to find your business in online searches, a valuable asset to any business.But becoming a trusted voice in your industry doesn't just happen over night; it'll require some work. So to get you on your way, here are some of the most effective ways tour and activity owners can become a trusted expert in their industry.

Lead a Discussion at a Speaking Event

Jeb Blount, author of People Buy You, explains that speaking gives you a chance to showcase your knowledge and increases your visibility and credibility. She states that “it creates the perception that you are an expert and authority in your field, and it creates an endless stream of qualified leads that come to you almost effortlessly."Reach out to small business networking event organizers and other groups in the area that host presentations, seminars, workshops and other events that require professional speakers. At these events, you can speak about the state of your industry, upcoming trends, or share insights about the local travel and tourism industry from an owner's perspective. For example, a kayak tours operator could speak at a local travel marketing conference about their success with their social media strategy. A ghost tours operator might lead a discussion for small business owners about seasonal trends and marketing strategies that have helped them increase bookings during a slow season.

Share Industry Insights on LinkedIn

Yvonne Halling, a bed and breakfast owner and coach for other B&B owners, posts tips and marketing strategies on her website. But she is also an active member of the Bed and Breakfast Guest House Owners Group on LinkedIn, a community of 1,800+ members in the hospitality business. A recent post talks about handling bookings during a slow season and she shares advice on how she grew her B&B by 7-times in just a single year.Positioning yourself as a thought leader on a subject that is relevant to fellow business owners and sharing your insights on LinkedIn will help you build your online presence and help to establish yourself as a leader in your industry. For instance, Bill Beaudoin, proprietor of the Alaskan Viewpoint Lodge, is a member of the same B&B LinkedIn group and posted about how the lodge has been open for only 53 days, yet has already amassed 250 Facebook "Likes" — a significant milestone for which he credits his active presence in this community.

Position yourself as a thought leader by sharing your insights and ideas on LinkedIn

Self-Publish a Book on Amazon

If you've had great success selling tours and activities or have extensive experience in the tourism industry, consider selling your tips and strategies as an eBook or print-on-demand title, following Gordon Bartlett's example. After retiring from a 28-year career in computer sales and computer management, Bartlett started a tour business in 1993 with just nine passengers in a rented van, eventually building it into a business that escorts passengers in a chartered bus around Arizona. In 2014, he published a book, How to Start and Operate a Profitable Tour Business: Make Money While Traveling and Guiding Tours, using details from his own success. In the book, Bartlett shares valuable information with illustrations, sample itineraries, and pricing guides to help other tour operators succeed — positioning Bartlett as an expert in the industry.Luckily, Amazon makes it easy to self-publish through the CreateSpace platform. You can upload your book, add a cover, and sell it on the Amazon Marketplace within a matter of days.

Host Workshops for Tour and Activity Seekers

If you have a group of veteran tour and activity guests — people who book tours and activities more than twice a year — consider hosting an educational workshop for them to learn more about the area, your business, and other interesting insights about the experiences you offer. Some of your loyal guests may be intrigued to learn more about kayaking tours, canopy adventures, rainforest excursions, and the history of boating in the area from an industry expert such as yourself. You can host these special, invitation-only events throughout the year, and also offer a discount on a tour packages to those who bring a friend.

Host a Training Event for Small Business Owners

Shift your focus to fellow industry professionals by hosting a training event or seminar. If you have several years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, you could position yourself as an expert by sharing your wealth of knowledge with a PowerPoint presentation, webinars, and by creating a training program for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to get started. For example, a kayak tour operator may share insights about how to start a kayaking business or challenges to be aware of when entering the market. Or, a food tour operator may host a training event for aspiring food tour guides.

Sponsor Local Events

Serve as one of the main sponsors of a sporting event, fitness competition, or travel events in the area to position yourself as a leader in the industry. For instance, Florida-based Sunrise Surf Shop, which offers surfing and SUP lessons in addition to selling surfboards and accessories, stays active in its Jacksonville Beach community by sponsoring local surf contests, charity events, and sports affiliated teams by running clothing drives, hosting surf camps for children with autism, and finding other ways to give back to the local community.Seek out connections with local event organizers and activity leaders who are looking for sponsors, or send out inquiries about sponsorship opportunities for any upcoming events that compliment your business. You would be able to promote your company logo and website on their marketing materials and the organizer may ask for a few words from you to promote the event. This can be a great way to connect with the community and establish your business a leader in the area.

Run or Attend Professional Networking Events

Build up your professional network by attending local networking events designed for small business owners and entrepreneurs, or serving as an event organizer of a networking event in your community. Many of these events are posted on Facebook and serve as business casual social mixers for professionals across all industries. You can introduce yourself as the owner of your company and network with marketing, business development, technology, and financial professionals across different industries. Ultimately, establishing a strong network of contacts can help you build credibility in your market and local community.

Post Webinars and Videos Online

Whether you promote these presentations and video clips as "Notes from the Owner" or set up a separate section of your website dedicated to "industry news," share content about the industry straight from the owner's desk for site visitors to view at their leisure. You could also share this type of content on LinkedIn to attract viewers in your industry and establish yourself as an expert in the field. Blog posts or industry-specific articles published in industry publications with links to this content could further your reach and help you earn 'expert status' in your field.

Final Thoughts

From hosting training events to self-publishing a book, there are several ways you can establish yourself as a trusted expert in the travel and tourism industry. Use these tips to develop a community outreach and marketing strategy to build your online and offline presence.

The tourism industry is a series of ebbs and flows, as different trend rise and fall. And right now, if you're a tour or activity operator, you should be attentive to two evolving trends: overseas travel from India and adventure tourism.Here's a closer look at these trends and some ways tour and activity operators can capitalize on it:

Tap Into India

How do you capture the vastness that is India? According to Expedia of India, nearly half of Indian travelers make their travel decisions based on the activities available rather than the destination. More than half of those surveyed preferred to book the activities online in conjunction with hotel and flight bookings while 25 percent booked their activities at the venue itself.Tour and activity operators can position themselves as a "destination" for these types of travelers instead of relying solely on locals and interest from travelers who just happen to be in the area. Adventure seekers from both overseas and domestic markets may be planning their trips around a tour or experience you offer so you can tweak your marketing strategy to cater to this active market.

Adventure Tourism Travel Trends

As a tour and activity operator, you know there is a hungry market seeking out activities and experiences you offer. Some may even be choosing to travel to your location to participate in certain activities.According to Venngage, 88.2% of travelers find gastronomy a defining element of the brand image of travel destinations. If you're a food-tour operator, winery owner, or conduct any type of food and wine tours, you can attract more guests by promoting your experience as a "foodie destination" by highlighting your roots in the area and sharing information about your connections with local farmers or artisanal food suppliers.

Ways to Capitalize on These Trends

Whether you're a winery tour operator or conduct kayak excursions, there are several ways you can promote your business to travelers who are seeking out activities over a specific destination. Here are some ways to capitalize on the latest trends:

Harness the Power of Social Media

We Are Social reports a 26 percent growth rate of active social media users and 5 percent increase in active mobile social users in India. Becoming a part of the social conversation is more important than ever before. Increasing awareness about your company via social networks can help you attract travelers who are searching for activity ideas and want to learn more about your offerings. Deloitte Consulting, LLP, reports on consumer behavior trends that show digital channels are a "source of inspiration" when someone is planning a trip—approximately one-third of those surveyed stated they started daydreaming about a new holiday while using a social site or when they noticed a friend checking in to a destination.Skift highlights some of the ways top media travel brands are using social media platforms to their advantage, pointing out the value of travel videos, sharing high-quality images, and leading conversations on major social sites like Facebook and Twitter. Promoting your tours and activities by dropping links to descriptions on social media platforms, sharing photographs or videos of different experiences on social sites, and engaging in conversations on Twitter and Facebook could help you stay in mind of those travelers who are seeking out what you have to offer.

Maintain a Mobile-Friendly Site

In this blog post, marketing expert Frederico Gonzalo points to studies that indicate almost half of users browse or look for destination and vacation ideas on a mobile device and 37 percent of mobile travelers consume content related to 'things to do' on their trip.Making sure you have a mobile site available for prospective visitors to browse and book can also help. You need to have a mobile-friendly site available for these travelers who prefer to browse and book travel using a smartphone or other mobile device. Make sure you have a large "Book It" button placed on each page of the mobile site so the visitor doesn't have to spend a lot of time figuring out how to make a reservation—it should only take a few screen swipes and taps to proceed with the checkout process.

You need to have a mobile-friendly site available for travelers who prefer to book travel using a smartphone or tablet

Provide Lodging and Flight Tips

Position your company as a go-to destination for a certain type of experience by encouraging travelers to take advantage of area lodging and easy access to the airport when planning their visit. Whether you choose to partner with area companies or just provide insider information on where to stay and how to get to your location, the goal is to give travelers as much information as possible to make their trip-planning process easier. In the case of Indian and overseas travelers, consider setting up a dedicated page or section on your website with plan-your-trip tips that include maps, links to area hotels and resorts, and other relevant information a prospective traveler might find useful if they are planning their entire trip around your tour and activity experience.

Build Your Customer List

Capture the attention of interested travelers the moment they visit your website by setting up a newsletter subscription form or encouraging visitors to register with the site for updates. Building your email list will make it that much easier to stay in touch with these prospective guests and steer them towards the booking and checkout process. You can promote the benefits and highlights of different tours via an email newsletter, send out special offers and promo codes throughout the year, or just send informational tips and guides about maximizing the experience with your company to subscribers. Focus on the activities and your company as a destination to keep in mind when booking travel in the upcoming year to cater to travelers looking for something new to do and experience this season.Use an online booking software program like Peek Pro to organize and maintain your customer list in a secure database. These programs make it easy to send out personalized emails automatically so you can keep up with your email marketing strategy with little effort.As more travelers start to make their booking decisions based on activities rather than a particular destination, you can tweak your marketing efforts to cater to these groups. Use these tips and strategies to capitalize on this emerging trend.

You've spent hours upon hours painstakingly creating a professional website to attract customers. You've made sure the photos are vivid. You consistently update your content to keep them engaged. You've smartly made it easier for them to book an activity or tour directly through your website. Now, make sure all that work isn't for naught, and make sure your checkout process is equally cared for. Statistics from the Baymard Institute reveal that more than two-thirds of shoppers end up abandoning their shopping cart at checkout. This means that two out of three customers may only work their way through part of your checkout flow process.Whether it's because of technical issues, losing interest, or any type of interruption while the customer is online, you need to do whatever you can to create a streamlined checkout process that customers are eager to complete. Here are some best practices for optimizing the checkout process to maximize bookings for your tour and activities business.

1. Include teaser video snippets of the activity or tour.

Short teaser videos help to engage and entice potential customers during the sales process. Kissmetrics reports that anywhere from 64 to 85 percent of video viewers are more likely to buy your product after watching a product video. It's a simple and powerful way to share your offerings while moving the customer through the buying process with ease.

Best approach:

Place these videos right next to the "Book It!" button. The videos don't have to be lengthy—a minute or less, in fact—since they are essentially teaser videos giving the traveler a taste of what they're in for. Watch our webinar How Video Boosts Your Brand presented by our guest Chris Torres, an expert of tourism marketing. In the webinar Chris explains how to use video with any budget.

2. Make ratings and reviews more obvious.

Increase customer confidence by making reviews and ratings readily available within the listing. According to a survey by ReportLinker on the trustworthiness of online reviews, 59% of respondents find online reviews as trustworthy as a friend’s review.

Best approach:

Embed a list of reviews or star ratings prominently on your website, somewhere close to the banner and your "Book It!" button. This will encourage customers to read positive reviews before making their purchase—and without having to drift away from the call to action.

Show off testimonials and reviews all over your website, especially near your Book Now buttons

3. Include related bookings of interest.

Sites like Amazon have capitalized on the concept of generating more sales per visitor by sharing related product information or recommended products during the checkout process. For example, Amazon shoppers are exposed to Similar Products at checkout to provide personalized recommendations, thanks to Amazon's patented recommendation algorithm. The concept is simple: shoppers who are already in the mindset of buying are more likely to continue buying. FuturePay reports on this behavior, pointing out, "The more time customers have to contemplate their purchase, the more likely they will rethink the purchase. One-click shopping is one option to increase impulsive buying behavior within checkout."

Best approach:

If you use Peek Pro's online booking system, your customers can browse multiple activities and rentals at once if you utilize the Bundles feature. You can set up multiple activities and products available during the booking process in the backend so that customers see even more options as they proceed through checkout—and confirm multi-bookings with ease. Another option is to set up Add-Ons to your activities or rentals.

4. Increase customer confidence with a stepped checkout process.

Even though you want to collect as much customer information as possible, automate the registration process with the checkout flow so that customers don't have to spend extra time setting up an account and then providing payment details for each booking.

Best approach:

Make things easy for your customer by only requiring them to provide contact information once and using a stepped process to get them through checkout. Amazon does a great job with this by taking shoppers through a step-by-step process with a "Sign In," "Shipping & Payment," "Gift Options," and "Place Order" sequence.

5. Disclose discounts or dropped prices upfront.

If you're offering discounted tours and activities as part of a seasonal special or have a discount code available for first-time travelers, make sure the site visitor knows about it well before they hit the checkout page. eConsultancy reports that 27 percent of shoppers surveyed abandoned carts because they were prompted to enter a coupon code and they didn't have one—possibly upon seeing the promo code box.

Best approach:

Reduce the risk of cart abandonment by deliberately including a link to the deal or other details about the discount on the homepage. This way, the customer doesn't have to click back to the site or dig around for the code or discount when they are ready to go ahead and book.

Final Thoughts

Generate more bookings each season with a streamlined checkout flow that helps increase customer confidence and, when possible, prompts customers to book more than they initially intended. Keeping customers engaged, providing just enough information, and recommending add-ons or other activities as an up-sell are just a few ways to generate more bookings and increase revenue from each completed booking. Also take advantage of Peek's Abandoned Booking feature, which automatically sends customers who abandoned their booking a (customizable) email with a link to their booking flow!