Adventure tourism is booming! According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the global adventure tourism market was valued at $444,850 million in 2016, and is projected to reach $1,335,738 million in 2023. That's 17.4% growth in 6 years (2017-2023). This great news is also a bit of a double-edged sword for tour and activity operators, though, as it means you're also working in a very competitive market. So if you want to maximize your reach and attract more customers each season, it's going to require a bit of work.Whether you're selling kayak tours, zip line adventures, sailing excursions, or brewery tours, make sure you're not missing out on these five revenue opportunities that many tour and activity operators overlook.

Missed Opportunity #1: Streamlined Booking and Checkout Process

If you operate seasonally, or are located in a high-traffic tourism area where you compete for customers with complementary businesses, keeping your schedule full each season can be a struggle. Setting up an online booking and checkout process can help you attract and secure more customers. In 2018, digital travel sales are expected to reach $198 billion, as making travel bookings online becomes the standard around the world.Cash in on this trend by implementing a streamlined booking and checkout process for all travelers who wish to book online. Use an online booking software program like Peek Pro to take your visitor through a simple, secure, and efficient checkout process directly from your website. Robust features such as real-time calendar availability updates, convenient and secure credit card payment authorization, and automated email communications will help customers complete each transaction with ease.

Missed Opportunity #2: One-Click Online Booking Options

As more travelers turn to the web to conduct research and compare options, make sure your site is ready to close the sale with a large call-to-action button available across all relevant pages. Place a large "Book It!" button across all relevant pages to capture site visitors' attention.Make it extremely easy for travelers to book immediately—no phone calls, lengthy contact forms, or email communication required—so that they stop shopping around and can secure their reservation within a few clicks.

Make it easy for travelers to book immediately so they stop shopping around on your competitor's websites

Missed Opportunity #3: Having a Mobile-Friendly Website

Though today's tech-savvy travelers are comfortable going through the entire booking process using their mobile device, it's important to note that many use their smartphone and tablet for different purposes. According to an article by tnooz, many travelers use their smartphone to coordinate a last-minute booking, while most will use their tablet as a replacement for a desktop or laptop when browsing sites and completing a purchase.Either way, the odds of completing online bookings are in your favor when you have a mobile-friendly website available for smartphone and tablet users, making mobile bookings a viable revenue opportunity for any tour and activity operator.A mobile-optimized website is typically a pared down version of your full website, spotlighting key services and travel packages, information about your company, and making the "Book It!" feature a prominent feature of each page. We shared some tips for creating a mobile-ready website specifically for your tours and activities in this post.

Missed Opportunity #4: Providing Add-Ons for Every Booking

You've done the hard work of attracting a customer and guided them through the booking process. They are ready to confirm their reservation and have completed their payment information. But the transaction shouldn't stop there—now it's time to up-sell. The experts at Groove point out: “Up-selling is easier than selling to new customers, and it helps you grow". In their blog post, they highlight findings from the book,Marketing Metrics, which finds that the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60 to 70 percent versus a meager 5 to 20 percent to a new prospect.Add-ons can be an easy up-sell when presented at an opportune moment—you don't want to push the traveler to buy more than they had planned, but you also want to make sure they are fully aware that more isavailable. For example, brewery tour operators might offer purchases of the visitor's favorite brew at a discount, biking tour operators might offer sport water bottles with the company logo, and a boat tour operator might offer guidebooks for sale at checkout.When you use an online booking software program like Peek Pro, you can place add-on options at the checkout page at just the right time. Peek allows you to set up add-ons such as additional activities, complementary gear, or souvenirs available for sale, or you can use Bundles to group tours at a discount at the checkout page so travelers can simply drop a few more purchases into their cart and complete their purchase.

Missed Opportunity #5: Issuing Promo Codes and Discounts

Approximately 93 percent of shoppers use a coupon or discount code throughout the year, according to HotelMarketing.com. Budget-conscious or not, the average traveler will be seeking out a great deal, and anything you can do to make the deal an irresistible one could boost the likelihood of a sale. Make sure your marketing strategy includes issuing promo codes and discounts throughout the year, and make these deals readily available on your website, social media networking sites, and on all marketing materials.Use an online booking software program that makes it easy to issue, redeem, and track promo codes and discounts. You need to be able to set up discounts for seasonal specials and random offers, run promo codes on certain tours and activities, track redemptions, and issue automated email with special offers or codes embedded within the email. Relying on an online booking software program to manage promo codes and discounts eliminates administrative tasks related to keeping track of offers and also presents opportunities to coordinate a variety of promotions and special offers throughout the season and throughout the year—and all within a few clicks.Staying competitive in today's growing adventure travel market can be easier when you make full use of technology and online booking software programs that help to streamline many of your business processes. Increase bookings, maintain a high level of customer service, and keep your business running smoothly by taking full advantage of these five revenue opportunities.

If you own a brewery, tours can be a boon to your business: they inject a new source of income, introduce new customers to your business, and allow fans to sample your products straight from the source.But whether you host weekly tastings or ongoing guided tours of your brewery, you need an effective system to coordinate these tours and manage the inflow of customers eager to book tours in any season. Just take it from some of the nation's biggest breweries, which offer online bookings to simplify the process.Here are some key reasons why your brewery needs to offer online bookings as an option for brewery tours:

Eliminate Manual Administrative Tasks Related to Bookings

Your staff is already taking care of day-to-day brewery operations. Even if you have a designated marketing team to handle promotional activities for your business, team members may have limited time available to take care of tour reservations over the phone, via email, and in-person. Make it hassle-free for your team: Set up an online booking system for your tours so all a customer has to do is visit your website and click through the "Book It!" button.Offering one-click online bookings eliminates the need for staff members to set up bookings via phone and email, and keep manual records of all activities. Online booking software programs, like Peek Pro, take care of everything digitally and can even automate confirmations and email messages so that the entire booking process is a 'hands-off' activity.Both large and small breweries can benefits from an online booking system—Great Lakes Brewing Co, has already implemented Peek Pro into their website to help visitors make reservations in just a few clicks.

Share a Live Calendar with Tour Availability

A live calendar allows prospective visitors to see when tours are available, what days of the week the brewery is closed for cleaning or maintenance operations, and what types of special events you are hosting throughout the month. This feature gives visitors a chance to plan their trip around your availability and makes it much easier to share information about brewery happenings without added effort. It also prevents you from over-selling tours because tours booked can be updated in real time and you can set limits on the number of tour spots available on any given day.

Reduce or Eliminate No-Show Rates

A poorly-managed booking and reservation system—usually one that involves calling customers directly and confirming reservations over the phone or by email—can increase the chances of no-shows when the customer is unaware of the consequences. If you are already experiencing problems with no shows, use an online booking software program that requires visitors to pay upfront and agree to your cancellation policy that accounts for no shows. Imposing a cancellation fee or a no-show penalty can prevent no shows and keep your tours booked to capacity with minimal effort.

Use an online booking system to make visitors pay upfront and agree to your cancellation policy to combat no shows

Manage Customer Information Effectively

When a customer contacts you to book a tour, you need to collect all of their information, which is a time-consuming process and runs the risk of data entry errors and mistakes.Online booking software programs collect and organize all customer data for you. So all you have to do is log in to a dashboard to reveal contact information and details about the customer's inquiry. Even if the inquiry comes to you via phone, a staff member can log information directly into an online form for easy retrieval.Maintaining a current database like this makes it extremely simple to send out welcome emails, newsletter updates, and "thank you" emails to an entire list—or a segmented list—in a few clicks. Take advantage of the software program's built-in templates and automation tools so that you can communicate with customers in a timely manner and keep track of customers interested in booking tours as efficiently as possible.

Personalize the Tour Experience

Creating an unparalleled customer experience is much easier to do when you can gather information from the customer efficiently well before they arrive.In addition to gathering customer information with ease, you can set up a series of questions for the customer during the checkout process in an effort to personalize their experience. For example, you could ask the visitor what their favorite type of beer from your brewery is so that you an surprise them with a complimentary glass of their favorite brew at the end of the tour. You could also find out if they are celebrating a special occasion and surprise them with a gift such as a beer glass with your logo on it or other brewery memorabilia.

Accommodate for One-Click Mobile Bookings

Research shows that more travelers are using a smartphone and other mobile devices to do research and confirm reservations. According to the latest State of Mobile Commerce report by Criteo, 66 percent of travel-related mobile transactions come from smartphones and 27 percent of travel-related online purchases come from a smartphone or tablet.Take advantage of this trend by creating a mobile-friendly version of your website, complete with a one-click booking button. Travelers can read descriptions about tours you offer, special events at the brewery, and other offerings on their mobile device and make a reservation without having to log in to the desktop version at any time. It's an attractive feature for today's tech-savvy customer and may help you generate more bookings each season.

Provide an Automated Voucher Redemption Process

If you run special offers, issue discount codes, or work with third-party daily deal sites, you need to implement a streamlined voucher redemption process so that customers can use their coupon codes without any hassles during checkout. Using an online booking software program that makes it simple to issue discounts and keep track of redemptions. Make use of reports that reveal how many vouchers were redeemed over a given time period so that you can determine the success rate of different marketing and promotional activities.

Fully Monetize Tours with Add-Ons

Many breweries miss out on the opportunity to fully monetize tours by offering add-ons and product purchases as part of the experience. For example, you could include the option of purchasing brewery memorabilia, such as hats, t-shirts, beer glasses, bottle openers, coasters, and other souvenirs at the checkout process. Add-on services might include a private, one-on-one tasting experience with a beer maker or special pricing on a batch of specialty brews. This is also the perfect place to sell a gift card. Take advantage of add-on features available with an online booking software program so that you can maximize revenue potential from each and every brewery tour booking.

Easily Produce Manifests for Tour Guides

Tour guides can use manifests for a roster of visitors and relevant information about customers, such as special celebration or special requests. Use an online booking software program that provides both online and printable manifests for tour guides to reference at a glance. You can customize the fields for your brewery tour manifests, such as including information about the customer's beer preferences, birthday or anniversary celebrations, and any special requests made upon booking.The tour guide could access these reports on a tablet computer, smartphone, or just print out a copy before the tour to check in customers with ease.Marketing and managing these tours can be tricky without a streamlined booking software program by your side. Using a robust online booking software program like Peek Pro can help you coordinate and book brewery tours with ease. Consider these features and benefits of offering online bookings to keep your tour calendar full season after season.Many breweries and distilleries around the nation use Peek Pro to manage their brewery tours and offer online bookings. Read about how we helped the Catoctin Creek Distillery here.

Unlike other tours and activities businesses, kayak operators need a certain set of tools at their disposal to manage their fleet of kayaks, schedule and manage reservations, and communicate with customers effectively. If you're not using online booking software designed to fit the unique needs of your business and kayak rentals, not only are you missing out on revenue opportunities, but you're also compromising your ability to deliver exceptional customer service.

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Here are some key reasons why kayaking businesses need to use kayak rental software.

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1. Streamlined Online Booking Process

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Giving customers a chance to book their entire trip online saves time and administrative costs related to scheduling and communicating with your customers. Consider how many people are involved and how inefficient it is to log customer information, manage a paper calendar, track kayak inventory, and keep track of cancellations. Pen-and-paper methods can be time-consuming, inefficient, and also run a high risk of errors that can lead to customer dissatisfaction, low ratings, and negative reviews.

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Setting up a booking process with a secure and streamlined checkout system boosts customer confidence and helps to ensure a positive customer service experience. Use an online booking software that allows you to embed a "Book It!" button directly on your website that links to a guided, secure checkout where customers can pay online and get an immediate email confirmation about their reservation. And, don't overlook the benefit of having a mobile-friendly site available. MMGY Global reports that 9 of 10 "digital elite" travelers have made travel reservations online this year and 57 percent of those travelers used websites optimized for mobile.

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2. Impactful and Efficient Customer Communications

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Use an online booking software program that allows you to manage and navigate your customer database with a few clicks. This database is populated with customer information the moment they register on your site or go through the booking process, capturing essential information such as the customer's full name, email address, phone number, address, and billing details. You'll be able to set up automated confirmation and email "thank you" messages directly through the software program—reducing and even eliminating the need to communicate with the customer directly at any time during the booking and checkout stage. And customers will still have the chance to call or email you for assistance about their kayak rental or reservation, and you can respond to those inquiries individually.

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Sending personalized emails to customers, whether they're in the booking stage or not, is another benefit of using online booking software to manage your customer database. With email marketing, you can maintain contact with each customer and subtly promote your business in the form of an email newsletter, special offers, and sharing interesting content such as articles, blog posts, or videos to keep the customer engaged and interested in your kayaking business.

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3. Fast and Efficient Scheduling

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Stop worrying about overbooking and missed reservation opportunities by using an online booking software program that updates your availability and bookings in real-time. Use a program that shares a virtual calendar of all available kayak excursions and rentals based on real-time inventory data. This eliminates the risk of overbooking and gives customers a chance to choose from several available dates and options as they go through the online booking process. Since overbooking is no longer an issue, you will only need to purchase and maintain enough inventory for daily operations—there is no need to buy extra inventory to cover times of peak demand or as backup.

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Online Booking Software eliminates the risk of overbooking

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4. Multiple Pricing Configurations

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Rental pricing formats for kayak businesses can be tricky since the final price is dependent on several factors, such as the length of the rental, number of people, types of kayaks, days of the week, and even the season of the booking. You'll need an online booking software program that can handle complex pricing configurations so that every booking is confirmed without any hiccups. Look for a software program that allows you to set up a variety of different configurations in the backend so that you can price and sell each option effortlessly. For instance, Peek Pro has special features designed specifically for rental equipment pricing configurations.

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5. Tiered Pricing Options

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In addition to setting up multiple pricing configurations, you may want to offer tiered pricing for groups, couples, and individuals. Small business owners and executives agree that tiered pricing gives customers choices and can help the bottom line, as this QuickBooks article suggests.

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If some of your business offerings involve organizing group outings or extending packages for different events and occasions, you will need a tiered pricing option built into your booking software program. Tiered pricing allows you to organize all booking options based on the number of people in a group—couples or groups may be eligible for a discount compared to individual bookings by selecting a certain package. Make this process as simple as possible by using a software program that can be configured for tiered pricing.

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6. Track Inventory with Ease

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When you need to keep track of a fleet of kayaks available for use and those that need to be repaired, take advantage of booking software that allows you to manage your entire equipment inventory from a single screen. Inventory tracking features allow managers and tour guides to quickly assess what equipment is available for an upcoming tour or event and plan accordingly. You can obtain accurate, up-to-date information about every kayak you have available for rental, in repair status, and in storage so that you can coordinate an outing effortlessly.

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7. Options for Add-On Services

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Even though kayak rentals may be your primary business offering, you may want to give guests a chance to book add-on services such as one-on-one classes, specialty excursions, or make a purchase of a kayak and related supplies from your store. You can make all of these options available with little effort by using a software program with add-on service features. Just select what types of add-ons you want to include with each type of rental from a drop-down menu and these will appear next to each offering at checkout.

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Using online booking software to manage kayak rentals can help you and your team take care of customers with a high level of customer service and ensure your kayaking business runs smoothly. Look for all of these robust features and options when shopping around for an online booking software program.

Escape Rooms have been described as team-building experiences, gameified theater, and an unparalleled entertainment experience—and business is booming, with new rooms popping up all over the country. But, what exactly are Escape Rooms? It's a place where guests play a real-world version of a video game by solving puzzles together to get out of a room as quickly as possible.Despite it's popularity, the industry is still in the infant stage: Experts trace these unique puzzle hunts to the REAL ESCAPE GAME™ franchise that launched in Kyoto, Japan, in 2007. The first made its way to U.S. soil in 2012 where it took place on board a ship in San Francisco.Since 2012, variations of the original Real Escape Game have been popping up all over the country and may soon be a leading trend in the active entertainment industry. Room Escape Adventures, for instance, opened its first location in Chicago in December 2013 and has now opened up locations in 18 American cities and three destinations overseas. Centennial's Clue Room opened in Colorado in September 2014 and has been attracting an average of 400 customers per week, according to the Denver Post.With such a young industry, new businesses are bound to run into a few challenges as they try to handle the rapid influx of customers. Choosing the right online booking software can make it easier to generate more bookings and handle customer communications—as well as the booking process for your escape room business—more effectively. Setting up a system that allows for group bookings and group pricing options, customization, and easy implementation of discount and promo codes is beneficial for any small business owner.Here's a closer look at challenges Escape Room business owners may be facing, and suggestions for overcoming these obstacles:

Challenge #1: Maintaining Customer Communications Efficiently

Solution: Customized Emails

Maintaining contact with your customers as soon as they register on your site is a critical part of customer service. Sending customized emails can help you maintain a high level of professionalism and give you a chance to encourage more bookings. Hubspot reports that personalized messages increase conversions rates; and the a Email Marketing Study from Experian Marketing Services reveals personalized promotional mailings had 29-percent higher open rates and 41-percent higher unique click rates.Personalized emails can be a great way to not only welcome newcomers but also to nurture leads—walk your customer through the booking process by sending out a series of personalized emails. Topics may cover the latest escape room experiences you have available, a news byte about your business in the news, and promo codes to encourage the recipient to book now. Use online booking software programs that allow you to set up customized automated emails, manage your email database and registrations all in one place, and handle all customer communications with ease.

Challenge #2: Poorly-Designed Online Booking Forms

Solution: Streamlined Online Booking Process

Many escape room business owners want to move beyond a simple "contact us" email that doesn't always capture relevant details about the customer, and, in most cases, looks unprofessional.One-click bookings and buying options are an attractive component of any website. Online retailers including Amazon, Macy's, and Sears have perfected the art of guiding shoppers through the entire checkout process so that they not only feel confident about going through the online checkout, but are also encouraged to buy more than anticipated — complementary products, add-ons, and suggestions. Look for online booking software that takes customers through a stepped checkout process and allows for add-ons or multi-activity purchases in a single click.

Challenge #3: Managing Corporate Accounts and Package Options

Solution: Tiered Pricing Options

When you are in a position to handle larger volumes of bookings and are busy building a larger client base of group parties, team building activity leaders, and special event hosts, you need an efficient process to handle these types of customers—not different pricing options.You may want to offer several different pricing options for individuals, couples, groups, and corporate bookings. For example, you may offer a discount for corporate groups of five or more people planning a team-building event at your escape room, or a couples or friends package where the customers get a discount for booking the experience together.If you want to add add-on services, such as beverages and snacks after the experience or meals at a local restaurant, you'll need a software program that allows you to create different packages with ease. Tiered pricing can benefit your business in many ways because, as QuickBooks points out in this article, it gives your customers a menu of options to choose from. Invest in a booking software program that allows you to set up group pricing rates specifically for these market segments.

Online Booking Software allows you to offer add-on services and dynamic pricing

Challenge #4: Poorly-Managed Discount and Promo Code Process

Solution: Online Voucher Redemption Management Tools

If you plan to offer discount codes, coupons, vouchers, and send out special offers, make sure you choose online booking software that keeps track of these codes and redemption activities. Peek Pro makes it simple to add promo codes and discounts to various activities on the backend. You can use drop-down menus to assign promo and discount codes to each activity. You can also keep track of promo code redemptions in the backend. Invest in a software program that makes voucher redemption management a simple process so your customers can enjoy a streamlined checkout flow and you can run promotions at your leisure.

Challenge #5: Managing Gift Card Sales

Solution: Streamlined Online Gift Card Purchase and Redemption

Escape room enthusiasts may be interested in gifting the experience to a significant other, friends, family members, or acquaintances. Keeping track of gift cards issued and redeemed manually, however, can be time-consuming and inefficient. Make this process easy for customers by offering the option of buying and redeeming gift cards exclusively online. Offer gift cards when following up with the customer about their experience via email and have gift card purchase options readily available for purchase both on your website and during the checkout process. Choose a software program that allows for gift card disbursement and redemption at checkout by entering a gift card number directly as a form of payment.

Challenge #6: Maintaining Accurate Sales and Activity Reports

Solution: Built-In Reporting Tools

As your business grows and you are managing larger volumes of bookings each week—or perhaps branching out to multiple locations—make use of reporting tools that allow you to keep track of sales, booking trends, discount redemptions, and other site visitor activity. This can be almost impossible to manage manually and may require hiring additional staff to take care of accounting and operations management duties. Choose online booking software that makes it easy to produce downloadable reports and print report summaries with current data, including up-to-date information about bookings, sales, discount redemptions, and customer details.

Final Thoughts

As more escape rooms start appearing around the country, business owners need to count on a reliable booking system and customer relationship management tools to manage bookings effectively week after week. Taking steps to integrate a customizable online booking software program that grows with the business's needs is a smart business move for today's escape room operator.Peek Pro is an online booking software for Escape Rooms that offers all of these solutions and more.

Gone are the days of relying on just one distribution channel to drive the bulk of customers to your tours and activities company. Online travel agencies: they may not be as effective as they used to be. The hot-streaking daily deal sites: they're beginning to frost over. Social media sites: they'll require a well-executed strategy to be worth the time.So to attract today's tech-savvy customers who are using a number of methods to research their travel options, make reservations, and share feedback about their experience, you'll have to explore all possible distribution channels out there so you can position yourself in just the right markets—and invest your marketing dollars and resources wisely.Here is a closer look at the distribution landscape and what this means for your tours and activities business:

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)

Though the well for third-party travel booking sites hasn't dried up, it sure is beginning to evaporate. While many travelers still turn to these sites for their next adventure, as Tnooz reports, OTAs are facing fierce competition by metasearch and media channels that attract the target market with low prices and a streamlined search experience. Since travelers are realizing they can find some amazing deals on travel packages on their own, they are becoming far less dependent on third-party booking sites to take the guesswork out of booking online for them.

What this means for you:

While OTAs have been a great source of revenue for tour and activity operators for years, today they may not bring you the most high-quality traffic you need each season. Don't overlook sites that offer last-minute packages and bidding sites that offer deeper discounts on various types of bookings if you really want to stay ahead of the game. Alternatively, online consumer marketplaces, like Peek, with an existing customer base of millions of active customers who are ready to book, bring all of the benefits of an OTA but with higher quality.

Daily Deal Sites

Some of the biggest daily deal sites introduced travel and activities to their daily lineup of deals several years ago, capturing a highly active market of hungry buyers looking for deep discounts on things to do and places to go. However, research shows that daily deal sites have been on a cold streak for a few years. Some of the biggest players in the industry are facing significant profit losses and having a hard time keeping up with the competition, Adweek reports. More companies are cropping up to link customers with local merchants, making many of the previously sought-after offers on the bigger daily deal sites less attractive.

What this means for you:

Don't rely solely on daily deal sites to generate most of your customers during a slow season—especially if you are paying high fees for the service. Explore smaller, local sites and opportunities such as daily deals listings with your local newspaper or a city magazine.

Don't rely solely on daily deal sites to generate most of your customers during a slow season

For example, Creative Loafing Tampa in Tampa, Florida has its own buy local-half off deals site where it partners with local businesses to offer 50-percent off deals on events, activities, restaurants, and even goods from local stores. These are targeted to the local market and may be a better option for locals interested in staycation activities. Smaller local merchant listing sites that offer merchants the option of posting deals—enhanced listings sites or sites that give customers a chance to post reviews and ratings—can also be valuable distribution channels for are tours and activities operators.

Online Marketing Partners

Partnering with an online marketplace already attracting high-quality customers interested in booking tours and activities can help you build your business—fast. Marketplaces like Peek gives you access to a highly active distribution channel that reaches more than millions of passionate customers who are searching for experiences to book. Peek Pro Partners are able to be listed on peek.com, which opens you up to new customers.

What this means for you:

Tapping in to an online marketing partner's tools and resources can make the process of customer acquisition that much easier. Working with a company like Peek can help you tap into an existing targeted-pool of customers to grow your customer base.Mobile-Optimized WebsitesGrowing in effectiveness: mobile websites, as more travelers turn to their mobile device to conduct research and work through the reservations process. ICE Portal reports that more than 40 percent of online traffic inquiries related to travel come from mobile devices—smartphones and tablets—and that mobile is used through every stage of travel; 26% of consumers use smartphones when planning a vacation.In addition, results of a Phocuswright study found that mobile travel bookings were expected to reach $39.5 million by this year, accounting for an increase of three times the number of travel bookings compared to just two years ago.

What this means for you:

Mobile adoption continues to grow at a steady rate, which means your tours and activities business could be missing out on a valuable opportunity if your site is not mobile-ready. HubSpot reports on recent Google data that finds 67 percent of users are more likely to purchase a product or service from a mobile-friendly site.Make sure you have a mobile-optimized version of your site online and take all design elements into consideration. After having an interview with a senior designer at Apple, we shared some valuable tips for designing a regular and mobile site for maximum customer engagement. Invest in a high-quality mobile version of your site to ensure an optimal user experience and a streamlined booking experience.

Local Travel Organizations and Visitor Information Offices

Many travelers heading to your destination may be turning to the local chamber of commerce, visitor's bureau, or other local travel organizations for last-minute ideas on activities and experiences in the area. Summer is also "staycation" season in many parts of the country, which means more locals will be seeking out vacation opportunities in their own backyard. While local travel organizations and visitor information offices may not be a primary distribution channel for the typical tour and activity operator, they can still be a valuable outlet for businesses that want to expand their reach.

What this means for you:

Get listed on all major local organizations and visitors' centers so that travelers can find out more about you instantly. Make sure you have brochures and business cards available for distribution at these outlets. Don't overlook the opportunity to get listed or set up a featured listing on the merchants section of these organizations' websites and mobile sites so that visitors have one-click access to your website during their trip planing process.You can also turn to local travel sites for valuable statistics and data about traveler behavior. For example, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority publishes a comprehensive visitor profile study each year with an assessment of Las Vegas visitor and trends in visitor behavior—including how much is spent on shows, sightseeing, and other activities outside of heading to the casinos. This type of information can help you learn more about the typical visitor to the area (your ideal customer) so you can create attractive packages and listings geared towards this particular market.

Social Media Sites

Facebook and Twitter are valuable outlets for tours and activities operators to build their online brand, interact and engage with customers, and execute a multifaceted online marketing strategy. But no matter how much time you spend nurturing customers and posting content on these sites, the ROI on social media marketing is still fairly low. Attempting to drive bookings through social media may not necessarily be the most valuable use of your resources but it still pays to maintain a strong social media presence.

What this means for you:

Facebook and Twitter may help to get the attention of your customers but you will need a well-executed strategy to convert that attention into a booking. We recommended strengthening your Facebook presence in a previous post and shared examples of how tour and activity operators are maximizing Facebook features to drive bookings. Keep in mind, though, that social networking sites may not be your most valuable distribution channel since the majority of your customers log on to these sites for entertainment and socializing—not specifically to make a purchase.

Final Thoughts

Positioning your business in the right market may involve going beyond traditional distribution channels. Explore the distribution channels listed above to capture even more of the market share for your niche business and ensure more customers can find you online and offline with ease.

Chinese travel to the United States is on the rise—and analysts expect that growth rates will continue to accelerate. According to this slate article, China will be the world's largest tourism economy by 2027. Easier visa regulations for Chinese travelers means that this huge tourism economy has a open door into the U.S. And these travelers are bringing their checkbooks: Chinese travelers spent $102 billion overseas in 2012.So who are these travelers? When researchers from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics studied trends among China's growing population of outbound travelers, the following patterns came to light in the report:

• Chinese outbound travelers are hungry for new knowledge, experiences, culture, and shopping.
• The ratio of male to female travelers is balanced.
• 65 percent of Chinese outbound travelers are aged 25 to 44. Tourists aged 45 and above represented only 15 percent of all outbound travelers, with seniors being generally unwilling due to cultural and health factors.
• Discretionary income is increasing rapidly.
• Chinese travelers are sophisticated, fully independent, and willing to deal with locals—even when facing language barriers. They rely on the Internet and social networking as major sources of information and are likely to be reading blogs when traveling, and rely on friends and family for travel advice.

And though they're coming over in spades (the United States ranking second to France as a top travel destination for Chinese citizens), you'll have to put in a little effort to attract them to your tour or activity. Here's a guide to help you along.

Chinese travelers rely on the internet and social networking as major sources of information

Create a website in Chinese

As the Nanjing study found, Chinese citizens rely on the Internet and social networking for their information. So the best way to attract Chinese travelers: create a website (or optimize your current site) for a Chinese audience.For planning purposes, you'll want to imagine the costs to be similar to the development of a new website—your budget can vary from $5,000 to $100,000+, depending on the website features that you want to build.Approach this website development project as a completely new initiative for your company, because you're creating it for a completely different audience. (If you're a small merchant and simply looking to translate your website to Chinese, you should expect to pay between $2,000 to $3,000.) In addition to hiring a translator, seek out a consultant to understands Chinese culture and customs. Talent marketplaces like UpWork and Skillbridge can help you get started to find consultants at rates ranging from $30 to $150+ an hour, depending on expertise and experience.While being high-up on a Google search is vital in the U.S., China has Baidu, the country's top search engine. (You can find a detailed guide to ranking on Baidu here.) At a minimum, you'll want to:

• Design and localize your website for a Chinese audience.
• Use a keyword research tool to understand search patterns and buying intent, and hire a native speaker to analyze the data.
• Optimize title tags and meta descriptions so that your website is easily found.

And if you don't have the resources to create a Chinese website?

You can still make your business appealing to potential Chinese customers by incorporating the following into your business—and website:

• A Chinese flag, next to an American flag, outside your office.
• A bilingual tour guide, or part-time on-call bilingual tour guide.
• An option that allows travelers to book a Chinese speaking tour guide online and in your office.
• A Chinese meal as part of your existing menu.

Just as you would welcome a guest at home, find subtle ways to show your Chinese customer base that you're available and that you care. They'll notice and appreciate the extra attention—even if your web and marketing presence aren't perfect.

Be present on Chinese social networks

In China, Facebook and Twitter aren't the social networks of choice. Instead, Chinese audiences are using Weibo and WeChat. 550 million Chinese citizens are on these platforms, which represent a powerful way for tour operators to connect with prospective travelers.Chinese consumers rely on WeChat and Weibo to conduct research and learn about products and services. Just as you would with your U.S. consumers, you'll want to provide offers, promotions, and valuable content to keep your audiences engaged. Make your brand known, and give value. Your Chinese language consultant can help you identify areas of opportunity and offers worth providing. You can even run sponsored ad campaigns on WeChat and Weibo. But, keep in mind, WeChat's newly launched ad platform is generating mixed feedback—some users have expressed discontent seeing ads.In general, the best practices for reaching American consumers are the same for reaching Chinese consumers:

• Set up a compelling web page and presence. On Weibo, for instance, you use an existing template or theme to power your page.
• Post engaging content, like blog posts and videos.
• Monitor your posts, and always reply to comments.
• Feel free to engage with followers directly.
• Join conversations—on Weibo, you can use hashtags like you would on Twitter.

If you're looking for more inspiration, check out some example WeChat campaigns here and example Weibo presences here. In a nutshell, you should:

• Make it easy for audiences to engage with your brand.
• Share engaging, interactive content.
• Distribute valuable offers.
• Monitor conversations and interests.
• Share photos related to your company, to generate excitement about your travel experience.

Develop messaging that aligns with travelers' interests

Chinese travelers are often coming to the U.S. to celebrate major life events. A high proportion of newly married 20-, 30-, and 40-somethings are looking for unique honeymoon experiences. Other Chinese jet setters are coming to the United States to tour American universities, with ivy league schools being top destinations.Consider working with travel planners, agents, or organizations that are serving a high proportion of Chinese travelers. If there's a local university with a concentration of international students from China, for instance, you may want to create some custom programs for visiting families—or even prospective students.Start by researching organizations in your area and researching whether they have formal programs in place for Chinese visitors. If you're thinking about partnering with a university, for instance, start by contacting on-campus programs for international students to learn what opportunities there may be. Once you finalize a handful of campaigns to pursue, take the following steps to execute your idea:

• Hire a Chinese marketing or design freelancer or agency to create brochures or flyers to place in local Chinese travel agencies. You can use websites like UpWork or Skillbridge to start.
• Reach out to local MBA program with a high concentration of Chinese international students. Ask these students if they might be willing to consult on a project for your company.

The market opportunity

The thought of marketing to a completely new customer base overseas may feel daunting, but Chinese travel presents a market opportunity that you cannot afford to ignore.Develop messaging around your Chinese customers, and strive to reach them before they've decided to visit your city. Small and simple steps will carry you far in this fast-growing and highly opportunistic market. Keep your ears open, talk to local and cultural experts, and get ready to learn—this audience is waiting to hear from you.