Learn how hotels, restaurants, attractions, and DMOs can partner and package to create group travel itineraries that drive revenue and repeat business.
To succeed in the group travel marketplace, it’s paramount that you develop relationships with like-minded businesses in your community. Partnering creates synergies that help operators envision their groups in your destination, can bring “off the radar” businesses into the fold, and makes the job of a busy tour planner easier.
Go on a Field Trip
We suggest visiting and experiencing what other suppliers are offering to the market. Likewise, we encourage you to host other suppliers in your destination so they can experience your product or service. This might be a little difficult to sell the boss at first, but you’re not just in the business of selling hotel rooms, plated dinners, museum visits or whatever your business might be. Your customer is selling packaged travel while creating memories — you should, too.
Having the nuts and bolts knowledge that assists a planner in putting together a workable itinerary is priceless. Logistics, travel distances and time spent at each business is critical to forming a great itinerary. It’s a great beginning for any supplier on the road to being successful. The next step is to open your imagination and let your creative juices flow!
The solution is to partner with other businesses in your destination to create unforgettable options that fill an itinerary. Remember to keep it local and unique to your destination.
Here are just a few examples to kick-start your thinking.
Dinner & Show: A Group Travel Packaging Classic
There are two mainstays in packaged travel. Groups need to eat and evening entertainment is a necessity. Theater destinations have a history of putting this option together. However, you don’t need to be a theater destination to make this work.
Dinner & Show will just take a little creativity between the restaurant and entertainment partners. Look at a theater’s schedule and plan themed dinners around each performance. Are there characters from the production that can make a brief appearance at the restaurant? Don’t limit your choices to theaters. Is there a local club, or perhaps a casino that plays live music or has bands on a regular basis?
You need not abandon Dinner & Show when your local theater is dark. What’s better than setting up rounds on the stage and having a local restaurant cater the meal? The theater’s general manager tells the theater’s story and a local dance troupe and/or music ensemble provides entertainment. Multiple local suppliers are coming together to provide a truly extraordinary tour experience.
Museum Marvels
Recently, three Mobile, Alabama museums came together for a major exhibit of Mardi Gras art. Along with the Mobile Museum of Art, the History Museum of Mobile and Mobile Carnival Museum packaged for the complete experience. A destination’s museums should be well aware of each other’s special exhibits and be ready to work together whenever a compatible theme is identified. You’re not competition – you’re co-opetition!
Your destination certainly doesn’t need marquee museums to compete for groups. For this suggested option all you need is someplace where photography is displayed and a garden. Consider an art museum or gallery partnering with a local historic home and garden for a unique tour option. The day begins at the garden with a professional photographer sharing insights regarding lighting and composition. A visit to the gallery or museum gives them an opportunity to see how it all comes together. Add a fun lunch stop and you have a unique itinerary option with multiple partners packaging.
Farm to Fork
Destinations are rightfully proud of locally grown and locally prepared foods, but when it comes to creating group experiences from them, most fall short. Let’s package a farm, winery/brewery and restaurant for a true local experience. Start the day with a visit to a local farm or ranch for a look at agritourism and meet the proprietor. Be ready to get dirty. Take a hayride, milk a cow, or learn how to grow your own fruits and vegetables.
Another possibility is a visit to a local farmers market with tonight’s restaurant chef for a look at what’s in season. If there’s a winery, brewery or distillery in the area, bring them into the package. Finish your day with a meal that features locally grown, in-season ingredients. Make sure your chef or owner spends a few minutes at each table.
An interesting twist to Farm to Fork is a trip to the local fish market with the chef providing insight into how he selects the day’s catch. Today’s dinner will certainly be one of the menu options this evening. Of course, adding a winery visit and its pairings to the dinner enhances the experience.
Drop a Line, Drop a Dollar
Dining and evening entertainment are important to any tour. Let’s add a third option to that itinerary: shopping. It might be more aptly stated that ladies like to shop. In my experience the men attend the shopping at the ladies’ pleasure. I know you’ve seen those gentlemen on mall benches. They’re there to drive and carry bags. Let’s see if we can help the guys out.
Let’s partner a shopping destination with a fishing outfitter. The coach drops the guys off for a fly-fishing demonstration or some pier fishing pointers on the coast. This works wherever there’s a body of water and a local guide. The ladies proceed to their shopping destination.
3 Business Essentials Before You Launch Your Group Package
Partners creating and packaging exciting tour options is certainly a good thing. However, like personal and business relationships, how the money is handled is critical to their success. Before starting your marketing be certain to know these three things:
- Partners need to be on the same page with group policies. Determine the number needed to be considered a group and when reservations and deposits are required. What’s the price for your packaged option? Will the pricing be tiered? These all need to align.
- Which partner will be responsible for collecting the money? How and when will funds be distributed among partners?
- What’s your budget and marketing strategy? Which partner will be responsible for placements and payments or will the responsibility be shared?
Suppliers in the tour & travel business get great pleasure from both selling their product or service and helping to create lasting memories for their visitors. Partnering and Packaging opens the door to experience both.
Keep reading: How to choose the right group tour trade show for your business >>
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