8 ways to attract tourists to a city or country

As a tour operator, you’re always on the lookout for opportunities to generate more bookings – it’s your main mission. When you have an influx of tourists visiting your country, there are more opportunities for you to boost your bookings. Discovering new ways to attract tourists to a country will ensure that you constantly grab the attention of international tourists to look your way.

So, how do you attract tourists that visit your country? In a world where people have to remain connected to their jobs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, a great getaway is becoming the escape from reality that everyone needs. This type of fast and furious travel is rising in popularity. Getting the attention of this motivated group of tourists will help boost your bookings and increase your revenue.

In this article, we’ll provide you with 8 tips to increase your country’s visibility and encourage tourists to visit for a holiday.

1. Think of new ideas to attract tourists to your country

When trying to figure out new ways to attract tourists to a country, you may need to think outside the box. For example, companies like EZ Ride LV incorporated guided tours of the Red Rock Canyon with electronic bikes. With the use of e-bikes, they’ve managed to open their target demographic to a wider audience regardless of age and fitness level. This allows for a more inclusive experience, even for those that think that traveling long distances are not meant for them anymore, they can opt to choose electric bicycles for seniors and join in on enjoying the scenic views.

Simply waiting for tourists to come isn’t going to generate interest, you need to include aspects and things that attract tourists to your country. One way to start is to create a marketing strategy that effectively targets your desired market. With the development of a marketing plan and customer profiling, you’ll generate new marketing ideas and begin to understand how to attract international tourists.

Your marketing strategy should create a desire within people’s minds for their dream holiday. For example, if you’re an operator based in Australia, you know people are drawn to Australian wildlife, beaches, and monuments. Why not use these interests to your advantage? By highlighting these main attractions within your marketing strategy, you’ll gain the attention of tourists seeking the above attractions. Furthermore, your marketing plan will further instill and convince your audience that the perfect holiday is in Australia.

Without a marketing strategy in place, it will be harder for you to achieve your goals, keep track of what you’re doing, and analyze the progress of your campaigns.

A tourism marketing plan allows you to map out your step-by-step process to success.

2. Seek local partnerships

As a tour operator, you may have had discussions with other fellow operators and a common question that may have been asked within these conversations is “how can we improve tourism within the country?” 

What if we told you the answer is already right in front of you? 

Seeking partnerships with local businesses is one way to attract tourists. By creating partnerships with local hotels, restaurants, tour operators, travel agencies, entertainment venues, and your local tourism board, you’ll be able to generate tourists’ interest on a larger scale. 

A common product of a partnership is to create tour packages that combine the services of all parties involved. By creating tour packages, not only will you create interest on a larger scale, but you’ll also be helping your partners promote their business.

For example, if your business provides guided tours, consider partnering with local hotels, transportation services, and activity providers. You could then create tour packages that include all these services combined.

Once you’ve set the partnership, you can then negotiate pricing in order to competitively price the package. That way not only does your package provide convenience for your customers, it also provides them with a cost-efficient option. It’s a win-win for all parties involved.

By creating strategic partnerships with other local businesses, you’ll be able to create a long-term opportunity for growth. 

3. Let your tourists become brand ambassadors

In the current digital age we live in, content is king. Sharing snippets of your trip online and on social media is the new norm. It has never been easier to get tourists to become your brand ambassadors. 

Social media has made it so easy for people to review, rate, and share their experiences. You want to make sure that tourists are leaving satisfied after their trip so that they can leave positive reviews. By getting tour operators within the country to encourage their customers to leave positive reviews, not only will it be a good look for businesses, but it will also boost people’s overall perception of the country. 

Furthermore, you can create a personalized hashtag for your destination that travelers can use when sharing their experiences of their trip.

4. Create enticing destination videos 

In line with the digital age and advancement of technology, people’s attention spans are decreasing at a rapid rate. If you aren’t able to deliver content that is worth their time, people will simply skip it. However, delivering digital content nowadays is the only way to gain mass attention within the shortest amount of time.

Videos are key to gaining people’s attention nowadays. With the rise of apps like TikTok, Instagram Story, Instagram Reels, and Youtube, people are now actively seeking videos for entertainment.

Now, when creating a video, don’t go out and spend your resources on a video that only promotes your business. Instead, promote your destination and help them gain some useful information. One way to achieve this is to create helpful and informative fun videos that showcase your destination. These videos can range from topics like things to do in your area, helpful tips, how to get around, fun facts, and insight into local places and secrets. 

Now that you’ve created your videos, make sure these videos are posted and uploaded onto your website and on numerous social media platforms. This will allow people to easily share and promote your country.

5. Increase your distribution channels

Increasing your distribution channels is one way to promote your destination. By featuring your services on multiple different channels, you’ll be able to promote your country at the same time.

One way to get started is to engage with agents as they help you connect with customers who have not decided what to do when they reach their destination. It’s recommended that you reach out to as many agents as possible — from the large OTAs to the small visitor information centers that are located within your country. 

A channel manager can also help you effectively promote your products and your real-time availability to as many agents as possible.

For instance, The Rezdy Marketplace is an all-in-one distribution channel manager that offers you instant distribution strategies for your tours and activities. By using the Marketplace, you can access the reach of 20,000+ reselling agents all over the world and sell to an audience of millions.

Curious to see if Rezdy Marketplace is the right fit for your business? Request a demo from our friendly team today.

6. Optimize your website for mobile use

Many of these tourists will reach their destination, then research what tours and activities are available on their mobile device. Without a mobile-friendly website that boasts booking capabilities, you’ll miss out on an ever-increasing number of travelers reliant on mobile devices.

7. Be visible

Many weekend travelers rely on the companies they see and hear from during their trips to make their decisions. Make sure you have a physical location in a prominent space in the country or invest in ads in crowded spaces. You need to stand out so tourists know who you are and what you offer.

8. Offer unique promotions

To compete with other tour and activity providers in your region, offer promotions that entice customers to book with you. Discounts for tours, promo codes, gift cards, and vouchers can be used to attract customers to book immediately. Remind travelers that they don’t need to make a phone call or stop in your office to use their promotion. They can apply it online themselves!

About 50% of respondents from the latest United States and Canada Industry Survey results say that review websites such as TripAdvisor are most effective in increasing the bookings for their business. So, marketing your tour and activity company to short-term travelers is critical to your overall success, and simplifying the booking process will attract even more customers.

Want to get online but not ready for a booking software yet? Check out our Online Booking Form Guide + Template.

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