What’s in a name? Creating the right name for your tourism business

Would you be more likely to book with The Windsurfing Company, or with Epic Windsurfing Adventures? Your tourism business name can make all the difference between someone clicking on your name or your competitors’ in a tour and activity booking system. It can also help someone to recollect and recommend your business to friends or family, so it really is essential to get your business branding right. Here are the essential considerations to ensure your business name will be compelling, memorable and future-proof.

Consider competitor names

Step one is to do market research. You’ve probably done this already as you set up your business venture, but it’s worth specifically considering the brand names that are already circulating in your area. Do competitor business names all sound fairly dull, or is there one similar to the name you have in mind? It’s important to know what’s out there so you can stand apart from the rest. 

Keep it short, simple and unique

In order to create a memorable name, it’s vital to consider these three aspects:

• Short – Aim for 1-4 words, keeping it as short as you can to get the message across.

• Simple – You’ll want people to be able to remember the words without struggling to spell them
• Unique – Otherwise you’ll simply blend into the crowd. Don’t be afraid to play on puns and activity phrases, as long as those phrases are widely known.

To test memorability, you could create a shortlist of viable names and show them to friends. It can be valuable – and sometimes surprising – to hear which names have stuck in their minds when you ask them about it after a couple of days!  

Think about ‘Googleability’

Whether you’re SEO-savvy or not, these days it’s essential to think about how your brand name will rank in search engine results. That’s because organic search traffic can be a much more affordable or even free way to attract bookings than paid search advertising and other marketing.

For a Google-friendly name, include the nature of your tours or activities in your brand name. For example, Gnarly Surf School is more likely to show up in search enquiries for surf schools in your local area than Gnarly Times might. 

Second, a unique word can help you to stand out in the crowd if people are searching specifically for your business. For example, there could be lots more competition and cost involved in ranking highly for a business name such as Rapid White Water Rafting (6,340,000 results) than a name like Rapt White Water Rafting (333,000 results).

Consider including your location name 

A name that refers to your location or service area can also be beneficial in terms of search engine results, and can also help customers to quickly find you on tour booking software online. Just take a look through our clients and see how many successful tourism businesses include some reference to their location. Flyboard Las Vegas, Barefoot Downunder, Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia – it’s easy to instantly see where these businesses operate.

Snap up your trademark, domain name and socials

As soon as you’ve settled on a great name for your brand, it’ll be a wise idea to trademark the name to protect it and to secure your domain name (e.g. name.com) and social media accounts. Failure to do this in the early stages could set you up for tough negotiations later if someone chooses to use or replicate your brand name. It’s so beneficial to keep your brand name consistent across social platforms, websites and activity booking systems, so happy guests can keep booking and recommending you! 

Rezdy activity and tour booking software makes it incredibly simple to take online reservations, manage guests and boost bookings for your tourism business. If you’d like to dive in and explore the features, why not start your free 21 day trial or book your free demo.