Updated February 2024 – While many use the winter holidays as an excuse to travel and visit family members who live abroad, the Easter holidays are more about finding a place to enjoy a vacation. And now with the travel and tourism industry experiencing its biggest year yet, the long Easter break is a holiday many travelers are eager to make the most of.

As tour operators, it’s essential that you prepare your business in order to be able to maximize your bookings, yet, be able to manage them effectively. This will allow you to improve your customer experience and boost your organic promotion through recommendations and word-of-mouth.

In this article, we’ll go through the many ways that tour operators can increase their sales and manage the Easter holidays effortlessly.

The significance of Easter for tourism

Easter has emerged as a significant contributor to the tourism industry, generating substantial economic activity each year. In 2023 alone, Easter festivities and travel activities contributed a staggering $24 billion (License Global) to the global tourism sector. This figure underscores the immense economic impact of Easter on the travel and hospitality industries, highlighting its importance as a peak travel period.

Millions of travelers worldwide are expected to make the most of the Easter weekend, seeking diverse experiences and destinations to celebrate the holiday. From family vacations to cultural excursions, Easter presents an opportunity for travelers to explore new destinations, indulge in festive activities, and create lasting memories with loved ones.

5 ways you can maximize your bookings and ensure a smooth operation

In the fast-paced world of tourism, maximizing bookings and ensuring seamless operations are essential for success. As the demand for travel experiences continues to soar, tour operators must employ strategic measures to capitalize on opportunities and deliver exceptional service. Let’s explore the five effective ways to optimize bookings and streamline operations, enabling you to thrive in today’s dynamic landscape.

1. Add extra staff and resources to offer more tours

In the anticipation of an increase in interest in your tours and a boost in bookings, you may want to consider hiring extra staff temporarily and employing more resources so that you can offer more tour experiences. By increasing your volume during this time, you can allow as many people as possible to enjoy your tours and activities. In many cases, these holiday bookings can lead to a significant increase in brand recognition, as people return home to tell their friends and family about your products before their own summer holidays.

2. Create a waiting list when your most popular tours sell out

Once your most popular tours are sold out, the next thing that you need to do is create a waiting list. A waiting list will allow you to quickly fill those last-minute cancellations that are sometimes inevitable, ensuring that you always send out a full tour bus. The right online booking system can help you easily create a waiting list, and you can continue to rely on the technology in order to contact the next available person in the event of a cancellation. If you are not able to get through everyone on your waiting list, you can reach out to them to offer different opportunities to them. It’s possible that you can still generate bookings, even if people are not able to embark on their first choice of tour or time.

3.  Plan unique events that help people celebrate Easter 

When people are traveling over the Easter holidays, they often still want to find unique and fun ways to celebrate. In order to appeal to travelers who will be celebrating Easter while they are away from home, you can plan some unique Easter-themed events. Some ideas that you may want to consider include:

  • Host an Easter egg hunt on your Easter Sunday tours.
  • Partner with a local restaurant to allow people to pair an Easter brunch with one of your experiences.
  • Purchase an Easter bunny costume and offer meet-and-greet experiences to your youngest visitors.

4. Offer enticing upgrades to boost your revenue per booking

Many people enjoy splurging while they are traveling, especially if they are celebrating a special event or holiday. You may want to create a few upgrade options specifically for Easter travelers that can help you boost the amount of revenue you earn per booking. For example, you could offer pre-packaged Easter baskets that people could purchase as a souvenir. You also may want to make private experiences available that allow people to enjoy a peaceful experience with their immediate family members or friends.

5. Implement technology to streamline your booking process and manage your resources

In the weeks leading up to the Easter holidays, you should consider implementing a new online booking system that will help you effectively manage the increased interest in your business. An online booking software like Rezdy will allow you to accept online bookings, and secure payments, and also will provide your travelers with automatic confirmation messages regarding their bookings. In addition, Rezdy can generate reports for you, provide you with a daily manifest and help you allocate your resources accordingly in order to prevent logistical issues that can arise during busy travel periods. You won’t have to worry about having too many people and not enough vehicles or equipment for your tours.

As tour operators begin to restart their tour and activity business, it’s more important than ever to take advantage of peak travel moments. The Easter holidays are the ideal opportunity to raise brand awareness and work to boost your bookings. With Rezdy, rest assured that your business will be equipped to manage the influx in booking seamlessly.

Curious to see how Rezdy can fit within your business? Start your FREE 21-day trial or book a demo with our team of experts today.

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