Have an online booking capability!

In this day and age, having a website that's not up to par just won't cut it. But what exactly makes the cut?

Tourism Research recently released research on the digital uptake of Tour and Travel operators website . The project examined four key topics; the online presence of tour operators, their website adoption and management strategy, their online reservation booking system distribution approach, and their social media and mobile presence. Among the industry sectors surveyed were Tours, Attractions, and Hire & Transport companies.

CMSPLAZA recommends that updating your web presence and enhancing your website should be a top priority. This is because "more advanced and more frequently updated websites are important in distributing information and driving online distribution."

In terms of content, your website should have a clear description of your products and services, along with a photo gallery. If you want to stand out, consider adding video to the mix - only 25% of tour operators currently use them. 

In terms of functionality, ease of booking is a priority. You should be able to take bookings through your own website or a third party. However,

• Almost 90% of tour operators are still taking bookings manually via email booking requests.
• Only 54% of respondents allow people to check both availability and price of their products and services.
• Only 46% of tour operators with websites offer instant confirmation of booking. 

It would be wise to automate your booking process to keep up with consumer expectations.

Have an online booking capability!

By now you probably understand the significance of having an online presence, and you wouldn't be alone. Our survey findings from last year revealed that tour operator websites are the best source of bookings among Australian tour operators. This is probably why the majority of Australian Tours (93%), Attractions (89%), and Hire & Transport (86%) companies have their own website.

Yet there are still some tour operators who go without a website. Their main reasons for this are that they are contacted by other means, or the organisation's too small, or there's not enough time.

To these tour operators, we advise that you at the very least have a booking site that lists your products and services. That way, you can direct people to your booking site and instruct them to search availability and book immediately from your site.

After all, you don't want to miss out on that 57% of all travel reservations being made on the internet. Without an online booking site, you certainly will.

If you're looking for booking software to make your lives easier, then be sure to take advantage of educating yourself on your options. The information in our guide can prevent you from picking software that doesn't suit your tour or activity business: