From Listings to Bookings: How to Sell More Tour on OTAs (2023)
Are you sick of your tours collecting dust at an Online Travel Agency (OTA)? Don’t worry, you are not alone! Many tour operators struggle to find ways to sell more tours on OTAs. But what if I told you that there are easy and effective ways to boost your sales and reach a bigger audience?
Yes, that’s right! By using a few key strategies, you can set your tours apart and watch the bookings come in. Sit back, grab a pen and paper, and let’s get into the best ways to sell more tour on OTAs.
What is Online Travel Agency?
Online Travel Agency (OTA ) is like a one-stop shop where you can plan your next trip. It’s a website that makes it easy to plan your next trip by letting you book everything from fancy hotels, high-flying flights, wheels on the road, tours, cruises, and fun activities with just a few clicks, straight from the source.
Every day, people from all over the world use OTAs to plan their trips, whether it’s a business trip or a vacation. These online travel agencies connect you with potential guests in places where you might not be able to find them on your own. Plus, they come with a lot of benefits, like information about the market and tools to find and target travelers, make and manage bookings, chat with guests, and keep track of their feedback. Everything is so easy!
The Most Importance of sell more tour on OTAs
Selling tours through online travel agencies (OTAs) can be a game-changer for tour suppliers. Here are some of the reasons:
- Millions of people prefer to use an OTA to plan their trips because it’s easier. It’s a place where they can find top-rated hotels, flights, tours, and other activities all in one place. They can also compare prices and read reviews to make better decisions. By selling tours through OTAs, providers can reach more people and make the experience easier for customers.
- Channel Management: It can be hard to keep track of multiple sales channels and inventory. But with an OTA channel manager, the booking process can be automated and everything can stay in order. The system is updated in real time, which makes it less likely that a room will be full.
- Building Trust: Online travel agencies have a good name among travelers because they offer high-quality tours and activities. By working with an OTA, a supplier can build the reputation of their brand and reach out to travelers who are interested in what they have to offer. They can also ask their guests for reviews, which will help them stand out as well-liked and reliable operators.
- Payment Processing: Travelers feel safe when they book through OTAs because of how they handle payments. OTAs let you pay in your local currency and in the language you prefer, which makes the payment and booking process smooth and easy. Suppliers don’t have to worry about payment processing or currency exchange if they use an OTA. The OTA will take care of everything.
Identify your target market
Who's your ideal traveler?
OTAs try to reach a wide range of travelers, both those from other countries and those who have specific needs. This includes business travelers, families, people on a tight budget or with a lot of money to spend, and people from certain areas.
So, the best people to sell your tour to will depend on the kind of services you offer and how the OTA works. Some OTAs focus on business travelers, while others are more geared toward families. Before you work together, it’s important to define your audience pool and the audience pools of the OTAs to make sure they match the kind of guests you want to bring in.
Which OTAs do they use?
Now that we know that different OTAs cater to different kinds of travelers, you should think about the region and type of traveler you want to reach when choosing an OTA. For example, if your tours are mostly for families, it makes sense to look for an OTA that caters to that crowd. You can do this by looking at the tours and activities listed on the OTA’s website or by talking to a representative.
Optimize your listings
Use high-quality photos
When working with Online Travel Agencies, you want to make sure that your tours shine like stars. How to do that easily? High quality photos! Look over your current OTA photos and, if they’re not very interesting, think about hiring a pro to take some new ones. What if the OTA lets you watch videos? Bonus! You will definitely stand out in a good way.
Write compelling descriptions
Photos are just one part of what it takes to stand out in Online Travel Agencies. You also need to hook them with interesting descriptions of the tour. Include all the important details and relevant keywords to help your tours rank higher on OTAs. Also, make sure everything is correct, especially when it comes to including people with disabilities.
Offer competitive pricing
One more thing to remember: prices. You want to make sure that your prices are as low as possible. Many OTAs have tools that can help you stay ahead of the competition. If you have tech solutions, put them to good use by letting potential guests know about your good prices. The point? To make your tours stand out and become travelers’ first choice.
Offer promotions and discounts
Discounts for early bookings
There are a few ways tour organizers can give discounts to people who book early:
- Offer discounts to people who book their tours in advance, say 30 days before their arrival.
- Seasonal discounts: Offer discounts to people who book during the off-season.
- Non-refundable rate: For customers who are willing to commit to a booking in advance, offer non-refundable rates at a lower price than regular rates.
- Offer promotions that are only good for a short time, like flash sales, within a certain time frame.
To get the most out of early booking discounts, you should make it clear what the discounts are, how much they are, when they can be used, and if there are any restrictions.
Discounts for large groups
A big-group discount is a great way to get a lot of people to book at once. You could offer a flat discount for groups of a certain size (like 10% off for groups of 10) or package deals that include discounts on both lodging and rides for large groups. Bonuses for group bookings, flexible cancellation policies, and prices that are tailored to groups are also great ways to bring in big groups and make a lot of money.
Special promotions for holidays or seasons
The holidays are the best time to promote your tours. You should offer special deals and let your OTAs know about discounts. During the holidays, you might want to work with local businesses to offer discounts or packages that include dining, entertainment, or other local activities.
By giving these kinds of discounts, you can quickly sell more tours and make sure that even during slow times, you are always full.
Utilize social media and other online marketing channels
Share your tours and promotions on social media
Want to reach a whole new group of potential customers? The way to go is through social media! Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are like gold mines for getting more people to see your tours. Just make some interesting posts about your tours with pictures and descriptions that make people want to know more. Don’t forget to use those hashtags, because they will help your posts get seen by more people. You won’t have to wait long to grow your business.
Collaborate with influencers or bloggers
Influencer marketing is a powerful way to reach out to bloggers and social media stars whose fans are interested and loyal. Whether you work with travel bloggers, people who have a lot of influence in your niche, or famous people from your area, these partnerships will bring in a lot of business. When choosing who to work with, make sure they fit with your brand and are trying to reach the same people you are.
Invest in paid advertising on social media or Google AdWords
Are you ready to go to the next level with your tour promotion? Spend money on advertising. Google AdWords and social media are like magic wands that help you reach the right people at the right time. You can even target people based on their interests, how they act, and where they are. It’s like a dream come true for marketing that is very specific. Trust me, you won’t regret it!
Encourage customer reviews
Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative
Responding to both positive and negative customer reviews is an important part of managing your online reputation and getting more reviews. By thanking people for positive feedback and addressing any negative comments, you show that you care about giving good service and help potential customers trust you. You will also be able to talk about any problems that need to be fixed.
Use positive reviews in your marketing materials
Putting customer reviews on your website, social media pages, and other marketing materials can help you stand out and show how good your tours are. Why not let your customers do the talking and spread the love?
Use negative reviews as an opportunity to improve your tours
Negative reviews can be annoying, but they can also be a good chance to make changes. If you take the time to listen to customer feedback and make changes based on what they say, you can help everyone have a better tour.
Conclusion
Okay, folks, let’s finish up! When you sell tours on OTAs, it’s like hitting the sales jackpot. By using the helpful tips we talked about, like making your tour descriptions sound better, offering good deals, and keeping up with customer reviews, you’ll be one step ahead of the competition and filling up tours left and right. So, why don’t you just do it? Get out there and start selling tours on OTAs with some real success. Let’s try the Traveler theme now to speed up your brand and make it stand out from the competition.
