8 Tips to Boost Bookings for Your Travel Packages

Like all businesses, your travel company too has one objective – to sell products and generate profits. However, achieving this objective is a completely different story for a travel business or a tour agency. There are strategies and tactics that travel companies can deploy in order to boost bookings for their travel packages.

We have listed 8 of the most effective strategies right here. Take a look, apply, and watch your booking rates go up.

 

Register With Travel Aggregator Websites

 

Registering with travel aggregator websites is one way to boost your bookings. These websites – rooms, airfares, tours and experiences aggregators – cater and target millions of customers the world over. Registering with them allows you to connect with a wider customer base and extend your reach. A good example of such a site would be TripAdvisor, which is known to have a customer base consisting of 36 million members. Other tour-related websites can include Expedia, Viator, and GetYourGuide.

 

Go Social

 

Social media platforms have evolved to become effective marketing channels. Around 93% of marketers across the world rely on social media to get the word out about their offerings and to engage with customers and avid travelers. Social media is effective because it’s fast and convenient. It allows for a targeted approach that is cost-effective. Some travel businesses have also ventured into influencer marketing through image-driven social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Townske.

 

Highlight Package Benefits And Unique Experiences

 

Are there specific properties or experiences in your travel packages that set you apart from those of your competitor’s? If so, make sure you highlight these properties and experiences. This adds value to your travel packages and provides the customer with an opportunity to compare and contrast. If your packages are truly more beneficial or can provide a unique experience that appeals to customers, you’ll have bookings rolling in.

 

Offer Mobile Booking

 

Mobile bookings, be it through mobile apps or mobile web browsers, on mobile phones or tablets, are expected to reach 40% of online travel sales in 2017. If you’re a travel business and you’re not mobile ready, you’ll be missing out on this substantial pie. It’s time to go mobile and offer the customer more convenience, faster access, and immersive travel content as mobile phone usage increases.

 

Localize

 

As globalization takes over, it’s becoming a matter of critical importance for businesses to be considerate of local markets. Be it culture or language, a travel business needs to pay attention to local preferences and sensitivities. If you’re catering to customers in foreign markets or attracting inbound tourists, localization is a must. So, make sure you hire mobile app, website, and marketing translation services to help you out. You need to use a multilingual approach to connect with larger customer pools.

 

Digital Marketing

 

Use online services such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, Facebook Advertising or Instagram Advertising to get the word out about your travel packages. Also, optimize your ads using the right keywords, ad copies or creatives. The advantage with such online advertising tools is that you’ll have options that allow for precise targeting based on metrics such as demographic, interests, and hobbies.

 

Build Partnerships

 

Partners can play a key role in increasing the booking rates for your offerings. By establishing strong connections with B2B partners, you can tap into new opportunities and improve the quality and delivery of your own services.

 

Establish Relationships With Customers

 

Use existing customers to market your offerings by establishing strong relationships. Reward customers with offers and discounts to keep them coming back and to also spread the word about your services. Nothing is more credible and a higher closing ratio that word-of-mouth marketing and referrals.

So, there you have it – 8 tried-and-tested strategies that have worked for travel companies across the globe. But, will they work for you? Well, there’s only one way to find out – try them out! You’ll never know otherwise. If you’re still unsure, remember, these are tried-and-tested methods, which means they’ll most likely work for you too if you can adapt and tweak according to your travel business’ capabilities, resources, and goals.