Tourpreneur Tour Business Podcast Tourpreneur

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In this episode, Lia Garcia, CEO of Practical Wanderlust and Louisville Food Tours, shares her journey from starting a blog to becoming one of the largest travel blogs in the world. She discusses her monetization strategy, which includes ad revenue and affiliate marketing. Leah emphasizes the importance of authenticity, trust, and storytelling in content creation. She also provides insights on partnering with bloggers and tour operators, highlighting the value of building relationships and offering competitive commissions. Leah advises tour operators to focus on personal storytelling and finding ways to differentiate themselves from OTAs. Lia Garcia shares her strategies for affiliate marketing, SEO, email marketing, and scaling a food tour business. She emphasizes the importance of using native affiliate links and leveraging bloggers to promote tours. Lia also discusses her use of keyword research tools like KeySearch and her preference for simple tech tools like WordPress, Flowdesk, and ConvertKit. She highlights the effectiveness of lead magnets in building an email list and explains how she uses automated sequences to target customers at different stages of the buying cycle. Lia also talks about the challenges of scaling her business and the importance of establishing trust and authenticity through storytelling.
Takeaways
Authenticity, trust, and storytelling are key in content marketing.Building relationships with bloggers can drive sales and conversions.Tour operators should differentiate themselves from OTAs and offer competitive commissions.Personal storytelling and partnerships with bloggers can be effective strategies for tour operators.Consider the audience and buying cycle when selecting content creators. Consider using native affiliate links and partnering with bloggers to promote toursUse keyword research tools to optimize content and improve SEOCreate lead magnets to incentivize email sign-ups and use automated sequences to target customers at different stages of the buying cycleChoose tech tools that are user-friendly and meet your specific needsScaling a business comes with challenges, such as scheduling and finding the right balanceEstablish trust and authenticity through storytelling to build credibility with customers
00:00 — Introduction and Background
04:42 — Leah's Journey from Blogging to Content Marketing
08:17 — Monetization Strategy: Ad Revenue and Affiliate Marketing
11:48 — Partnerships with Tour Operators and Bloggers
16:33 — Developing a Blogging Strategy for Tour Operators
23:12 — Selecting the Right Content Creators for Partnerships
26:38 — Utilizing Booking Software and Automating Processes
29:28 — Differentiating Between Bloggers and Social Media Creators
33:05 — Optimizing SEO with Keyword Research
35:19 — Effective Email Marketing Strategies
38:15 — Choosing User-Friendly Tech Tools
45:14 — Challenges and Strategies for Scaling a Food Tour Business
53:25 — Building Trust and Credibility through Storytelling
Mentioned in this episode:
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November...

With AirBNB removing many tour operator experiences out the blue, Peter, Mitch and Chris explore the recently turbulent landscape of AirBNB Experiences and what it means for operators depending on digital platforms.
Mentioned in this episode:
Sponsored by Google 'Things to do'
Want more direct bookings and greater exposure on Google? Then go check out Tourpreneur's free course on using Google 'Things to do', a new program offering tour operators a chance to display their tours across new Google locations.
Learn more here: tourpreneur.com/google

Guests Sherri Brown and Cherrye Moore discuss their experiences and the strategies that have helped them target new markets, focusing on both local and corporate sectors.
Host Peter Syme shares his insights on effective pricing strategies, managing business growth, and best practices for training and integrating new team members.
Throughout the episode, topics such as adapting to market changes, optimising group tour logistics, and customising experiences are explored.
Mentioned in this episode:
Sponsored by Google 'Things to do'
Want more direct bookings and greater exposure on Google? Then go check out Tourpreneur's free course on using Google 'Things to do', a new program offering tour operators a chance to display their tours across new Google locations.
Learn more here: tourpreneur.com/google

In this episode, our host Peter Syme dives deep into the intricate world of tour operations with our guests, Sean from Taylor Made Tours in Ireland, Luksa from Rewind Dubrovnik and Edin from Meet Bosnia Tours.
Today, we're exploring the unique challenges and opportunities that come with expanding tour operations, integrating technology, and adapting to market demands in the dynamic travel industry.
Mentioned in this episode:
Sponsored by Google 'Things to do'
Want more direct bookings and greater exposure on Google? Then go check out Tourpreneur's free course on using Google 'Things to do', a new program offering tour operators a chance to display their tours across new Google locations.
Learn more here: tourpreneur.com/google

Peter McGovern, a seasoned entrepreneur with a passion for international education gives us his forward-thinking approach to building successful teams.
From creating detailed scorecards for potential candidates to embracing diversity and fostering strong internal communication, Peter and Nikki explore the practical strategies and wisdom necessary for nurturing an international team and the critical role of company culture in achieving sustainable growth.
Mentioned in this episode:
Sponsored by Google 'Things to do'
Want more direct bookings and greater exposure on Google? Then go check out Tourpreneur's free course on using Google 'Things to do', a new program offering tour operators a chance to display their tours across new Google locations.
Learn more here: tourpreneur.com/google

Mitch Bach talks with Brian Jewell, the Vice President and Executive Editor of Group Travel Leader, a media company representing tens of thousands of tour operators, travel agents, trip planners, many of whom have been in business for decades. Brian provides endless free resources for his community of small travel provider, and has learned countless lessons from decades in the industry.
There's a whole community of small, outbound multi-day tour operators who have been in business since the years and decades after WWII, since the beginning of the explosive growth of mass tourism. Those operators are at the ends of their careers, and the companies they've built offer a huge opportunity for acquisition, and also have learned lessons about finding niche markets and solidifying their business through personal relationships.
Show notesVisit Group Travel LeaderBrian on LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
Sponsored by Google 'Things to do'
Want more direct bookings and greater exposure on Google? Then go check out Tourpreneur's free course on using Google 'Things to do', a new program offering tour operators a chance to display their tours across new Google locations.
Learn more here: tourpreneur.com/google