Tour Operator Growth Podcast

Nikki DeSantis & Greg Rosenhan
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing

The Tour Operator Growth Podcast is for tour and activity business owners who feel like they’re constantly juggling everything and still wondering why growth feels harder than it should. Most tour businesses don’t fail because the experience isn’t good. They struggle because the business outgrows the systems holding it together. Bookings come from all directions. Marketing feels scattered. The website, the phones, email, reviews, and follow-ups all live in different places. And somehow you’re supposed to manage it all while still running trips. This podcast was built from that exact reality. The system behind it was created by a successful tour operator who hit those same walls and had to build a better way to grow without everything breaking. Today, Greg and Nikki from Resmark share the lessons, frameworks, and hard-earned insights from helping hundreds of tour operators simplify their business, get more consistent bookings, and regain control. We talk about the real problems operators face: feeling stuck, feeling overwhelmed, hitting growth ceilings, relying too much on OTAs, or not knowing what to fix first. Whether you’re just getting started, trying to break through your next plateau, or already growing fast and trying to keep it all together, this show is built for you. The goal is simple: help you build a tour business that grows in a way that’s sustainable, predictable, and actually enjoyable to run. Powered by Resmark.

  1. Sep 15

    How One Client Grew Revenue 80% With Less Traffic

    Everyone thinks they need more traffic. Most operators actually have a conversion problem, and fixing it is the cheapest growth you can get. In this episode, Nikki and Greg pull back the curtain on two of ResmarkWeb's newest programs: our Conversion Engine (CRO) and our Coaching program. We break down real client results (including a $700K increase in online sales and an 80% jump in revenue, both on less traffic), explain what conversion rate optimization actually is (and what it isn't), and walk through exactly how our team runs it. Whether you're a client or not, you'll leave with tactics you can apply to your own tour or activity website today. What we cover: - Why flat bookings are usually a conversion problem, not a traffic problem - Real client results: more revenue on fewer visitors - Quick, actionable wins you can implement this week 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters:  01:25 How to Get More Tour Bookings Without More Traffic 03:09 Real Tour Operator Website Conversion Results 07:39 What Is Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)? 12:39 How CRO Works for Tour Operator Websites 15:18 Using Heatmaps and A/B Testing to Increase Bookings 22:00 Business Coaching for Tour Operators 26:09 SEO, Paid Ads & CRO: Building a Complete Growth Strategy 31:31 Quick Ways to Increase Tour Bookings

  2. Sep 1

    AI That Actually Knows Your Tour Business with Kelsey Tonner

    Most tour operators using AI are getting generic, mediocre results, and the fix isn't a better prompt. It's better context. In this episode of the Tour Operator Growth Podcast, Nikki sits down with Kelsey Tonner, founder of Guest Focus, who has coached thousands of tour operators since 2015. Kelsey breaks down the levels of AI use he sees across the industry, from uploading files into a single chat, to projects built around a business profile and ideal guest avatar, to a full "AI brain" that remembers your business, connects to your tools, and works while you sleep. Along the way he covers why AI memory features fall short, how connectors turn AI into the central place you get work done, and practical answers on token costs, privacy, and running tasks overnight. Grab Kelsey's free prompts (AI business profile builder, customer avatar builder, and the AI brain building prompt + workbook): https://guestfocus.com/using-ai-business-resmark **Want to put AI to work in your tour business? Guest Focus is bringing back its Tour Business AI Bootcamp this November, designed to help tour operators save time, reduce costs, and grow revenue with practical AI systems and automations built around their business. Details are coming soon, but you can join the waitlist here: https://guestfocus.com/ai-bootcamp-waitlist Book a free coaching call with the Guest Focus team: https://guestfocus.com/resmark Free AI for Tour Operators video series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbf0OTJFDF56HmpOdtrUoOhvVT4UoQtxl Guest Focus website: https://guestfocus.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmTLrFX73_g9m1VIuJx76A LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/guest-focus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guestfocus If this episode helped, share it with a tour operator who's stuck on AI basics, and subscribe so you don't miss the next one. 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters: 0:00 Who Is Kelsey Tonner and What Is Guest Focus? 3:36 Why Is AI Giving Me Generic Results? 6:19 Which AI Model Should I Use? ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini 8:30 What Is Context Engineering? 11:45 How to Use AI Projects (and What They Can't Do) 16:23 What Context Should I Give AI About My Business? 22:21 How to Build an AI Brain with Claude Cowork 30:11 How to Save Money on AI Tokens 33:53 Is It Safe to Give AI Sensitive Business Data? 50:56 How to Get Started with AI as a Tour Operator

  3. Aug 18

    How to Choose Booking Software That Fits How You Actually Operate, with Devin Spann

    Every booking platform looks great in the demo, so how do you find the one that won't fall apart at real volume? In this episode of the Tour Operator Growth Podcast, Nikki and Greg sit down with Devin Spann, who spent years on Resmark's product side turning operator feedback into features.  This isn't a product demo or a pitch to switch. It's a framework for pressure testing any booking platform against what your operation actually requires, because the right system doesn't just take bookings, it fuels your marketing too.  What you'll learn: - Why booking software is your operational foundation, not just another tool - Why every platform demos well but real differences show up at volume - How your booking system powers your marketing, from conversion tracking to guest data and email - How to evaluate for fit, not the longest feature list If this episode helped, share it with a tour operator who's wondering whether blogging is worth it anymore, and subscribe so you don't miss the next one on tracking your results. 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters: 0:00 Why Booking Software Is Your Most Important Tech Decision 1:23 Devin's Product Management Background at Resmark 4:22 Software You'll Outgrow vs. Software That Scales With You 6:31 What a Polished Demo Doesn't Reveal 13:06 Nice-to-Have vs. Essential Features as You Grow 16:02 Booking Software That Powers Your Marketing and SEO 23:25 All-in-One Platform vs. Separate Integrations 26:12 How to Migrate Booking Systems Without the Headache 28:47 Choosing Software You'll Still Love in 5 Years

  4. Aug 4

    How Travelers Actually Compare Tour Companies

    Would you rather book the tour with 219 reviews at 4.7 stars, or the one with 12 reviews at a perfect 5.0?  In this episode of the Tour Operator Growth Podcast, Nikki and Greg play a round of "would you rather" with real booking scenarios, then pull back the curtain on the buyer psychology behind every choice. It's a fun, honest look at how two very different travelers actually decide who gets their money. What you'll learn: - Why more reviews at a slightly lower rating often beats a perfect score, especially as price goes up - How website design and a frictionless booking flow can win or lose you a sale in seconds - Why a clunky form on a day tour sends travelers straight to a competitor - The big takeaway: every buyer is different, so know who yours is and what they're searching for If this episode helped, share it with a fellow operator, and subscribe so you don't miss the next one. 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters: 0:33 Reviews vs. rating: 219 at 4.7 or 12 at 5.0? 3:39 Save money on a clunky site, or pay more for polish? 5:48 Thoughtful emails vs. a fully automated experience 7:10 Book instantly online vs. having to call 8:49 Scenic segment: take the free Resmark Growth Assessment 11:20 How Nikki is choosing her Serengeti tour operator 13:58 Why website design and booking flow make or break the sale 20:21 Who you ask before booking & different buyer types

  5. Jul 28

    When Should I Start Planning My Exit, and What Will I Get for My Outfit? with Pat Tabor

    Almost nobody in this industry plans for it until it's too late: how to step back from, hand off, or sell the business you've spent your life building.  In this episode of the Tour Operator Growth Podcast, Nikki and Greg sit down with Pat Tabor, founder of Swan Mountain Outfitters and Swan Mountain Consulting Group.  Pat spent nearly 30 years at consulting firm RSM, where he led their national transition and advisory practice and completed close to 500 business valuations, then bought, ran, and handed down his own outfitting business to his kids. He's lived the transition himself, and he breaks down why "not ready to sell" is exactly when you should start planning. What you'll learn: - Why you should plan to exit even if retirement is 10+ years away, and what the business life cycle tells you - What buyers actually value, and why outdated technology gets you penalized at the negotiating table - The biggest mistake owners make: planning the business transition but forgetting the owner - Why 70 to 80% of family successions fail, and how honest conversations prevent it If this episode helped, share it with an outfitter who's been putting off their succession plan, and subscribe so you don't miss what's next. Connect with Pat: https://www.swanmountainoutfitters.com 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters: 1:37 Why you should plan to retire even if you're not ready to 3:00 Reading your business life cycle: startup to exit 6:17 What drives the value of a tour business (and the tech penalty) 11:07 The biggest mistake: planning the transition but forgetting the owner 13:27 What Pat did after handing the business to his kids 15:51 The emotional complexity of family business transitions 18:11 Why 70-80% of family successions fail 21:09 Why each generation holds the business for less time 25:38 Pat's one piece of advice: start planning now

  6. Jul 20

    How Tour Operators Should Optimize Their Google Business Profile

    Most operators use only about 30% of what Google gives them, and your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a traveler sees before they book.  In this episode of the Tour Operator Growth Podcast, Nikki and Greg break down how to turn your profile from a static directory listing into a mini landing page that actually drives bookings, plus the features almost nobody is using. What you'll learn: - The foundation that matters most: NAP consistency, the right categories, services, and a strong description - Why authentic photos, recent reviews, and a real response to every review build trust (and why a 4.7 beats a 5.0) - The underused features (Google posts, messaging, booking links) that signal you're active to both travelers and Google - How to measure success with Insights and UTM tracking so you're counting bookings, not vanity metrics If this episode helped, share it with a tour operator who's letting their profile sit there, and subscribe so you don't miss the next one. 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters: 3:16 The foundation: NAP, categories, services & duplicate listings 6:19 Photos & videos: keep your profile active and authentic 8:08 Reviews: responding, why a 4.7 beats a 5.0, and recency 13:50 Scenic segment: Google warns against buying AI mentions 15:03 The features nobody uses: posts, social links & messaging 17:15 Turning your profile into a booking entry point 19:13 Measuring success: Insights, UTMs & vanity metrics 21:31 Quick audit: check your profile live with us

  7. Jul 14

    Why Most Tour Operators Get GA4 Wrong

    Do you actually know what's driving your bookings? Not "traffic is up," but which channel, which page, which campaign? In this episode of the Tour Operator Growth Podcast, Nikki and Greg dig into Google Analytics 4 and why having it installed is not the same as having it set up right. They cover what GA4 should really be telling you, the events worth tracking, and the simple setup steps that connect a single visit straight through to a booking. What you'll learn: - Why default GA4 (page views, new vs. returning) tells you almost nothing about revenue - The key events to track: bookings, form submissions, phone clicks, and more - How to confirm tracking is firing, turn on enhanced measurement, and set up cross-domain tracking with your booking engine - The common mistakes (double tracking, internal traffic, never actually looking) that wreck your data If this episode helped, share it with a tour operator who's making budget decisions off incomplete numbers, and subscribe so you don't miss what's next. 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters: 1:38 Why installing GA4 isn't the same as setting it up right 3:26 What GA4 should tell you: asking Claude real revenue questions 6:45 Scenic segment: the May 2026 Google core update 8:36 Setup walkthrough: tags, firing, enhanced measurement & key events 14:58 The numbers that actually matter (without drowning in data) 18:50 Common mistakes that wreck your data 21:12 Your GA4 action plan for this month

  8. Jul 7

    Should Tour Operators Still Blog in the Age of AI?

    If AI is handing travelers the answers before they ever reach your website, why would any tour operator still bother blogging? In this episode of the Tour Operator Growth Podcast, Nikki and Greg make the case that content matters more now than ever. They break down where blogging fits in the dreaming and planning stages of the Resmark Growth Engine, why AI and Google both reward firsthand expertise, and how to build a content engine that's actually sustainable instead of writing five posts and calling it a year. What you'll learn: - Why AI pulls from credible, helpful content, which makes your blog more important, not less - How to organize topics into top, middle, and bottom of funnel using the 70/20/10 rule - How to write for EAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust) so your posts rank and get cited - How to use AI to research, outline, and draft without publishing generic filler If this episode helped, share it with a tour operator who's wondering whether blogging is worth it anymore, and subscribe so you don't miss the next one on tracking your results. 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters: 1:36 What AI really is and why it rewards credible content 6:17 Picking topics: funnel buckets & the 70/20/10 rule 10:00 Keyword research & writing with intent: the Kilimanjaro story 12:30 Scenic segment: 68% of searches now end in zero clicks 16:16 What makes content rank: EEAT & firsthand experience 24:41 Building a content engine that's actually sustainable 29:14 Automating research & drafting with Claude (and where it goes wrong) 32:11 How long until blogging actually pays off?

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About

The Tour Operator Growth Podcast is for tour and activity business owners who feel like they’re constantly juggling everything and still wondering why growth feels harder than it should. Most tour businesses don’t fail because the experience isn’t good. They struggle because the business outgrows the systems holding it together. Bookings come from all directions. Marketing feels scattered. The website, the phones, email, reviews, and follow-ups all live in different places. And somehow you’re supposed to manage it all while still running trips. This podcast was built from that exact reality. The system behind it was created by a successful tour operator who hit those same walls and had to build a better way to grow without everything breaking. Today, Greg and Nikki from Resmark share the lessons, frameworks, and hard-earned insights from helping hundreds of tour operators simplify their business, get more consistent bookings, and regain control. We talk about the real problems operators face: feeling stuck, feeling overwhelmed, hitting growth ceilings, relying too much on OTAs, or not knowing what to fix first. Whether you’re just getting started, trying to break through your next plateau, or already growing fast and trying to keep it all together, this show is built for you. The goal is simple: help you build a tour business that grows in a way that’s sustainable, predictable, and actually enjoyable to run. Powered by Resmark.

Information

  • Creator
    Nikki DeSantis & Greg Rosenhan
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Tour Operator Growth Podcast
  • Show Website
    Tour Operator Growth Podcast

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