 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Developing tourism by the numbers Most operators consider trip planning to be a bit of an art, but some experts have it down to a science. Roger Brooks, co-author of The 25 Immutable Rules of Successful Tourism, has developed a few formulas for success, and he shared them recently with members and guests of Team Illinois, a subcommittee of the Illinois Council of Convention and Visitor Bureau. The 4X rule Are your trips worth the drive? According to Brooks, people want to visit interesting destinations with activities that that will keep them busy four times longer than it took them to get there. "The more you have to offer, the more powerful the draw," says Brooks. "The quality of the visit must outweigh the length of time it took to get there." For overnight stays, that means at least eight hours of visitor activities. Offer options Peter Pantuso, president of the American Bus Association, also addressed Team Illinois, recommending that motor coach tours be more like cruise ships, with more choices per itinerary. Pantuso used the example of a successful Northeastern operator that offered either the Days Inn or the Ritz Carlton as hotel choices. "First go-around, the group was split evenly between hotels," said Pantuso. "Several trips later, and as the word spread, more than 75 percent were selecting the Ritz." Sizzle sells When promoting the destination, Brooks recommends selling the rapids, not the river. Visitors are far more interested in things to do than in the location. Rather than creating a standard brochure, Brooks recommends developing an activities guide. "Effective tourism evokes emotion. Sell the thrill of the rollercoaster ride, or the serene feeling of a sunset on the beach." Use the web to close the sale The Internet has changed the way people shop and book trips. "It's the place people are going for travel information," says Brooks. A web site, like a brochure, must be designed well enough to close the sale. Make it convenient for the user. "It should work like a house. You can walk through and know what should be in every room." Make the site informational, not wordy, with good photography. Brooks suggests contacting a local college photography program to recruit students to take pictures. Brooks recommends posting all brochures as PDF files so that they can easily be downloaded. But he cautions that brochures must be designed so that they can be easily read on a web site as well. A monthly e-mail newsletter can also keep your tours in the minds of your customers. Be sure your web site is set up for e-commerce so that users can book online, because Internet users are accustomed to quick results, says Brooks. Lastly, Brooks recommends forming partnerships in which resources can be shared. "In tourism, more partners leads to greater success." Brooks is president and a founding member of Destination Development, a leading tourism and resort development firm. He has worked in the tourism industry for 25 years and has assisted more than 260 communities in 37 states. He has earned the nickname, "The Doctor Phil of Tourism." The FYI from MCI editorial staff values your feedback. Please e-mail any suggestions, comments, or ideas for future articles to fyi@mcicoach.com. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
