Podcast Episodes

Meet the OTA. Who is TourRadar..and how can they help you sell more tours? (Ep 15)

July 16, 2019 by Tourpreneur 2 Comments

TourRadar. Who are they and how can they help sell your tours?

On this episode of Tourpreneur, the podcast for tour operators, host Shane Whaley pulls back the curtain and reveals the inner workings of OTA TourRadar.

Welcome to episode 15 of the Tourpreneur podcast. I am very excited to bring you a brand new series today. It’s actually inspired by you, the many of you who wrote to me asking me questions such as:

‘Hey Shane, you talk about OTAs a lot on the show.

‘What exactly is an OTA?’

‘I know Tripadvisor is an OTA but who else is out there that I should be working with?

and…

‘Shane, are they really worth 20%?’

‘Why should I pay commission to an OTA?

So I thought it’d be helpful to actually pull back the curtain on some of the OTA businesses that are out there so we can learn more about them together. Tourpreneur is all about sharing industry knowledge.

Who is TourRadar

Watch an interview with TourRadar CEO Travis Pittman at Arival Berlin 2019 with Phocuswire‘s Linda Fox.

‘TourRadar is the world’s largest online travel agency for multi-day tours.

Revolutionizing how multi-day tours are compared and purchased, TourRadar provides travelers with a trusted online marketplace to find and book life-enriching experiences worldwide.

TourRadar works with over 1,500 tour operators to offer more than 40,000 tours in over 200 countries.

Founded in 2010, TourRadar was the first to transition multi-day tours to an online marketplace, making them the leader in the industry.

TourRadar is headquartered in Vienna, Austria with additional offices across Europe, North America and Australia.

For information on TourRadar, visit TourRadar.com or follow @TourRadar on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Linkedin.’

Tourradar specializes in multi-day tours. Even if you don’t offer multi-days, I would urge you to continue listening to today’s episode today because you’ll get an understanding of how an OTA works.

We talk with various TourRadar department heads including:

Christian Wolters – Managing Director.
Brendan Roberts, VP Business Development.
Iris Serbanescu, Director of Partnerships.
Patrick Burke, Head of Talent
Vanessa Subramaniam, Manager of Support. North America.
Dennis Basham, Global Head of Industry Sales, On the Go Tours.

I also wanted to speak with a tourpreneur who sells their tours via TourRadar and I’ll give the company a lot of credit here. They asked me to pick a supplier at will.

So a big thank you to Dennis Basham of On the Go Tours who agreed to be interviewed on the Tourpreneur Podcast, to tell us all what it’s like to be a supplier and partner working with TourRadar.

So there’s a lot in this episode. I hope you enjoy it, let me know which OTA you want to hear from next. And if you work for an OTA, do drop me a line and let me know if your company would be interested in being featured on the Tourpreneur podcast as part of our #MeetTheOTA series.

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 15 of the Tourpreneur Podcast with TourRadar.

TourRadar
TourRadar CEO Travis Pittman
Sell your tours through TourRadar
Careers at TourRadar.
Christian Wolters – Managing Director.
Brendan Roberts, VP Business Development.
Iris Serbanescu, Director of Partnerships.
Patrick Burke, Head of Talent
Vanessa Subramaniam, Manager of Support. North America.
Dennis Basham, Global Head of Industry Sales, On the Go Tours.

Tour and Activities news — Make sure you get all the tours and activities news in your inbox every weekday. I curate the news in our industry for you. Useful, convenient and readable in minutes.

The Tourpreneur Daily Brief – never miss out on the tours, activities and experience companies who are making the news. Daily free email from the host of the Tourpreneur Podcast Shane Whaley.

How America Outdoors helps its members learn, connect and grow their businesses. (Ep 14)

July 8, 2019 by Tourpreneur Leave a Comment

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On Episode 14 of the Tourpreneur Podcast, host Shane Whaley finds out more about America Outdoors, especially it’s mission and how they deliver value to their members.

We chat with Executive Director Julie Kahlfeldt and longtime member Jeff Greiner of America Adventures Zipline Canopy Tours. This is no infomercial though, as we invited AO members to call in and share with us why they are AO members and how AO helps their tour/activity business.

Who and What are America Outdoors?

Since 1989, America Outdoors has worked to ensure outfitters (tour operators and activity providers in the outdoor recreation industry) have a voice.

Today, we are the one-stop resource for outfitters, leading the industry in public policy, business innovation, and promotion of outdoor recreational activities. Our members constitute a powerful community of like-minded people who aren’t just outdoors for a living – we’re in it for life.
America Outdoors

On this episode of Tourpreneur, we learn:

When America Outdoors was founded and why.
What type of tour and activity companies work with America Outdoors.
Why they use the term ‘outfitter’ to describe their members.
How America Outdoors saved Jeff ‘100s of 1000s of dollars’ through their advice on permitting.
How they help their members connect.
Six AO members call in to share with us why they value being an AO member.
How they help America Outdoors members to grow their tour and activity business.
How they help AO members learn from each other and experts. Some members even organize an exchange during low season so their staff can continue to grow and learn new things.
Shane shares why he feels everyone in tours and activities should be following (and listening to) Peter Syme.
More about their annual America Outdoors conference and why their members love it.
Jeff reveals why he loves the America Outdoors annual conference so much that he has not missed one in over 20 years.
What the most common challenges their members are facing.
How they advocate for tour operators in Washington D.C.
How much membership in AO costs.
Where listeners can find out more about America Outdoors. (Links are included below.)

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 14 of the Tourpreneur Podcast.

America Outdoors
America Outdoors 2019 conference.
Adventure America Zipline Canopy Tours Jeff’s tour business.
Julie Kahlfeldt – Executive Director, America Outdoors.
Jeff Greiner
Namaste in Nature
Adventure Treks
Grand Canyon Whitewater
Follow Peter Syme, highly recommend his posts.
Wisconsin River Outings
Santa Barbara Adventure Company
Liquid Spark – Adventure Marketing Agency.

Join the conversation about today’s Tourpreneur Podcast episode on our new Facebook group.

Are you a member of AO? What do you get out of your membership? We can now continue the conversation on our new TourPreneur Facebook Group.

The Tourpreneur Daily Brief – never miss out on the tours, activities and experience companies who are making the news. Daily free email from the host of the Tourpreneur Podcast Shane Whaley.

Training Tour Guides using Improv with Margaret Hicks (Ep 12)

June 17, 2019 by Tourpreneur Leave a Comment

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How a former comedian uses improv to train tour guides.

How to train tour guides is one of the most frequently asked questions we receive in our postbag here at Tourpreneur.

So on this episode of Tourpreneur, a podcast for tour operators and tour professionals, we asked Margaret Hicks of tour guide training company The Tour Boost to share some tips on tour guide training with us.

One of our major goals here at Tourpreneur is to help tour operators connect, learn and grow together.

Let’s face it, there are lots of ‘gurus’ and ‘experts’ online offering training for tour operators. None of us can afford to waste cash on courses or coaching that is just not up to scratch.

At Tourpreneur we want to bring you advice, strategies, and tips from those experts who have walked the walk. Margaret certainly has. Take a look at her background:

Margaret Hicks - Tour Guide Trainer — Margaret Hicks – Tour Guide Trainer

A very experienced Tour Guide, leading tours for over 11 years.
She is a tour operator, her tour business Chicago Elevated is in its 7th year.
Before all of that, Margaret was a comedian and she brings over 15 years experience in improv.
She is a passionate traveler and has visited many countries and experienced many tours.

On Episode 12 of Tourpreneur, host Shane Whaley asks Margaret Hicks more about her tour guide training company The Tour Boost covering topics such as:

Three major tips that tour operators can implement today to improve our tour guide training.
What are some of the most common challenges tour operators face when it comes to training tour guides.
What are the essential skills every tour guide should possess?
Why tour guides should listen with their elbows.
Why her tour guide training focuses on soft skills such as crafting stories, storytelling, and soft-skills rather than tour content.
Why active listening is crucial for tour guides.
Why it is essential to work with every tour guides personality and not turn them into something they are not.
Why there is a fine line between educating and entertaining.
Tour Guides are theatre people without theatre training/background.
How should tour guides respond if they do not know the answer to a guest’s question?
What kind of tour operators and attractions call on help from The Tour Boost.
Why Shane prefers specialized/dedicated training rather than a ‘one size fits all’ solution.
How editing podcasts has helped Shane improve his active listening.

What makes a poor tour guide.
Self guided tours – are they a threat to tour guides?
And Much More!

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 12 of the Tourpreneur Podcast with The Tour Boost.

Did you agree with today’s guest? Disagree? Got tips or experiences you want to share? You can now continue the conversation on our new TourPreneur Facebook Group.

Think Like a Freak

The Tourpreneur Daily Brief – never miss out on the tours, activities and experience companies who are making the news. Daily free email from the host of the Tourpreneur Podcast Shane Whaley.

Podcast: How we built a successful bike tour business – with Fitz & Follwell’s Diego and Shea (Ep 11)

June 3, 2019 by Tourpreneur 1 Comment

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The Fitz & Follwell Story, how two friends started and grew a successful bike tour company.

Fitz & Follwell are into their 11th season. On this episode of Tourpreneur a podcast for tour operators and tour professionals, founders Diego, and Shea share their journey of what made them start a bike tour business and the lessons they have learned along the way.

How to start a bike tour business and the lessons we learned growing it.

Fitz & Follwell began with the simple idea that the most fulfilling travel experiences are created by connecting with locals and discovering new places using eyes & ears. They’ve always believed that the best way to explore a new city is by bike or on foot.

On Episode 11 of Tourpreneur, host Shane Whaley digs deep into the remarkable story of 2 friends who started their bike tours in Montreal and Buenos Aires. Strap yourself in as Fitz & Folwell’s Diego and Shea reveal more about:

how an Argentine and a Canadian decided to join forces to build Fitz & Folwell bike tours of Montreal.
why Shea wanted to start a bike tour business.
how Diego built BA Bikes Tours in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
how did Shea and Diego meet?
what Diego did with his BA bike tours company on moving to Montreal to work with Shea at Fitz & Follwell.
Diego reveals that Sir Paul McCartney took one of his BA bikes tours in Argentina.
Shane is curious how an A-lister, global icon such as Paul McCartney books a bike tour. Diego tells all.
how they built the Fitz & Follwell bike tour business and what were the 3 vital keys for business growth.
how Fitz & Follwell bike tours have evolved over the last 5 years.
how streamlining their tours lead to even more bookings.
how cutting some of their tours led to even more business.
how it was hard to let some tours go in order to streamline their tour business.
How they cut revenue by 30% but increased profitability by 100%.
why are Fitz & Follwell bike tours different from other bike tours they have experienced.
how they are dealing with the Montreal law that requires tour guides go through 8 months of training to become accredited.
how they attract locals to book their bike tours and not just tourists.
how they first got the word out about their tours.
why Search Engine Optimization was so important at the start.
where the name Fitz & Follwell comes from.
why and how they are expanding to other cities.
how they attract 50% direct bookings.
how they work with OTAs.
why working with Airbnb Experiences has created a lot of work because Airbnb does not offer API connectivity.
why they decided to work with Eztix as their booking reservation partner.
how their website is built on EzSites technology.
how they use social media to promote their tours.
why they employed a team member to work on their social media rather than work with an external social media agency.
why and how they created a video to promote Fitz and Folwell.
what books they recommended for other tour operators.

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 11 of the Tourpreneur Podcast with Fitz & Follwell.

Recommended Books for Tour Operators – Shea and Diego’s picks.

The 4 hour workweek by Tim Ferris

Think Like a Freak

Heart, Smart, Guts and Luck – Tjan and Harrington.

The Tourpreneur Daily Brief – never miss out on the tours, activities and experience companies who are making the news. Daily free email from the host of the Tourpreneur Podcast Shane Whaley.

Why Polymath built a free app to compare Booking Software Providers -with Ingrid Edstrom (10)

May 20, 2019 by Tourpreneur Leave a Comment

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Ingrid Edstrom of Polymath talks business strategy for tours and activities businesses on the Tourpreneur Podcast.

Ingrid Edstrom is the CEO and founder of Polymath, a company that offers business and strategy advice to tour operators.

On Episode 10 of the Tourpreneur, the podcast for tour operators, Ingrid reveals more about her decision to build ATLAS, a comparison tool for booking software reservation providers in the tour and activity sector.

We also ask Ingrid Edstrom what are some of the most common mistakes she sees tour operators making and how they can be avoided. Shane Whaley, the host of Tourpreneur also shares some exciting news about the Tourpreneur Podcast.

Why Polymath’s Ingrid Edstrom built a tour and activities booking reservation provider comparison tool.

With over 150 (and growing!) tour booking platform systems out there, Ingrid and her team at Polymath originally built ATLAS (App for Travel, Leisure and Activities Sales) to help them advise their clients on all the different options out there when it comes to tour and activity booking software providers.

Check out the video below from Polymath which goes into detail on how ATLAS functions.

Ingrid Edstrom also reveals:

Why she decided to build the ATLAS app and why she decided to offer it to tour operators for free.
How the Polymath team collected and collated the data for the ATLAS tool.
How feedback from ATLAS users can improve the tool for tour operators and the booking platform companies.
How tour booking reservation companies can list their service.
How the booking software companies have responded to ATLAS.
Peek, Checkfront, Godo and Wetravel were super helpful in the early stages, suggesting the list of features that ATLAS should include.
How ATLAS is helping Polymath with lead generation.
What’s next for ATLAS.
Why Polymath specializes in offering business strategy to the tours and activities industry.
Why she set up GPS – a group call for tourpreneurs, Gross Profit Strategies is a group call designed to help new tour operators to start off on the right foot.
What are some of the most common mistakes she observes tour operators making?
What apps she recommends to tour companies to improve their efficiencies.

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 10 of the Tourpreneur Podcast.

Polymath

Booking and Reservation ATLAS – free tool for tour and activity operators.

Ingrid’s Biography.

Cultural and Adventure Tour Leaders – Business Strategy Group. (Facebook Group.)

Polymath’s Group Profit Strategies – a monthly group business strategy call for tour operators.

Quickbooks

Expensify

Pex pre-paid visa card (a better way for your employees to make company purchases, especially your tour guides.)

Arival Event

The National Tour Association – The NTA.

The Tourpreneur Daily Brief – never miss out on the tours, activities and experience companies who are making the news. Daily free email from the host of the Tourpreneur Podcast Shane Whaley.

How Bulldog Tours raises millions for historic sites and delights tourists.

May 5, 2019 by Tourpreneur Leave a Comment

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How John LaVerne Built Bulldog Tours of Charleston.

Bulldog Tours Owner John LaVerne features on the Tourpreneur Podcast

On Episode 9 of Tourpreneur the podcast for tour operators, we share the story of highly successful tour business Bulldog Tours of Charleston.

Bulldog Tours John LaVerne — Tour Operator John LaVerne is passionate about being a tour guide as well as being a tourpreneur!

Tour Operator Owner John LaVerne talks with Tourpreneur Podcast Host Shane Whaley and pulls back the curtain on how he started Bulldog Tours from scratch. In this podcast interview

John LaVerne of Bulldog Tours reveals:

How an internship on a carriage tour sparked his love affair with tours.
Why he approached the Old Exchange to offer ghost tours?
How he moved his business then called John’s Tours from a part time hobby to a serious business.
Why he changed the name from John’s Tours to Bulldog Tours
How his parents reacted when he decided to leave a well paying job in the corporate world to go ‘all in’ on being a tour operator.
How his mission of preserving historic Charleston sites drives him.
Bulldog Tour has raised $3.7m for historic Charleston buildings and plans to raise even more.
More about his mentors in the early days and the importance of having a business coach.
What question his coach asked him that triggered him into action to hiring a specialist role and resulted in increased revenue.
Why CPAs are so important for tour operators.
How being a tour guide for his own company was a completely different experience.
How he dealt with his competitors showing up for his first ever tour.
How he deals with criticism and turns it into a positive.
That managing expectations with Ghost Tours can be tricky.
His first hire, tour guide Franny Russell is still working at Bulldog Tours today.
His outlook and approach to managing tour guides and staff.
How he first got the word out about his tours.
His approach to working with hotels and concierges.
How he works with OTAs
How much of his business comes from OTAs.
Advice for tour operators who want to work with OTAs based on his own experience.
How he works with AirBnB Experiences.
Confesses that early on he did not think direct bookings from his website would be a success.
How he was able to convince the Magnolia Cemetery to allow him to create and operate the Spirits of Magnolia Cemetery Tour. The cemetery have not allowed any commercial activity on their grounds in over 170 years.
How a celebrity chef encouraged him to start food tours in Charleston.
And Much More!

Links and Resources Mentioned on this Episode of Tourpreneur, the podcast for tour operators.

Bulldog Tours Official Site

The Spirits of Magnolia Cemetery Tour

Bulldog Tours Charleston Food Tours

Bulldog Tours Charleston Ghost Tours

Follow Bulldog on Social Media:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

FareHarbor Online Tour Booking Platform

Tour Operator News — The Tourpreneur Daily Brief for busy Tour Operators.

I enjoy the daily brief because it starts my day thinking about big picture topics in our industry. The brief is concise, informative, and a great tool for tour owners and operators.
John LaVerne – Bulldog Tours

How Alan Rust Left Retail and Built America Tour Company with $5k

April 22, 2019 by Tourpreneur Leave a Comment

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Alan Rust is the Chief Experience Officer of America Tour Company.

Alan Rust shares his tour operator journey on today's episode of the Tourpreneur Tour Podcast. — Alan Rust shares his tour operator journey on today’s episode of the Tourpreneur Tour Podcast.

On this episode, he reveals why he left the corporate retail world to start his own tour business. He shares with us how he has grown his tour operator business on a budget of $5k.

Shane Whaley, host of the Tourpreneur Podcast pulls back the curtain on America Tour Company and Alan shares:

Alan Rust, Chief Experience Officer at America Tour Company

The Story of America Tour Company so far….

Why he decided to become a tour operator.
The mission of his tour business.
How he had to pivot because of livery regulations in Nebraska.
How this red tape led to him creating and developing a new partnership with a limo company.
Why he allows guests to pick the times of their tours with America Tour Company.
Why he decided to acquire a history tour operator just 6 months in.
Why some restaurants refused to work America Tour Company
Shane shares some sales ideas on how to counter the main objections.
That 44% of America Tour Company’s business is corporate.
How he works with OTAs and which ones are most profitable for him.
Why he decided to work with Airbnb Experiences in Nebraska.
The differences between working in corporate retail and as a tour operator.
How did Alan Rust market his tours when starting out?
Why Google Ads and SEO were so important.
Why America Tour Company launched self guided tours.
Why he uses Bookeo for his online booking platform.
When searching for an online booking platform what his top 3 must have features and capabilities were.
How he achieves work/life balance
Books, podcast and apps that help him be efficient in his business and to achieve growth.
And Much More!

Podcast Episodes

Who is TourRadar

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 15 of the Tourpreneur Podcast with TourRadar.

Who and What are America Outdoors?

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 14 of the Tourpreneur Podcast.

How a former comedian uses improv to train tour guides.

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 12 of the Tourpreneur Podcast with The Tour Boost.

The Fitz & Follwell Story, how two friends started and grew a successful bike tour company.

How to start a bike tour business and the lessons we learned growing it.

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 11 of the Tourpreneur Podcast with Fitz & Follwell.

Recommended Books for Tour Operators – Shea and Diego’s picks.

Ingrid Edstrom of Polymath talks business strategy for tours and activities businesses on the Tourpreneur Podcast.

Why Polymath’s Ingrid Edstrom built a tour and activities booking reservation provider comparison tool.

Resources and websites mentioned on Episode 10 of the Tourpreneur Podcast.

How John LaVerne Built Bulldog Tours of Charleston.

John LaVerne of Bulldog Tours reveals:

Links and Resources Mentioned on this Episode of Tourpreneur, the podcast for tour operators.

The Story of America Tour Company so far….

Links and resources mentioned on this episode of the Tourpreneur Podcast.