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Ep. 154 — Creating a Community of Bike Tour Operators with Fat Tire Bike Tour

July 14, 2021

On Today’s Tourpreneur Podcast – an OTA just for bike tours?

Host Shane Whaley is joined by Fat Tire Tours and bike tour business owner Emilie to discuss Fat Tire Tours’ initiative to create a community and booking platform for bike tour operators worldwide.

Our guests reveal what inspired the company to start the project and share what they learned about the bike tour industry during COVID-19.

They highlight Fat Tire Tours’ strategies for helping bike tour operators grow within the community.

They describe the company’s history and explain how they plan to market bike tours globally. They also discuss the core pillars of their project and underscore the importance of collaboration over competition.

Our guests are grilled by Bike Tour Operator and regular contributor to Tourpreneur., Emilie Pelletier.

“Bike tour operators live with the same problems, difficulties, and success. It’s good to have help from one another.“

Emilie Pelletier – Quebec Fat Bike

This week on Tourpreneur, the Tour Operator Podcast:

  • What Fat Tire Tours is and the services they provide
  • Fat Tire Tours initiative to create a community of bike tour operators around the world
  • Their selection process for bike tour operators who want to join their platform
  • Brand association, shared dividend pool, and other benefits bike tour operators can gain by joining Fat Tire Tours’s initiative
  • How Fat Tire Tours plans to facilitate their project’s communal aspect
  • The importance of cultivating a community in the bike tour industry
  • Their strategy for marketing bike tours worldwide
  • How Fat Tire Tours’s payments to bike tour operators work
  • Standard cut-off policies and how long it takes to set up an account with the platform

More about today’s guests…

Marketing Expert Sadie Sumner

Sadie Sumner is the Director of Project Management at Fat Tire Tours. She joined the company in 2008 as a tour guide following her graduation from Messiah College with a bachelor’s degree in Politics/French. Today, Sadie manages all operations and contributes to senior management across all locations.

Preston Planchy

Preston Plachy is the Director of European Operations at Fat Tire Tours. He graduated with a degree in Communication Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and joined the company in 2012. Before joining Fat Tire Tours as a guide in 2012. 

Emilie Pelletier

Emilie Pelletier is a certified Quebec tourist guide and founder of Quebec Fat Bike. She is a young entrepreneur who began her career in Quebec’s bicycle tourism industry with Cyclo Services. A passionate creator of cycling experiences, Emilie has been facilitating unique and authentic cycling activities in the Quebec City region since December 2020.

Resources Mentioned