Tourism and the web

Where once high-tech meant having a fax machine and marketing equalled print, there has been a complete sea-change in ideas and practices. Now, most tourist operators – from B and Bs upwards – have a web site and are well used on a daily basis to handling email enquiries and online bookings. In fact, some establishments are reporting that up to 80 per cent of their bookings now come via the web rather than more traditional means. And even those tourist businesses that don’t have their own dedicated web site are making use of the web as a sales channel by listing on a directory or portal-type site.

 

Tourism is now, in fact, the biggest category of products and services sold over the internet, with the proportion of transactions growing all the time.

 

As discussed in our Key Industries and Broadband section, knowing the flip side of the relationship, how web users search and find tourism businesses online is as crucial as understanding the web marketing proposition.

 

In "The Art of War", the ancient Chinese general, Sun Tzu wrote, "If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."

 

The teachings of the celebrated warrior still hold true today and are now held up in many quarters as a rule book for business. In tourism - or any other business, for that matter - the customer is the most important person. Knowing what customers want and realising their tastes and lifestyles are constantly changing is core to understanding the marketplace.

 

While we may not wish to see tourism operators and their clientele as adversaries, the underlying philosophy of battle remains true: the need for reconnaissance and intelligence on weaknesses, strengths and business opportunities before joining battle.

 

So where do potential customers hang out? What can we learn by following their tracks across the web?

 

Firstly, bear in mind today’s tourist is probably more informed than at any time in the past. With the greatest library at their fingertips; the internet, hours can be spent in planning and researching a trip down to the last detail. Previously, obtaining such information would be prohibitively time-consuming, expensive and not as up to date.

 

It is therefore vital to adopt a marketing strategy that is neither too scatter-gun nor too refined. Think context rather than “B & B in Auchen-somewhere”, for example. Why do people come to Auchen-somewhere on holiday? Is it for hill-walking, the peace and quiet, or loch fishing? Or is it handy for business meetings or the airport?

 

It may well pay to target these particular markets in keywords or by online advertising, especially if this is likely to lengthen the season or even provide year round business.

 

Like-minded people tend to congregate at destination sites and in themed forums, so don your deerstalker and track them online. Discover what sites repeatedly turn up at the top of search results and which appear to be busiest and most closely matched to your business interests. Buying online advertising at these places may be cheaper than you expect.

 

Consider, too, taking online bookings. Many tourist accommodation sites will do this for you when you take out a listing. This will enable experimentation at a fraction of the cost of setting up your own system and, in addition, lever the traffic generated by the site. Hooking up with this type of tourist portal is worthwhile even if you have a site of your own as a listing buys access to extra eyeballs and widens your online profile.

 

It almost goes without saying that where any online activity is concerned, regular checking of your email inbox has to occur. Not only that, there has to be a swift response to any email enquiries. Assign the email as a task to be performed regularly, and ensure that ‘ownership’ is clearly defined to a particular person at any given time of the day. Put a system in place to guarantee that emails get a timely response and bookings are processed efficiently. Without systems in place to do this, business will simply be lost.

 

While the internet potentially gives tourism businesses exposure to a worldwide audience of millions, it also means being a small fish in a gigantic pond. If there are thousand of other businesses to choose from, a web user won’t wait endlessly for a reply. Being up to speed with the technology and expectations is fundamental if you wish to succeed.