There are a variety of factors to consider when categorising tourists such as nationality(opens in a new tab), age(opens in a new tab), gender(opens in a new tab). But what if your target audience covers numerous nationalities and generations, what categorisation can we use that unites them all? Behaviour types. We’ve all travelled with friends and seen a different side to them, your travel behaviour can often be different from how you act in the day-to-day. Knowing which tourist types to cater to can help you change the format of your tours to embrace your niche and ultimately sell more. Here are 5 types of tourist, how they behave, and our guide on how to win them over.
Tourists on a Budget
The majority of travellers know what it’s like to travel on a shoestring budget, long overnight buses with next to no legroom and a night in a 12-bed dorm. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that all budget backpackers are students or under the age of 25. As well as those who in general have a restricted budget, consider tourists visiting numerous countries in one trip, they almost always have much tighter purse strings.
Offering out-of-season discounts can be irresistible to the bargain-hunting travellers out there. They aren’t dissuaded by the idea of a destination in the low season, on the contrary, it means fewer crowds and a more authentic experience. Early bird discounts are another way to attract cash-strapped adventurers, they are happy to book in advance as long as they get the deal. It’s also a great way to combat cash flow struggles in the downtime.
Off-The-Beaten-Track Tourists
Although seeing the sights is still high up on most travellers’ lists, travelling today is more than just seeing a place from an outsider’s perspective. Travellers want authentic experiences, they want to go home and tell their friends about an experience that no one else has had. And this group, more than any other, wants something that stands out from the crowd.
To win over the off-the-beaten-track travellers, you need to think outside the box, create an innovative tour that will catch their roving eyes. Take Loop Tours(opens in a new tab), for example, cargo e-bike tours that take you to sights away from the tourist attractions, like their Science of Happiness(opens in a new tab) tour in Copenhagen. The emphasis on travellers taking home memories they won’t forget is a great selling point for those looking to take the path less travelled. Select South West Tours(opens in a new tab) in the UK is another great example of innovation. They offer genealogy tours(opens in a new tab) to travellers looking to learn more about their heritage and forgotten family history. Giving your tour the personal touch offers tourists a unique and memorable experience and gives you the edge on your competitors.
The Thrill-Seekers
In 2018, adventure tourism was valued at US $586.3 billion(opens in a new tab), one of the fastest-growing markets within tourism, and the thrill-seekers are the crème de la crème of this segment. Although this group is looking for an adrenaline rush, they also want an experienced tour guide who they can trust and they are willing to pay big bucks. To prove your company’s trustworthiness and respectability, clearly highlight any awards or certifications you have on your website’s homepage. When considering the thrill-seekers, there’s a fine line to tread between their desire for an experienced guide and their romantic idea of feeling that they are exploring a place by themselves. Consider this when training your guides, because if you get that combination just right, you’ll be onto a winner.
Not only do they want a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but they also want physical exertion. Make sure to clearly state the difficulty level on your tour page, and for the more experienced guests, raise the stakes and make the tour more challenging. Get in contact with your guests before the tour to find out about their interests and why they chose that specific tour. This allows you to customise the itinerary to their needs and give it that precious personal touch which will help you stand out from your competitors.
The Culture Vultures
This group wants guides who are experts in their field, who they can trust to give an informed and accurate answer to their questions. Insight Cities in Central Europe boasts an array of local historian guides, the majority of whom have MA and PhD-level degrees. If you’re looking to instil trust in your guests, what better way to do it than that.
Like the off-the-beaten-track tourists, this group wants to have a unique experience and see the city from a local’s point of view. Maybe they have travelled to your country to learn about a specific period of history, cultural movement, or their favourite artist. Keep in mind that they usually want to be in a small group to easily ask any burning questions. This is another situation where the personal touch takes you that extra mile, find out their interest before the tour and customise the itinerary to give them a tailor-made experience.
The Solo Traveller
The solo traveller has quite a few subcategories(opens in a new tab) of its own, whether they are embarking on their first trip or they are a well-travelled nomad, there are a few points which you can improve on to help you entice them with your tours. Trust and safety are important factors to the solo traveller. More often than not, they will choose a well-regarded tour operator for their trip, and one which they can find through a quick Google search. To make sure your website appears on that Google search, you need to prioritise SEO(opens in a new tab). Both keywords and backlinking are a great way to increase your site’s authority and appear higher up in Google rankings. If you need some guidance in this area, let us know(opens in a new tab), the Tiger Care team is always happy to dish out some of their valuable suggestions. Get in touch(opens in a new tab) or keep an eye out for their soon-to-be-released extra services, aimed specifically at link profiling and keyword tracking to achieve higher rankings.
They will want to have a clear itinerary and know exactly what they are getting for their money. This means not only do you need a clear structure(opens in a new tab) on your website to display all tour information but if you have the means, you should also send over a welcome package or even a quick email introducing yourself and asking about any concerns they may have. Although it will mean a little extra effort on your part, their positive online reviews(opens in a new tab) and word of mouth recommendations are invaluable to your business.
There is an abundance of resources on different types of tourists that we haven’t spoken about today, and you could research endlessly about how age, gender, and other factors affect travel behaviour. The long and short of it is, don’t try and win everyone over, find your niche and try to be the best in that area. You can’t make everyone happy, but choose one group and with a little research and guidance, you can create offers that they can’t resist.
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