With recovery well underway in many regions, people are starting to think about travel, tours and activities once again. 72% of travelers are already looking forward to returning to pre-pandemic rates of travel and some governments are finally able to consider how to stimulate tourism as things get back to normal.
Early indicators are looking great for activity and experience providers, which makes this the perfect time to get ready to start taking bookings again. Here are a few steps you can take to make sure you’re prepared for the moment guests are confident enough to start making plans.
1. Refresh your inventory
The activities landscape looks a little different in 2021, and you might need to update your inventory to match. Are you planning to take smaller groups this year to accommodate distancing (or new consumer preferences)? Has your staffing changed, and with it your capacity? Do you need to adjust your pricing for guests who are spending precious stimulus dollars, or are you expecting to serve a clientele with a year’s worth of travel savings to burn?
Aside from pricing and availability changes, now’s also a great time to update your photos and tour descriptions. Travelers have been dreaming of their big plans for the past year–make sure to wow them now that it’s finally time to act on those dreams.
2. Update your users
Many of us have gone through some staffing changes over the past year. To keep your data secure, go through your list of user accounts and deactivate any that aren’t going to be needed this year. And if you’re hiring, great! As part of your onboarding, make sure new staff members get their own user accounts. Shared passwords and accounts are a common source of data breaches.
Speaking of passwords, how is your company’s security policy? Is there room for improvement this year?
3. Toss out old promotions
If you have a few minutes, go through your Rules list. You can safely delete any old promo codes that you aren’t planning to use again–no sense offering accidental discounts. You may also want to check that your availability and pricing rules still make sense for your business.
When in doubt, deactivate, don’t delete. Deactivated rules can always be reactivated in a hurry if needed.
4. Consider cancellations
Whatever happens, the next few seasons are going to require some flexibility. To be as ready as possible, it’s time to think about how you’ll handle cancellations. Last year, a lot of businesses were caught unprepared. This year, be ready with a policy that protects you and your customers. Offering refund protection is another way you can offer your customers the confidence they need to book while protecting your own bottom line.
Whether you’re dealing with cancellations or helping customers plan ahead, gift cards can also help. Rezgo has recently added support for additional gift card customization, so you can use your gift cards to show off your brand’s best side.
5. Take care of the details
When the bookings start coming in, you don’t want to be held back by any oversights. Here are a few things you should look over:
- Check that your merchant account is in good standing with your payment provider.
- Ensure that your payment gateway is still connected properly to your Rezgo account.
- Confirm that your billing details are up to date.
- Make sure your booking website is enabled and ready for booking.
The future is starting to look a lot brighter for tourism companies that have been able to weather this past year. By positioning yourself to take advantage of the pent-up demand for excitement now, you’ll be ready the moment your customers are too. And of course, we here at Rezgo will be with you every step of the way, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any help getting back to business.
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Written By | Nissa Campbell
