Achieving 52-week revenue generation across seasons

Communications

In all tourism business communications, it is useful to consider the equation INPUT = OUTCOME; meaning that what we say and do can have a direct impact on how our businesses and destinations are perceived. To encourage year-round revenue generation, it is thereby really important that tourism businesses and destinations emphasise the merits of visiting year-round.

In all tourism business communications, it is useful to consider the equation INPUT = OUTCOME; meaning that what we say and do can have a direct impact on how our businesses and destinations are perceived. To encourage year-round revenue generation, it is thereby really important that tourism businesses and destinations emphasise the merits of visiting year-round.

Let’s address how this can be done through communications via the following topics:

Let’s celebrate the weather!

• Throughout the island of Ireland, hardly a single conversation occurs without some mention of the temperature, the wind, the clouds or the rain. In fact, talking about weather is an inherent part of our culture.
  
  However, when selling tourism experiences, businesses need to take great care when choosing language regarding the weather. Imagine if our customers constantly hear us complaining or apologising for a cloudy day, a dark winter or the rain? Even if such remarks are made with due care for the customer, this approach can be off putting and have a negative impact on bookings across seasons.
  
  The reality is that Ireland has a changeable climate and this climate plays an essential role in the immense beauty of the island from the green landscape to a rich biodiversity with many varieties of indigenous plants, birds and wildlife. When we choose to highlight the benefits of weather and its impact in this way, we can positively influence customer perceptions and encourage year-round bookings.
  
  During the Covid-19 period, many people from the domestic market have been sharing their experiences online of braving an outdoor swim through all kinds of weathers. Many of these communications have been presented in a positive and fun light that encourage others to try the same experience. This is exactly what is meant by INPUT=OUTCOME.
  
  It should also be noted that many visitors from the international markets come to Ireland for the fresh air and to see green. In fact, some international visitors rarely see rain and delight in the fact that you can simply breathe in Ireland and that this intriguing western island can have four seasons in one day. As tourism businesses we therefore need to see our destinations from this perspective and encourage a celebration of our weather and destination through imagery and text in offline and online communications.
  
  To do this, it is important for tourism businesses to prepare communications that are weather ready by firstly placing an emphasis on the compelling reasons to engage with your business irrespective of weather and secondly creating factual communications regarding instructions to address requirements for diverse weathers for example by:
  
  
• creating a diverse list of compelling things to see and do in your destination for all occasions and weathers
• providing a factual (rather than an apologetic) list of recommended clothing to engage in outdoor experiences across diverse weathers and seasons
• providing practical and factual solutions for alternative plans in the case of severely inclement weather, particularly for outdoor experiences
• avoiding the prominent placement of a weather widget on tourism business websites, particularly for outdoor visitor experiences.

The key message that your business and destination is open and ready to welcome customers during all periods must be heard.

Let’s talk seasons!

Keeping the INPUT=OUTCOME equation in mind, a tourism business can have a strong impact on achieving year-round business by emphasising the merits of visiting across seasons in its communications.

To clarify what your tourism business would like to communicate on this topic:

• write a succinct, bullet point list of the diverse services that your business offers throughout each month or season of the year
• note events, festivals and experiences that happen in your destination each month or season of the year
• note what you, your friends, or your colleagues enjoy doing across seasons using the following for inspiration
  • summer: a sunset mountain hike
  • spring: a morning swim in a nearby lake
  • autumn: hand picking mussels from the bay
  • winter: sitting by an open fire with a cup of tea or an Irish coffee or a brisk mountain walk

Once your list is completed, think about how you can raise awareness of these compelling, seasonal experiences through offline and online communications.

The following example shows how a fictional business called Bunbury Gardens has created a list that highlights the key reasons for visiting across seasons. In so doing, this business:

• showcases the estate highlights to customers across seasons and
• gives the customer compelling reasons to visit and return.

To encourage bookings year-round, a tourism business should strongly think about presenting things to do across seasons from a LOCAL perspective.

When domestic and global travellers visit, they are looking to intimately explore destinations and to know what the best things to do and see are through shared insights from someone living locally.

Presenting things to do from a local perspective means looking at your business, lifestyle and destination to understand what might be everyday to you, but extraordinary to a visitor that has never visited your business or destination.

Think about what makes your business, or destination special

• Is there a particular view you love?
• A particular tradition that is special to you and your destination?
• A particular food that is indigenous to your destination?
• A place you love to visit?
• A place where you, your friends and family like to eat out?
• A place that locals love, but is not widely known?

These are the gems that visitors want to hear about. Therefore, through your tourism business’ communications use what you know as a local to celebrate your offering and destination by sharing intriguing local insights that encourage customers to travel year-round.

In all communications, let customers know that you are open and available to welcome them. Some tips for effectively doing this are as follows

1. Update offline and online communications with your opening hours

• Make a note of where communications regarding your opening hours exist (e.g. on your own website, local tourist office website, travel buyers’ brochures etc.)
• Do an annual check of all noted listings to ensure that the information is correct and updated
• As many customers now use Google Business Listings, please ensure that your business has claimed its Google Business listing and that your opening hours are correctly updated

2. Raise Awareness through Partnerships

• Make sure to collaborate with local businesses and other partners such as tourist offices to ensure that the message that your destination is open and ready to welcome customers year-round is clearly understood.
• If you are a business such as a visitor attraction, activity provider, festival or event, make sure that other partners such as local accommodation providers are aware of when your services are available so that they can recommend them to their customers
• If you are a business that is in a position to refer local partners, ensure that you are aware of when local services and experiences are open and available so that you can refer these to your customers

3. Keep Current through Communications

• Ensure that the marketplace is aware that you are open for example by presenting positive, live experiences that show engagement by your team and your customers (with their permission) for example via social media.
• Think about showcasing your chef sharing a recipe in the kitchen. Or the housekeeper sharing tips on how to make the perfect bed. Or an adventure showing inside a beautiful cave while kayaking…