You made it! What to do now the peak season is over?

You made it! If you are a tourism operator what has just experienced the Christmas/New Year and School Holiday peak season, we hope it was wildly successful for you! Now you should have a chance to take a breath and it is a good time to take a deep dive into your business and how the season went for your business, in all aspects.

After the peak season, tour operators should take the following steps to prepare for the off-season and ensure the continued success of their business:

1. Evaluate the peak season: Analyse the peak season's performance, including customer feedback, sales, and expenses, to identify areas for improvement. If you have a booking system, this is a good time to pull reports including lead times, distribution mix (to identify high performing channels), materialisation rate (how full was each departure against your maximum capacity) and yields.

2. Review and update your offerings: Based on the evaluation of the peak season, make updates to your tour offerings and pricing as needed to attract customers during the off-season. Was one departure out performing others? Do you need another vehicle? Is there an opportunity for product development?

3. Create a marketing strategy: Develop a marketing plan to promote your tours during the off-season, including targeted advertising, social media campaigns, and email marketing. If you are unsure on how to do this, sign up to our soon-to-be-released "Tourism Marketing Strategy" course that will guide you through the process.

4. Offer special deals and promotions: Offer special deals and promotions to encourage customers to book during the off-season. Start planning for the low.

5. Maintenance and upgrades: Use the off-season as an opportunity to perform maintenance and upgrades on your vehicles, equipment, and infrastructure.

6. Plan for the future: Use the off-season to plan for future peak seasons, including researching new destinations, updating your website, and securing partnerships with other businesses in the industry.

By taking these steps, you can prepare for the off-season, maintain your momentum, and ensure that your business is ready for the next peak season. Though most importantly, if you can, take a break! Go and have some well earned rest as a rested mind will help you prepare for the next year with a new and invigorated perspective.