The Best Part of Travel | Inside the Business of Destination Experiences

In this episode, Martin Harlow discusses the importance of having a distribution strategy and online travel agencies (OTAs) for tour and activity operators and attractions. He emphasizes the need for a basic strategy to get products to market and highlights that OTAs are often the first point of contact for consumers during the research phase. Martin explains that the choice of OTAs should be based on the target audience and the specific niche of the product. Martin provides insights on how to choose and work with OTAs, including the importance of connectivity, representation, and interaction with the OTA. In this conversation, Janelle Visser and Martin discuss various distribution channels for operators beyond OTAs. They highlight the importance of attending industry events and trade shows to network with account managers and potential partners. They also emphasize the value of face-to-face communication and building relationships with OTAs. The conversation explores the challenges of working with OTAs, such as maintaining multiple channels and ensuring accurate and consistent information. Finally, they address the issue of competing with OTAs for search terms and suggest strategies for handling this challenge.

Key Takeaways:

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Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Summary

In this conversation, Janelle and Stephen discuss the importance of LGBTQ+ travelers. They explore the meaning of LGBTQ+ and its variations, as well as the significant economic value of LGBTQ+ travel. The guests, Glenn Tkach and Rebecca Fisher, share their experiences in designing and leading LGBTQ+ history tours in Vancouver and Philadelphia, respectively. They discuss the challenges of uncovering and presenting LGBTQ+ history, as well as the impact of their tours on different audiences. The conversation also touches on the age demographics of LGBTQ+ travelers and the importance of authenticity and storytelling in engaging with this audience. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the need for tour operators to prioritize inclusivity and representation to attract and cater to LGBTQ+ travelers.

Key Takeaways:

You can find out more about and connect with the speakers here:

You can find out more about the research that we mention in the episode here:

Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Summary

In this conversation, Christian Watts from Magpie Travel discusses the impact of AI on tours, activities, and attractions. The discussion covers the use of AI in rewriting content, customer service, and personalized trip planning. The conversation also delves into the challenges and opportunities of using AI, as well as the tools and technologies being used in this sector. The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to AI in tourism, including the impact of AI on human interaction, the use of AI in tour operations, the ethical considerations of AI-generated content, and the potential implications for consumer trust. The discussion also delves into the practical applications of AI in the tourism industry, such as customer service, content generation, and storytelling. Additionally, the conversation explores the role of AI in responding to reviews and the importance of maintaining brand credibility in the age of AI-generated content.

Key Takeaways:

You can find out more about and connect with the speakers here:

You can find out more about the research that we mention in the episode here:

Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you are not an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arival Insider Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, consider joining to get access to all of the Arival research and don't forget to join us at one of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our upcoming events⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Summary

Janelle and Stephen speak with Kelsey Tonner from Guest Focus about corporate sales and how tour businesses can tap into the corporate market. He shares his background in the industry and how he transitioned to focusing on tour business coaching. Kelsey emphasizes the advantages of corporate sales, such as regular and repeat business, premium pricing opportunities, streamlined planning process, and diversification of revenue streams. He advises tour operators to niche down and create a distinct corporate offer with upsells or experience enhancers. Kelsey also suggests conducting a guest deep dive and using AI tools to brainstorm ideas for corporate upsells. The conversation explores the benefits of offering corporate tours and experiences. We discuss the importance of negotiation in sales and the ability to customize offers to meet the needs of corporate clients. We also discuss the importance of understanding the specific needs and pain points of different corporate niches and tailoring offers accordingly.

Key Takeaways:

You can find out more about and connect with the speakers here:

You can find out more about the research that we mention in the episode here:

Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you are not an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arival Insider Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, consider joining to get access to all of the Arival research and don't forget to join us at one of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our upcoming events⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Summary

Tom McGarry, Head of New Business at Holiday Extras, discusses his journey in the travel industry and the company's focus on business development and ticketing. He explains how the company is leveraging customer data to offer personalized recommendations for things to do while traveling. The conversation also delves into the company's culture and the efforts made to create a collaborative and flexible work environment. The impact of COVID-19 on the company's community and culture is explored, as well as the changes in consumer behavior, such as the shift to online chat for inquiries and bookings. Holiday Extras has seen a shift from phone calls to chat session, with roughly 80% of of customer interactions now made through chat. Flexibility in bookings, such as the ability to change or cancel without penalty, has become paramount. Holiday Extras is working on making all of their products flexible and easy to change. They have developed a system to amend bookings even for partners that don't support API connections, ensuring a seamless customer experience. Holiday Extras has also utilized AI to improve the customer experience, including creating an AI tool for theater bookings and a tool for insurance policy understanding.

Key Takeaways:

You can find out more about and connect with the speakers here:

You can find out more about the research that we mention in the episode here:

Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you are not an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arival Insider Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, consider joining to get access to all of the Arival research and don't forget to join us at one of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our upcoming events⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Summary

In this episode, Stephen and Janelle discuss the hot topics panel from the Arival 360 Berlin event. They focus on the issue of access to attraction tickets for tour operators and the challenges they face in getting enough tickets to fulfill demand. They also explore the concept of concentrated tourism and the need to shift demand away from popular attractions to lesser-known, off-the-beaten-path experiences. The conversation highlights the importance of destinations, OTAs, and operators working together to create unique and interesting products that offer a more diverse and enjoyable travel experience for tourists.

Key Takeaways:

You can find out more about and connect with the speakers here:

You can find out more about the research that we mention in the episode here:

Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you are not an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arival Insider Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, consider joining to get access to all of the Arival research and don't forget to join us at one of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our upcoming events⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Summary

In this episode of The Voice of Experiences, Stephen Joyce and Janelle Visser discuss the Lunch and Learn interview with Johannes Reck, CEO of Get Your Guide. They highlight the unique format of the interview and the relaxed and conversational vibe it created. Johannes shares the founding story of Get Your Guide, which started as a student trip to Beijing and the frustration of not finding activities online. This led to the creation of Get Your Guide, initially as a peer-to-peer tour guide marketplace. They later pivoted to the Get Your Guide platform we know today. Johannes also discusses the challenges and complexities of the experiences industry and the importance of harnessing technology to serve the diverse needs of travelers. The conversation also touches on the balance between being a CEO and a parent, and the long-term vision for Get Your Guide.

Key Takeaways:

You can find out more about and connect with Johannes here:

You can find out more about the research that we mention in the episode here:

Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you are not an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arival Insider Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, consider joining to get access to all of the Arival research and don't forget to join us at one of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our upcoming events⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

In this episode of The Voice of Experiences podcast, Stephen Joyce and Janelle Visser discuss the topic of AI in the travel industry. They review an interview with Emmanuel Marot, the Director of Product Management at Google, and explore the role of AI in trip planning and personalized recommendations. They also discuss the challenges of ranking and organizing information in the fragmented world of tours and activities. Overall, the conversation highlights the potential of AI to enhance the travel experience and provide more relevant and personalized recommendations. During the conversation, the speakers discussed the use of Gemini, Google's AI-powered search tool, for trip planning. They explored how Gemini makes decisions and recommendations, including the use of structured and unstructured data. They also discussed the role of personalization and the future of search and trip planning tools. The speakers addressed the question of whether sponsored results are factored into Gemini and the potential for payment as a ranking factor. They also touched on the challenges of confabulation and hallucinations in AI models.

Key Takeaways:

You can find out more about and connect with Emmanuel here:

You can find out more about the research that we mention in the episode here:

Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Anna Araque shares her journey from a background in hospitality and tour operations to creating immersive experiences. She discusses her time working at The Shard and her transition to consulting. Anna also talks about the impact of COVID-19 on the travel industry and the future of travel experiences. Imagine Experiences creates immersive and interactive tours and activities that allow people to step into the world of their favorite movies and stories. They aim to revamp the tourism offering by providing unique and engaging experiences that go beyond traditional sightseeing. The inspiration for their experiences comes from a love of James Bond and other iconic characters. Imagine Experiences has weathered the challenges of the pandemic and is now focused on building new products and expanding to new locations. Their goal is to create experiences that become the best part of people's lives, offering purpose and connection with people.

You can find out more about and connect with Ana here:

You can find out more about the research that we mention in the episode here:

Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you are not an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arival Insider Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, consider joining to get access to all of the Arival research and don't forget to join us at one of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our upcoming events⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

In this conversation, Catherine Warrilow discusses her journey into tourism, travel, and brand strategy. She emphasizes the importance of targeting a specific demographic and differentiating small operators in a competitive landscape. Catherine also highlights the significance of consistency in brand messaging and building brand recognition for small operators. She shares insights on measuring success and conversions in the experiences space. Finally, Catherine explores the concept of building a community and nurturing relationships with customers.

Takeaways

You can find out more about and connect with Catherine here:

You can find out more about the research that we mention in the episode here:

Connect with the hosts of The Voice of Experiences, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stephen Joyce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janelle Visser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you are not an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arival Insider Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, consider joining to get access to all of the Arival research and don't forget to join us at one of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our upcoming events⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!