The travel industry is set to rebound in the U.S. this summer. According to an article from The New York Times, Americans are booking summer vacations in national parks and other vacation destinations.
If you have an entrepreneurial mindset (and have a heart for adventure), this possible resurgence in domestic tourism may be an opportunity for you to open up an adventure travel company, cater to these local tourists or travelers, and achieve some success.
Interested in pursuing this business venture? Here are a few suggestions to help you get started on the right foot:
Define Your Traveling Niche
If you’re planning on becoming an adventure tour operator, you should have a good grasp of the nature of the business. Many want to start a travel company simply because they love to travel to various destinations or like being outdoors. If you’re going to start an adventure business, you should be aware of the difference between loving the outdoors and guiding the tourists who love the outdoors.
An effective way to transition from a travel junkie to a travel operator is to search for a niche that you’d love to pursue. Your passion for this niche will encourage you to create an exciting tour program for your customers.
Know Your Adventure Travel Services Inside and Out
You need to have a solid understanding of the travel services you’re going to offer to your target market. If your main goal, for example, is to satisfy people’s thirst for fun, off-road action, establish an off-road adventure business.
Once you know the service you want to offer, give it a test run. Going back to the off-road adventure example, buy an all-terrain vehicle from a reliable ATV dealer and traverse a specific and public off-road path. You could also run a trip with a trusted friend or family member. Based on the feedback you receive along with your experience, develop a custom adventure trip that adrenaline junkies will surely love.
Seek Advice from Leaders in the Adventure Travel Industry
If you’re going to start a travel business of your own, get valuable advice from adventure travel operators who have achieved success in the industry. Sit down with them at lunch and ask how they honed their craft, what skills they learned along the way, and how they marketed their business to their target market. Getting valuable information from industry leaders will help you avoid pitfalls that may cause your company to lose customers and flop.
Listen to the Interests of Your Potential Customers
You could also check with prospective customers for possible adventure travel ideas. After all, they’ll be the ones signing up for your service. When figuring out the interests of your potential customers, conduct a short survey. A few of the questions you could ask are:
- What kinds of travel services do you want?
- What locations do you want to explore?
- What do you expect to get from this trip?
These four ideas will help you set up an adventure tourism business. By becoming an adventure tour operator, you could share your love of travel and help the domestic tourism industry bounce back from the global crisis.