Expedia is Putting Serious Focus on Tours and Activities. Are You Ready?

Posted by Peter Hilliard on May 27th, 2016

Expedia is Putting Serious Focus on Tours and Activities. Are You Ready?

Expedia is a leader in its industry, boasting exposure in more than 70 countries around the world and over 90 million visitors to its website every month. But for some time – although other Online Travel Agents (OTAs) focused their efforts on promoting and selling tours – Expedia devoted its attention to flights and hotels, putting tours on the backburner.

Now Expedia is changing the game, making large-scale investments in selling tours and enhancing the experience for customers. Are you ready to capitalize on these changes?

What Changes is Expedia Making for Tours and Activities?

Expedia has been promoting tours for over 15 years, though their main focus has always been on airfare and hotels. In 2012, Expedia shifted its attention. It introduced Local Expert Hub, which drew together elements including Local Expert and the Travel Agents Affiliate Program (TAAP).

Expedia is now upping the ante to promote and sell tours by:

1.       Undertaking an Extensive Advertising Campaign

Late in 2015, Expedia spent an estimated $6.4 million on national TV advertisements in the US to showcase the 11,000+ tours users can book through its mobile app.  The 15-second “Bucket List” ad ran 5,874 times between September and October 2015 on major outlets including ABC, ESPN, and Comedy Central.

In the ad, an elderly man climbs the steps of Cambodia’s Angor Wat – a look of satisfaction spreading across his face when he gets to the top. At the beginning of the ad, he glances at his smartphone, which shows an offer for “Afternoon Tour at Angkor Wat.”

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2.       Encouraging Real-Time Reviews from Customers

After finishing their tour, customers immediately receive an email from Expedia asking for feedback. Expedia wants to capture travelers’ thoughts while the experiences are still fresh in their minds. They’ve also taken steps to make reviews more interactive and engaging with smiling and frowning emoticons.

Once Expedia gets a review, it can share that information with tour operators to help them make effective changes based on actual customer feedback. It uses a similar real-time feedback form for people booking hotels.

3.       Letting Customers Book Tours through Its Mobile App

In 2015, Expedia transitioned its activities and tours onto its mobile app – letting travelers from across the world use their handheld devices to book tours anywhere, anytime.

Expedia’s goal is to make their app more engaging by increasing its relevancy before, during, and after the customer’s travel experience. The app will make recommendations for travellers while they’re booking their vacations and use alerts to update them while they’re travelling.

How Can Tour Operators Prepare for These Changes?

Expedia’s focus on tours and activities is excellent news for tour operators around the world looking to expand their reach and attract new customers.

To capture Expedia’s attention, make sure you:

  • Know Your Value: Instead of engaging in price wars with your competitors, highlight the added-value perks customers will enjoy during your tour.
  • Create Compelling Content: Make it easy for Expedia to build a profile about your company and tour by supplying dynamic descriptions and vibrant photos that will attract travellers’ attention.
  • Use an Easy Booking Form: Choose easy-to-use booking software to ensure real-time integration – giving Expedia accurate information about tour capacity – and avoid overbooking.

Having the right booking system is a key piece of the puzzle, streamlining and simplifying the ticket-selling process for you, your partners, and your customers to help you grow your business.

DataTrax booking solutions are designed by tour operators for tour operators. We provide automated booking technologies to customers across the world, making it easier to run and grow their businesses. Contact us to learn more about our products and services.

Start your free demo today to see DataTrax’s advanced booking software in action!

Peter Hilliard

About Peter Hilliard

Peter Hilliard is the Founder, President, and CEO of DataTrax. He began his career as a tour bus operator with a single bus, until he realized that a better solution was needed for automating and tracking ticket sales. Led by Peter’s expertise in the tour industry and ticketing automation technologies, DataTrax has grown over the past 20+ years into an international leader in ticketing solutions.