If you live in a large metropolitan area, you have probably come across large crowds being shown around the city by a tour guide. Walking tours are a staple in the tourism industry. It gives travelers a chance to explore large cities. In recent years, we have seen a new model termed as “free tours” where customers aren’t technically charged for being guided around. Ideally, these customers are given the choice to decide what the tour guide is worth. You could say this business model isn’t technically free but voluntary. Many walking tour companies in Maitland and the world over have embraced this concept and have quite a lot of good vibes about it. If you are open to trying this innovative idea, you might find these few tips useful to you.
1. Offer Translational Services
Maitland walking tours are often bombarded with all manner of customers. The new traveler is highly adventurous and doesn’t mind crossing the planet for some fun and thrill. As a result, you will handle people of different languages hoping to use your services. This means translation is crucial if you are to be successful in your craft. Don’t worry, you won’t have to master all the languages of the world or understand every word of every language, but the basics will suffice. Start with the common languages such as Spanish, German, French, and Latino, building your portfolio as you go along.
2. Hire Professional And Friendly Tour Guides
This one is a cliché but surprisingly, many walking tour companies haven’t quite grasped its magnitude yet. A team of professional and friendly staff makes a huge difference if you want to offer a free tour. They will not only fetch you more customers but better tips as well.
3. Get A Bilingual Guide
Apart from translation, another best-kept secret of being successful at offering free tours is having a bilingual tour guide on board. If you are looking to explore to new markets (think Chinese, Japanese, Arabic), you cannot afford not to have something who can wax lyrical in many languages.
4. Work With Freelancers
Another trend we see with Maitland walking tours is that they hire freelancers as opposed to permanent staff. The reason is that freelancers are knowledgeable in a lot of stuff. They can speak different languages, know their cities better than your team, and have a grip on what makes a customer happy. If you cannot afford to hire different guides, utilizing freelancers is well worth your consideration.
Free walking tours are beneficial both to customers and businesses. A good understanding of what makes or breaks this business model will take you far as a tour business owner.
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