The last thing a potential guest will read on your page before clicking the book button is the description of the tour they intend to book.
An inspiring, engaging and exciting tour description is the last kick a traveler needs to reserve a tour with you. On the other hand, if the text is confusing or lacks information, travelers might turn to competitors for booking a tour.
In this article, we teach you important tips for writing a compelling description of your tours that will increase the conversion rates for online bookings.
Unlike it might sound, a tour description is more than a simple list of sights and activities your guests will experience during the tour. It’s an important part of your marketing and its goal is to generate new bookings for your business.
To achieve that, you should add extra elements that will engage the reader and potential guest with your offer. A memorable tour description is made of:
As you can see, writing a compelling tour description is a complex, but essential part of the sales process.
A tour description can make or break your offer. Imagine putting a lot of effort into planning, designing, and bringing a tour to life to end up with empty seats because of an unappealing tour description.
On the other hand, a compelling tour description not only inspires travelers to make a reservation but also helps promote upgrades of your tours. If you manage to describe your tour as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, who would not like to make it even more special with addons?
Another positive impact of a great tour description is reducing booking cancelations and preventing unexpected situations.
For instance, let’s imagine you offer a tour that demands a certain level of physical condition. By making it clear in the tour description, potential guests will know in advance if they can handle it or not before making a reservation.
As presented in the previous section, a well-written and complete tour description has the power to convert undecided customers into new guests. So, why limit it to your website?
As with any marketing material, it should reach your audience no matter where they are. Placing your tour descriptions on your tour landing pages is the basic. You can take it a step further and also share it on social media, via email, or even on printed materials, such as travel guides and handbooks.
Tour descriptions are a real source of content for your marketing campaigns, all you need is to use your creativity. You can repurpose it into videos, carousel posts, infographics, or any other type of content that will inspire potential guests to book with you.
Take one of Orioly‘s clients as an example of creating good tour descriptions. Divine Horizon is a tour operator that offers luxury tours in Italy.
All their tours have a clear title about what to expect from the experience, plus a short description that adds more information about the itinerary.
Next, they give extra details about the sights and attractions. This is the core of their tour description. In this section, potential guests will find out more about the history of Rome and fun facts regarding the attractions in the itinerary.
The most important information about the tour is displayed in an infographic. This format is great for highlighting information that guests shouldn’t miss.
The tour highlights are next to the price and a call to action “Book Tour”. This combination is perfect for potential guests to book right away after being inspired by the previous sections.
Their tour gallery is filled with amazing and high-resolution pictures of the destination. This is great for inspiring undecided travelers to book.
A map marks the meeting point, making it easier for guests to localize where the tour starts.
Finally, potential guests can find at the bottom of the description what is included and what is not in the price of the tour.
The last section of the tour description is a call to action with a book now button.
An amazing tour description is made of technique and research. Don’t worry if the first description you write is not optimal, practice makes perfect.
But only by following the tips in this article, I’m sure you will improve the conversion rate of your tour pages in no time.
To write a compelling tour description you need to know your ideal customer. Knowing their preferences, interests, and expectations helps align the tour’s unique selling points, language, and imagery to resonate deeply with what they are looking for.
By addressing their specific desires and concerns, the description becomes a personalized invitation, fostering a connection that drives interest, trust, and ultimately, conversions.
High-quality imagery enhances credibility, instilling confidence and trust in the offering. It amplifies engagement, evoking emotions and desires, complementing the narrative, and significantly increasing the likelihood of converting interest into bookings.
Compelling visuals paint a vivid preview of the experience, enticing potential customers and setting the tour apart. They showcase destinations, activities, and unique features, offering a tangible glimpse into what awaits.
Storytelling has the power to transform a mundane itinerary into a compelling adventure. With this writing technique, you can create an immersive narrative that evokes emotions, ignites curiosity, and creates an emotional bond with potential customers.
Stories engage on a deeper level, allowing travelers to envision themselves within the experience. It humanizes the journey, connecting with the audience’s aspirations and desires, offering not just a tour, but a transformative experience.
Integrating keywords into tour descriptions ensures visibility in search results, amplifying your online presence and aligning your tours with relevant searches performed by potential customers.
You can use tools such as Google Trends, Google Search Console, or SEMrush to find the keywords your target audience uses when searching for travel experiences online. The next step is to integrate them into your description following the SEO best practices.
As soon as people land on your tour page they will scan the text for the main information. If your text is formatted as a chunk, uses complex words and is messy, chances are they will leave the page without reading it.
An easy-to-read content captures attention amidst travelers’ myriad choices, guiding swift decision-making. Clear formatting, concise language, and organized sections optimize understanding, catering to scanners seeking quick insights.
Infographics, maps, illustrations, icons, all these visual elements make the tour description more interesting and attractive to readers. They are a great option to stand out the tour’s most important information, which also helps scanners understand what the tour is about.
These graphics paint vivid mental pictures, clarifying routes, highlights, and nuanced details, facilitating better planning and expectation setting. They can turn complex into easy-to-understand pieces of information.
When writing your tour descriptions consider making disclaimers about the experience, for example, listing tour limitations and possible restrictions. An outdoor tour depends on good weather, or it can be canceled, or a hiking tour might be inappropriate for elders.
A compelling tour description answers the most asked questions potential guests might have. Check your past exchanges with guests to have a clear idea of the most common doubts they had about the tour.
Finally, don’t promise things you can’t deliver on a tour. Frustrated guests might leave you bad reviews, which is not good for your brand. Remember, transparency is key when writing tour reviews, it fosters trust and ensures delightful experiences.
After reading your amazing tour description, your guests will look for ways to book the tour. For this purpose, the first thing they will search for is a “Book Now” button.
The reason is simple, travelers are looking for convenience when booking, and a “Book Now” button is the gateway to a seamless booking process.
Your tour description should contain a book now button that is visible at the top and at the end of it. Preferably next to the tour price and preceded by a creative call to action.
A compelling tour description isn’t just a mere list of activities, it’s a magnetic blend of storytelling, vibrant visuals, and key information about the tour. It’s the bridge connecting operators with their ideal customers, a channel to inspire, inform, and build trust.
In order to help you write a memorable tour description we gave 8 tips in this article:
Don’t you have a book now button on your tour pages?
Don’t worry, Orioly is an online booking system designed to make the booking process of tours and activities seamless for travelers. With our system, you can add booking buttons to all your tour pages and start selling online.
Contact us and book a demo!
ORIOLY
on November 16, 2023
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