To many communities’ tourism is an essential part of their existence and economy. But the travel landscape is highly competitive. Destinations can no longer rely solely on natural beauty or cultural heritage to attract, retain and nourished by tourists’ spending. Activating a thriving local tourism economy requires a strategic combination of technology, marketing, and [...]

In my last blog I explored an essential insight for anyone running a small to mid-sized accommodation or activity business in Australia, understanding your most valued ‘primary’ customer. Just as important as knowing who your customer is, is a deep understanding the journey they take to find you, and book or not book. It’s [...]

This month I’m going to spend some ‘blog time’ on two perspectives of a subject that should be your first order priority, your guests. I’ll explain in detail how and why you should consider ‘who is my most valuable travelling customer, and the way in which they navigate searching and then booking a stay [...]

Whether we like it or not, our tourism industry is at the bleeding edge of the digital age. No tourism business can operate at an optimum effectiveness or efficiency today without embracing ecommerce, online distribution and digital marketing. The essential fuel and pervasive by-product of tourism’s digital engine is data. Financial data generated by [...]

If you’re asked about valuable ‘brands’ you’ll probably immediately go to Nike, Coke, Bunnings, or Telstra. But the most valuable brands to you, as a tourism business, are primarily you, and your business, and the brands that influence consumer’s attitudes, interaction, and access to your business. My next couple of blogs will focus on [...]

Running a small tourism business in uncertain economic and geopolitical times is not easy. We made it through COVID, China’s cold shoulder, inflation, and 18 months of high interest rates. Then, just when a light appeared at the end of the tunnel, Donald Trump re-appeared and blew up the world economy! On top of [...]

Travel and tourism would not typically be the first industry thought of as leading technology, digital marketing, and data security innovation. But in fact, technology has, and is, massively reshaping our industry. And it is not just the big end of town.  Tourism SMEs today have available an array of tools to automate and [...]

In the last couple of decades or so there has been a big shift in what tourists want from their travel. Gone are the days when highly organised groups from Japan or China or the US lobbed in Australia to tick off a list of famous landmarks on generic guided tours. I think Australians [...]

Impacts of Climate Change Over the summer, I’ve watched bushfires, floods, heat waves and cyclones disrupt not only communities but small tourism businesses in destinations right across Australia. And that is not to diminish the loss and suffering, including tragic deaths inflicted on those impacted. It has spurred me to focus this blog on [...]

Well, here we are, already over a month into 2025! And just when you thought things couldn’t get any harder or crazier, we’ve got a global trade war on the horizon, inflation about to be let off the leash again in the US, staff harder to find than the holy grail and an election [...]