In tourism, the ‘last mile’ from looking to booking is where money is either made or lost. AI is starting to quietly speed up, smooth out and personalise this part of the journey. From the perspective of a small tourism business like yours, what’s changing, and how can you harness this momentum without needing [...]
Remember when your tourism business’s online visibility and simply “being found” online meant ranking on page one of Google relied on keeping your website up to date and your OTA listing halfway decent? That’s now not enough because the world, and particularly tourism, is shifting fast. Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly rewiring how people [...]
With conversion patterns in place, you need payments and trusted plumbing that suits SMEs and lowers risk for your organisation. For too long, most destination DMOs HAVE ceded their strategic marketing role by turning away from the ultimate marketing outcome…conversion of the leads they created. Many DMOs historically avoided handling payments and customer data [...]
Parts 1–2 of this series explained why DMOs must pair inspiration with on‑site conversion and how an exchange layer keeps value local. This article moves into implementation: the conversion architecture that turns stories into carts. What you need to do to move inspiration (leads) to conversion (instant paid bookings transacted directly by the supplier) [...]
In Part 1 of this series, we made the case for change. Now let’s make it concrete. A modern DMO website should orchestrate one coherent journey that turns curiosity and inspiration into commitment inside your trusted environment. The consumer journey should be carefully designed so travellers can: Explore the destination deeply through curated, credible [...]
For too long, destination marketing has been measured by traffic, page views, and outbound referrals. In a digital‑first world, a DMO that stops at inspiration and hands visitors off to somewhere else is surrendering influence at the exact moment value is created: the moment of conversion. Meanwhile, global intermediaries have perfected that moment. They [...]
In my last article I explained how to best manage credit card transaction costs. Interestingly I had a lot of feedback and questions about my suggestion to shake up the way tourism operators approach pricing their products. To me, you should not compete on price alone. Pricing is not simply about setting your rates. [...]
I’m sure you would have seen media coverage of the RBA’s recent comments regarding the application of credit card surcharges to consumer purchases. This is an issue I have written about previously and often discuss with TXA clients. And having recently travelled overseas where I couldn’t book and pay directly with my choice of [...]
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 [...]