✈️ 20 Travel Startup Ideas (Low-to-Mid Budget) I discussed the many business opportunities in travel for VC investors and entrepreneurs and want to expand with some practical possibilities that you might find very interesting (and profitable). It’s a billion-dollar industry of course, and has a bright future despite current geopolitical, migration, and recessionary issues. People…
Your Career in Travel? Are you looking for a new career? Drained by another week doing work you have no interest in? Are you starting to dream of a more engaging, inspiring, and rewarding workday, while enjoying a whole swath of cool benefits? Who isn’t right? After all, the employment market is shrinking and changing…
Travel Business Opportunity: The Right Plan for VC’s and Entrepreneurs Travel remains a growth sector with amazing possibilities, even when there are lulls in consumer or business-related bookings. If this is that lull, then the sector must be promising for the years ahead. The US and global economy is expected to improve, and any easing…
Upcoming Tour Operator Conferences and Conventions The Travel and Tourism sector is readying for an exciting winter season along with growth in trips and tour bookings in 2026 as the US and global economies continue their growth. You’ve got some outstanding events planned for this fall, such as Tourpreneurs “TourWeek” in South Carolina, and US…
🍁 Why Canadians Still Make a Great Choice for Outsourcing The US is undergoing a fantastic economic, cultural and business transformation launched via tariffs, deregulation, tax reduction, cheaper energy and artificial intelligence. Growth will be phenomenal. In 2026, the FED rate will drop allowing small US businesses to enter the boom times. We’ll see burgeoning…
La Jolla: A Coastal Drive Toward Culinary Elegance The Pacific Coast Highway in southern California is renowned as one of the most beautiful drives in the world. For travelers over 50, the views, sunshine, and California ambiance is nothing short of marvelous. For those who revel in pleasant drives as part of a great travel…
How You Can Beat AI Travel Agencies With OTA’s and new AI travel agencies impinging on your audience and customer base, you’re understandably concerned. Young travelers are open to AI-driven travel planning and services. Agency owners on the other hand appear to be resisting anything that carries that artificial intelligence tone to it. However, as…
Responsible Tourism Response to the Anti-Tourism Surge Anti-tourism rallies and sentiment are sweeping across Europe, combined with excessive immigration pushing Spaniards, Greeks, Italians, French, British and other nationals to reject mass tourism. Even in Mexico City, the chant “Gringos Go Home” is catching media attention and adding to the growing rancor for tourists that locals…
Small Business Marketing Report The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) says its latest Small Business Optimism Index in July, rose 1.7 points to 100.3, slightly above the 52-year average of 98. Uncertainty remains (fell 8 points from June to 97) and is a big factor in growth and hiring intentions. Yet, respondents feel the…
A Rejuvenating Drive Through Portugal’s Historic Cultural Regions Avoid the overtourism in Spain, France and Italy with a rejuvenating road trip into Portugal’s quiet regions. Portugal Solves Your Destination Stagnation Are you feeling a little “destination stagnation” or maybe just tired of the familiarity and overcrowding of France, Greece, Italy or Spain? Many are, and…
How LLM GPT’s Help us Create Great Content AI LLMs are a major change in how travel consumers experience search and content on the web. ChatGPT and Google Gemini are the two new AI search engines gaining significantly in the search marketplace. Many users love the comprehensiveness of answers to their questions — their pre-trip…
Sales Boost: Grab Your Low-Hanging Fruit Easy lead generation for travel companies! Yes, I’m not crazy. It’s like picking cherries. You know how I can help you generate significant visibility on ChatGPT or Google/Bing search engines, build brand recognition, and get your offer to new customers (and former customers who are online). You need to…
Best Marketing Analytics Solutions for Travel Businesses The only thing worse than knowing your digital marketing isn’t working is not knowing why. Which is why we need deeper insight into the full marketing funnel. In this post, I present some great analytics software solutions for you to review and I think you’ll be surprised at…
Give the Gift of Travel You know all about the joy of travel. It’s lifted your spirit, empowered your confidence, and broadened your awareness of how the world is and could be. But many others haven’t had that pleasurable, healthy vacation getaway. And perhaps now, your heroic side is awakening, and this might be the…
Ready Your Travel Company for the 2026 Boom! The latest travel stats are reflecting an unsettling trend of travelers avoiding the US and consumers spending less. Travel experts feel this will extend into more revenue and booking losses for the years ahead. While the economy has flagged amidst the Trump tariffs, there are many positive…
Give your Travel Audience a Unique, Persuasive Travel Content Experience I just visited an interesting and luxuriously branded website at Velyagroup.com which you’ll instantly recognize as unique and elegant. What a great start to build a unique spot in the luxury travel market landscape! There’s something Velya Group may be missing though — real, authentic…
Meeting the SMB Challenge Ahead: A New Strategy The US and especially the Canadian economy are not powering small businesses in 2025 and economic indicators are signalling trouble ahead. Not to be dour here, but rather to suggest that business reorganization and marketing optimization are a practical adaptation to the reality of the deteriorating economy….
Build Deep Insights of Your Targeted Travelers If you’re fortunate enough to have website traffic, social engagement, leads, and traveler inquiries, you may still struggle to convert those leads. It’s because they’re not getting the content experience that meets all their needs. You can improve conversions through understanding the why’s and whats via user-intent analysis,…
Massive Global Market: Your International Content Strategy How nice would it be to relax and enjoy an amazing and massive flow of travel customers from across the globe, wowed by your brand and content, fully trusting that booking with you is a great decision sure to satisfy? Sometimes a wider audience is the solution to…
✍ How To Optimize Your Travel/Tour Descriptions Hundreds of millions of travelers are online, mostly using Google, and they follow a finding path to destinations, hotels, trips, tours and more. Everything they see on their path to travel fulfillment, that stream of travel content is a description of a desired experience. The final destination…
💵 Buy Now Pay Later a Growing Opportunity in Travel Market While many wealthy Canadian, European, and American travelers can easily pay for their vacations and trips, most others are stretched to make them happen. Not being able to buy a travel package right away, as expected, means they don’t. And that results in making…
✈️ Fun Trip Ideas for Summer & Fall 2025 Summer of 2025 is arriving and a lot of Americans don’t have travel plans. Travel surveys show travelers have put off their trips due to economic or political friction issues. But when the summer heat and sunshine arrive, we’re longing to lounge on a beautiful sandy…
⚡ Why You Need Me on Your Travel Marketing Team If you own or manage a traditional travel agency, you’re likely concerned about keeping your loyal clientele and creating more bookings and clients via word of mouth. Travel is competitive and the US/European market is aging, changing, and it has slowed which I’m sure you…
The State of Hotel SEO Travelers from Europe, Asia, South America and in North America conduct billions of searches for hotel rooms. Given the scarcity and cost of hotel accommodations, they may see the hotel search as the most important aspect of their itinerary planning. All travelers need a place to stay. SEO is a…
🛡️ Bulletproof Hotel Marketing While the leisure travel market has returned to surpass pre-pandemic levels and B2B travel continues to recover, there remains significant headwinds for small to mid-sized US hotels. While hotel businesses spend fortunes on physical assets and advertising, it’s wise for CEOs and marketing managers to reconsider the power of digital marketing…
Fix the 7 Weaknesses of Traditional Tour Marketplace & Operator Models Tours as relevant, integrated parts of the travel experience are becoming an essential part of the travel value proposition for many travel companies. It’s because tourists expect more from companies, something many travel companies can’t deliver. There’s opportunity then for innovative, audacious entrepreneurs, to…
🤩 How Tour Companies & Marketplaces Can Attract Travelers & Tour Guides A new view of the global tours market is evolving. Tour companies, tour guides, and tour marketplaces are awakening to the realization that tour quality itself is central to the fulfilling travel experiences that travelers want. And customized, personalized tours may work well…
😎 Compelling Reasons Why You Should Choose the Travel Sector I’ve worked with clients in many sectors, but I’m most enthused about the travel sector. I’ve found real estate and the sports equipment sectors stimulating too. But there’s just something about travel that puts it front and center. It’s not just about living the good…
🚗Top Tour Marketplaces Online The tour industry has grown in leaps and bounds, as global travelers search eagerly on Google, Bing and tour company websites for interesting travel experiences. Travelers want something invigorating or interesting to do for a sense of personal meaning, and a feeling that they’re immersed in these wonderful places. It’s all…
Navigating Challenges and Threats Through the Next 5 Years Without good insights into demand, trends, challenges and threats, it might be hard for travel agency owners, DMO chiefs, and hotel managers to feel really confident about their travel marketing strategy — whether for 2025-2026 or the long view. With the stakes high, going down the…
🧭Navigating the US Travel Landscape for 2025-2026 The US travel industry is already navigating some choppy waters this year for a number of reasons. There’s the vascillating and painful import tariffs along with immigration rules that deter inbound international travel. And many are holding off until the fledgling Trump economy begins to accelerate in 2026….
How AI Tools Empower Your Key Personnel for Big Bottom-Line Impact It’s estimated that 25% of digital marketers have been replaced by AI powered software tools. In fact, companies are reorganizing and flattening their employee/freelance hierarchies given the pluses that AI is providing. Aside from the customer-side tools available (e.g., AI travel itinerary generators and…
Visibility is Everything Whether you’re in the travel business or in real estate sales, being discovered and getting your message heard is paramount. And I’m reminded of what SparkToro’s well-known CEO and co-Founder, Rand Fishkin said recently — that discovery is the next big marketing objective, ahead of clicks. Because as he puts it, being…
🍕 How do ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and DeepSeek LLM’s Segment User Intent? Search engines, those deliverers of eager shoppers in vast amounts are all in on AI. AI algorithms govern the pieces and the whole of a shopper’s topic search on Google or ChatGPT. Just this week, Google announced its improved Google AI Mode Search…
An Epic Two-Week Journey Through Italy’s Cultural Heartland If you and your special someone are seeking more than a vacation — in search of places that will give you plenty of moments to slow down, decompress, then stir your soul, ignite your curiosity, let you go with the flow and just feel good, then your…
Why Unique Content is a Powerful Selling Tool I don’t mean to be blunt, however, right now most of your content is likely not discernible from that of thousands of other relevant competitive companies and brands. And why would Google or customer prospects prefer your version of a destination or itinerary? It’s simple. Yours will…
🚀 Travel SEO: Capturing Motivated Travel Consumers Search engine optimization, when done really well can drive significant brand awareness and booking success. The image of SEO has fallen dramatically over 25 years. It once captivated marketing and business audiences then suffered when IT shops, web designers, and others tried to leverage its value to win…
🚗 The Great North American Cottage Escape: 15 Idyllic Summer Retreats for Families There’s a compelling magic in a summer spent in a rented cottage—where the rhythm of the days slows to the pace of lapping water, sizzling grills, and children’s laughter echoing through the trees. For families, it’s the sweet spot between adventure and…
🌞🍹⛱️ The Sweet Rush of Late Spring Wanderlust The sudden arrival of amazing weather with warm temps and not a cloud in the sky makes us all get dreamy about the summer season ahead. There’s a moment now in the late days of spring when the air changes with buds on trees blooming — when…
🧭 The Easy Marketing Playbook for Travel Business Owners A 5-Step Guide to Get More Bookings Without Losing Your Mind (or Budget) You’re a busy travel company owner booking flights, trips, tours, and managing your staff and day-to-day business challenges. A lot on your plate, while revenues might have slipped a little in late 2025….
😇Travel Angel Investing: A Goldmine if you Choose Well Like the rest of the globe, US travel is changing dramatically, drawn back to a domestic focus which I explored in the US domestic travel market report. As an angel investor, you have plenty of industries to invest in, however, as mentioned in the travel startup…
🤖 Travel AI Agents vs AI Travel Planners AI travel technology is transforming how people plan their trips and how travel businesses serve their clients and customers. It’s making travel planning, booking, and management much easier and raising confidence in travel whether domestic or round-the-world trips. Whether it’s predictive pricing, AI-powered concierge services, or smart…
🚀 2025 Best Small Business Opportunity: AI Travel Agency Given the turmoil in the North American travel sector, you might think it’s an industry to stay clear of. And as an entrepreneur, you might not be licensed or have sufficient qualifications to run a travel agency. Then there is the whole challenge of it and…
🎁 Travel Incentives, Discounts and Rewards US travel companies are digging in deeper to make their trips and packages more affordable, and their brand image more powerful. Surprisingly, the solution they seek might be in techniques normally associated with losing money — offering incentives and discounts and reward points. For many of them, the strategy…
🗽Exploring the US Domestic Travel Boom A big change is happening in US travel and tourism — a shift to domestic travel destinations and vacation experiences. Such a trend is good for the economy and good for Americans by encouraging them to explore their own country by plane, train or automobile and thus support tourism…
🤗 Selling Vibes to Travel Customers? Most travel salespeople would agree that the customer’s wants and pain points are the core of any selling strategy. Travel decisions are complex and emotional, and travelers tap into emotional reasoning to simplify their decision. And basically, that means they rely on the “vibes” they get from your marketing,…
✈️ 2025 US Travel Market Upheaval President Trump’s plan to revitalize and reindustrialize the US, and deploy high tariff barriers is inadvertently impacting the US travel market. It’s making global travel market and US travel forecasts and even accurate views of the actual market unfolding a challenge. Below you’ll find global travel statistics in relation…
🚵🏽♂️ 21 Unique Mountain Biking Vacation Destinations Mountain biking as a sport or thrilling adventure is evolving and resorts, DMOs, and tour companies are designing more sophisticated and satisfying experiences for MTBers. As new venues/trails are created around the world, and the diversity and number of riders increase yearly, the types of vacations mountain bikers…
🥬 Fresh Content and Design There’s still a big belief in “set it and forget it” in marketing. It comes from the belief that content is what it is, and can’t be improved. In fact, content must be improved based on observations and data. It’s sad that marketing managers don’t understand this and they delete…
Visit Canada’s Beautiful Okanagan Region 🚲It was in 1985, that I rode my bicycle from Banff, Alberta to the Okanagan region of British Columbia, in Canada. That epic 300-mile trip through towering snow-capped mountain ranges, past raging glacier-fed rivers and giant red cedar and hemlock forests into a thrilling 50 mph ride down undulating mountain…
📒 Travel Marketing Software Good travel marketing needs the right travel marketing software. Dedicated solutions help you gravitate from outdated legacy marketing processes that actually are threatening the viability of your travel business. If you’re piecing together 10 different marketing tools that require a lot of manual intervention, you might enjoy better integration/automation through these…
De-Risk + Ramp Up Revenue Plenty of small business owners have difficulty launching into digital marketing. The status quo seems more comfortable, until it isn’t. Sure, investing in marketing entails some risks, but what about the rewards? There are always hesitations about trying new content strategies, creating new creative content experiences, running promotional campaigns, hiring…
Is the US Travel Market Crashing? We’ve been waiting for US national travel data for 2025 to begin rolling in and it’s arriving. What the initial data is telling us is that the US and Canadian travel markets are taking a downturn, and it’s surprising how steep the decline is. While the harm is immediate,…
It’s Time to Reorganize your Travel Business It’s a fact of business life that the consumer market changes. And we need to adjust. Travel agencies, hotels, airlines, DMOs, and tour companies are seeing valued long-time customers disappear while new ones become available. This current tourism slowdown comes as technology is changing travelers choice and they…
👨🏻 Can A Travel Audience of One Work for You? If your travel content isn’t bringing in inquiries, bookings, or creating visitor engagement, it’s likely your content and messaging isn’t specific enough. It might be your generalized content which tries to serve anyone fails to click with those who want to become your customer. The…
Visit Alberta’s Amazing Attractions This Summer Picture waking up in a natural paradise of mountain peaks, rugged mountain landscapes, wild elk and mountain sheep, pristine blue/green alpine lakes, to venture out on thrilling hiking trails that are on everyone’s bucket list. Picture modern hotels with comfortable spas, swimming pools, and mountain views. See yourself strolling…
👩🏻💻 Travel Destination Marketing Software It’s going to be an exciting year for DMOs and tourism businesses in the United States in 2025 and 2026. DMO/DMC organizations can make it a great year for visitors, bookings and revenue if they gain reach to audiences and make an impact. Visibility is the key because without it,…
Workcations: Remote Working Holidays for Rejuvenation What about that pernicious myth that says you can’t work and have fun at the same time? Well, turns out you can. I’ve done it many times, and there are digital nomads and other workcationers who turn it into a productive lifestyle. And travel marketers and travel writers spend…
30 Top Travel Destinations in the World Remember the old saying “the world is your oyster?” Well, it still is! For an adventuresome traveler, the globe offers up a seemingly endless supply of potential destinations. From the Mayan Riviera to the Italian Riviera, and the Canadian Rockies to the the Alps, there’s an adventure waiting…
Why Travel Marketers Must Travel It’s rare that a travel business owner, advisor, or manager won’t travel. What’s more exciting than hopping on a jet or a cruise ship for a trip to places they love and to mingle with their own loyal traveling customers? More than just fun though, travel helps travel marketers stay…