Profitable Spring Break Travel Audience Segments The Spring break vacation period is a pivotal one for travel businesses. In the U.S., it represents a multi-segment, multi-month revenue window driven by families, groups, cruises, and short-trip experiential travel — not just college party traffic. Normally, it’s been a brief lead window – sort of like lions…
Make the Travel AI Threat a Benefit There’s a lot of fear about AI these days. It’s disrupting the travel sector at a faster pace and most small travel companies likely don’t have a plan to deal with it. The rising competition is a data center full of high speed, advanced servers collecting data on…
High-Intent Shoppers are Slipping Away — How Smart Travel Companies Are Stopping that Loss You might be doing the right things to attract visitors to your travel site via SEO, social, and PPC. Yet when they arrived, you’ve seen bookings stall, pages skimmed, and their confidence quietly faded. They left. The pain for you is…
The Quest for Persuasive Travel Content You have to agree that your content must persuade. Travel content can be fantastic — yet still fail because it couldn’t convince the visitor to become a customer. It’s this frustration in converting visitors to customers that’s keeping travel business owners up at night. It’s sales-generating-persuasiveness which creates a…
Grow Sales and Loyalty with Persuasive Content Experiences There’s little doubt you’ve seen your website and social media performance stats, and now you don’t want to think about that anymore. If you’ve done Google/Facebook PPC campaigns with poor results, then it likely wasn’t very persuasive. Visitors don’t seem moved to click through or become a…
Mexico Vacation Packages Every fall and winter, millions of vacationers from Europe, US and Canada dream of a vacation to Mexico. Some are even persuaded by travel agencies and DMOs to make the trip to a spectacular vacation paradise. The diversity of the wonderful country offers another layer of experience, added to the wonderful accommodations…
🤩 The Essence of Stellar Travel Content Arguably, the biggest weakness of most small travel companies online is shallow, mundane content. Yet, the problem really is about what business owners and marketing managers believe what good content is. Everyone has their own conception and biases which may be holding their businesses back. After research, creative…
😎 How Does Travel Boost Health? In the rush to book and sell trips, the travel industry may not be fully selling travelers the full benefit package they could. And health is no insignificant benefit. In fact, health is one of the top benefits sought by travelers and it colors their initial interest to trip…
Finding the Right Travel Agency for You in Toronto (GTA region) Your Traveler Guide to Find the Right Travel Expert for Your Kind of Trip The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is one of Canada’s most diverse consumer or corporate travel markets. With millions of residents who love to travel, with their deep cultural ties around…
Your 2026 Dream Trip: Where Will You Find Yourself This Year? Not every dream trip begins with wanderlust or an impulse to get away this week. For many travelers looking ahead to 2026, it could begin a little quieter, spawning from a feeling that this winter will linger just a little too long, slowly building…
Travel for Health, Enjoyment and Healing It’s that time of the year, when most Americans, Canadians and Europeans dream of traveling. Amidst the cold of North Hemisphere winters, visions of southern beaches of Spain, Mexico, Caribbean, Florida, Costa Rica and Australia become vivid, maybe even haunting. But in the vision of destinations and activities, we…
Informing Content Strategy with Attribution Insight How do we achieve better performance via content marketing, SEO, ads, email, and promotions so we know what moves the needle? Answer: We improve our workflow and craft a strategy that’s measurable using advanced attribution metrics software. There’s a lot of magical talk online about “campaigns” and performance marketing,…
Launch and Scale a Better Travel Agency Looking for a high-potential business idea? Have you considered building a travel agency? It’s a hot business idea. And the luxury market is just one niche you could focus on. Today, that might only mean hiring a small team, offering some equity, and leveraging their joy of travel…
Why Banff Alberta Has to be on Your Trip List Having lived in Calgary, Alberta for 10 years, and continuing to visit when I can, I can recommend nearby Banff in the Rocky Mountains as a must-do epic vacation adventure. Banff is more than just mountain tops although that’s often enough for sightseeing visitors here….
San Diego County Driving Tour: Your Love Story Plan for an exquisitely personal and romantic journey through San Diego County in California. Couples dream of escaping to places where comfort and rejuvenation happen simultaneously. It’s a tall order for your travel advisor, but there is one place that has everything you want in a couple’s…
Is Short Form Video the Right Opportunity for Small Travel Agencies in 2026? As an experienced travel agency owner, hotel owner or DMO manager, you’re hoping for some sure hits, or maybe even a magic bullet for your inbound traffic strategy. You’re reading a lot about how some channels are great while others not so….
The Power of New Ideas How would you win a best design competition at the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival? Would you show up with the usual round balloon with a different color scheme? Or would you brainstorm a brilliant unique design that evokes judge’s imagination and resonates with the balloon festival spirit? Would you go…
Inbound Travel is Receding – Here’s how US DMOs can Rebuild for 2026 If you manage a US-based travel agency, destination management organization, or perhaps a hotel, or tour company, you’re likely finding 2025 is a little tougher. Foreign demand for US travel destinations dropped, particularly from alienated Canadians. The European outbound market is still…
Blogs Drive Engagement, Leads & Revenue With the glut of AI slop, automation, and the noise of global competition, you’re faced with a big challenge to create content that will be seen and heard. The apparent downgrade of organic content and SEO has led to many marketers withdrawing from creating organic content. The demand for…
A Refreshing, Warm Winter Sunshine Vacation (but Not in Florida) You’re dreaming of a beach holiday with warm sunshine to beat your winter blues. This year, some travelers are avoiding US sunshine destinations, but they’re still looking for water fun, beach walks on palm-strewn, golden sand beaches, and relaxing restaurant dining. US inbound travel has been…
Why It’s Time for Travel Agencies to Let Go of “Good Enough” and Step Into the Reach They Deserve If you’ve been running a travel agency for years—or even decades—it’s easy to look at the digital landscape and feel a little overwhelmed. Everything moves so fast and competition is growing. Big OTAs seem to scoop…
European Travel: The Biggest Growth Opportunity Many Agencies Haven’t Fully Tapped Yet For as long as anyone might remember, Europe has represented the most sophisticated, rewarding, and transformative travel experience the world has to offer. From adventure to culture, to shared experiences, and a profound immersion in the history of the human race, Europe has…
How to Surmount the Major, Current Travel Business Challenges Small travel company owners and managers today face a marketing landscape that’s more fragmented and demanding than ever. Your travel audience isn’t a single audience anymore — they’re seniors, empty nesters, Gen X planners, multigenerational families, solo travelers, luxury buyers, affinity groups, and experience-hungry Millennials and…
Loss of Canadian Travelers Hurting the US Travel Sector US inbound international travel is predicted to fall by about 6.3% in 2025, falling to an estimated 67.9 million visitors, which marks the first decline since 2020. A sizable portion of that loss is attributed to missing Canadians, who look to be cutting out US travel even…
TMR’s Travel Market Reports 2025 A couple of travel market research reports by TMR show geopolitical tensions, overtourism, AI, and economic uncertainty are hampering the travel market. And travel company owners have to decide on how to respond to reduced bookings. Change and challenges like this generate opportunities, or gaps in the marketplace, which in…
Toronto Travel Spending a Market Worth Fighting For Canadian travel to the US has plummeted and now your Toronto region travelers are searching on Google for other destinations in big numbers. That’s great news for all Toronto travel agencies. Not only are new customers in the GTA up for grabs, they’re shopping with an open…
Show Your Audience You Care For humans, caring is the glue of society and personal relationships. If your marketing is all about value, price, customization, and services offered, your marketing could miss the mark and make your brand irrelevant. Because how your brand feels to visitors/customers tells much about whether they like your products/services/staff. It…
Your New Theme of Efficiency, Service and Performance Many travel companies are being forced to reorganize this year as politics reduces travel demand, and travel consumers become harder to reach. Travel has changed. It’s more competitive, revenue outlooks are weaker, and consumers have new expectations about travel companies. You’ll need to improve the message you…
Helping Your Travel Agency Thrive This year’s travel season is a little challenging, but we know it’s going to pick up as the economy strengthens and the tariff issues weaken. There are opportunities for your travel agency to prosper, expand and improve customer loyalty. From staying top of mind, to reaching new audiences, to improving…
How to Market Small Beach Towns Beach town communities are special destinations. From open sky vistas over a lake or ocean setting, to golden sands with kids playing, to surfing and boating, to gorgeous sunsets, and amazing waterside dining experiences, they are a compelling experience for almost any visitor. And these places deserve a special…
✈️ 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…