Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Make Up For A Site. Fun Or Business Like?

Posted by Anonymous on 7/14/2007 at 5:02 AM ET 250 Points
My fellow marketers

I would like you opinion on ‘what is a MUST in tour operator home page’ in terms of design.

I would appreciate if you include (what in your opinion is a successful tour operator site) link to exemplify your thought. Since this site is targeting both PI and Businesses, I am wondering whether there is a way to make the site fun to ‘surf in’ and yet business addressed.

Thank you once again for your helping hand.

Best
D
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Harry Hallman on 7/14/2007 at 7:49 AM Member
    What kind of tours do you do? Who is your traget customer? You have to give us more to work on.
  • Posted on 7/14/2007 at 8:53 AM Author
    we organize summer tours (including cruises), winter tours, sport tours/holidays (for sports funs), guided (on demand tours) etc. The strategic vision can be summed to our internal mantra "if they think it, have it).

    Target: Not necessarily filthy rich but people who can afford paying for organized holidays. No gender specification, Age group: 28-65.

    We sell directly to the end costumer but we provide specific services for other reseller agencies and we want this dual profile to be reflected in our site.

    Hope this helps.

    D

  • Posted on 7/14/2007 at 9:55 AM Accepted
    I suggest you avoid hevy elements such as animated flash etc.
    - Keep it as simple as possible, although you can include small flash elements, but not too many.
    - Do not write too much, include more pictures.
    - Keep the "about us" section as simple as possible and make sure it is not the first thing clients see in the home page.
    - You can include special offers, but not too many, as if they are too many they are no more "special".
    - Include visible contacts in all pages, not only in the contact page, as for a tour operator this is essential.
    I think this is the basic things I can think of now... If you provide more details (purpose of the web site, location of the business etc.) I believe I can be more helpful.
  • Posted on 7/14/2007 at 12:51 PM Member
    The target audience you're describing is way too broad. You need to narrow it down considerably. Where do these target audience people live? What part of the world do most of them like to visit? What language(s) do they speak?

    Do you know how many people 28-65 there are in the world? Hundreds of millions -- maybe even billions. Surely you don't expect to reach them all.

    Give us a clue who the REAL target audience is. Then we'll be able to help you with the requirements for a good website. It's more about understanding your target audience than it is about your product.
  • Posted on 7/15/2007 at 6:09 AM Author
    Thank you Ovanes, good suggestions.

    Here is some more food for thought.

    The tour operator is located in Albania (a small country in southeast Europe).

    We aim mainly at Albanians travelling abroad, but foreigners travelling to Albania are a good part of the profit pie and steadily growing market.

    The main destination split by season are as follows:

    Summer: Turkey, Italy, Spain, Greece, Egypt and cruises.

    Autumn: Sport holiday (mainly in western Europe)

    Winter & year end Holidays: Cezch Republic, Austria, France, Macedonia and Russia.



  • Posted on 7/16/2007 at 9:05 AM Accepted
    Ok.
    So for Albania, I suggest you do not implement online sales yet because the market has not matured yet. Instead you can concentrate on personal approach. This will work. Keep the tone light and easy. It's good to start online sales only if you are ready to spend 1-2 years losing money on the site.
    Finally something essential for a tour operator. Do not offer all the services, that's the job of the travel agency. Instead specialize in one area and provide exceptional service.
    I wish you luck, and if you need additional help, do not hesitate to contact me.
  • Posted on 7/18/2007 at 3:23 AM Author
    Dear All,

    Thank you one and all for your input.

    Through your contribution and some research, I have now a clearer view both for the shape and content of the web.

    Appreciate you comments.

    Best
    D
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