Importance of Online Booking Systems for Tour Operators in Cayman

The Cayman Islands is a popular tourist destination that has, over the years, witnessed growth in the number of visitors from all over the world. To be precise, 1,718,449 tourists visited in the first nine months of 2019 as against 1,495,148 tourists (in the same timeframe) in 2017, which is almost 15% growth.

According to Visit Cayman, the highest tourists flocked in from the US, Canada, and the UK in the first nine months of 2019. Before planning any marketing strategies for your tourism business, you need to understand your target audience, which, in this case, is clustered across the globe.

Here are some of the online booking trends of these top 3 countries to give you some insights:

• 83% of US adults prefer to book their travel online.
• According to CIRA, 45% of Canadians conduct travel research online. Moreover, booking for flights and travel packages is the 2nd most common purchase Canadians make online.
• A study states that 45% of UK travelers feel comfortable researching, planning, and booking trips to new destinations using only their mobile.

To put it into perspective, your primary target market prefers booking tour services online and is continually looking for a business like yours out there on the internet. The question is, are you giving them a chance to choose your services?

The ability to offer online bookings for tours is critical to any tour business considering the current trends, which will only escalate in the coming years. Once potential customers have found your website or mobile application, they need to be able to take action and book tours easily 24/7. Otherwise, you are just another business lost in the crowd.

Reasons your Business should use the Online Booking Tools

Here are some more organizational and operational advantages of the online booking system:

• Reduced No-shows

  One of the primary benefits of online booking systems is the dramatic decrease in the number of no-shows. Many tour businesses have reported this.

  The requirement for deposits or down-payment on online bookings help attract those who are sincerely considering your services. In addition, automated notifications through SMS or email offer handy reminders for your booked guests.



• Look Professional

  As against the general perception, small and medium-sized businesses massively benefit from a booking system, and eventually, it may also help scale up their business. When you adopt the advanced technologies, you are tacitly assumed to be a company that focuses on providing the best customer service as opposed to your competitors. Thus, creating a positive impact and boosting repeat business.



• Convenient for your Customers & Business

  In a recent article, Amadeus stated that 60% of leisure and 41% of business travelers are making their travel arrangements, generally via the Internet. An online booking system provides users with real-time availability, accessibility, and necessary information at the comfort of their couch.

  In addition, businesses get the ability to accept bookings from the audience worldwide easily and elevate their revenue. The booking system helps them streamline the booking process and automate the information management task. Thus, offering convenience to both the parties involved.



• Increase the Cart Value with Add-ons

  Make your add-on products and services visible to your audience while they are surfing the website, at the multiple stages of booking, and during pre-departure emails and communication. It will help create awareness of your offerings and result in increasing the purchase amount.



• Easy to Set Up

  Integrate an online tour reservation and booking system into your existing website or build a new one with Netclues. In quick turnaround time, you will have a “book now” button on your website that will convert your leads into bookings.

Conclusion

According to Statistic Brain, “More than 148.3 million people use the internet to make reservations for their accommodations, tours, and activities. That’s more than 57% of all travel reservations each year!” More than expenditure, the travel and tourism payment solution will be a sound investment to scale your business.

At Netclues, we have created numerous booking systems for companies across the Cayman Islands. It is safe to say that the market is shifting to new technologies. It’s high time you do too!