How to grow a tour business: what to add, and when
Grow from what already sells, one step at a time.
Grow in this order
- 1
Fill the departures you already run
An extra guest on a departure that runs anyway costs little: see Get bookings.
- 2
Earn more from each booking
Private and custom tours, add-ons and packages: below.
- 3
Add times where a tour sells out
A second departure or another day, before a new tour.
- 4
Pilot new tours
Run each for a season and keep it only if it breaks even: see Design a tour.
- 5
Resell partners' tours
Complementary tours your guests ask for, once your own run smoothly.
- 6
Reach new markets
A language, a booking site, travel agents and cruise passengers: below.
- 7
Open in a new place last
When you can leave: below.
Booking sites rank tours by their reviews, and can suspend those with quality problems (GetYourGuide, 2026).
Earn more from each booking
Private tours
Your best tour for one group, priced per group: see Price a tour.
Custom tours
Quoted for families, companies and groups: see Enquiries and WhatsApp.
Add-ons
Lunch, photos, transfers or gear, chosen when guests book.
Packages
Two or three of your tours in one booking, for longer stays.
Reach new markets
| Market | What it takes |
|---|---|
| A new language | The one guests ask for most, with a fluent guide and translated pages |
| Another booking site | One that reaches the travellers you lack: see Online travel agencies |
| Travel agents abroad | Net rates that still leave you a profit, sent out early: see Hotels, agents and groups |
Sell to cruise passengers
- 1
Get the port's schedule of calls
Each ship, its date and its hours in port.
- 2
Plan each ship's day
Shore excursions of 3–4 hours, with guides, vehicles and seats for that ship.
- 3
Promise the return
Back well before “all aboard”, with a written back-to-ship guarantee and a clear sign at the pier.
- 4
Sell where cruisers search
Your website and booking sites; cruise lines only once you can handle large groups and their contracts.
Show sustainability you can prove
- ✓Name what you do, such as electric boats or guides from the village, never just “eco”: see Design a tour.
- ✓Certify with a scheme for tour operators that the Global Sustainable Tourism Council recognises: check its list.
- ✓Show a label only once you hold it, for what it covers.
Hire when your time runs out
Signs it's time:
- You still guide most departures.
- Messages wait hours for an answer.
- You turn bookings away on busy days.
- The same mistakes keep coming back.
| If | Hire first |
|---|---|
| Bookings and messages fill your day | A reservations and operations coordinator |
| You turn departures away | More guides: see Guides and staff |
Write your checklists and message templates first.
Expand when you can leave
Open in a new city or region once:
- ✓Your tours run full and keep their ratings.
- ✓The business runs for a week without you.
- ✓You have local guides and someone in charge there.
In TourTask
Give a tour a Private tour → Schedule to sell it privately too: see Schedule and availability. Sell extras as add-ons and several tours as one package; Cruise ships plans tours around each ship's visit, and Reselling sells other TourTask businesses' tours.