In this age, where virtually everyone has an immediate connection to the Internet, more companies are moving their brick and mortar shops to the web. The reason for this is that they can get more customers. An excellent example of an industry that has become dependent on the internet is tourism. If you operate a tour company, there are reasons why you would like to acquaint with these design trends that give your visitors a better experience, leading to more conversions for your business.
Tourism is a competitive industry and two essential factors that determine success are relationships and sales. You need to take measures to increase sales and improve relationships with your customers so that your business can succeed. To achieve this, you can seek assistance from a tourism marketing company. Such a firm can also help you market your tour company by encouraging customers to leave reviews, helping showcase the services you offer and create a more appealing website, among other things.
It is important to note that web design comprises of two major aspects. These are aesthetics and structure.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics regards all things about how you present your content, be it images or text. If your site does not look good, no one will want to spend time on it. Subsequently, you will make a few conversions that could be uneconomical. Aesthetics are mostly controlled by photography and how you present various images on your pages.
Most web designers use photo grids to display catalogs. As expected of any tour booking site, the owner will want to display several images that showcase the destinations and other features that might include hotel interiors and staff. Use overlays to create a stunning presentation of these. Generally, you should be creative about how your website transitions from one image to another. Make sure that the overlay is created using light graphics to avoid slowing down the load times of your website.
Currently, there are more designers who prefer using vertical splits instead of the traditional horizontal overlays. The benefits of using vertical splits are that they allow you to balance between visuals and text. You can divide your screen into two or more parts where your text appears on one side while the image appears on the other. With this type of design, the text adjacent to images normally offers a brief description.
Structure
The structure of a website determines whether it is easily navigable, how well it loads and other factors concerning functionality. For one, it is important to have clear and concise buttons. Prioritize the “book now” button as this is the most important feature on the entire website. Remember that it will be used by your visitors to make conversions. As always, your site is expected to have other buttons. Make sure that they do not compete with your key interest, which is the “book now” button.
Navigation is another key aspect that you have to pay special attention to. A majority of web visitors view websites on mobile devices, unlike in the past when desktop applications were the norm. Your tabs should be self-explanatory with menus that make it easy to move from one page to another. Your tour operator website should reflect the quality of your services. It should be easily navigable, regardless of the device a protective customer is using to view it.
To increase your company bookings, you can take the following steps:
Use appealing photos
The weakness of many sites is that they repeat what has been done over and over. If you really want to attract visitors and make conversions from them, consider a change in what you display on your website. For ages, tour booking websites have been using images of resorts, but the trend is changing. Instead of these, consider images of captivating scenery like misty morning or snowy peaks.
Another interesting deviation from old fashioned images of resorts is illustrations. Most people who loved to go on tours have playful childlike minds. Using an illustration in place of a high-resolution image might get you the attention of more clients than you would imagine. However, note that illustrations are not suitable for photo grids with transitioning images.
Visual itineraries are also growing popular with web designers. They comprise of maps and information on how a tour will be conducted. Always remember that the point here is to get away from the norm and actually get your visitors in the mood for travel.
Include videos in your web pages
In fact, these could be better than photo grids. Unlike in the past, the internet has improved a great deal. Currently, there are faster broadband speeds and WiFi is available in many places. This means people from all over the world have no problem viewing online videos because it is cheap or free. Like your photographs, your video content should be unique and captivating.
Show contact details
It should be easy for your visitors to contact your customer care desk from the website. For instance, provide such details like your e-mail address, physical address, and phone numbers so that potential clients can easily reach out to you. For the purpose of convenience, they should be able to send support tickets directly from the site.
Outline your services
Always remember that your key interest is to make as many conversions as you can. For this reason, carefully outline your services and the travel packages that you offer in a language that is easy to understand. Short descriptions that are accompanied by photographs should serve you best. Time is also important for travelers. To make the best from your travel website, make sure that you have a calendar that shows when tours will be available. A good idea is including a dedicated tab where visitors can browse on available tours and when they will be offered. Update this tab frequently to avoid showcasing expired tours long after they have been serviced.
Link to social media
Social media is an important tool for marketing web content. Ensure that your website has a link to major social media networks that include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and WhatsApp. The buttons that navigate to these pages should be placed strategically so that they are omnipresent on your site.
As a tour company, your priority is providing your customers with the best tours possible. However, having a great tour company website is an essential part of remaining competitive in the tourism industry. Make sure you have a professional and well-designed website that can help increase your bookings.
