Tourpreneur Tour Business Podcast

In this episode Mitch Bach sits down with Marinel de Jesus, a former human rights lawyer turned tour operator.She is filled with questions about the adventure tour industry:Why do porters on the famous, touristy Inca Trail in Peru carry crushing loads for little pay and even less dignity? Why is it so difficult to find women adventure guides in so many parts of the world? What do indigenous communities actually want from tourism—and why doesn't anyone bother to ask them?These are just some of the uncomfortable questions and themes she's carried with her as she's lived and trekked around the world. Originally from the Philippines, she became a human rights lawyer in Washington D.C., spending 15 years prosecuting child protection and mental health cases. Then her mother passed away—and she never went back to the office. But Marinel didn't just start a tour company. She moved into indigenous communities. She lived with Quechua porters in Peru and learned the dark truths behind the picture-perfect Inca Trail. She spent nearly 300 days in Mongolia during Covid, co-creating a nomad camp that started with tea and a blank piece of paper—not a business plan. She walked 100 days across Nepal with Mingmar, a female guide she searched for over a year and a half to find, proving that women belong on the Great Himalaya Trail.This discussion challenges everything we assume about adventure tourism—the colonial narratives baked into our itineraries, the voices we never hear, the scripts we impose on communities who know how to welcome guests far better than we do. She makes the case for showing up with no agenda, listening before designing, and building something that matters more than scale.Marinel's organizations:Equity Global Treks (Brown Gal Trekker)The Porter Voice CollectiveHer vision for Himalayan Women Trail LeadersHer film KM82 on the Quechuan Porters of PeruThe Khusvegi English & Nomadic Culture Camp she helped start in MongoliaMore show notes and resources on tourpreneur.com

This short episode was recorded live at GetYourGuide's Unlocked conference in September 2025.When you meet Arturo Ardao Rivera, the first thing you feel is his energy. He doesn't come off as an engineer, which was his profession until he discovered a joy for tour guiding and running a tour business. Originally from Madrid, Arturo found his true passion when he created Rainbow Tours Stockholm. It has grown from a solo operation to employing 26 guides.His story is one of rejecting some of his engineering tendencies (choosing feelings over numbers!) and leaning into strategies that appear unorthodox but have worked well for him.You'll discover:His unique "taxi tariff" model for private tours, and his approach to hyper-personalization.Why he doesn't ask for reviewsWhy he's not sold on the "get more bookings" industry mantra Why he visits guides he's thinking of hiring in their comfort zone, not hisHow guide applicants are asked to become undercover tour takersHow he leverages running two separate brands for pricing strategyHow he grow leveraging 10+ OTA partners, and how he's managing his distribution mixConnect with Arturo on LinkedIn, and visit Rainbow Tours Stockholm!

It's 2026... welcome to a new year of Tourpreneur weekly travel business podcasts!And we're starting the year off in a slightly different vein.This episode is a must-listen to help you set a new and hopefully inspirational, deeper tone for your year ahead as a business owner or guide.Our opening guest is the inimitable Dr. Anu Taranath, a professor, author, and facilitator. She's truly one of a kind. She gave the opening keynote at last year's Tourpreneur conference, and blew everyone away.So Tourpreneur's Mitch Bach was excited to sit down with Anu to challenge Tourpreneurs to think new thoughts about what they're doing as business owners. Yes, our job is to bring joy and entertainment and storytelling to our guests. Yes, our job as business owners is to show up for the daily grind of practical, nuts and bolts business. That's the spine of many of our lives out there.This episode will ask you to go deeper.If you rest on only the level of entertainment, and 'customer service' and professionalism, you're missing an opportunity for greater meaning, both in your business and your guests' lives.Anu asks you to think of your role as creating not only staged performances, but also spaces and containers to "rehumanize humans" and "normalize the normal"—that is, the kinds of human questions about culture and difference that are normal reactions to a travel experience that stretches people.It's an invitation to take off the armor — yours and your guests, and create something more meaningful together, something deeply human.As always, more show notes and links on tourpreneur.com.Dr. Anu's WebsiteConnect with Anu on LinkedInAnu's InstagramAnu's book, Beyond Guilt Trips

Pete Syme interviews Andrea Lamparini from WeRoad, a hybrid tech company and tour operator that's rewriting the rules of group travel for millennials and Gen Z. The conversation reveals how WeRoad has achieved exceptional growth by building a community-first model where strangers become friends through small group experiences, using travel coordinators instead of traditional guides, operating as a curated marketplace where top coordinators design their own trips, and leveraging technology to scale operations with one-third of their 200-person team dedicated to tech. Andrea shares how they maintain quality with 4,000+ casual travel coordinators who each lead just one trip per year, why they leave 30-40% of each itinerary unstructured for group decision-making, how their supply model works across 68-70 DMCs globally, and why they're expanding into B2B channels including travel agencies, employee benefit programs, and corporate partnerships that already represent 17-18% of revenue. The discussion covers their VC backing (rare for a tour operator), plans for US expansion in 2026, the power of their We Meet app hosting 50,000 community members at events this year, and Andrea's key lesson learned: curating their marketplace offering earlier would have prevented the conversion drop caused by overwhelming choice.Top Ten Takeaways1. Travel Coordinators Work Alongside Local GuidesWeRoad uses travel coordinators who are the same age as travelers, depart from the same home country, and focus on facilitating group dynamics rather than delivering local expertise. Local guides are still included for museums, parks, and other sites where specialized knowledge is needed. Travel coordinators create WhatsApp groups one month before departure, balance introverted and extroverted personalities, and coordinate the 30-40% of unstructured time built into every itinerary. WeRoad has 4,000+ coordinators working casual contracts with a commitment of just one trip per year.2. Quality at Scale Without Full-Time StaffCoordinators go through online applications, webinars, group interviews, and a final boot camp weekend with 100 candidates. Most visit destinations for the first time, but rigorous hiring and training ensure consistency. Local DMC partners provide backup if logistics fail. Top performers can become "producers" who design and scout their own trips.3. Groups Decide 30-40% of Their Itinerary in Real TimeAccommodations, transport, and core experiences are fixed, but dinners, half-days, and optional activities are decided by the group during the trip based on their interests and budget. Travel coordinators provide options and handle bookings with local partners, personalizing the experience to match group energy.4. A Curated Marketplace Scales the Portfolio 5xWeRoad's internal team creates 200 itineraries while travel producers create 1,000+ more. This model scaled their catalog 5x without adding internal headcount. All producers use standardized supply agreements ensuring every DMC meets centralized requirements for safety, insurance, compliance, and capacity.5. Supply Quality Is Non-NegotiableWeRoad works with 68-70 DMCs globally, visits partner sites, and monitors quality constantly. The rule is simple: mess up once or twice and you're out. Because each group makes different choices during unstructured time, suppliers must be flexible enough to support varied activities in every destination.6. Community Extends Beyond Travel Through We MeetThe We Meet app hosts 10,000+ events across Europe where 50,000 people connected this year. Travel coordinators organize pottery classes, running groups, hiking, pub quizzes, and weekend trips in their home cities. This keeps...

Christy Hunter started Photo Walk Nashville seven years ago after discovering Airbnb Experiences, combining her photography skills with local knowledge to create tours that capture memories for travelers. What began as open photo shoots quickly evolved as she learned to segment products for different customer types—bachelorette parties, couples, solo travelers, dog owners, and corporate groups.The conversation covers her product development journey, including early mistakes like mixing incompatible customer types and learning when to say no. Christy emphasizes the importance of local partnerships, sharing examples like teaming up with cosmetic brand Winky Lux for a home base and an apartment complex for rooftop access.On marketing, Christy shares her successful TikTok strategy: having team member Gina speak directly to camera as if she were a past guest ("You have to do this one thing in Nashville..."), which drove multiple viral videos and direct bookings. She also discusses influencer marketing from both sides—as a tour operator and as an influencer herself—stressing the importance of clear communication, doing research on engagement rates, and not asking for specific deliverables.Christy expanded to Charleston this year when a team member relocated, keeping the same operational model rather than franchising. She's also building Go To Nashville, an OTA reselling partner experiences through Tour Base's affiliate system. Looking ahead, she's focused on increasing capacity utilization rather than geographic expansion, and launching a consulting business to help other photographers and retailers enter the tourism space.Top 10 TakeawaysShe learned to segment products by customer type after mixing incompatible groups. Couples from Ohio and bachelorette parties on the same tour didn't work. She created separate experiences for bachelorette parties, dog owners, proposals, and corporate groups. She also had to add rules like no showing up intoxicated.Local partnerships solved operational problems. She partnered with Winky Lux cosmetics to use their store as a tour base. She partnered with an apartment complex to do one event per month in exchange for building access, free parking, gym, pool, and exclusive rooftop access for a champagne add-on.She met business partner Gina through Airbnb host meetups. Gina developed scheduling systems for Photo Walk and now leads their TikTok strategy. They found a part-time scheduling manager who is also one of their hosts to keep operations in the family.Styled shoots solve the content creation problem. Designate one day per quarter or year, hire models (friends and family work), hire a photographer, and simulate the tour experience. Creating content during real tours is too difficult.Their TikTok strategy: Gina speaks as if she's a past guest. She says "you have to do this one thing in Nashville" direct to camera. They had multiple viral videos and saw direct booking surges. They repeat the same hook for different demographics. TikTok shows it to different audiences each time.Influencer marketing is about clear communication and research. Look at engagement rates, not follower counts. Check if they have real followers by looking at views relative to follower count. Don't ask for specific deliverables. Show them a good time and they'll naturally post. Get expectations in writing.She hires photographers who are connectors and storytellers first. Technical skill matters, but being a people person is more important. She uses live view mode to avoid putting the camera between her and the guest. She tells guests upfront she has posing ideas so they relax.She tracks booking sources through Peak's intake form. She asks "how did you hear about us?" Her biggest...

Ryan Connolly went from finance analyst to glacier guide to co-founder of Hidden Iceland. In this episode, he shares the numbers behind their most pivotal business decision: cutting small group tours that represented 50% of their departures but only 10% of revenue.That shift to exclusively premium and luxury private tours helped the company grow by 5% while improving quality and profitability. Ryan explains how relationship marketing drives 70% of their bookings directly without OTAs, why they lead with education when working with travel advisors, and why PR outperforms paid advertising when selling luxury experiences.Plus, the story of how a three-year journey across 40 countries led him to Iceland, where he met his wife on a glacier tour and built a business with two partners.Top 10 Takeaways for Tour Operators1. Cut unprofitable segments ruthlesslySmall group tours accounted for 50% of Hidden Iceland's departures but only 10% of revenue. After eliminating that segment, they grew 5% by focusing resources on premium and luxury private tours where margins are higher.2. Partner with competitors instead of viewing them as threatsWhen customers can't afford Hidden Iceland's luxury pricing, Ryan personally introduces them to partner companies that serve the budget segment. This maintains relationships and positions them as helpful experts rather than pushy salespeople.3. PR drives better ROI than paid ads for high ticket salesOver 450 articles in publications like Condé Nast, Forbes, and CNN have driven 70% direct bookings. For luxury trips ($20,000+), earned media builds trust better than Facebook or Google ads.4. Lead with personal story in first customer contactRyan's initial email starts: "Hello, my name is Ryan. I'm originally Scottish. I've lived in Iceland since 2016. I originally trained as a glacier guide..." This builds immediate trust and differentiates from transactional competitors.5. Educate travel advisors. Don't just sell to themHidden Iceland runs webinars teaching agents about Iceland's seasons, distances, and what each time of year offers. Not sales pitches. The education first approach builds meaningful advisor relationships that generate 30% of bookings.6. Vet activity partners on safety and environmental standardsBefore partnering with snowmobile companies, helicopter tours, or other providers, Hidden Iceland shares their own safety and environmental policies first, then asks partners to reciprocate. This creates collaboration, not just transactions.7. Train guides to be themselves, not follow scriptsInstead of teaching guides what to say at each stop, Hidden Iceland tells them: "Be yourself in the most authentic way possible and create genuine connections." This leads to reviews that praise the guide more than the destination.8. Choose conferences strategically. Avoid the herdRyan skips luxury travel conferences if more than 2 or 3 other Iceland companies will attend. Less competition means easier differentiation and more meaningful conversations with travel advisors.9. Keep the sales process low tech and high touchDespite having a CRM (LEMACS), Hidden Iceland puts key itinerary details in the body of emails and offers phone calls early. For luxury clients, human connection trumps slick automation.10. Build the business with partners you trust implicitlyRyan emphasizes: "Don't set up a company with anyone you don't trust inherently and that you believe will communicate effectively during the hardest times." Through pandemics and volcanic eruptions, Hidden Iceland's three owners have never shouted at each other because they chose partnership carefully.

Kevin and Sylvia launched iRide Arusha in July 2024, offering motorcycle tours and rentals in Tanzania. Within 18 months they scaled across four East African cities through a franchise model called iRide Africa, with partners operating in Rwanda, Nairobi, and Mombasa. The franchise structure allows riders to cross borders and book multi-country tours.The episode covers operational realities: importing equipment across borders, navigating tourism regulations, managing multi-country payment processing, and running rentals and guided tours as two distinct businesses with different customer profiles and sales cycles. Kevin and Sylvia share how they find customers through motorcycle clubs, price for premium buyers, and use immediate response times as a competitive advantage.TOP 10 TAKEAWAYS1. Test adjacent niches when your market is saturatedRather than launch another safari company in an oversaturated market, Kevin and Sylvia identified motorcycle touring as an underserved adventure niche in East Africa. Consider what adjacent experiences your destination supports that competitors aren't offering.2. Franchise models can scale faster than going soloWithin 18 months, iRide expanded across four East African cities through franchise partnerships. Partners share mechanics, bikes, marketing resources, and customer referrals. This creates a network effect where riders can start in one country and end in another, adding value no single operator could deliver alone.3. Target communities, not just individualsKevin reaches out directly to motorcycle clubs in major US cities. One Chicago BMW Riders club is bringing eight people in February. Booking one club creates the revenue of eight individual customers with a fraction of the acquisition cost. Find the clubs, associations, or communities that match your experience type.4. Customer service is a competitive advantage in developing marketsTheir immediate response times and willingness to hop on Zoom calls builds trust fast, especially for customers who've never been to Africa.5. Platform diversification requires testing, not guessingiRide is on Get Your Guide, Viator, Klook, WeTravel, and fielding Facebook messages, but hasn't found the magic channel yet. Test widely, track what converts, double down there.6. Price for the experience you're actually delivering, not your self-doubtKevin admits they severely underpriced at launch. Beginner business owners often can't see their own value clearly. If you're offering wow moments and authentic connections, charge accordingly.7. Guided vs. rental requires different marketing and operationsRental customers (experienced, self-sufficient, quick decision makers) need less hand-holding than guided tour customers (more questions, longer planning cycles, higher price points). These are functionally two different businesses with different messaging, pricing, and customer profiles.8. Gross revenue and net income are very differentVehicle maintenance, cross-border parts sourcing, and insurance eat into margins constantly. Build cash reserves and expect hidden costs, especially in asset-heavy businesses.9. Local language fluency unlocks competitive advantagesSylvia's Swahili fluency helped navigate Interpol holds on imported bikes, handle tourism police complaints from competitors, and build long-term supplier relationships. Language access isn't just customer-facing—it's operational power.10. Differentiation isn't just what you do, it's how guests connectGuests consistently cite the vastness of the landscape and local interactions (like lunch with Sylvia's 88-year-old farming grandmother) as their standout memories. Design for connection points your format uniquely enables.

This conversation with Jeff Gayduk, publisher of Premier Travel Media, reveals an industry at a transformative inflection point where specialized group travel is experiencing unprecedented growth despite predictions of its demise. Speaking from his unique vantage point overseeing multiple travel industry verticals, Gayduk identifies 2026 as a watershed year driven by three major events—the World Cup, Route 66's centennial, and America's 250th anniversary—while highlighting the explosive growth in niche markets from pickleball tourism to multi-generational family trips. The discussion underscores a fundamental shift in how travel experiences are designed and marketed, moving away from cookie-cutter itineraries toward highly specialized, passion-driven offerings that leverage everything from sports tournaments to career readiness programs, with successful operators focusing on authentic relationships and deep expertise rather than trying to compete with legacy brands on traditional offerings.10 Key Takeaways1. Group Travel is Experiencing Its Most Exciting EraThe group travel market has undergone a complete transformation since COVID, moving from a defensive position of proving relevance to an offensive surge of innovation and growth. Special interest groups, family bonding experiences, and educational opportunities are creating unique travel products unavailable to individual consumers. The pandemic's forced separation actually accelerated demand for meaningful group experiences rather than diminishing it.2. Three Major Events Will Define 2026 TourismThe World Cup across 16 North American cities will bring 6.5 million visitors with 40% from overseas, creating massive opportunities for tour operators in hub cities. Route 66's anniversary and America's 250th celebration will generate patriotic tourism and historical programming throughout the year. These events create both standalone opportunities and chances for creative tour operators to build complementary experiences around the main attractions.3. Sports Tourism Has Become the Industry's Hidden GiantYouth sports tournaments drive consistent weekend travel with families spending whatever necessary for their children's athletic participation, creating massive but underserved tourism segments. Adult amateur sports, particularly pickleball, are seeing explosive growth with facilities featuring 32-64 courts becoming destinations themselves. The opportunity lies not in the games themselves but in creating experiences for the downtime between matches, serving families who are tourists without tour infrastructure.4. The Student Travel Market Has Evolved Beyond Class TripsCareer readiness programs are emerging as students face AI-driven uncertainty about future employment, with manufacturers and trade schools becoming unexpected tourism partners. Small, specialized STEM groups and performance ensembles are replacing massive band trips, creating opportunities for highly targeted educational experiences. College visit tours have become sophisticated multi-campus experiences as the stakes for education choices continue rising.5. Niche Specialization Beats General Tourism Every Time"The riches are in the niches" has proven true as operators who focus on specific passions outperform those trying to compete on standard itineraries. Technology now enables operators to reach highly specific audiences globally rather than being limited to local marketing through yellow pages and park districts. The tighter the niche, the easier it becomes to market and the more likely customers are to pay premium prices for expertise.6. Multi-Generational Travel Represents Billions in Untapped OpportunityOlder Americans with disposable income are funding entire family trips, from luxury yacht cruises to Disney vacations, often including extended...

Pete Syme talks with Drew Falkman about vibe coding, a way for tour operators to build custom software tools using plain English prompts instead of traditional programming. Drew explains how AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude have been trained on code repositories, allowing them to generate working applications from simple descriptions. The conversation covers why this matters for small operators, what you can build, the learning curve, costs, security considerations, and how this technology could shift the relationship between tour operators and the software they depend on. Pete emphasizes that operators already have the same AI access as hundred million dollar companies and encourages spending at least an hour daily experimenting with these tools.Top 10 TakeawaysYou can build tools without coding knowledge. AI tools trained on code repositories can generate working applications from plain English descriptions, making app building accessible to anyone.Most SaaS tools don't fit your exact workflow. You end up paying for applications where 80% of features you're not using because they're designed for other industries, but the things you do use aren't quite refined enough.Start with internal workflows, not customer-facing apps. Build tools for internal processes first. Don't go public with what you build until you have experience, as you can get 80 to 90% correct quickly, but that last bit is more challenging.Map your processes before building. Write down all your processes on paper, rank what's most important, and list what you really don't like doing. This helps identify where custom tools can have the biggest impact.The learning curve has three main steps. First, learn to plan what you want to build (20 to 30 hours). Second, design the workflow and user interface (a few hours). Third, understand data and databases (a couple days). Total time to get comfortable is roughly a few weeks of focused learning.Tools like Lovable cost around $20 per month. There are small monthly fees for vibe coding platforms, plus hosting costs if your tool is public-facing. Tools like Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Magic Patterns, and N8n each serve different purposes.Keep data storage minimal for security. Don't store sensitive information like credit card numbers or social security numbers. Use third-party authentication (Google, Microsoft, Apple) and payment processors like Stripe to handle sensitive data.You can build custom booking flows and optimize conversions. Create your own booking engine where you control every step, then use analytics tools to see where people drop off and experiment with improvements to increase completion rates.This threatens the traditional SaaS industry. Large companies spending millions monthly on SaaS are already exploring vibe coding to reduce costs. What happens at that level will cascade down through the industry to the tools small operators use today.Just try it to understand the possibilities. Go to lovable.dev, run a prompt, and build something. You won't fully understand what you can do until you experiment. You have nothing to lose with free versions, and no one else will see your experiments.Want to learn vibe coding yourself? Drew teaches courses on building apps without code. Visit drewfalkman.com to explore free resources and paid courses that walk you through the process step by step.

Born from a wine import business and shaped by deep relationships with multi‑generational wineries, Joy of Wine Journeys built a premium, multi‑day model with a ~75% repeat rate. Natalie shares why they skip big cities, how “depth over density” creates value, and how pricing, partnerships, feedback, and tight ops compound into growth.Top 10 takeaways1) Repeat guests keep coming back. About 75% rebook, often bringing friends and family. Nail the first trip and lifetime value follows.2) Win the in between. Don’t try to run Paris or Venice. Guests fly into a gateway, then the tour connects the regions in between where long winery relationships unlock access and stories.3) Fewer stops, deeper moments. Five wineries in ten days. Hosted visits. Family meals. Time to linger. People remember conversations and rituals, not mileage.4) Price for the value you deliver. Raise prices as the experience improves. Let booking behavior and guest comments set the ceiling, not nerves.5) Partners make you resilient. When a bus failed, local partners mobilized vans, cold water, and support within the hour. Good relationships turn problems into loyalty moments.6) Feedback is the roadmap. Debrief during and after each tour, then keep, change, or cut. Trim bloat, smooth pacing, and upgrade hotels, meals, wines, and transport.7) Know who you serve. Average age ~63. Well traveled. Hungry for hosted, exclusive experiences without snobbery. Design pacing, teaching, and access for that person.8) Confirm, confirm, confirm. Book a year out, then reconfirm at six months, three months, one month, and day‑of. Fewer surprises. Smoother days.9) Help in the cities even if you don’t operate there. Refer guests to vetted guides in Venice, Milan, Paris, Nice, and Florence so the whole trip feels looked after.10) Use tech to support margins, not as the magic. TravelJoy for CRM, WeTravel for euro payments, Travelfy for itineraries, QuickBooks for the back office. The differentiator is still access, hosting, and relationships.

When Justin Buzzi launched a clear kayak tour in Florida, his goal was to offer something memorable. What he built was one of the most highly rated kayak experiences in the country—with over 50,000 five-star reviews and 30+ franchise locations.In this episode, Justin joins Dustin Miller of Conversion Assist to unpack how they built a guest experience that keeps working long after the paddles are down. From guide training to personalized automations, they reveal the systems and strategies behind their flywheel of reviews, repeat customers, and referrals.Whether you run one tour or many, this conversation offers clear, actionable ideas for tightening operations, earning stronger reviews, and building a reputation that scales.Top 10 TakeawaysStart with experience. Build with systems. Clear kayaks got attention, but it was the systems behind the scenes—like training, hiring, and guest communication—that turned Get Up and Go Kayaking into a scalable business.Google reviews matter most. While they still collect reviews on TripAdvisor, Airbnb, and Facebook, the team prioritizes Google for its impact on search visibility and conversion. That focus shapes everything from email copy to in-person asks.Follow up with every guest, not just the booker. After each tour, automated messages go out to everyone who attended—not just the person who paid. That alone tripled their review volume in one year.Set expectations before guests arrive. Automated pre-tour texts help guests feel informed, reduce no-shows, and create a smoother arrival. That positive start lays the groundwork for better reviews.Empower guides to own the guest relationship.Top guides build connection, read the group, and ask for reviews in ways that feel natural. Some have personally earned over 2,000 five-star reviews through great service and follow-up.Automation can still feel personal. With name-based SMS, segmented follow-ups, and smart timing, Dustin’s system balances efficiency with a human touch. Guests feel supported without extra strain on the team.Use your off-season to get stronger. Slow months are for updating SOPs, refreshing content, replacing gear, and optimizing tools. When the season picks up again, the whole operation runs better.Your reviews are a roadmap. Use AI to analyze common praise and complaints in your reviews. What guests love should shape your messaging. What they question should inform training or improvements.Bad reviews are a chance to show who you are. Reply quickly, stay calm, and put future guests at ease. Dustin recommends using AI to help write thoughtful, emotionally neutral responses if needed.Great reviews grow more than bookings. Consistent five-star reviews improve search rankings, boost conversion rates, and increase the long-term value of your company. It’s not just a feedback loop—it’s a growth engine.

When Christian Wolters rejoined Intrepid Travel, his goal wasn’t to reinvent the brand—it was to reconnect it to its core. As President for Canada and GM of Marketing for North America, Christian brought a global perspective to a local challenge: how to ensure that Intrepid’s messaging reflected its values, operations, and guest experience.At the time, Intrepid already had strong credentials as the world’s largest B Corp-certified travel company—but its marketing had become noisy. Christian’s task was to bring back clarity and alignment.In this episode, he shares how the team rebuilt trust through transparent messaging, simplified their email strategy, and launched bold campaigns—like “Offsetting is not enough”—that prioritized substance over slogans.We explore how brand credibility starts internally, how even small teams can clarify their voice, and why the most effective growth strategy is simply this: make sure what you say matches what you do.Top 10 TakeawaysHere’s what stood out from Christian’s approach to brand leadership at Intrepid Travel—and how you can apply the same principles no matter your team size or marketing budget:Marketing only works when it reflects what’s realBefore crafting new campaigns, Christian focused on whether the brand’s messaging matched the guest experience. Effective marketing starts with operational alignment, not just creative ideas.Less content can create more impactIntrepid eliminated 70% of its email marketing output. By reducing noise and focusing on relevant, high-quality communication, they saw stronger engagement and a better connection with their audience.Transparency strengthens your positionInstead of promoting carbon offsets as a total solution, Intrepid launched a campaign that openly stated: “Offsetting is not enough.” That honesty sparked deeper trust among travelers who care about sustainability.Internal stories are the foundation of brand identityChristian built Intrepid’s external messaging around what employees already cared about and talked about. That made the brand more authentic, more consistent, and easier to rally around.Clarity attracts the right peopleGetting specific about Intrepid’s values helped bring in better-fit travelers, partners, and employees. When you know what you stand for, the right people find you—and the wrong ones self-select out.Show up with your real voice, not someone else’sChristian encouraged small operators to speak in their own words. You don’t need slick campaigns to earn trust—just a clear point of view and consistency in how you show up.Sustainability starts with how you operateFor Intrepid, being a responsible travel company isn’t just a message—it’s built into how trips are run, how suppliers are chosen, and how decisions are made. Marketing simply tells that story.Internal alignment makes external messaging strongerChristian made sure every team member could explain the brand’s purpose and values. When your team understands the story, they can embody it and share it more naturally with guests.Rebrands can help clarify—not just refresh—your identityIntrepid’s rebrand wasn’t just about visuals. It was about focusing the company’s message and voice to reflect its mission more clearly and consistently across all channels.Small teams can apply the same approachEven without big budgets or a full marketing department, operators can...

When Kirstin Reeder’s first-ever bookkeeping client turned out to be a tour operator, she didn’t expect it to change the course of her business. But that relationship revealed how often tour operators are misunderstood by traditional accountants. Today, Kirstin and her teammate Amber Call run Purple Sapphire Business Solutions, a firm focused entirely on the unique financial needs of the tour and activity industry.This episode is packed with real-world guidance on how to set up your books, track profitability, avoid fraud, and prepare for seasonality. Whether you are just getting started or running a multi-day operation, Kirstin and Amber share the habits and systems that help operators build financially healthy businesses and reduce stress at tax time.And if you're attending TourWeek 2025, you can come meet Kirstin in person!Download their free expense audit calculator

As part of our Growth series, recorded live in Berlin at GetYourGuide's 2025 Unlocked Summit, we now turn to Naples, Italy. Tourpreneur host Mitch Bach talks with Jasmine Palmieri, Commercial & Product Director for World Tours Italy.World Tours has scaled by keeping everything in-house—from their fleet of vehicles to employed tour guides—allowing them to maintain strict quality control as they grow. Jasmine explains their strategy of offering small group tours in multiple languages daily, staying ahead of competitors through constant innovation, and creating unique experiences like a Roman-era dining experience paired with archaeological tours. She emphasizes the importance of personal connection, having guides proactively reach out to clients and serve as local advisors throughout their stay, turning tourists into enthusiastic advocates who spread the word to friends and family.Episode sponsored by GetYourGuide. Join Tourpreneur in November for TourWeek 2025 in Charleston, South Carolina!

Welcome to the Growth Series! Tourpreneur hosts Peter Syme and Mitch Bach attended GetYourGuide's Unlocked event in Berlin in September, and recorded several conversations with tour operators who have scaled their businesses to tens and hundreds of thousands of travelers. They share their insights and secrets in this series.In this conversation, Peter talks with Arzu Tutuk, Founder and Managing Director of Walks in Europe. She shares her journey from being a solo tour guide in Istanbul to running a scaled operation across multiple cities in Europe. They talk about the importance of delegation, leveraging technology, understanding pricing strategies, managing cash flow, and enhancing customer communication. Arzu highlights the need for small operators to expand their partner networks and adapt to market trends, particularly the growing demand for personalized and private tours.Key takeawaysDelegation is crucial for scaling a business.Your time as a business owner is more valuable than guiding.Invest in customer service to free up your time.Utilize technology to streamline operations and bookings.Pricing strategies should be dynamic and responsive to market demand.Cash flow management is essential for business sustainability.Effective communication with customers can increase bookings.Private and customized tours are becoming increasingly popular.Expanding your partner network can accelerate growth.Diversifying sales channels is key to reaching more customers.More on tourpreneur.com

Today Tourpreneur host Mitch Bach goes to Budapest!When a video game designer accidentally lands on MasterChef thanks to his partner’s prank, he doesn’t expect it to change his life. But that twist launched Joseph Szakács into founding Foodapest, one of Budapest’s most unique food experiences. In this episode, Joseph shares how he turned a surprise phone call into a purpose-driven business built around cooking, culture, and human connection.The (Hungarian) meat of this conversation focuses on Emotion Design. Joseph reveals how his background in video game development taught him to craft emotional journeys, not just itineraries. We dive deep into his ideas on “vibe guiding,” emotional storytelling, and why frustration and delight both belong on a tour.Visit FoodapestJoin Tourpreneur for TourWeek 2025 in November!

Good tour design doesn't just help create memorable experiences, it's also a way to build a defensive moat around your business that protects against competitors, copycats, and even AI disruption.In today's episode, TP hosts Mitch Bach and Peter Syme dismantle the traditional information-based approach to tour guiding and argue for a shift in thinking towards emotional design. They explore how customers drowning in content and knowledge need tours that create feelings rather than deliver facts, introducing frameworks like the "connection triangle" (guide-guest-place), the peak-end rule for memory formation, and the psychology of surprise as a core human emotion. The discussion reveals why designing around emotions like awe, connection, and surprise creates experiences that can't be replicated by competitors or generated by AI.Mitch and Pete dive into how tour operators can build defensible businesses through unique access, authentic personal stories, and continuous iteration rather than relying on replicable scripts or famous landmarks. Using examples from speakeasy-style walking tours in New York to bonfire dinners with base jumpers in the mountains, they demonstrate how value-based pricing comes from designing experiences that surprise and transform rather than simply meeting expectations.For more on tour design, join us at our annual conference TourWeek, November 10-13, 2025 in Charleston, SC!

Tourpreneur hosts Mitch Bach and Peter Syme come to you live from Berlin! They attended GetYourGuide's Unlocked conference, where over 300 of their tour, activity, and attraction partners gathered from around the world to have a day-long discussion that will shape the future of the platform, and our industry in part. (Last year's supplier discussions focused on the need for curation, leading directly to a major shift in the platform's direction.)Peter and Mitch spent most of the day speaking with tour operators there, but when end-of-day drinks happened, GetYourGuide's COO Tao Tao said "let's grab some beers and go have a chat!" And we couldn't resist the chance to pepper him with questions.In an age of carefully scripted, PR-focused corporate conversations, we appreciated Tao's candor and willingness to answer everything we threw at him. Our questions were a little wacky, a little philosophical and extremely eclectic. But he didn't shy away from anything. And the result really exposes GetYourGuide's vision (and bet) for how an experiences marketplace should look in 2025 and beyond.This conversation is wide-ranging to say the least, and a good follow-up after our podcast in January (which is also a must-listen).In this episode we cover a lot of terrain:Mitch gets a little wacky with social commentary: Are reviews actually good for our industry? Are we all better off experiencing travel through serendipity and wandering, rather than organized, booked experiences?Pete notices an end-of-day discussion on "moods" and asked Tao whether GetYourGuide should be developing mood and feeling filters!Tao shares why they created a conference to show up for their suppliers, even when there's tough love in the room.We ask how, 9 months later, the shift to a more curated marketplace is progressing. Are we nearing the end of the process, or just the beginning?We veer into a strange conversation around which movie or TV show best describes the current OTA situation, and how GetYourGuide thinks about what they're doing as an organization that partially sets the tone for what tours & activities are.Tao shares how in the age of AI, product differentiation and curation will only get more important.We all agree our industry needs to grow the pie. But how? In what direction?New AI reviews and filters point to a future possibility where the right tour is surfaced in a more personalized way, and quality is assessed beyond star ratings.Finally, we get Tao's advice for new businesses and how they should position themselves in the industry and the platform for best success.And GetYourGuide is a sponsor of TourWeek 2025, our global conference with 400 tour & activity industry players coming to Charleston, SC for more meaty, frothy conversations!More show notes and resources on tourpreneur.com

If there's one thing we at Tourpreneur have learned about running an online community, it's how important it is to have in-person gatherings to anchor the online conversations in the friendships that develop in-person.So far this year we've welcomed nearly 1,000 people to our small group "Shindigs" (meetups) held all around the world.And we're planning on more, plus launching a brand new style of conference for the whole industry, TourWeek.So in this special episode, Mitch, Peter and TP Head of Events Kyle Campbell sit down for a chat about the importance of tour operators meeting up together in-person and how we want YOU to join or host an in-person gathering!

How do we design experiences that use photography to enhance the guided experience, and not detract from feeling engaged and immersed? That's the question Mitch Bach posed in this Tourpreneur episode.Mikaela Toczek is the perfect person to answer that questions. She's the founder of More to Explore in Slovenia, which combines her background as a documentary photographer and photojournalism educator with her passion for guiding to create tours that explore Slovenia's lesser-known areas.Having moved to Slovenia with her family and launched her business three years ago, she deliberately focuses on areas without established tourism infrastructure, taking small groups of eight people to places that offer authentic connections with local hosts and providers.Her approach to tours integrates what she calls "conscious photography" - a philosophy rooted in her experience using medium format film cameras that have only 12 shots per roll, forcing intentional, reflective image-making rather than mindless smartphone snapping. This photographic mindfulness becomes woven throughout her tour experiences, helping guests balance capturing memories with being fully present in Slovenia's stunning natural landscapes.Don't forget to join us for TourWeek, Tourpreneur's global event for tour operators! More at tourweek.travel