Focusing on solo travelers is a huge opportunity to grow your business. In 2022, solo travel is expected to reach new heights as more people are taking the leap to travel on their own for their dream vacation. Booking.com’s pre-pandemic data saw only 17% of travelers planning a trip on their own while 30% now say they will plan a solo trip in the future.
Here are some tips to help you capitalize on this growing market segment and to ensure you deliver high quality and repeat business.
It all starts with the offer
Too often traveling alone means paying more than your fair share of costs. Now more than ever, solo travelers are seeking out travel companies featuring low, or even better, no single supplement offers. When selecting hotels for your itineraries, seek out partners and suppliers who recognize the importance of waiving single supplement fees so you can promote at least some limited departures with no supplements. Contracting, pricing and marketing great single offers will build brand loyalty with your customers who will know you are paying attention to their needs. Regardless of if you are a value or luxury brand, no one wants to get ripped off and pay too much.
Make contact early and identify their "wish list"
Prior to your clients packing their bags, their Tour Leader should reach out to each solo traveler for an introduction, and to find out what their "wish list" is for their vacation. This pre-trip phone call or email will ensure the Tour Leader is aware of the guests’ expectations and they can work to make it happen on the trip if possible (unless they want to meet the Queen while they're in London). Maybe they want to spot a Quezal bird on a hiking trip in Guatemala or to see a concert at the famed Sydney Opera House or even something as simple as visiting a local synagogue or church. Helping your clients to make their wish list come true, can make the difference between a good or a great overall travel experience.
Create a discussion board
Consider creating a discussion board where clients enrolled in a particular trip can "meet up" virtually prior to departure to get to know each other and ask questions. Effective discussion boards can help create trip excitement, camaraderie and reduce any pre-trip jitters about traveling solo.
Create unique engagement opportunities early and often
Often solo travelers can find each other organically to form friendships but why not make it easier for them to meet by hosting a solo traveler cocktail party or having the group leader invite all the solo travelers to go on a morning stroll to a local bakery, or an evening pub crawl to sample the local wine or beer. The key is to make it happen early on in the trip and then schedule some events through the program.
Oh no, who am I going to sit with at dinner?
The thought of what to do for meals and who to go with can be a stress point when you're traveling solo. For included meals, the Tour Leader can work with restaurants for group dinners to have a free table where solos can choose to dine together so they know they have a place to eat if they don't want to eat alone or are hesitant to sit with couples. For meals that are not included, the Tour Leader could invite guests to meet in the hotel lobby to join her for a dinner at her favorite local restaurant in town, with everyone paying for their own meal.
Make travel safe
Finally, solo travelers want to explore and know they are safe but still be treated as adults. Select hotels that are in safe neighborhoods and have good security provisions. When possible, contract hotel rooms on the lower floors and that are closer to elevators. Make sure they have the phone number of the group leader for emergencies and always have the hotel name and address written on a handy card.
It's all in the follow up
Solo travel can be a life changing experience for your clients that opens up more possibilities for friendship and adventure than traveling with significant others or friends. Create a special post trip survey to ask specific questions on their solo travel experience to get feedback on how to improve and to let them know that you are serious about ensuring you are catering to their specific needs and committed to offering high value.
At North Star Travel Consulting, we can help you to implement these best practices and to achieve results to attract and retain solo travelers. Whether it’s training your group leaders, contracting hotels, or setting up processes, let us help you to make it easy.
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