Tips to finding your niche market as a tourism business

Specialisation sets businesses apart in the tourism industry. Ask yourself: what would make a potential traveller book with your company over your competitors? This is the whole premise of finding your niche market – to offer something different and unique.  

With a clear idea of who your target customers are, you can cut through the competition. But how do you do that? Here are some tips on finding your niche market as a tourism operator. 

Brainstorm your interests and passion

As with most things in life, it’s good to have an assessment of where you’re at. Assess the things you offer and why. You may have done this before, but in case you haven’t, make a list of your interests and the things you’re passionate about. What do you have an in-depth knowledge of? What are you good at? 

Consider the products you offer. It's imperative that you choose a niche you’re passionate about. That passion and commitment will translate to a great experience for your visitors.    

Consider the destinations  

What do you think your travellers love the most? Get a pulse on what they want to see and experience. What places are your travellers dying to see? What do these destinations have in common?  

The next thing you have to think about is your unique location. What's unique about your landscape? What products or experiences are only available in your region?  

Evaluate your data

You may already have a good database of previous customers. You can check this data and take note of different categories of your target market. Identify them by age, gender, and type of traveller. This can be quite tedious but definitely worth the effort.  

Some tour booking software, however, will help you scrutinise your data, and can generate digestible reports for you. With this information, you can come up with possible tours and activities you can offer that are unique to your business. 

Is there a particular demographic that you would like to target? Are you targeting solo travellers, couple travel or family travel? 

What price tag would be you comfortable selling your products at? This will help determine the type of travel that you can offer (budget, luxury, etc.). Also, look at what type of travel you want to offer – all-inclusive, group tours, or adventure tours?  

Assess your network

Who are your connections? If you have an existing network of connections, then you should tap into that. For example, if you have a relationship with winery owners, you could connect with them to offer winery tours. If you are connected with professional photographers, you could offer photography of your activities in a package. Take advantage of these relationships!  

Research your competition

Competition isn’t a bad thing! Competition is actually a good indication of the profitability of your niche. However, you need to analyse what your competitors are doing, and how they're doing it. Think about how you could position your business within the broader context of your destination and industry. 

Finding a niche market is the secret to making your business stand out. Use these tips to build your own niche and increase those bookings!