Tour Operators Turn to Strategic Partnerships to Drive Post-Pandemic Business
Photo Caption: Travelers can take part in a Surf and Yoga adventure offered by Contiki in Devon. Contiki
Skift Take
Although several tour operators are enjoying success in pandemic-induced partnerships, why weren't those collaborations part of the mix previously? It's possible that many tour operators have missed out on lucrative opportunities for years by not searching for fruitful partnerships.
Multi-day tour operators — largely shut down in 2020 due to the pandemic — have come back in force by resuming and revitalizing tours this year. And in many cases doing so with new offerings they prepared during the pause.
Indeed, several tour operators used their forced hiatus to devise strategic and creative partnerships with other entities — collaborations that have created numerous new trips and expanded clientele.
One example is Insight Vacations teaming up with Anneka Manning, the Australian author and founder of cooking school BakeClub, to launch a food-themed tour of Tasmania this October.
"The idea came out during the pandemic when we were thinking outside the box and looking at new and different opportunities and partnerships," said Ulla Hefel Bohler, the CEO of Insight Vacations, a company that had not actually conducted tours of Australia prior to the pandemic.
How did the collaboration come about? It certainly helps that Manning and Insight Vacations' Aus
