What makes a successful tourism business now?

What makes a successful tourism business right now? 

I've been thinking about this a lot recently, especially at a time when many are struggling.

These are some of the things that make businesses more successful:

1. Its instantly obvious 

• what the business does,
• where it is and
• who it's for - through the business' description, imagery, website, and other marketing. Visitors don't have to work hard to fathom this out. If you think this is obvious - look at the majority of tourism business facebok and insta profiles - they don't mention at least one of these three things. 

2. The business does one or more of these:

• it's better quality than competitors
• it offers something different or does something in a different way (it could be as simple as a bed and breakfast offering check-in from midday instead of 4.00 pm)
• it caters for a niche market - and does it very well
• it is taking advantage of a growing trend. 

3. Their marketing is consistent: strong compelling marketing messages, regularly repeated in different ways through a variety of channels. For example they don't just post on facebook in the winter when they're bored - they keep on going whether they're busy or not. 

4. The owners have fully committed to their business. If I suggest a quick marketing tip that they can see could work, they don't say vague things like "I'll do it when I have time". They either do it immediately or put a note in their diary to do it at a specific moment.

5. The owners are logical. They've looked at each aspect of their business to make sure it's as good as it can be, from initial enquiry through to booking or from initial whisper via social media to showing up outside the entrance. They're also looked at their marketing and got a plan to fix any 'leaky buckets'. 

6. They are really rooted in their local area, proud of it and good at sharing insider tips and info about it. 

7. The business owners genuinely love what they do, and are proud of what they've created - and happy to say so via their marketing.

8. The business owners are human, good genuine people who understand their visitors and want them to have a good time.