Group & Tour Operator Business
August 2011
Give top 10 current
•World Strides
•School Tours of America
•Colonial Connections
•Smithsonian Student Travel
•Mount Vernon Travel
•Tauck World Discovery*
•Trafalgar Tours*
•Julian Tours
•American Christian Tours •Close Up Foundation
Top 10 Tour Operators in 2010
WorldStrides
32.3%
Colonial Connections
16.0%
Mount Vernon Travel
8.8%
Trafalgar Tours
3.8%
American Christian Tours
2.9%
School Tours of America
2.6%
Smithsonian Student Travel
2.5%
Tauck World Discovery
2.4%
Julian Tours
2.3%
Close Up Foundation
1.9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Admission: August 2010-2011
8%
13%
Tour Operators
School Groups
General Admission
79%
Groups= 21% of total admissions!
Guided vs. Self-Guided:2010-11
8.43%
6.67%
Self-Guided Tour
Operator
Self-Guided Group
55.87%
29.03%
Guided Tour Operator
Guided Group
Goal = Convert 15% Self-Guided Tours into Guided Tours
Combination Group Visits
4.4%
29.6%
Combination
Jamestown Settlement
Yorktown Victory
Center
*Net Sales
66.0%
Goal = Up Sell Combination Admission
Revenue
Revenue by Market Segments: August 2010-11
4.50%
School Groups
32.03%
Boy Scouts
62.89%
Girl Scouts
Tour Operators
SMERF
0.14%
0.44%
Goal = Increase Adult Groups
SMERF: Social, Military, Educational, Religious, Fraternal
Groups by State
4.85%
2.23%
2.00%
2.99%
VIRGINIA
NORTH CAROLINA
MARYLAND
CALIFORNIA
PENNSYLVANIA
71.88%
Groups from 45 States and Canada
Marketing: Sales & Promotions
 Sales Calls & Sales Missions
 Attend Annual Conferences: Tour Operators
 ABA: American Bus Association (2 Reps=200+)
 SYTA: Student & Youth Travel Association (60+)
 NTA: National Tour Association (90+)
 VMA: Virginia Motorcoach Association (30+)

NCMA: North Carolina Motorcoach Association
 PBA: Pennsylvania Bus Association (400 GL)
 Going on Faith Conference
 African American Travel Planners (190)
Marketing: Sales & Promotions
 Database of over 1600 Tour Operators & Receptive
 Familiarization Tours & Trainings (On-Site)
 Tourism Alliance Sponsored Area FAMs
 Site Inspections
 Guide Training
 Special Events: Exhibit Opening & Godspeed Sails
 Direct Marketing
 Eblast newsletters, special events and group planners.
Student & Youth Travel Association
Update from Joan
There are 91 companies present and a 150 tour operator delegates, there are also
receptive operators who specialize in our destination here. 28 countries are
represented here. This conference is small compared to others ABA, NTA with
only 950 attendees, we get more time to spend with everyone.
These tour operators are so valuable to us, they sell directly to the schools and
reach many more than we ever could. They bring us multiple groups, where a
teacher may bring us only one a year. So please remember as you greet the groups,
the tour escort is very important to us, they report back to the tour operator on
their guided tour experience. If they are not happy we might not get the repeat
business or may even be written out of the tour.
I’ve met with 50 companies so far and will meet with more this afternoon. They are
all pleased that we offer the same rate for guided and self-guided tours at JYF, they
see the value of guided tours and prefer to sell them.
I’ve received nothing but excellent comments about our facilities and service at JS
and YVC. There is even more interest in HO programs. So MPA’s pat yourselves
on the back and keep up the good work.
Customer Service
Customer = 1. Tour Operator/Escort & 2. Group
TIME
“Our biggest challenge is having the MPA’s return the group at the time requested by our tour
escorts. Often times when a group is late returning the MPA(s) say it’s because the group was
having a good time or they had lots of questions or the MPA had a lot to cover. We want our
groups to have the best possible experience and we appreciate the MPA’s enthusiasm, but
please ask them to keep in mind that the group has other places to go and things to see that
are also part of their itinerary. ”
-Tour Operator
Goal = Educating & Keeping the Customer Satisfied!
Website
Flip book
Pricing
Cafe
Bag Lunch Menus
•New Elementary
•School
•Adult
Café Buffet
Gift shop
Groups can order prepackaged educational
souvenirs.
Request that school
groups have
chaperones in gift
shop with students.
Enewsletter
•New in 2011, quarterly
enewsletter!
•Currently consumer or
general interest.
•Next phase, target
market segments.
•Sign up today on
www.historyisfun.org!
Williamsburg Commercials
www.visitwilliamsburg.com
Fife
Mom
Slide
Coordinate efforts with partners to maximize joint marketing opportunities.
Thank you!