HOW TO PROMOTE A SUCCESSFUL GROUP TOUR

(Helpful Hints from GTA Tours)

1/ PRINTING A FLYER/BROCHURE.

A comprehensive flyer describing the tour in detail is a must.

GTA Tours will bear the full cost of design and printing the amount needed.


2/ DISTRIBUTION OF FLYER.

Maximum distribution of your tour flyer is the most effective way of letting people know you are leading a tour.

1. Bulletin/Newsletter. If your organization publishes a bulletin or newsletter, information about the tour can be placed in it.
2. EMAIL lists. A very effective way to inform your friends is to email a PDF file of the flyer.
   
   GTA Tours prepares this PDF file for your distribution.

3. Mailing. If you have access to a mailing list of an organization such as Senior Citizens, College/High School Alumni, Marriage Encounter, etc., it is definitely advantageous to send a flyer along with a cover letter from you. Other than direct personal contact, a mailing meets with more success than any other method of promotion.

3/ INFORMING THE PUBLIC ABOUT YOUR TOUR.

1. TOUR PREVIEW – PROMOTIONAL EVENING OR AFTERNOON.It has been established that most people sign up on a special interest group tour after an informational show on the country/countries to be visited, where the itinerary and group goals are outlined and described. GTA Tours will supply films, brochures, posters and any other material you may need to set up this program. One month advance notice should be sufficient to plan the promotion to get the largest participation possible.
2. ADVERTISING. Participants of group tours join for cultural and spiritual reasons and prefer to have leader on the tour that they and their friends/acquaintances know. Word-of-mouth is much more effective than advertising in most cases. We have found, however, that the following ads (GTA Tours can design the ad on request) may be helpful:
1. Ad in your local paper inviting the public to come to the free promotional show where they will learn the details of the upcoming trip.
2. Ad in applicable professional trade paper about the promotional show.

3. PRESS RELEASES IN LOCAL NESPAPERS AND NEWSLETTERS. Compose a short article about the destination to which you are leading a tour, and your reasons for traveling there. Mention your experience with the destination, perhaps you studied there – or you have family and friends in that country the group can visit during the tour. Be sure toy include your telephone number and email in the article. Most local papers will publish such articles free of charge if editors feel the information is of interest to the public. The best time to do a press release is when you submit you ad of the tour promotional/informational show, i.e. about one week before the date of your promotional show so that you can invite the public to come to it to learn more about the trip.

4/ WHEN TO START YOUR PROMOTION.

It is a good idea to start promoting your tour at least 6 months before departure. Sometimes 4 months is sufficient and 10 months is the best. For some special group tours, like the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany in 2010, you should set your dates and plan the itinerary 2 years before.


5/CONCLUSION.

The above outline presents suggestions and promotional methods we have found to work well. Feel free to adapt and adjust them to meet your personal needs and situation.