Most tour descriptions include an itinerary, price, and a quick paragraph about the tour. Sound familiar? If you’re not locking in enough bookings, though, there might be something missing.
Writing a tour description that sells is all about effective copywriting and positioning. A compelling tour description should hook your reader right off the bat: It should make potential guests excited about your experience and ultimately persuade them to book.
Ready to create compelling tour descriptions that convert? In this post, you’ll learn about 12 elements to include in every tour description so that guests are instantly convinced to book.
What is a tour description?
A tour description is the content that explains what your tour is and what guests should expect from the experience. The purpose of a tour description is to give your potential customers the details, itinerary, pricing, and unique highlights of your tour so that they’re convinced to book.
Your tour description should start with a catchy title to instantly attract visitors. Think about what’s unique about your tours and include that in the title.
Take this Vatican City tour by City Wonders, for example. The company throws in words like “exclusive breakfast” and “early access” to appeal to guests looking for a differentiated experience in one of the busiest tourist attractions in Europe.
Once you’ve hooked a potential customer in with your title, you’ll introduce the overall experience in a couple of short but well-written paragraphs.
Take a look at the Airbnb Experiences example below and notice how the host vividly describes a vineyards road trip in Capetown, South Africa:
Or this Galapagos Islands tour from Intrepid Travel, which describes the wildlife guests can expect to see on their trip. The introductory paragraph includes descriptive phrases — “unfamiliar beauty” and “far-flung islands” — meant to appeal to curious, nature-loving travelers.
Intrepid Travel further breaks down the tour logistics underneath in an easy-to-read format.
Your tour description should also point out specific tour highlights. These are the different stops or attractions that your guests would be most excited about. Take a look at how REI Adventures displays the highlights of a backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountains in skimmable bullet points.
Here you can compare REI’s broad tour introduction to the list of highlights they pull from the tour.
Introduction:
Highlights:
Now that you’ve seen some great examples from tour operators around the world, let’s go over the 12 elements that’ll make your tour descriptions stand out.
How to write a tour description that sells
Looking to improve your tour descriptions? Here are 12 tips to help you do just that.
1. Know your target customer
Before writing your tour descriptions, you should know who your target customer is. When you know who you’re selling to, you can tailor your content directly to that group of people.
2. Use a catchy title
The title is the first thing potential customers will see before clicking on your tour. This is your chance to make an outstanding first impression. Make sure to reel guests in with a catchy title that highlights what’s unique about your tour, such as the Vatican City example above.
3. Include beautiful photos
Photos can be very persuasive, especially when it comes to booking travel experiences. Make sure to include high-quality photos in your tour descriptions. If you’re an outdoor adventure tour operator, include photos of the scenic locations you’ll visit. If you offer an interactive cooking class, show the ingredients you’ll be working with as well as the finished product. You can also include photos of guests having a great time on your tours (just be sure to get their permission first).
4. Showcase testimonials
Testimonials can be another very persuasive tool in selling your tours. Positive reviews will give potential customers the confidence to book.
5. Use storytelling techniques
Use storytelling techniques to make the reader feel like they’re experiencing the tour while reading the description. You should use vivid imagery to trigger an emotional response from potential guests and ultimately persuade them to book.
6. Anticipate your guests’ questions
Think about any doubts or questions your guests might have before booking your tours. Make sure to answer these in your descriptions. Guests joining a cooking class, for example, may want to know if all the ingredients are included in the price.
7. Know what makes your tours unique
You know what makes your tours unique, so make sure to communicate that to potential customers! Let’s refer back to the Vatican City tour. Do you have exclusive access to an attraction? Do you offer additional services, like transportation or a tour photographer? Make sure to highlight the unique aspects of your tours in your title and descriptions.
8. Use SEO to expand your reach
Your tour descriptions should focus on specific keywords in your niche so that when someone searches for them on Google, your website comes up.
9. Make it easy to read
Guests are often looking through several tour descriptions when planning their trip, and a big body of text can be overwhelming. Don’t let a messy tour description turn them away. Use subheadlines and bullet points to keep your text easy to skim through.
10. Bullet-point your highlights
Use bullet points to lay out the most memorable features or attractions included in your tour. When you list them in bullet points, guests who skim through your tours can easily pinpoint why your experience is worth booking.
11. Be honest about the experience
Don’t overpromise something you can’t deliver. Make sure you’re portraying your experience in an authentic and transparent way. It’s better to overdeliver than for guests to leave your tour underwhelmed.
12. Keep it clear and concise
Make sure to clearly state what is and isn’t included in the tour, such as food, beverages, transportation, etc. While you want to keep your tour descriptions lively with vivid imagery and storytelling, you also want to keep them concise. Guests should have a pretty good idea of what your tour will be like after reading your description.
In summary, a compelling tour description is key to converting customers. Use these tips to improve your existing tour descriptions and let your tours stand out from the rest.
