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π Cycle Cities Buzz - Are you a Tagger or a Collaborator.... For Reel??!
Published 24 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
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Hi Reader,
This morning I listened to a tours and activities consultant in the USA say operators should aim for no less than 70% OTA bookings π‘. A consultant! For tour operators!!!
If you don't own the customer, your business is on shaky ground. The more you rely on OTAs, the more they will exploit that reliance. They can take their customers elsewhere at the drop of a hat. We have seen that happen to some of our operators.
Absolutely use OTAs to fill up empty seats... but if your strategy is to rely on them.. you are not your own boss. You might as well work a 9-5.
I know it's hard... but persistance, training, and being hooked in to your community.. it all pays off over time. Make sure the OTAs know who works for who.
And of course... turn an OTA booking into a future direct booking by hooking the customer into your brand, your experience and your social media, so they can tell their friends about YOUR company, instead of the OTA they booked through.
Don't forget to tag @cyclecities in your reel, or even better, invite us as a collaborator and we will be able to promote it further. We'll be featuring the best member reels in our B2C buzz coming very soon!
Rob, Thibault and Inigo are continuing a working group behind the scenes, and discussion about Quality Metrics and CC being promoted as a mark of a quality operator. This is a key piece of work, which will help us develop more customer loyalty, and set us up for bigger B2C moves.
Quality Metrics Project - Working Group
Hi Community, Further to Saturday's Buzz, and Stephan's Post about Cycle Cities 7 star quality metrics, we are looking for people to join a working group to deliver this important project. Suggested deliverables (however working group would have the freedom to edit these): Finalise what the metrics are/should be Assess current standards of net...
Check out this eye-catching post from See by Bike in Sevilla. The Orange really stands our in a scroll, and it's definitely the kind of thing you don't see every day.
See Seville
SAVE THE DATE....
Cycle Cities Symposium 2026: Monday 23 to Wednesday 25 Feb 2026
Join us in a location soon to be announced, for our annual face to face event.
The craziness of April is upon us. I know a lot of you are probably speed-reading this and getting back to the long lines of customers. Go Go Go! Do what you do best and get those customers smiling π - but make sure your guides are capturing those happy faces out on the road to give you content for your posts and reels.
Subscribe if you are an owner or operator of Bike Tours interested in the Cycle Cities network or Symposium. You can also join if you're a bike tour enthusiast, looking for great tours to try out.
Hi Reader, Have you ever caught yourself doing something so effortlessly that you barely notice it? Maybe itβs a workflow youβve perfected, a shortcut you always use, or a way of solving problems that just comes naturally. We often overlook these skills, assuming everyone else must know them too. But the truth is, whatβs second nature to you can feel like magic to someone else. Itβs easy to underestimate the value of our own experience. We forget that the systems and techniques we use every...
Hi Reader, Happy Easter! Hope you're enjoying a well deserved long weekend off. LOL π .... as if! In these busy times, Cycle Cities is here to save you. If you are reading this and you are not a part of our community, some of the links won't work, but drop me an email - steve@cyclecities.tours - and we can discuss joining options that are right for you. Love to have you on board! Discussion This week we have 3 posts wanting some π. How can Kay get in touch with Fareharbor Support? Going to...