Bridges and Borders:
Internet Strategies for Travel Companies
by Ron Mader

Editor's Note: This editorial has been revised in the 10/98 Presentation Marketing Ecotourism on the Internet.

Contacting travel agencies, hotels and even guides is easier than ever thanks to the internet. That's the good news. The bad news is that many of these entrepreneurs have yet to learn how to make the internet work for them.

While individuals may have an email account, they often refuse to respond. The irony of this is delicious. How can you do business if you don't answer potential customers. Once the manager of an insurance company asked me how quickly he needed to respond to email. "Treat it as a phone call," I said. "How long would you wait before you had your receptionist return a telephone call?" That day, he said - surprised at his own answer, because he had been leaving - and continues to leave - email unanswered for months at a time.

When people are preparing trips they want to know what kind of tours, accommodations, services are available. The internet provides seemingly direct contact to services that are off the beaten track. If travelers can prepare the trip ahead of time, they will use the internet to make reservations, or at least to get the phone numbers and contact info that they will use after arriving at their destination of choice.

Unfortunately, the businesses don't seem to grasp the needs of this growing customer base. When businesses do respond, the info they send usually does not answer the pressing questions. I've lost track of counting the number of times someone actually responded to a simple query. How much are rooms? What kind of tours do you offer? If it's an environmental tour, how does it benefit local conservation efforts? I'm usually overwhelmed with a 30-page tract prepared for travel agents that outlines each of the potential trips the company offers or could offer if there is the demand.

Sometimes when the other party has a website, I'll get a one line message to check out the site. Visiting the site, if I don't see the answers to my questions, I have a choice - either resend another email or just ignore this business for the time being. I usually choose the later. If the business cannot provide basic information, can they be counted on for their tourism services?

For example, last year I asked a hotel near Cancun that was touting its environmental programs. I asked if they could be more specific. "Look at our website." I did and after five minutes, I couldn't find any details. I'm not going to ask the same question. Likewise, a travel agency in Oaxaca said it had trips to the coffee farms. Please send me info! "Look at our website." I tried but it was so graphics-heavy, I just got bored and haven't touched base with them in six months. Nor have they sent a follow-up message.

Part of the problem is that those working in the travel business create one document - a glib P.R. effort. It may sell an image, but nothing more. Worse, I find that many of these agencies like to send documents as attachments to email. That would be fine if I could read the materials, but often they are the cutting edge of Word Processing technologies and send documents in a format that comes across as gibberish on my computer.

The solution is easy. If you have a business, create a simple fact sheet that you can send to those asking basic questions. Who are you? What are you offering? Do your trips run year-round? There is no reason why a file like this can't be sent via simple email, not even using an attachment. If you must send an attachment, use the least complicated format - a simple ASCII file. If you have a website, by all means send a guide of where visitors can find specific information without having to hunt for it. Create a series of fact sheets that answer the most frequent questions and take the time to respond to each query individually, adding the information from these fact sheets when it's appropriate. It will save you time and give the customer the necessary information.

As mentioned before in this column, I have been working on two new guidebooks on environmental travel. Mexico: Adventures in Nature will be in bookstores this September!

1998 Copyright Ron Mader. Non-commercial distribution is welcome and encouraged if source is given. Bridges and Borders is a regular feature from Planeta.com.

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