Christy Hunter started Photo Walk Nashville seven years ago after discovering Airbnb Experiences, combining her photography skills with local knowledge to create tours that capture memories for travelers. What began as open photo shoots quickly evolved as she learned to segment products for different customer types—bachelorette parties, couples, solo travelers, dog owners, and corporate groups.
The conversation covers her product development journey, including early mistakes like mixing incompatible customer types and learning when to say no. Christy emphasizes the importance of local partnerships, sharing examples like teaming up with cosmetic brand Winky Lux for a home base and an apartment complex for rooftop access.
On marketing, Christy shares her successful TikTok strategy: having team member Gina speak directly to camera as if she were a past guest ("You have to do this one thing in Nashville..."), which drove multiple viral videos and direct bookings. She also discusses influencer marketing from both sides—as a tour operator and as an influencer herself—stressing the importance of clear communication, doing research on engagement rates, and not asking for specific deliverables.
Christy expanded to Charleston this year when a team member relocated, keeping the same operational model rather than franchising. She's also building Go To Nashville, an OTA reselling partner experiences through Tour Base's affiliate system. Looking ahead, she's focused on increasing capacity utilization rather than geographic expansion, and launching a consulting business to help other photographers and retailers enter the tourism space.
Ryan Connolly went from finance analyst to glacier guide to co-founder of Hidden Iceland. In this episode, he shares the numbers behind their most pivotal business decision: cutting small group tours that represented 50% of their departures but only 10% of revenue.
That shift to exclusively premium and luxury private tours helped the company grow by 5% while improving quality and profitability. Ryan explains how relationship marketing drives 70% of their bookings directly without OTAs, why they lead with education when working with travel advisors, and why PR outperforms paid advertising when selling luxury experiences.
Plus, the story of how a three-year journey across 40 countries led him to Iceland, where he met his wife on a glacier tour and built a business with two partners.
1. Cut unprofitable segments ruthlessly
Small group tours accounted for 50% of Hidden Iceland's departures but only 10% of revenue. After eliminating that segment, they grew 5% by focusing resources on premium and luxury private tours where margins are higher.
2. Partner with competitors instead of viewing them as threats
When customers can't afford Hidden Iceland's luxury pricing, Ryan personally introduces them to partner companies that serve the budget segment. This maintains relationships and positions them as helpful experts rather than pushy salespeople.
3. PR drives better ROI than paid ads for high ticket sales
Over 450 articles in publications like Condé Nast, Forbes, and CNN have driven 70% direct bookings. For luxury trips ($20,000+), earned media builds trust better than Facebook or Google ads.
4. Lead with personal story in first customer contact
Ryan's initial email starts: "Hello, my name is Ryan. I'm originally Scottish. I've lived in Iceland since 2016. I originally trained as a glacier guide..." This builds immediate trust and differentiates from transactional competitors.
5. Educate travel advisors. Don't just sell to them
Hidden Iceland runs webinars teaching agents about Iceland's seasons, distances, and what each time of year offers. Not sales pitches. The education first approach builds meaningful advisor relationships that generate 30% of bookings.
6. Vet activity partners on safety and environmental standards
Before partnering with snowmobile companies, helicopter tours, or other providers, Hidden Iceland shares their own safety and environmental policies first, then asks partners to reciprocate. This creates collaboration, not just transactions.
7. Train guides to be themselves, not follow scripts
Instead of teaching guides what to say at each stop, Hidden Iceland tells them: "Be yourself in the most authentic way possible and create genuine connections." This leads to reviews that praise the guide more than the destination.
8. Choose conferences strategically. Avoid the herd
Ryan skips luxury travel conferences if more than 2 or 3 other Iceland companies will attend. Less competition means easier differentiation and more meaningful conversations with travel advisors.
9. Keep the sales process low tech and high touch
Despite having a CRM (LEMACS), Hidden Iceland puts key itinerary details in the body of emails and offers phone calls early. For luxury clients, human connection trumps slick automation.
10. Build the business with partners you trust implicitly
Ryan emphasizes: "Don't set up a company with anyone you don't trust inherently and that you believe will communicate effectively during the hardest times." Through pandemics and volcanic eruptions, Hidden Iceland's three owners have never shouted at each other because they chose partnership carefully.
Kevin and Sylvia launched iRide Arusha in July 2024, offering motorcycle tours and rentals in Tanzania. Within 18 months they scaled across four East African cities through a franchise model called iRide Africa, with partners operating in Rwanda, Nairobi, and Mombasa. The franchise structure allows riders to cross borders and book multi-country tours.
The episode covers operational realities: importing equipment across borders, navigating tourism regulations, managing multi-country payment processing, and running rentals and guided tours as two distinct businesses with different customer profiles and sales cycles. Kevin and Sylvia share how they find customers through motorcycle clubs, price for premium buyers, and use immediate response times as a competitive advantage.
TOP 10 TAKEAWAYS
1. Test adjacent niches when your market is saturated
Rather than launch another safari company in an oversaturated market, Kevin and Sylvia identified motorcycle touring as an underserved adventure niche in East Africa. Consider what adjacent experiences your destination supports that competitors aren't offering.
2. Franchise models can scale faster than going solo
Within 18 months, iRide expanded across four East African cities through franchise partnerships. Partners share mechanics, bikes, marketing resources, and customer referrals. This creates a network effect where riders can start in one country and end in another, adding value no single operator could deliver alone.
3. Target communities, not just individuals
Kevin reaches out directly to motorcycle clubs in major US cities. One Chicago BMW Riders club is bringing eight people in February. Booking one club creates the revenue of eight individual customers with a fraction of the acquisition cost. Find the clubs, associations, or communities that match your experience type.
4. Customer service is a competitive advantage in developing markets
Their immediate response times and willingness to hop on Zoom calls builds trust fast, especially for customers who've never been to Africa.
5. Platform diversification requires testing, not guessing
iRide is on Get Your Guide, Viator, Klook, WeTravel, and fielding Facebook messages, but hasn't found the magic channel yet. Test widely, track what converts, double down there.
6. Price for the experience you're actually delivering, not your self-doubt
Kevin admits they severely underpriced at launch. Beginner business owners often can't see their own value clearly. If you're offering wow moments and authentic connections, charge accordingly.
7. Guided vs. rental requires different marketing and operations
Rental customers (experienced, self-sufficient, quick decision makers) need less hand-holding than guided tour customers (more questions, longer planning cycles, higher price points). These are functionally two different businesses with different messaging, pricing, and customer profiles.
8. Gross revenue and net income are very different
Vehicle maintenance, cross-border parts sourcing, and insurance eat into margins constantly. Build cash reserves and expect hidden costs, especially in asset-heavy businesses.
9. Local language fluency unlocks competitive advantages
Sylvia's Swahili fluency helped navigate Interpol holds on imported bikes, handle tourism police complaints from competitors, and build long-term supplier relationships. Language access isn't just customer-facing—it's operational power.
10. Differentiation isn't just what you do, it's how guests connect
Guests consistently cite the vastness of the landscape and local interactions (like lunch with Sylvia's 88-year-old farming grandmother) as their standout memories. Design for connection points your format uniquely enables.
This conversation with Jeff Gayduk, publisher of Premier Travel Media, reveals an industry at a transformative inflection point where specialized group travel is experiencing unprecedented growth despite predictions of its demise. Speaking from his unique vantage point overseeing multiple travel industry verticals, Gayduk identifies 2026 as a watershed year driven by three major events—the World Cup, Route 66's centennial, and America's 250th anniversary—while highlighting the explosive growth in niche markets from pickleball tourism to multi-generational family trips. The discussion underscores a fundamental shift in how travel experiences are designed and marketed, moving away from cookie-cutter itineraries toward highly specialized, passion-driven offerings that leverage everything from sports tournaments to career readiness programs, with successful operators focusing on authentic relationships and deep expertise rather than trying to compete with legacy brands on traditional offerings.
The group travel market has undergone a complete transformation since COVID, moving from a defensive position of proving relevance to an offensive surge of innovation and growth. Special interest groups, family bonding experiences, and educational opportunities are creating unique travel products unavailable to individual consumers. The pandemic's forced separation actually accelerated demand for meaningful group experiences rather than diminishing it.
The World Cup across 16 North American cities will bring 6.5 million visitors with 40% from overseas, creating massive opportunities for tour operators in hub cities. Route 66's anniversary and America's 250th celebration will generate patriotic tourism and historical programming throughout the year. These events create both standalone opportunities and chances for creative tour operators to build complementary experiences around the main attractions.
Youth sports tournaments drive consistent weekend travel with families spending whatever necessary for their children's athletic participation, creating massive but underserved tourism segments. Adult amateur sports, particularly pickleball, are seeing explosive growth with facilities featuring 32-64 courts becoming destinations themselves. The opportunity lies not in the games themselves but in creating experiences for the downtime between matches, serving families who are tourists without tour infrastructure.
Career readiness programs are emerging as students face AI-driven uncertainty about future employment, with manufacturers and trade schools becoming unexpected tourism partners. Small, specialized STEM groups and performance ensembles are replacing massive band trips, creating opportunities for highly targeted educational experiences. College visit tours have become sophisticated multi-campus experiences as the stakes for education choices continue rising.
"The riches are in the niches" has proven true as operators who focus on specific passions outperform those trying to compete on standard itineraries. Technology now enables operators to reach highly specific audiences globally rather than being limited to local marketing through yellow pages and park districts. The tighter the niche, the easier it becomes to market and the more likely customers are to pay premium prices for expertise.
Older Americans with disposable income are funding entire family trips, from luxury yacht cruises to Disney vacations, often including extended family and friends. These trips require sophisticated customization that big operators can't provide, creating opportunities for bespoke tour designers. The spending on these milestone celebration trips is "mind-boggling" according to industry data, with grandparents willing to invest heavily in family bonding experiences.
Destination Marketing Organizations spend hundreds of thousands on marketing but need tour operators to provide the actual bookable products visitors seek. DMOs possess mountains of data and local insights that operators often don't know to request, creating missed opportunities for partnership. The relationship should be symbiotic: DMOs drive inspiration and awareness while operators deliver the experiences that fulfill that inspiration.
Large traditional operators face the challenge of serving aging loyal customers while attracting younger demographics with different travel styles and expectations. Successful adaptation includes smaller group sizes, slower itineraries with longer stays, and the integration of river cruising as a bridge product. The human relationship element that made these companies successful remains their key differentiator even as they modernize their offerings.
The successful travel advisor model has shifted from selling airline tickets to becoming highly specialized experts in specific destinations, cruise lines, or travel styles. Good advisors serve as client advocates navigating an increasingly complex travel landscape, especially for multi-generational or special interest trips. The question remains whether there's a sufficient pipeline of new advisors entering the field to sustain this specialized, high-touch service model.
Modern travelers seek transformative experiences rather than destination checkboxes, with operators succeeding by creating unique access and authentic local connections. Events from Taylor Swift concerts to World Cup matches are becoming trip anchors, with some operators building entire experiences around events without even including tickets. The shift represents a fundamental change from "where are we going" to "what will we become through this experience."
Pete Syme talks with Drew Falkman about vibe coding, a way for tour operators to build custom software tools using plain English prompts instead of traditional programming. Drew explains how AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude have been trained on code repositories, allowing them to generate working applications from simple descriptions. The conversation covers why this matters for small operators, what you can build, the learning curve, costs, security considerations, and how this technology could shift the relationship between tour operators and the software they depend on. Pete emphasizes that operators already have the same AI access as hundred million dollar companies and encourages spending at least an hour daily experimenting with these tools.
Want to learn vibe coding yourself? Drew teaches courses on building apps without code. Visit drewfalkman.com to explore free resources and paid courses that walk you through the process step by step.
Born from a wine import business and shaped by deep relationships with multi‑generational wineries, Joy of Wine Journeys built a premium, multi‑day model with a ~75% repeat rate. Natalie shares why they skip big cities, how “depth over density” creates value, and how pricing, partnerships, feedback, and tight ops compound into growth.
Top 10 takeaways
1) Repeat guests keep coming back. About 75% rebook, often bringing friends and family. Nail the first trip and lifetime value follows.
2) Win the in between. Don’t try to run Paris or Venice. Guests fly into a gateway, then the tour connects the regions in between where long winery relationships unlock access and stories.
3) Fewer stops, deeper moments. Five wineries in ten days. Hosted visits. Family meals. Time to linger. People remember conversations and rituals, not mileage.
4) Price for the value you deliver. Raise prices as the experience improves. Let booking behavior and guest comments set the ceiling, not nerves.
5) Partners make you resilient. When a bus failed, local partners mobilized vans, cold water, and support within the hour. Good relationships turn problems into loyalty moments.
6) Feedback is the roadmap. Debrief during and after each tour, then keep, change, or cut. Trim bloat, smooth pacing, and upgrade hotels, meals, wines, and transport.
7) Know who you serve. Average age ~63. Well traveled. Hungry for hosted, exclusive experiences without snobbery. Design pacing, teaching, and access for that person.
8) Confirm, confirm, confirm. Book a year out, then reconfirm at six months, three months, one month, and day‑of. Fewer surprises. Smoother days.
9) Help in the cities even if you don’t operate there. Refer guests to vetted guides in Venice, Milan, Paris, Nice, and Florence so the whole trip feels looked after.
10) Use tech to support margins, not as the magic. TravelJoy for CRM, WeTravel for euro payments, Travelfy for itineraries, QuickBooks for the back office. The differentiator is still access, hosting, and relationships.
When Justin Buzzi launched a clear kayak tour in Florida, his goal was to offer something memorable. What he built was one of the most highly rated kayak experiences in the country—with over 50,000 five-star reviews and 30+ franchise locations.
In this episode, Justin joins Dustin Miller of Conversion Assist to unpack how they built a guest experience that keeps working long after the paddles are down. From guide training to personalized automations, they reveal the systems and strategies behind their flywheel of reviews, repeat customers, and referrals.
Whether you run one tour or many, this conversation offers clear, actionable ideas for tightening operations, earning stronger reviews, and building a reputation that scales.
Top 10 Takeaways
When Christian Wolters rejoined Intrepid Travel, his goal wasn’t to reinvent the brand—it was to reconnect it to its core. As President for Canada and GM of Marketing for North America, Christian brought a global perspective to a local challenge: how to ensure that Intrepid’s messaging reflected its values, operations, and guest experience.
At the time, Intrepid already had strong credentials as the world’s largest B Corp-certified travel company—but its marketing had become noisy. Christian’s task was to bring back clarity and alignment.
In this episode, he shares how the team rebuilt trust through transparent messaging, simplified their email strategy, and launched bold campaigns—like “Offsetting is not enough”—that prioritized substance over slogans.
We explore how brand credibility starts internally, how even small teams can clarify their voice, and why the most effective growth strategy is simply this: make sure what you say matches what you do.
Here’s what stood out from Christian’s approach to brand leadership at Intrepid Travel—and how you can apply the same principles no matter your team size or marketing budget:
Marketing only works when it reflects what’s real
Before crafting new campaigns, Christian focused on whether the brand’s messaging matched the guest experience. Effective marketing starts with operational alignment, not just creative ideas.
Less content can create more impact
Intrepid eliminated 70% of its email marketing output. By reducing noise and focusing on relevant, high-quality communication, they saw stronger engagement and a better connection with their audience.
Transparency strengthens your position
Instead of promoting carbon offsets as a total solution, Intrepid launched a campaign that openly stated: “Offsetting is not enough.” That honesty sparked deeper trust among travelers who care about sustainability.
Internal stories are the foundation of brand identity
Christian built Intrepid’s external messaging around what employees already cared about and talked about. That made the brand more authentic, more consistent, and easier to rally around.
Clarity attracts the right people
Getting specific about Intrepid’s values helped bring in better-fit travelers, partners, and employees. When you know what you stand for, the right people find you—and the wrong ones self-select out.
Show up with your real voice, not someone else’s
Christian encouraged small operators to speak in their own words. You don’t need slick campaigns to earn trust—just a clear point of view and consistency in how you show up.
Sustainability starts with how you operate
For Intrepid, being a responsible travel company isn’t just a message—it’s built into how trips are run, how suppliers are chosen, and how decisions are made. Marketing simply tells that story.
Internal alignment makes external messaging stronger
Christian made sure every team member could explain the brand’s purpose and values. When your team understands the story, they can embody it and share it more naturally with guests.
Rebrands can help clarify—not just refresh—your identity
Intrepid’s rebrand wasn’t just about visuals. It was about focusing the company’s message and voice to reflect its mission more clearly and consistently across all channels.
Small teams can apply the same approach
Even without big budgets or a full marketing department, operators can build stronger brands by focusing on alignment, simplifying their message, and staying grounded in purpose.
When Kirstin Reeder’s first-ever bookkeeping client turned out to be a tour operator, she didn’t expect it to change the course of her business. But that relationship revealed how often tour operators are misunderstood by traditional accountants. Today, Kirstin and her teammate Amber Call run Purple Sapphire Business Solutions, a firm focused entirely on the unique financial needs of the tour and activity industry.
This episode is packed with real-world guidance on how to set up your books, track profitability, avoid fraud, and prepare for seasonality. Whether you are just getting started or running a multi-day operation, Kirstin and Amber share the habits and systems that help operators build financially healthy businesses and reduce stress at tax time.
As part of our Growth series, recorded live in Berlin at GetYourGuide's 2025 Unlocked Summit, we now turn to Naples, Italy. Tourpreneur host Mitch Bach talks with Jasmine Palmieri, Commercial & Product Director for World Tours Italy.
World Tours has scaled by keeping everything in-house—from their fleet of vehicles to employed tour guides—allowing them to maintain strict quality control as they grow. Jasmine explains their strategy of offering small group tours in multiple languages daily, staying ahead of competitors through constant innovation, and creating unique experiences like a Roman-era dining experience paired with archaeological tours. She emphasizes the importance of personal connection, having guides proactively reach out to clients and serve as local advisors throughout their stay, turning tourists into enthusiastic advocates who spread the word to friends and family.
Episode sponsored by GetYourGuide. Join Tourpreneur in November for TourWeek 2025 in Charleston, South Carolina!
Welcome to the Growth Series! Tourpreneur hosts Peter Syme and Mitch Bach attended GetYourGuide's Unlocked event in Berlin in September, and recorded several conversations with tour operators who have scaled their businesses to tens and hundreds of thousands of travelers. They share their insights and secrets in this series.
In this conversation, Peter talks with Arzu Tutuk, Founder and Managing Director of Walks in Europe. She shares her journey from being a solo tour guide in Istanbul to running a scaled operation across multiple cities in Europe. They talk about the importance of delegation, leveraging technology, understanding pricing strategies, managing cash flow, and enhancing customer communication. Arzu highlights the need for small operators to expand their partner networks and adapt to market trends, particularly the growing demand for personalized and private tours.
Key takeaways
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