Building A Better Group Tour: Marketing Tours Through Authenticity, Innovation, and Stronger Industry Partnerships
Episode 501
In this special episode of Destination on the Left, produced in partnership with the American Bus Association, I am joined by Fred Ferguson, CEO of ABA, for two conversations with tour operators taking thoughtful, strategic approaches to marketing their businesses. Richard Arnold of Atlantic Tours shares how authentic branding, meaningful customer relationships, and a commitment to understanding traveler behavior have helped his company build lasting loyalty. Jason Murray, President of Southwest Adventure Tours, offers a different perspective, exploring how digital marketing, emerging AI tools, distribution partnerships, and immersive outdoor experiences can help a tour operator reach new audiences and grow sustainably. Together, these conversations highlight the importance of balancing innovation with human connection, using data to guide decisions, and building partnerships that strengthen both individual businesses and the destinations they serve.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- How authentic branding and a strong sense of place can help tour operators stand out and build lasting customer relationships
- Why nurturing past travelers can be an effective marketing strategy and a source of future bookings
- How customer feedback and more accurate data can help operators understand their audiences and allocate marketing resources more effectively
- What tour operators need to consider as AI, search behavior, and digital discovery reshape how travelers find experiences
- Why diversifying marketing channels and distribution partnerships can build business resilience and reduce dependence on a single source of revenue
- How collaboration with destination marketing organizations, industry associations, and local businesses can accelerate growth
- What economic impact research and modern motor coach experiences reveal about the broader value of group travel to communities
Authenticity and Relationships as the Foundation of Tour Marketing
Richard Arnold of Atlantic Tours has spent decades building a business grounded in personal connections, regional identity, and memorable travel experiences. As the company has evolved from traditional print advertising to a more digitally connected marketing environment, Richard has continued to prioritize the qualities that make Atlantic Tours distinctive. His signature Nova Scotia tartan kilt, worn at industry events and incorporated into the company’s guide uniforms, is more than a visual identifier. It creates opportunities for conversation, reinforces a sense of place, and gives potential customers a memorable introduction to the business.
Richard also shares how the company’s strong repeat-customer base reflects the value of delivering a quality experience and maintaining relationships long after a trip ends. Rather than relying exclusively on conventional advertising, he describes bringing past travelers together through a reunion event that combined social connection with opportunities to explore future travel offerings. The approach illustrates how customer loyalty can become an active part of a marketing strategy, creating opportunities to reconnect with existing travelers while encouraging future bookings and referrals.
Using Customer Insights and Digital Innovation to Guide Growth
For Atlantic Tours, understanding the customer is just as important as reaching them. Richard explains how gathering traveler feedback has helped the company develop a more accurate picture of where its customers actually live, rather than relying solely on the booking location recorded by reservation systems. This information, combined with evaluations of tour components such as hotels, helps the company make more informed marketing decisions, strengthen supplier relationships, and identify opportunities to improve its product. His experience demonstrates how even established businesses can use better data to make more strategic decisions about limited resources.
Jason Murray brings a complementary perspective through his work growing Southwest Adventure Tours, which specializes in small-group travel and immersive experiences across the Western United States. He describes how the company has built its marketing approach around compelling imagery, storytelling, search engine optimization, and word of mouth, while adapting to new opportunities created by AI and evolving digital discovery. A recently redesigned website and increased attention to tools such as Google Business and Google Things to Do reflect his recognition that tour operators need to think beyond traditional search strategies. Jason also emphasizes the value of working with knowledgeable technology partners who can help translate new tools into practical business results, rather than investing time and money in solutions that do not deliver.
Building Resilient Businesses Through Partnerships and Community Impact
Jason’s experience also highlights the importance of building a diversified business model. By gradually expanding from direct-to-consumer sales into relationships with travel advisors, tour operators, and other distribution partners, Southwest Adventure Tours has developed multiple revenue streams. Jason reflects on how this approach helped the business navigate the challenges of the pandemic and why he encourages other operators to invest in industry associations, develop relationships with destination marketing organizations, and build a strong understanding of their finances. His advice reinforces that sustainable growth depends not only on marketing visibility but also on sound business practices, trusted networks, and the willingness to learn from others.
The conversations also explore how tour operators contribute to the wider tourism economy. Fred shares research demonstrating the direct spending generated by group travel in Nova Scotia, illustrating how operators can use economic impact data to make the case for collaboration with local businesses and destination partners. Jason’s work with national parks and public lands offers another perspective on the value of partnerships, showing how tour experiences can connect visitors more deeply with a destination’s natural and cultural assets. From strengthening cross-border relationships to developing experiences alongside local partners, both interviews underscore the importance of working collectively to build a more resilient tourism industry.
Resources:
Richard Arnold
- Website: https://www.atlantictours.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-arnold-597ab536/
Jason Murray
- Website: https://www.southwestadventuretours.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-murray-585426219/
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