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If you live in or near historic or interesting places, you may want to start your own local tour service. If you live in a town or a major city, you could give walking tours. Offer interesting facts or places not covered in standard tours or guidebooks. One woman who wrote about ghosts’ stories in her historic town gives walking tours to the ghosts' haunts, ending the tour with dinner at one of the local restaurants (also a "haunt" location.) She has copies of her book for sale for additional profits. You could charter a bus, or rent a van, and specialize in tours like visiting caves in your country or states preserves, or public gardens. You have to increase your knowledge of different areas of the world before starting tour services if you want to lead this home-based business successfully.
Start-Up Costs $1,000-$15,000, depending on whether you need transportation. Pricing Guidelines $10 to $20 per person for a one or two hour tour Charge more if the tour is by van or bus. Marketing And Advertising Methods And Tips * Contact historic places, travel agencies, restaurants, museums, and bus companies that regularly bring tourists to your town or city. * Place adds in travel and family magazines. * Place ads in local publications. Post flyers on community bulletin boards. * Buy ads on local radio or cable television stations. * Send out press releases to the travel section editors of local newspapers. * Print brochures describing your tour and rates. Place them in local hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast establishments. Essential Equipment Business line with answering capabilities, promotional materials, van or rental bus if needed Recommended Training, Experience, Or Needed Skills * Work as a tour guide or in travel agency. * Be an expert in the area of your tour. Income Potential $10,000-$50,000 or more a year, depending on the length of your tours, and tourist season Follow industry suggestions and guidelines.
Type Of Business
1/3 in-home for booking and arranging tours; 2/3 out-of-the-home for conducting the tours Best Customers Tourists, local senior citizens' groups, youth and small school groups or classes, special clubs or hobbyists, companies that attend conventions or seminars in your area. Helpful Tips * Follow licensing, bonding, and tax laws. * Check with your insurance agent and lawyer for insurance and liability needs. * Offer a variety of travel services tour. * Sell souvenirs, booklets, books, and videos for additional profits. * Make the history interesting with little known tidbits of information not found in the usual tour books. Additional Business Ideas * Lead overnight tour services—camping, wagon train, and rafting, hiking, mountain climbing. * Make videos of your areas of interest and sell them to travel agencies that book tours in your area. * Home-based travel agency. Have an office suitable for meeting with clients. Provide a relaxed environment and give individual attention for the tour service provider. Significance Of Tour Services The presentation of tour services with all essential equipments and transportation sources are very important how the tourists would be satisfied with the exceptional ways of guiding and traveling. If you are presented with all the requisite features and plans of having the best tour services so that you may enhance the scope of the business profitably and remarkably. Gradually you would be popular by leading the reputable tour services for the tourists with complete knowledge and expertness in traveling the different regions of the world.
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