Thankfully, the tourism industry is finding its feet again in 2022, both domestically and internationally.

Global tourist arrivals more than doubled in January 2022 (+130%) compared with 2021. The 18 million additional international visitors in the first month of the year equalled the total increase for the whole of 2021! And it’s Europe and the Americas leading the way with most visits. It’s very welcome news.

Here are Keycraft’s top tips to make the most of the opportunity and grow your profitability with tourism retail spending!

Know your tourist demographic

Not all tourists spend equally. For example, Brighton in England is a popular visitor location, where it was found that 60% of tourism spending comes from just 17% of the visitors.

Assess which type of tourists are your best spenders and what they are most likely to buy. If you operate an attraction, your own brand of merchandise with logos all over it isn’t necessarily going to sell well. Cater mostly for the budget and preferences of your most profitable visitor profiles to maximise impulse purchases. Remove any stock that’s slow to shift, and replace it with similar or complementary products to your best-selling stock.

Families may represent a high proportion of your visitors, in which case, your offering should include products relevant to all age groups.

Do keep your offering selective and focused so it looks neat and cohesive vs. a jumble shop. This also makes it easier for visitors to navigate and pick something up if time is short.

Include any other practical elements relating to your tourist customer demographic, such as whether they often want to pay with American Express, and incorporate relevant services or amenities where you can.

Improve your tourist appeal and retail experience

Your shop needs to stand out for tourists as somewhere interesting to have a look. Tourists want experiences unique to the place or themed attraction that they are visiting for a fully immersive experience.

Pick your niche, whether it’s quaint and charming, atmospheric, themed, or family-oriented. Find opportunities for your store to reflect the culture and heritage of your region, country, or attraction. Introduce elements of retail theatre both outside and inside your store to make sure it’s an irresistible tourist retail magnet that draws people in for a closer look. Incorporate suited décor, props, display design, and of course, the products themselves. Get Keycraft’s top tips for creating a visually appealing store.

Explore ways to create unique experiences. Try storytelling of local folklore, a musical performance or demonstration suitable for all age-groups in your store. Advertise online where tourists are most likely to research (like the AirBnb Experiences tab), and put a sign outside with the details and time.

We’ve also got tips on how you can prepare your store for busy seasons.

Increase your online presence

Increasing your visibility online will help more tourists find you. Your key tools are online sites that tourists will use to research their trips, like the websites and blogs of tourism organisations, TripAdvisor, Google Maps, and Instagram via hashtags such as #VisitYork.

Start building strategies to increase your visibility on these kinds of platforms, whether it’s:

Reaching out and making contact to explore how your business could be featured.

Encouraging visitors to leave you a review on TripAdvisor or Google if they enjoyed their experience.
Posting attractive images on Google Maps and Instagram, along with your business information, or relevant hashtags that are popular with tourists who visit the area.

Products with a successful track record for tourist retail

Discover how Keycraft’s wholesale toys range could expand the profitability of your tourist retail revenue stream. Our higher quality pocket money toys, and Living Nature soft toys, have already helped many tourism businesses improve their appeal and visitor spending. Get in touch with our experienced and friendly team today to explore the possibilities with a free consultation!