Should Local Businesses Place a Higher Emphasis on Attracting Tourists?

Should Local Businesses Place a Higher Emphasis on Attracting Tourists?

Many small businesses depend on a loyal customer base. These are customers that come back time and time again to support the company by partaking in their services.

However, finding new customers is just as important as holding onto existing ones. Where does a local business find these new customers, though? Is working to draw in tourists during the holidays an excellent way to start?

Should Local Businesses Place a Higher Emphasis on Attracting Tourists?

Is the Business In a Place of High Traffic?

The first question, naturally, is whether or not the location the business is in gets enough traffic from tourists. If there isn’t much tourism, it probably isn’t worth it to use efforts on drawing tourists in. If the company is in a place of high tourism traffic, though, adding energy such as this when writing a business plan can go a long way.

In the Virgin Islands, tourism has been a bit shaky over the last few years. Now, however, it is coming back and is on the rise. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism’s total GDP contribution was 28%. By 2028, it’s forecasted to be around 43.5%.

In other words, tourism can be a valuable resource for businesses in the Virgin Islands.

Can All Businesses Benefit from Tourism?

Should Local Businesses Place a Higher Emphasis on Attracting Tourists?

There is a misconception that only seasonal businesses will benefit from tourism during the holidays. This isn’t entirely true.  

When someone is traveling for the holidays, they aren’t going only to do and need things that aren’t directly related to the holidays. For instance, a tourist will want to eat which might support a local restaurant or they might need to buy some toiletries they forgot which would lead them to support a local store.  

To put this simply, any local business can potentially benefit from an influx of tourism.

How Can Businesses Draw In Tourists?

Should Local Businesses Place a Higher Emphasis on Attracting Tourists?
Source: Brenna Thummler

There are many ways that small businesses can draw tourists in. To be broad, though, the three main methods are typically to offer tourists deals, advertise where tourists are or exist where tourists are. This may work out in your favour, especially if you know that companies such as Super Cheap Signs has since released their discounted prices on custom banners for sale. Trying various methods of spreading the word about your business is worth doing, as you never know if you don’t try.

When a business wants to advertise where tourists are, they often target hotels. A local delivery restaurant might supply a hotel with menus to give to customers to ensure that they gain some customers from tourists staying in a hotel.

Small businesses might also have brochures in hotels or similar places. These brochures might also include a coupon in them for tourists to be drawn in by the idea of a deal.

Finally, small businesses can locate themselves close to tourists. For example, a small store located across the street from a hotel can gain traffic from tourists by being the most convenient choice and being right in tourists’ view.

Should Local Businesses Place a Higher Emphasis on Attracting Tourists?
Source: Putri Febriana

Tourism is something that can benefit almost any small business. After all, it offers a whole new potential customer base to small companies who can use new customers to help them thrive. Reaching out to tourists can be an excellent opportunity for many small businesses.