Our Booking Data Reveals Next Year’s Most Popular Activity Types

The events of 2020 provided a sharp reminder that nothing is guaranteed. With distant adventures out of the question, we turned closer to home and found a renewed appreciation for the experiences waiting just outside our doors. While we have become experts at seeking out activities that are safe enough for our enjoyment right now, we still can’t resist looking ahead.

So, we asked ourselves: What types of activities will we seek out in the new year?

To answer this question, we consulted FareHarbor’s own booking data to gain deeper insight into the top activities for 2021. From summer to winter, oceans to mountains, leisurely to adventurous — these are the activities we will see trending throughout the new year:

1. All About Experiences: Exhibits & Attractions

Local attractions like aquariums, museums, and zoos provide a delightful combination of entertainment and education, while new measures such as reduced capacity and strict sanitation policies provide peace of mind for guests. Before COVID-19, attraction bookings already accounted for roughly half of all bookings seen across the tour, activity, and attractions industry. With the added help of creative adaptations like drive-through experiences and timed entry, attractions operators have proven they’ll continue to innovate to ensure you and your family can share new experiences together.

2. Just Add H2O: Boat & Water Activities

Few activities spell “adventure” quite like the open water. The natural lack of crowds makes most water activities an easy way for you to get out there while staying safe. By operating in small groups and private charters, boat tours gain a significant advantage in keeping up with the latest safety guidelines. Many travelers plan to spend time fishing, kayaking, scuba diving, sailing, and snorkeling in 2021, especially as temperatures start to warm up in the spring and summer. Experiences on the water are popular all across the United States’ coasts, major lakes, and throughout Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and Australia.

3. The Chill Factor: Snow-Powered Excursions

Winter is always the perfect time to escape to the mountains or enjoy a wonderland of fresh snow, and 2021 will be no different. Experiences like snowmobiling, dog sledding, and skiing will prove that snow-powered and socially-distanced easily go hand-in-hand. With measures like limited group sizes and plenty of space to spread out, many winter activities are ready to adapt to keep travelers safe. We anticipate the steady popularity of dog sledding tours in Alaska, snowmobile tours in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, and ski adventures in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, and Minnesota to continue to increase this year.

4. Sights, Camera, Action: Outdoor Adventures

With the proven health benefits that being outside can bring, it’s no surprise that the demand for all things outdoors will only gain more traction in 2021. Adventure activities like hiking, horseback riding, ziplining, and ATV adventures are most popular in locations like Utah, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Arizona, and British Columbia. But you don’t have to travel far or live in close proximity to a national park to get outside! Sightseeing tours will continue to be enjoyed through many modes of transportation, from the comfort and safety of your own vehicle to a stroll or roll on your own. We will see the continued shift in 2021 toward private and self-guided sightseeing tours, allowing you to discover new destinations and cultures on your own terms, with the help of pre-planned routes and expert tips, of course! With 97% of people learning more about local businesses online than anywhere else, you might even be surprised at how many adventure and sightseeing activities are available “near you!”

Throughout this pandemic, we’ve seen that resilience is directly tied to success and that the most adaptable operators have been the most successful. Through solutions like private tours, drive-through experiences, and adherence to health and safety guidelines, tour and activity operators continue to find creative methods to provide the experiences travelers are looking for while keeping them safe. In 2021, this will be more important than ever as people start to plan their future adventures.

For more resources on how to market your offerings during this time, check out FareHarbor Compass.

On October 19 and 20, 2020, over 800 tour, activity, and attraction professionals embraced the opportunity to revitalize the tourism industry at FareHarbor Spark. The fully-virtual event united diverse perspectives from more than 30 countries around the world, encouraging attendees to challenge one another to find sustainable solutions to adapt to the year’s unprecedented challenges and reimagine a more inclusive future for our industry.

Attendees were eager to come together to explore new ideas from industry thought leaders, connect through shared experiences with peers, and ignite the spark to rebuild our industry at FareHarbor’s third-annual conference. Check out our top takeaways from this immersive two-day event!

1. Demand for local, “COVID-safe” activities is here to stay.

Though we may not be able to venture far from home during these times of uncertainty, the basic human desire to seek out new experiences persists. As a result of COVID-19, our definition of exploring has shifted from flying to a far-off destination to packing up the car and taking a closer look at our local surroundings.

“Eight out of ten bookings processed in July, August, and September were for locals — people that live within 250 miles of the activity they booked. This was a huge increase, almost double what we saw in 2019.”

— Ted Clements, COO, FareHarbor

In his Industry Insights session, Clements explained that this snapshot of local demand only paints half the picture. The remainder is driven by an activity’s perceived safety level as consumers seek out activities they feel comfortable engaging in during this pandemic. In fact, demand for local and perceived “COVID-safe” activities is up 95% year over year, and we don’t see this trend slowing down anytime soon. 

Knowing that the appeal of local, safe activities will remain strong in 2021, it’s important to ask yourself, “how can I appeal to my safety-conscious neighbors?” As a business owner, remember that you are also a consumer. By putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, you can better understand how to appeal to their needs during this time.

Confidence converts! FareHarbor makes it easy to support the demand for“COVID-safe” activities by adding clear communication of your health & safety policies throughout the booking process.

2. Resilience is directly tied to success.

This year’s challenges have pushed the boundaries of our adaptability, both as individuals and as an industry. From turning your kitchen table into an office and celebrating life’s milestones over video calls, to implementing contactless technology and redefining your company’s training procedures, we’ve all had to adjust to extraordinary new challenges.

Of the operators surveyed at Spark, 68% said they’ve become more flexible as a result of COVID-19, and we hope this trend continues. During these unprecedented times, businesses that have been able to adapt most efficiently have seen the most success. Whether it’s shifting your schedule to offer more private options or redesigning your offerings to be more flexible, your ability to adapt may be your greatest defense against future bumps in the road.

“It comes down to the willingness to try new things and the ability to take new concepts, new ideas and get them into the marketplace at scale… When I think of thought leaders and pioneers in the industry, I think of FareHarbor and the [operators] that use FareHarbor.”

— David King, Senior Director of Global Account Management & Sales, Viator

When crafting your own adaptation strategy, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on your business, your customers, and solutions that will allow you to keep up with the changing times while staying true to your mission and identity. After all, the collective strength of our industry lies in the unique nature of our individual businesses.

Learn how to adapt to any circumstance! Check out FareHarbor Compass, our extensive, free resource library available exclusively to FareHarbor users for insightful strategies on the most important challenges facing your business today.

3. Profit and principle are not mutually exclusive.

It’s no coincidence that two of our highest attended sessions at Spark tackled the pressing social topics of diversity and inclusion and sustainability. In a thought-provoking roundtable discussion, industry leaders from Booking.com, Black Travel Alliance, and Invisible Cities explored accessible approaches to creating a more inclusive industry, while publishing powerhouse and sustainability pioneer, Lonely Planet, encouraged us to consider how even the smallest actions can help reduce the travel industry’s environmental impact.

As an industry, we must hold ourselves accountable for the wellbeing of the diverse communities, cultures, and environments that inspire us to travel. At Spark, we aimed to provide actionable resources for attendees to better themselves, their businesses, and the lives of those who depend on them (and yes, we believe that you can accomplish each goal without sacrificing the other)!

The benefits of creating a more open, accepting, and environmentally-responsible industry speak for themselves, but your bottom line can benefit from embracing diversity and protecting our planet at the same time. By creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees and potential customers, you can tap into entirely new or previously undeserved market segments. Your commitment to sustainability ensures that future generations have the opportunity to experience the natural wonders of our planet and appeals to the increasingly environmentally-conscious consumer.

“Start small. It can start with a conversation within your organization.”

– Zakia Moulaoui, CEO, Invisible Cities

If you’re not sure where to begin, simply opening up a dialogue within your business can be a great first step. Now is the time to take a step back and reevaluate your approach to inclusivity and sustainability, knowing that even the smallest changes help to improve our industry and lead to a more prosperous travel industry for all.

Looking Forward

Although we were not able to gather in person this year, we learned that Spark’s shift to virtual was a major opportunity to connect with and empower an even larger, more diverse audience than ever before. We were reminded that our desire to connect has not been dampened by an inability to meet face-to-face, and that tour, activity, and attraction businesses are more resilient and eager than ever to build a brighter future for the industry we share.

FareHarbor Spark may be over, but that doesn’t mean the opportunity to better ourselves, our businesses, and our industry has passed us by. We believe that every one of us has a role to play in revitalizing tourism and that together, we can turn challenges into opportunities.

Ignite your Spark!
All sessions are available on-demand through the Spark Platform through November 30, and will later be made available on FareHarbor Compass.

FareHarbor’s latest feature offers flexible seating assignment solutions to fit your operation’s unique needs. Build and integrate seat maps for dinner shows, river cruises, axe-throwing lanes, and anything in between!

This highly-customizable feature works seamlessly with the rest of your FareHarbor Dashboard, allowing you to better manage customers’ assigned locations within your bookable space. You’ll provide a seamless booking experience for your customers and enjoy simplified seat reservation-management for you and your staff! 

In need of support for COVID-safe activities? This feature is perfect for setting up private parties and maintaining other social-distancing protocols.

This feature is great for:

• Visualizing and breaking out large venues or bookable spaces with multiple ticket types or pricing tiers.
• Operators that want to save time with robust auto-assignment options. After automatically seating a party, you can always fine-tune and adjust their assignments as needed.
• Tours or events that need a way to manage private sections or maintain social distancing measures for COVID-safe activities. Block out seats and use exclusive seating groups to ensure you’re never overbooked.

Wondering what else you can do with this new feature? Let’s chat! We’ll work with you to create custom seat maps and set your pricing and capacity requirements. Learn more in our Help Center or contact FareHarbor Support to get started.

FareHarbor Supports Tourism in Europe with Continued Expansion

We are excited to announce our continued expansion within Europe by extending our services to clients in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, and Romania.

FareHarbor began its rollout into Europe in 2018, and in the years since we have been committed to growth in the region, worked with our clients to grow their businesses, and boosted the tourism industry. Europe is home to many of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, attracting everyone from the luxury traveler to the backpacker looking to explore off the beaten path. 

Tourism plays a major role in Europe’s economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the tourism industry all over the world, and this is why it’s more important than ever to help our clients succeed. FareHarbor has worked tirelessly to help businesses mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic by finding new sources of revenue and thinking creatively about what they can provide to their communities. 

Through our expansion into these six new countries, we will work with local businesses to reach a wider global audience and streamline the online booking process for their customers.

To learn more about how to get started with FareHarbor, please contact our team or reach out to our support team at +31 30 249 2017.

For many reasons, 2020 has become a year that no one will forget. We saw the rise of new social conventions and the decline of major industries around the world, all while only leaving home when absolutely necessary.

Naturally, all these changes have made us reflect on the past few months and try to create a road map for the future. It is for these very reasons that we decided to turn our annual conference into a virtual gathering and introduce FareHarbor Spark. Our goal at FareHarbor Spark is to help reimagine and revitalize the tourism industry together by tackling the most pressing topics facing tour, activity, and attraction businesses. 

We want to challenge ourselves and all our attendees to think bigger, work smarter, and share our collective knowledge to help us lift up the industry together. FareHarbor Spark will offer two full days of immersive discussions and workshops focused on topics such as: 

• Building a resilient business 
• Promoting diversity and inclusion in the tourism industry
• Data-driven decision making 
• The outlook for tourism tech  

We won’t just discuss progress; we’ll provide you with the tools to make it a reality. Read on to learn more about what you can expect from FareHarbor Spark. 

Building a Resilient Business

The concept of resilience will be a common theme throughout the two-day Spark program. Resilience is best defined as the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Historically, the tourism, activity, and attraction industry has faced adversity in the form of natural disasters, social and political unrest, economic crises, and more. 

As we look ahead to the future of our industry, we will discuss the building blocks you need to establish a resilient business strategy. Whether it’s through streamlining operations, exploring and expanding revenue channels, or developing contingency plans, our goal is to empower your business to turn these roadblocks into opportunities. 

Promoting Diversity & Inclusion

Travel and tourism wouldn’t exist without the desire to learn about other places, cultures, and people. Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our industry. During FareHarbor Spark, we will address what inclusivity means to us as tour, activity, and attraction operators and provide our industry with the tools to actively promote inclusivity. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism’s rebound may depend on the industry’s ability to serve everyone, with safety and accessibility at the forefront. Catering to every community and being inclusive of communities of color is both a moral imperative and a key to economic success.

Data-Driven Decision Making

This year has required businesses to make tough decisions. Given the unprecedented landscape that we’ve all been facing, it may have been more challenging than ever to determine the best course of action for any business decision. That is why we are encouraging businesses to adopt a data-driven approach to their decision making. 

We will guide you through several different real-life scenarios, teach you how to understand and analyze your data, and discuss what data points you should be considering to inform your operational and financial decisions. The goal is for you to feel more confident in your ability to make smarter decisions, become more proactive, and realize revenue-driven opportunities. 

The Outlook for Tourism Tech

Technological advancements have fundamentally changed the way we travel. This shift into the digital era has not only improved the way that tourists plan, book, and share their trips, but it can transform tours themselves. However, in a time when online behaviors have quickly changed to adapt to current circumstances, which technological advancements will leave their mark on the industry and which ones will become relics of the past? At FareHarbor Spark, we aim to provide insight into the current state of tourism technology and what trends we need to look out for in 2021. 

While there are many factors that will determine how an industry of this magnitude bounces back, we all have a role to play, and we know that together we can rebuild the travel and tourism industry to be stronger than ever. FareHarbor Spark is free to attend, and you can stream it from anywhere in the world on October 19 and 20. Registration is officially open, and you can sign up through our website. We’ll see you there!

FareHarbor announces new partnership with Zapier

We are excited to announce a new integration with Zapier, an automation tool that enables the transfer of information from one platform to another, and offers integrations with hundreds of third-party applications. 

You can connect Zapier with your FareHarbor Dashboard to automate tasks between some of your most commonly used apps and streamline your operations. Some examples of this include:

• Create and update contacts in your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, such as Hubspot, ActiveCampaign, etc.
• Push new customer or subscriber information into your marketing or email platform, like MailChimp or Constant Contact 
• Transfer new FareHarbor bookings into a Google Sheet for data management or list segmentation
• Integrate with invoicing systems such as Xero or Zoho 

With 2,000+ supported third-party apps, the possibilities are endless! 

For existing clients, integrating your FareHarbor Dashboard with Zapier is a quick and easy process. All you need to do is create a Zapier API key through FareHarbor. You can find a step-by-step guide through our Help Center.  

If you’re new to FareHarbor, please reach out to us to learn more about Zapier as an automation tool and schedule a demo request.

A letter from FareHarbor CEO, Max Valverde

This is a letter I put out to the company today. While it was originally an internal message, I think it’s important that we share it publicly. I initially thought it might seem performative to publish as a blog post, but this is not about gaining praise or saying look what we are doing. This is my way of doubling down on the commitments to our employees and our clients that FareHarbor will do better. I feel that publishing it into the public domain will only be positive for the movement in helping to eradicate systemic racism. Here’s the letter:

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are well. I want everyone to take a few moments today to talk about diversity and inclusion at FareHarbor. While every minority group is equally important, I am writing to you today about systemic racism against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), why I think it’s an important topic, and what we’re doing about it at FareHarbor. The topic of racism might make you uncomfortable. You might wonder why a CEO is weighing in on something that might appear political. It’s because I don’t believe this should be considered political. It’s about the history of the world we live in, it’s about human rights, and doing what’s right.

I am an American and so will speak to you through that lens, but the message is wholly global and applies to you, no matter where you are. Today is Juneteenth, the day that the last enslaved people were freed in the USA (June 19, 1865). This was a first step in the progression of racial progress in the USA. For over 100 years, progress has crept along for Black people and People of Color; from obtaining the right to vote to the civil rights movement. Before every major event, I would guess that at every stage along the way, white society thought “enough progress had been made.”until the next major event, or major change happened and opened their eyes and changed public opinion. As they look back years later, white society can’t believe they didn’t see it all along. Sometimes a jarring event is what causes progress to leap forward. The Black Community has been talking about systemic racism for a long time, but the murder of George Floyd finally got the attention of the world. The heinous act caused the entire world to look inward.

While I am the son of a Chinese and Indiginous South American father, I identify primarily as white. FareHarbor is a majority white company. As a white CEO and in a primarily white company, we need to first understand what our BIPOC employees have lived with since birth. While the topics we’ll explore as a company in the coming year and beyond might be new to some of us, many of our colleagues who are Black or People of Color have been living this every day of their lives. I have done a lot of self-reflection in the past few weeks. I have spoken to many friends, coworkers, and neighbors about the topic of systemic racism. I used to think I was doing my part because I was vehemently against overt racism and hate speech. After doing more research, and speaking with some of our Black employees, I became even more aware of systemic racism and implicit bias. For example, without proper training, we might hire someone because they are a good “culture fit” or act like/talk like the current FareHarbor employees. In this example we could unintentionally recruit a less diverse team without being overtly discriminatory.

When you joined FareHarbor, we offered you a job at a company with a fun and safe work environment where everyone was welcome. This is good, but not enough. The current climate has helped us look deeper inward to make sure we take steps to ensure we are moving the company, and in part the world, in the right direction. Here are a few things we’ve done, or plan to do, to participate in moving in that direction:

• It is not okay to engage in behavior that is a part of the problem. First and foremost, we need to make sure everyone is educated/aware of their own unconscious bias, and are comfortable discussing these topics with colleagues and the People Team. Earlier this year, we created a mandatory unconscious bias training for all employees, which is on-track to be completed by the end of Q3.  I also want to continue to foster an environment where people are welcome to speak-up on social matters of societal progress if they so choose.
• We also need to look deeper into our own diversity. We are working with our People Team on implementing methods to attract and hire a more diverse workforce. We commit to establishing more training for all our employees who participate in interviews to ensure we are not biased during interviews. As part of our work with recruiting and in addition to training, we will be exploring strategies to bolster our processes. For example, data shows that removing the name of a candidate during the candidate screening process can help to counteract name bias and lead to fairer outcomes for some candidates.
• As a majority white team, we have a responsibility to listen, learn and support our non-white colleagues and minority groups. Creating space for dialogue plays an important role in this; diversity of people and diversity of thought are how new ideas are born. I want to ensure we’re listening, learning, and creating an inclusive space. As such, we’ve reinvigorated an inclusion-focused Slack channel to encourage the discussion of topics related to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. This is one step, but conversations of inclusion and equality should be taking place outside of Slack, too.
• We can amplify more voices and highlight more diverse backgrounds within our client-base. Our clients have great stories to tell and we can do more to echo these voices. Our Marketing Team is currently exploring the best ways to support our diverse clients.
• Fairness is an equalizer, and in 2019 we implemented a fair pay strategy to eliminate any potential bias for new and existing employees. We used a third party to create a data-driven process about roles, levels, and pay for all employees.
• Racism, harassment and discrimination have no place at FareHarbor. Period. This includes harassment towards employees by a colleague, current client, potential client, vendor, or third party. To clarify this, we’ve published more detailed internal guidelines around companies we will not work with, and encourage all employees to report any incidents of harassment.
• A Diversity and Inclusion Council is being piloted in our Needham office. It was formed with the purpose of improving diversity and inclusion in that office, both in terms of hiring and ensuring that all employees feel they have a sense of belonging and inclusion at work. They started earlier this year by providing guided talks on recognizing privilege as a way to promote inclusivity. They are now focused on creating learning tools for further expanding racial awareness as well as highlighting ways in which all employees can be involved creating a more equitable world. FareHarbor’s leadership has also been working with the Council as a sounding board around topics of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. As this pilot program comes into further focus, the goal is to implement a global group of employees who work with us on diversity, inclusion, and belonging so that the work this pilot program is doing can reach our other offices around the globe.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. I am taking steps to ensure this will not be forgotten in a month. And these are not the only steps we will take as an organization. This is a commitment that we will continue to make strides for FareHarbor that ensures strong diversity, inclusion, and belonging at FareHarbor.

Best Regards,

Max Valverde
CEO

The travel industry relies on human movement to function, and most have made the commitment to saving lives by staying home. Now, it is time to make the next commitment: to travel again.

#iwilltravelagain serves as a reminder for tour and activity companies around the world that travel will be back, and provides us as travelers an opportunity to lend support in their time of need. Help keep the mountain biking, food tour, and surfing experiences alive. These businesses are struggling and need our help today, so we can enjoy their experiences in the future.  

You can make a difference in helping our industry weather the storm. #iwilltravelagain creates an opportunity for operators to earn revenue during these unprecedented times through gift card purchases and highlights the rich stories and personalities behind local businesses that provide us thousands of amazing experiences worldwide.

Head to iwilltravelagain.com and start planning your next trip! Join the #iwilltravelagain movement and help spread the word to encourage the world to do the same. It’s a quick and simple vote of confidence that says, “we will be back!” We may not know when, but this won’t stop us from dreaming of our next adventure.

We will experience the tastes of a new city, learn the history of a new culture, and enjoy the beauty of new landscapes again. #iwilltravelagain – will you? 

For more information on promoting gift cards for your business and how you can get involved with the #iwilltravelagain project, check out the FAQs section on iwilltravelagain.com.

Listed on #iwilltravelagain?  If you would like to change the photo, update your description to make it more personalized, or remove your listing, contact us.  Share your listing everywhere! Post to Facebook, Instagram, and send out a personalized email to your past customers. Be sure to include the hashtag #iwilltravelagain! Want to be listed on #iwilltravelagain?  Take a few seconds and contact us!

To showcase the creativity and resiliency of our industry, we looked to our FareHarbor Ohana to find businesses that are adapting and providing fresh perspectives for coping with the current pandemic. We’ll continue to update this inspirational list with companies that are paving the way with their innovative thinking. If your business has something to share, be sure to let us know!

Badge Criteria

	Re-imagining services as virtual or online experiences
	Demonstrating unique ways to connect with local customers
	Leveraging social media to increase engagement opportunities

The Rustic Brush Gives Us a Fresh Canvas (And Perspective)

For a company that provides a social crafting experience during a time of social distancing, Tanya and the team at The Rustic Brush had to use their creativity in a different way. In order to keep customers and families engaged at home, they created take-home DIY kits containing all the necessary tools to unleash your inner artist. In addition, being a family of first responders, The Rustic Brush partnered with the Houston Food Bank to launch the Thank a Hero and Feed a Family Project through which $5 of every purchase goes to the Food Bank to help feed families at this time.

All Things Garmisch Offers A Crisp & Refreshing Bavarian Experience

At the onset of booking and changes cancellations, Jake at All Things Garmisch & Bavarian Beer Vacations went straight to Facebook Live to communicate with his customers and potential buyers quickly. After receiving a positive response from his outreach, Jake took his history of beer and natural story-telling ability online by providing brief history lessons through his social media which eventually turned into Virtual Tours. It was at one of these Virtual Tours that sparked Jake’s next idea to keep customers engaged. To cater to the beer lovers and aficionados around the world, he began connecting with the local breweries to curate weekly care packages from the unique Bavarian breweries in the area to give you truly a unique and refreshing experience.

Casanova Tours Creates Virtual Tours You Can Taste

As a local, family-owned and operated business, Giuseppe and the Casanova Tour team acted quickly to cater their tour offerings to a global audience. The solution: create an immersive experience that allows you to enjoy Venice’s beautiful culture and cuisine from the comfort of your own home. Casanova Tours offers live cooking classes that provide customers with the proper ingredients and then connects them with local chefs to make some of Italy’s most renowned dishes. The result: a unique and delicious experience that gives you a true taste of Venice.

Unlimited Biking Launches #RideItOut

We spoke to Annie Zou, Director of Sales at Unlimited Biking, about their refreshing approach to adapting their business model to support their local communities. As the largest, premier bike rental tours and experiences company in the US, Unlimited Biking found themselves with extra rental inventory on- hand amidst recent stay-at-home orders. At first, they began by giving their employees access to the bikes to help them avoid public transportation and provide an additional means of exercise. This idea quickly evolved to what is now the #RideItOut program, which allows customers to take advantage of long-term bike rentals at a discounted rate based on the local metro and subway fares in each city. The decision to pivot their business became a big hit with residents in their communities and Unlimited Biking has stated they plan to continue to program long-term.

Underground Donut Tours Supports First Responders

Jeff Woelker found a creative way to combine two of his favorite things: good donuts and a good cause. While the majority of us find ourselves in a state of self-quarantine and remote work, Woelker wanted to create awareness and build support for the first responders and individuals on the frontlines. Fueled by his passion (and consumption) of donuts, Woelker created the #DonutsForHeroes campaign, which allows you to send donuts from your local shop to another essential business. His campaign enables communities to support local donut shops while also expressing gratitude for the self-sacrifice of others. You can get involved by visiting https://www.donutsforheroes.com/

Lyon Wine Tastings Goes Virtual

Who doesn’t enjoy a good Wine Wednesday? As signs of quarantine and social distancing hinted that this could be the new norm, we spoke to Caroline Conner of Lyon Wine Tastings, who transformed her intimate, local wine tastings into  online experiences. By offering free, virtual BYOB wine tastings, Conner can continue to share her passion and knowledge of wine by educating participants on wine tasting techniques, while also creating a platform that fosters interaction and engagement at a time when it’s needed the most. Her ability to quickly adapt to the changing times created social buzz that earned Conner a spotlight in the New York Times.

The recent passage of the CARES Act has resulted in a number of new initiatives to help Americans navigate the economic challenges faced by small businesses due to the  COVID-19 pandemic. To streamline the loan application process for clients, FareHarbor has teamed up with Lendio, America’s largest small business loan marketplace.

Lendio allows business owners to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a piece of the new CARES Act,  and connects them to a network of lenders to secure their loan.  In addition, Lendio has a team of trained Funding Managers that work with clients to understand their business needs and navigate the loan application process. For these reasons and more, FareHarbor has identified Lendio as a great option if you are looking for the right lender. 

If you are still working to find a loan for your business, please visit the FareHarbor partner page on Lendio’s website to begin your application! We look forward to our continued partnership and making a strong network of lenders available to our clients.