How to personalize your marketing to boost tour & activity bookings

Marketing plays a big role in helping tour and activity businesses reach new travelers, keep returning customers engaged, and grow bookings. To truly stand out and turn interest into action, your marketing needs a personal touch.

Personalized marketing goes beyond broad messaging. It’s about tailoring your emails, social posts, and website content so each traveler feels like you’re speaking directly to them. When you understand what your audience cares about, including their interests, habits, and goals, your message connects on a deeper level.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to make your marketing more personal, where to start, and the impact you’ll see when your content resonates with the right people.

Benefits of personalized content

Increased engagement

When your content speaks directly to a traveler’s interests, it grabs attention. Personalized messaging delivers the right information at the right time, helping travelers feel understood and connected to your business. It also keeps your website and social feeds fresh, giving visitors something new to explore each time they return.

Increased conversions

Tailored content inspires action. When your emails, ads, or posts reflect a traveler’s behavior or preferences, your calls to action feel more relevant. Relevance leads to more bookings, sign-ups, and shares.

Stronger loyalty and retention

Personalized marketing builds trust. When travelers see that you understand their preferences and stage in the booking journey, they’re more likely to come back. Consistently sharing meaningful, relevant content keeps your business top of mind and encourages repeat bookings.

According to HubSpot, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences (HubSpot).

Where to implement personalized content

Personalization works across almost every channel, but email and social media are where you’ll see the biggest impact. Both give you a direct line to travelers and the chance to make every message feel like it was written just for them.

Email

Email is your best tool for one-on-one communication. Since you’re landing right in someone’s inbox, every detail matters.

Adding a traveler’s name or destination of interest to a subject line can make your email stand out. Personalized subject lines can increase open rates by 26% (Campaign Monitor).

Dynamic content takes this a step further. These are elements that automatically update based on someone’s behavior, like their location, booking history, or tour preferences. It’s the difference between “Book a tour today” and “Ready to explore Maui again?”

Once they open your email, keep the experience relevant.

• For first-time visitors: Send a welcome email that introduces your most popular experiences, like “Start your adventure with a beginner surf lesson.”
• For returning guests: Offer something familiar yet fresh, such as “Your favorite whale-watching tour is back — now with sunset departures.”
• For loyal customers: Reward their continued support with early access or exclusive perks. Example: “You’re first in line for our summer kayak tours.”

Little touches like these make travelers feel seen and make your emails far more likely to drive bookings.

Social media

Social is where personalization can really shine. Your followers already love what you do, so meet them with content that feels like it was made just for them.

Here’s how to make that happen:

• Share posts that match your audience’s interests. If your followers love adventure, highlight your zipline or snorkeling tours. If they’re families, showcase activities kids can enjoy too.
• Create short, story-driven videos. Use behind-the-scenes clips, guide introductions, or traveler testimonials to connect emotionally and make your brand more relatable.
• Run retargeting ads to re-engage travelers who visited your website but didn’t book. A simple “Still dreaming of your next adventure?” message can bring them back to the checkout page.
• Highlight real customers. Repost traveler photos or reviews with a thank-you message. It’s an easy way to build community and show authenticity.

Pro tip: Keep the conversation going. Reply to comments, answer DMs, and thank travelers who tag your business. A genuine response makes your brand feel personal and can turn a quick comment into a confirmed booking.

What information can help personalize your marketing

Once you start thinking about personalization, the next question is how to actually make it happen. The good news? You already have more useful data than you might realize.

Here are a few data points that can help you tailor your content to the right audience:

• Age and gender: Adjust your messaging or visuals to match traveler demographics.
• Location: Share updates about nearby experiences or highlight tours in popular destinations.
• Device type: Optimize emails and ads for the devices your audience uses most — whether mobile, tablet, or desktop.
• Booking history: Offer returning guests a special discount or suggest a related activity they haven’t tried yet.
• Website behavior: Look at which pages visitors spend time on to understand what interests them most.
• Visitor frequency: Send special incentives to those who visit your site often but haven’t booked yet.

Combining these insights helps you target each traveler with messaging that feels relevant and personal, not generic.

How to get the information you need

Personalized marketing doesn’t require expensive software or hours of manual data collection. Most of the insights you need are already available through the tools you use every day.

Here are a few easy places to start:

• FareHarbor Dashboard: Find customer details like booking history, locations, and participant ages. This data helps you spot trends, such as which tours attract repeat travelers or which days of the week perform best.
• Facebook Insights: See audience demographics, engagement levels, and device usage to understand who’s interacting with your posts.
• Google Analytics: Discover where your visitors come from, what pages they view, and how long they stay. Check the Audience tab for data on age, gender, and interests.

With so much content competing for attention, personalization helps you cut through the noise and connect with travelers in more meaningful ways.

Make every message matter

Ready to make your marketing more personal? With FareHarbor, you already have the tools to understand your customers and connect with them in smarter ways. From detailed reporting to built-in communication tools, personalization becomes simple and powerful.

Explore more ways to strengthen your marketing strategy in our marketing guides.