Seize the season: 5 Black Friday promotions for tour operators

The Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend can easily become one of the most profitable times of year for tour operators. Just take FareHarbor operator, Triton Charters, who made $250K in only 6 days during their recent Black Friday offer. 

Black Friday truly kicks off the holiday shopping season and FareHarbor is here to help you market your tours and activities so you can boost your online sales. 

Black Friday online sales increased 10.2% from 2023 to 2024, rising from $9.8 billion to $10.8 billion (Adobe). 

There are countless ways tour operators can take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and below are five promotions that you could run to skyrocket your bookings this holiday season. 

If you need a little guidance to get started, we’ve put together a step-by-step process for building your Black Friday or Cyber Monday campaign — complete with a recommended timeline.

1. Gift card sale

One easy way to boost online sales is by offering gift cards. 

Gift cards not only allow your customers to buy for themselves, but they can also give the gift of experiences to their loved ones.

It’s easy to offer and promote gift cards with FareHarbor and you even have the option to customize them to highlight your brand. You can add your logo, choose a color or pattern, and more! If you do not already have a gift card item in your Dashboard, this is how to  set yours up.

Pro Tip: Create a page on your website specifically for specials, deals, and discounts. This will provide a clear place for customers to find all your current deals — and in this case your Black Friday gift card deal! You can also add a banner on the top of your website promoting your gift cards during the holidays.  

2. BOGO offer

Buy-one-get-one (BOGO) specials are a tried-and-true way to grab attention and boost sales — and with FareHarbor Combos, you can make them even more effective. Use a BOGO to encourage customers to add more to their cart, whether it’s another tour, a gift card, or an enticing add-on. 

Combos (with your BOGO discount) will help you effortlessly increase average basket size all in one streamlined checkout,

Here are a few ways to structure your BOGO deal:

• Buy one tour, get another tour 10–20% off
• Buy one tour, get an add-on (like a snack plate, equipment rental, or photo package) 25–50% off
• Buy one gift card, get another 10–20% off

Pro tip: Highlight your BOGO offers in your marketing materials with bold, action-oriented language like “Book today and save!” or “Limited-time BOGO deal!” to drive urgency and conversions.

3. Free gift or add-on option 

Rather than offering a discount on your tour or gift card price, you could alternatively add a free or discounted gift or add-on with purchase as your promotion. Simply give the gift to customers as they check in on site.

If you have a gift shop, choose a few items that are popular to give away as a souvenir. If you do not typically have merchandise, consider creating a branded item like a water bottle, t-shirt, or stuffed animal specifically for the Black Friday campaign!

Depending on your tour type, the add-on you choose can be a bottle of champagne, hiking pole rental, or any other item that would be enticing for your customers. 

4. Flash sale

What gets clicks faster than a flash sale?! This limited-time offer can get your customers to act fast and purchase your tours now. Typically, you would run this from Black Friday through Cyber Monday (and if it’s doing well, throw in an added day on Tuesday as a bonus!).

You can create urgency and FOMO by incorporating language like “hurry” and “this won’t last long” to all of your marketing materials. 

Pro Tip: Add a countdown to your website and in your emails to further showcase your limited-time deal and show how long customers have left to take advantage of your sale. This type of visual aid will help get customers to book as soon as possible. 

5. Give back

The holidays are a great time to give back to your local communities and charities. One way to do this is by donating a certain portion of all Black Friday sales to an organization near you.  

This type of sale is less about you making extra money, and more about supporting a cause you believe in. Giving back can be helpful for your brand image, however, it is important to relay why it’s important to you and your business. 

These ideas are here to help you think of a promotion that will work great for your business. Mix and match or go all in for one of these ideas. For even more inspiration, be sure to read how FareHarbor operator Dive Kauai made $14k in 21 days during their Black Friday sale.