How the switch to FareHarbor skyrocketed this client’s online bookings to 60%
Jamie’s Whaling Station transitioned to FareHarbor from an outdated booking software. With an optimized new site and enhanced automations, their direct bookings increased exponentially while saving them valuable time.
“Our new FareHarbor site increased online bookings to 50-60% of total bookings [from about 20%]. It's been a game-changer for capturing more direct bookings.”
Adam Doolittle
General Manager
The business
For over 40 years, Jamie’s Whaling Station has shown visitors the spectacular marine wildlife in the Clayoquot Sound. As the area’s first whale watching company founded in the 1980s, they’ve built an established eco-tourism brand.
Nowadays, Jamie’s Whaling Station offers a variety of tours that bring travelers whale, bear and sea otter watching or even hot springs lounging — all by boat. They aim to connect their customers with the animals and beautiful landscapes of Tofino and Ucluelet, British Columbia.
But longevity doesn’t come easy in the tour and activity industry. When new players consistently enter the market, staying competitive as a mature business takes innovation, adaptation, and constant learning.
That’s why in 2020, Jamie’s Whaling Station switched to FareHarbor to overhaul their outdated website and booking system as well as streamline their operations.
We spoke with General Manager, Adam Doolittle, about the company’s experience getting started with FareHarbor as well as the tools and strategies that worked well to strengthen Jamie’s Whaling Station.
A bit of backstory
Jamie’s Whaling Station was started back in 1982 by Jamie Bray himself. At the time, Tofino was a remote village at the end of Vancouver Island, only accessible by ferry. Jamie recognized the area as a paradise for nature lovers — and decided it was the best place to start his business.
Jamie still owns the successful tour business, but leaves the day-to-day operations to an experienced management team. Adam Doolittle joined Jamie’s in 2017 as a front desk attendant, but quickly moved up to become General Manager by 2021.
According to Adam, constant innovation has been critical for Jamie’s:
“You can’t be complacent. It’s so easy to, especially if you’re at the top, but if you just sit steady you won’t continue to evolve.”
One major piece of their ‘future-proofing’ puzzle was switching to FareHarbor’s powerful booking solutions. This opportunity presented itself when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the team had more time on their hands.
Why FareHarbor?
Any major business transition requires a lot of time, energy, and planning. Jamie’s leadership team realized that the shutdown provided the opportunity for deep reflection on how to improve the business. “It allowed us to reevaluate and reassess a business that was approaching its 40th year and see where we could make improvements.”
A top priority was modernizing our outdated systems that had stifled any growth. According to Adam, “our old reservation system was like an airline system that was built with workarounds so we could use it.”
Jamie decided it was the right time to make the transition to FareHarbor and get a complete refresh of their website, booking engine, and operational systems.
4 ways FareHarbor helped Jamie’s embrace innovation
Creating a shiny new website to capture more direct bookings
Jamie’s Whaling Station was able to move to a user-friendly, optimized FareHarbor website — and conversions immediately improved. Adam explains that their “new FareHarbor site increased online bookings to make up 50-60% of total bookings and [has] been a game-changer for capturing more direct bookings.”
From a clear book button to exciting photos and faster loading speeds, their new website kept customers engaged and encouraged more reservations. The website also works seamlessly with Jamie’s marketing efforts to attract and convert quality traffic.
Utilizing paid advertising with confidence
With a high-converting website established, Jamie’s was now able to focus on paid advertisement. They decided to aggressively invest in digital advertisements with Google and Bing. Previously, Jamie’s printed and distributed company brochures which made it close to impossible to gauge their ROI.
Adam brought on a digital marketing specialist to optimize and track conversions from all ad campaigns. This data provided clarity on which avenue delivered the most bookings and helped depict where they should increase their spending.
Streamlining operations and maximizing efficiency in staffing
According to Adam, FareHarbor drastically improved their operations and processes, consolidating and automating their workloads without compromising the guest experience.
For example, Jamie’s used to employ around 40 staff between their locations. And today, with only 20 to 30 employees, the company is able to easily serve just as many guests.
Additionally, their isolated Tofino location creates staffing difficulties due to the limited housing available. However, with fewer staff needed and smoother operations with FareHarbor, Jamie’s does not need to reduce business.
Building a passionate, all-star team
Luckily, despite Tofino’s remote location, the chance to share the region’s spectacular nature draws top talent from near and far.
Still, hiring the right team members is crucial to the success of the business. Adam looks for a culture fit first: “I always start with personality. We’re very much a big group of friends and family.”
He conducts informal interviews centered on values and interests, rather than specific skills. For tour guides, relevant certificates are preferred but not required — he believes that while knowledge can be taught, excitement and love for the role cannot.
According to Adam, “You’ve got to reward the staff for their loyalty when they come back year over year.” Fair compensation and opportunities for growth also aid in their high retention rate.
Staying competitive in an ever changing market
After 41 years in business, Adam says that Jamie’s’ accomplishments are due to refusing to stand still. He notes, “You can’t think that just because you’ve been successful for 30 or 40 years that your success is going to continue.”
He believes that when you stay on top of current trends and embrace new technology, you will avoid stagnation.
For example, Adam is an early adopter of AI tools, like ChatGPT, which he uses for marketing and operational enhancements. He uses AI-generated drafts to refine his content and materials.
An important caveat though, is that “AI should be seen as a tool, not a complete solution.” While AI won’t replace human tour guides just yet, Adam believes it can transform behind-the-scenes business processes. He advises operators to view AI as a supplement rather than a crutch.
The bottom line
Jamie’s Whaling Station’s continued triumph highlights how passion, teamwork and relentless innovation can sustain growth over the long-term.
While COVID-19 sparked the switch to FareHarbor, it ultimately provided opportunities to refine systems and staffing models for optimal performance.Becoming a FareHarbor user gave Jamie’s the digital capabilities necessary to keep improving their business. Their new FareHarbor website, intuitive booking solutions and automated workflows have made it possible to significantly increase their online bookings and become more productive.
But technology is only an enabler. A spirit of constant learning and improvement allowed Jamie’s to deploy new tools to their fullest and maximize their revenue and customer satisfaction. Complacency is a threat even for established businesses.
As Adam advises, “Always be learning and listening to feedback and change.” Jamie’s Whaling Station stays atop the competitive local tourism market by keeping operations fresh and dynamic decade after decade.
