Tours and attractions specialist Viator is to ramp up its marketing activity in the UK and Europe as it seeks to increase its awareness.
Viator seeks to grow its presence in UK and Europe
Tours and attractions specialist Viator is to ramp up its marketing activity in the UK and Europe as it seeks to increase its awareness.
Dan Hart, Europe and Asia general manager, said: “Brand awareness in the UK has been very low – part of the challenge we have is just awareness. But as the sector starts to grow and we adapt a more aggressive PR strategy that will increase.
“Our efforts have mainly been through SEO. Look at our placement through most destinations and tours we sell and we have excellent organic presence on page one of Google.
“We are, however, looking at other strategies to support the brand and see how we can evolve it.”
Viator is hoping to appoint an agency to run its PR efforts and Hart said the UK office has been given a “big increase” in its marketing budget.
Although the focus is on Viator’s consumer-facing viator.com website, ancillary raising opportunities are also attracting business to business partnerships, Hart said.
“If you look traditionally at the revenues generated through the travel sector they are diminishing to a certain degree.
“As far as the tours and attractions sector goes it’s still fairly untapped. Part of the reason for that is just the breadth of product which falls within the category.
“Also, the types of player in the marketplace vary enormously by size – you might have a really small player that offers a unique tour.”
Hart said a lot of effort was going in to localising its international websites to make sure it is offering the right product in the right way to consumers in the countries in which it operates.
Further international expansion is also on the cards. Viator is currently available in 8 different languages in countries like Germany, Spain, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Japan.
Hart said business in the UK was picking up as people book more adventurous trips and are looking for inspiration about what they can do in their chosen destination.
