Personalised experiences in tourism: more margin, less volume, better control
Development of premium and customised products in tourism
For years, many tour operators have grown by relying on volume. More departures, more groups, more shared bookings. It works... until it stops.
Pricing pressure, commissions and dependence on intermediaries have pushed many businesses to rethink the model. And that is where the premium, private and personalised experiences.
Not as a total substitute for the standard product, but as a natural evolution. Especially when you already have a demand and a reputation.
What we mean by premium and personalised experiences
We are not just talking about raising prices. A premium experience usually meets several of these conditions:
- It is private or for very small groups.
- Adapts to the client (timetable, language, pace, interests).
- Includes exclusive access, direct deal or more in-depth content.
- Reduces friction and “mass tour” sensation.
It can be a private tour of a historic city centre, an outdoor excursion for a specific family or an immersive experience designed for a small company.
The value is in customisation and control of time and resources.
Why this type of product matters now
Demand has changed. More and more travellers are looking for small, quiet and tailor-made experiences. Especially in saturated destinations or in peak seasons. They don't want to share. They don't want rigid schedules. They want to feel that the experience is “theirs”.
For the operator, this has several clear implications. First, allows for higher margins. You sell fewer seats, but at a better price and with less operational wear and tear. Second, you reduce dependence on volume and intermediaries. A premium product tends to sell better through your direct channel or by recommendation. Third, it differentiates you. While many compete on price in the shared product, you play in a different league.
How to design a private experience that works
This is where many fail. It is not enough to put “private tour” and multiply the price. Start with the actual use of the resource. If the guide, the vehicle or the space is dedicated to a single client during that time, that should be reflected in the structure of the product. It is not just another place. It is a full capacity lock.
Then define what is customised and what is not. Flexible route, language, extra stops, pace... but without making it impossible to operate. A good premium product has clear limits, even if it is flexible. The third point is packaging. Don't sell hours or logistics. Sell results. It's not “3 hours of private tour”, it's an experience designed for a couple, a family or a small group that wants something specific.
Real example in the Spanish context
A operator of cultural routes in Andalusia offers shared visits in the morning. It worked well for years, but started to receive private requests from agencies, foreign families and companies.
At the beginning, I managed it “by hand”. If a private booking came in, I would notify the guide and close the shared tour manually. Result: errors, overbooking and a lot of wasted time.
When he structured the product as a real private experience, with automatic blocking of the resource for the full duration, the problem disappeared. The shared tour was automatically unavailable for that stretch. Less stress. More control. And pricing consistent with the value offered.
The most common mistake when selling premium experiences
The most common failure is not in marketing, but in operations. Many operators sell a private product, but their system still works as if it were shared.
This leads to internal conflicts, duplication and a real risk of overbooking.
A booking engine should allow you to manage resources, not just places. That is to say, to understand that a guide, a boat or a vehicle cannot be in two experiences at the same time.
When someone books a private product, that resource should be automatically blocked for the duration of the event. No calls. No Excel. No manual reminders.
If you work with multiple channels, this is even more critical. Availability must be synchronised to avoid selling something that no longer exists.
How technology fits into this type of product
The growth towards premium experiences often reveals shortcomings in previously “worthwhile” systems.
A booking engine intended only for shared volume is not enough. You need something that manage quotas, resources and real availability in real time. The key is for the system to understand that:
- A private product consumes the full capacity of the resource.
- This blocking affects other related products.
- Availability is updated on all channels automatically.
When this works well, the operator regains control. Not only of the agenda, but also of money, time and customer experience.
Natural relationship with direct selling
This kind of experience is best sold without intermediaries: the customer wants to talk to you, adapt details and feel confident. And you need the money to go straight into your account, without diluting margins with high commissions.
In premium products, every percentage point counts. The differences between payment systems and booking engines are no longer theoretical but very real.
As a result, many operators find that their technological structure was not ready for this leap... until they make it.
Closure: less volume, more control
Developing premium and customised products is not just a pricing strategy. It's a different way of running your business.
Less operational chaos. More control over resources and availability. Better experience for the customer and for you.
If you already have demand, reputation and knowledge of the destination, this step is almost inevitable. The difference is to get it right from the start, with clear products and an operation that does not rely on patches.
That is where many operators discover that real growth does not always come from selling more... but from selling better.
