Your Tour Business Just Got a Team of Experts (For $20 a Month)

So the question isn't "Should I be using AI?" It's "Which part of my business should I tackle first?"
AI for Tour Operators in 2025: How to Use AI in Your Tour Business

Your Tour Business Just Got a Team of Experts (For $20 a Month)

This is part one of our series on AI in your tour business. Watch the whole series here.

Pull up any tour operator forum right now and you’ll see the same pattern. Someone mentions AI and immediately gets flooded with questions: “Which tool should I use?” “Is it worth the money?” “Won’t it sound robotic?” “Where do I even start?”

Here’s what’s actually happening while people debate: AI has moved way past the “type a question, get an answer” phase. Right now, it’s reading customer emails and drafting responses. It’s analyzing thousands of reviews in seconds. It’s conducting competitor research. It’s turning one piece of content into hundreds of social posts. It’s transcribing tour narration into website copy. And for tour operators who’ve figured out how to use it, AI is running parts of their business while they focus on what actually matters.

The shift happened fast. We’re not talking about a single tool anymore – we’re talking about a complete toolbox. Different AI models excel at different tasks, and knowing which one to use when makes all the difference. Think of it like having a personal assistant, an operations expert, a marketing specialist, and a business coach all working simultaneously. Because that’s essentially what you’re getting.

So the question isn’t “Should I be using AI?” It’s “Which part of my business should I tackle first?” And the best answer? Start where you’re feeling the most pain. Where would having an extra skilled team member create the biggest impact for you right now?

Cutting Through the Noise: The Main Players

Let’s talk about who’s actually worth paying attention to in the AI space, because there’s a lot of noise out there.

ChatGPT has become something of a swiss army knife. It’s good at lots of things, and it’s been releasing new features faster than anyone else. Microsoft backs it, which means serious resources. They were first to market with features like uploading photos and videos, web search integration, and voice mode. They keep adding team features, business accounts, projects, and custom GPTs. For tour operators, it’s a solid all-around tool.

Claude is my go-to for anything involving writing and copywriting. It just sounds more human. Where ChatGPT might give you something that reads like a corporate memo, Claude produces copy that feels like an actual person wrote it. It’s also making serious moves in the coding space. You can describe a software tool or website, and Claude will build it right in front of you. Amazon funds it through Anthropic.

Gemini comes from Google, and while they invented much of the original research behind large language models, they spent the last few years playing catch up. That’s changing. Given Google’s talent pool and resources, Gemini is one to watch. It’s embedding itself throughout the Google ecosystem – your inbox, your workspace, everywhere. Features like Gemini’s deep research are producing genuinely impressive results with real citations and accuracy.

Meta AI is Facebook’s entry. It’s free and integrated into WhatsApp and Instagram. Not as powerful as the others yet, but Facebook is betting on an open source model. They’re sharing their work and making it easy for developers to build on top of Meta AI’s progress.

Grok comes from Elon Musk’s empire – X and Tesla. It has the advantage of being funded by the wealthiest person on the planet, but it also comes with very few guardrails. Grok will say things other AI models won’t. Whether that’s useful or problematic depends on your perspective.

A couple honorable mentions: DeepSeek, a Chinese model that’s nearly as good as the big players but completely free and open source. Chinese AI companies are making a serious play to become thought leaders by being as open as possible. And Perplexity, which is going directly after Google search by putting massive emphasis on accuracy, proper citations, and getting people the actual results they need.

The Tools Built on Top

You’ve probably noticed a bewildering array of other AI tools popping up. Every day seems to bring a new one. Companies like Jasper, Copy.ai, and Writesonic are examples of tools built on top of these foundational models. They’re using API connections to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to produce results, then wrapping it in their own interface.

Should you subscribe to these tools? Maybe. If they provide a cleaner interface, reduce complexity, and help you get better results faster, then go for it. But be aware that much of the capability is already built into the original models. You might not need to pay for that extra subscription when the foundational model can do the same job.

New Ways of Working With AI

If you haven’t been experimenting with these features yet, here’s what you’re missing.

Multimodal Input

You’re not limited to typing text anymore. You can combine different forms of media. Upload photos from your tour route. Add flyers or PDFs. The AI processes the image, understands what it’s seeing, and uses it as input. Record audio narration or capture one of your tour guides in action. Paste in hundreds of guest reviews or a screenshot. AI processes everything together and gives you output in whatever form you need – text, graphics, CSV files, even coded web pages that Claude can host for you in seconds.

Here’s a practical example: upload 50 tour photos plus your route map. Ask AI to create location-specific social posts for each stop, pulling details from the images and adding interesting historical facts. What used to take days now takes 20 minutes.

Voice Mode

ChatGPT’s voice mode is blowing away the others right now. You can have an actual dialog with AI – interrupt it, correct it, give it your expertise. Great for workshopping ideas during your commute or when you need to get away from your desk. You want a thought partner to tear into your ideas or help you make a decision? Use your voice. No screen required.

Same goes for dictation. Record your meetings, upload the audio, and get usable notes immediately.

Translation

As of October 2025, we’re at a staggeringly impressive level of context-aware, culturally appropriate translation. This applies to both text and voice. These models understand that “grab a bite” shouldn’t be translated literally. They know that “family friendly” means different things across cultures.

If you’re serving international visitors, there’s a real opportunity to communicate in their own language. It’s easier than ever to get accurate translation services. We always want a human verifying the output, but this space is moving fast. We’re heading toward a world with real-time translation through earbuds, glasses, and AI-powered smartphones. Being able to understand almost anyone, anywhere, is closer than you think.

Image Generation and Manipulation

This space has moved incredibly quickly. We’re reaching the point where it’s tough to determine what’s real and what’s AI-generated.

For your tour business, there are applications beyond the obvious (and somewhat problematic) rush to create fake AI-generated imagery of people having a great time on your tours. You can do that, but you need to build and maintain customer trust first. Right now, we’re occasionally still in the uncanny valley where it’s clear an image is AI-generated.

That doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of AI for other purposes. Check out Google’s Imagen (sometimes called “banana”). It’s one of the most impressive tools for quickly creating and manipulating images. ChatGPT does a great job with this too. Also look at the new AI suite inside Canva. They’re more complex, so go through a tutorial first. But these tools can handle most of your graphic design needs across your website, social media, and marketing materials.

AI Video

As of this writing, the two premier video models are Google’s Veo 3 and Sora from OpenAI. Both are breaking serious ground creating high-quality, cinematic, realistic-looking videos from prompts or still images. Both are showing us that we’re entering a world where we won’t be able to tell the difference between AI-generated videos and real footage.

The possibilities are endless. The concern is legitimate: how will we know what’s real? But here’s the thing – attention is attention. You’re going to have tools at your fingertips to create visually stunning, creative, or funny marketing campaigns. Think about building campaigns around a mascot or creating content that would have required a full production crew.

Deep Research

Most of these AI tools now have a deep research toggle. This signals that you don’t want a quick response – you want to gather intelligence and information.

Ask it to show you food tours in your city under $75 with their unique selling points and sources. Ask what travel bloggers are saying about your neighborhood with links. Ask it to find patterns in your tour reviews. The only limit is your imagination. You essentially have a 24/7 research assistant ready to tackle some of your toughest questions.

Agentic AI

This has been one of the biggest shifts in 2025. Regular AI – even multimodal or deep research AI – responds when you ask. Agentic AI acts on your behalf based on instructions, rules, or goals.

Set up an AI agent to check TripAdvisor and Google daily, draft appropriate responses, and send them to you for approval before posting. Instead of manually posting to social media, have an AI marketing agent review your feeds, see what’s performing best, make recommendations, and create posts for you or your team to approve. This is an ongoing process, not a one-off task.

The tools being built right now allow AI to actually control browsers and applications. It can navigate the Internet like a human would, which enables a diverse range of tasks. There have been significant advancements in memory, where AI agents remember business context across conversations, build their own knowledge base, and improve over time.

You can set AI agents to run specific prompts at specific times. Most importantly, they integrate with tools you’re already using. Platforms like Zapier let ChatGPT agents pull data from your CRM or booking software and post to your social platforms. It’s an incredible time to be an entrepreneur when these intelligent, powerful assistants can work at your disposal.

Mixing and Matching

The great thing about these features? They work together. AI’s real intelligence shows up in its ability to mix and match different tools. Many features are behind paywalls, but here’s the good news: it’s been incredibly democratized. For as little as $20 a month, you can unlock some of the most powerful features that some of the largest companies on the planet are building.

That’s why we recommend getting started and experimenting. You don’t have to tackle everything at once. As we continue this series on AI, we’ll look at foundational steps that business owners often overlook when they start using AI. We’ll show you practical applications specific to tour operators and help you avoid common pitfalls that waste time and money.

The tools are here. The question is whether you’re ready to put them to work.

Want to see how other tour operators are implementing these AI tools? The Tour Business AI Lab gives you access to real workflows, tested strategies, and a community of operators sharing what’s actually working in their businesses. Join weekly discussions, get Friday Lab Reports with practical tips, and participate in bi-weekly live sessions where we test and troubleshoot together. Visit guestfocus.com/ai to become a Lab Partner.

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January 6, 2026 No Comments

A GUEST FOCUSED APPROACH: LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS

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Avital Ungar is the founder and owner of Avital Food & Drink Experiences, a culinary company that hosts in-person and virtual events for corporate team building, client entertainment, and conferences. Her mission centers on deepening human connection through storytelling, food, and drink.
Ungar’s passion for the finer points of life began while living in Paris and the quaint town of Aix-en-Provence in Southern France, where she embraced the cultural norm of afternoon wine and explored the countryside’s culinary offerings. Upon returning to the United States, she pursued formal wine education and is now a certified sommelier.
A Phi Beta Kappa UCLA graduate, Ungar studied Art History, French, and Mandarin Chinese, though she jokes she wishes she could have majored in Chocolate. After living in Shanghai and working in the Chinese Contemporary art market, she returned to her hometown of San Francisco to pursue her professional interests in art and food.
Since April 2011, Ungar has operated Avital Food & Drink Experiences, offering progressive dining food tours in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City, where each course is served at a different restaurant. The company also provides dining experiences, conference activations, and interactive meals in 12 cities nationwide. Her virtual offerings include culinary experiences with ingredient delivery featuring award-winning chefs, bartenders, and sommeliers, along with virtual mixology classes, cooking classes, water tastings, and aperitif hours.
In September 2022, Ungar launched Edible Architecture, which creates innovative holiday products including Charcuterie Chalet Kits – savory gingerbread houses made from charcuterie and cheese board items, complete with “Salami Shingles” and “Parmesan Snow.”
Ungar has been featured in The New York Times, served as a judge at the Good Food Awards, International Chocolate Salon, and Best of The West Rib Competition, and has appeared on the Travel Channel, CNN, and in USA Today.
Midgi is the owner and Chief Eating Officer for Juneau Food Tours and Taste Alaska! She has lived in Alaska for more than a dozen years and got her start in the culinary industry as a food writer and blogger. Her tour company opened in 2014 and has hosted thousands of hungry visitors in Alaska’s capital city. In spring 2020, Midgi launched Taste Alaska!, a subscription box service to ship shelf-stable Alaskan food gift boxes.
The pandemic also presented the opportunity to create www.globaltoursconnect.com, an online boutique marketplace for food, history, and cultural tours.
Her passion for food and telling the story of Alaska have been noted in the New York Times, Washington Times, Washington Post, Vogue.com, Forbes.com, AARP, as well as countless blogs and international and national television shows, including All the Best with Zita and Gordon Ramsey: Uncharted.
Gez Hamer is an entrepreneurial leader with extensive experience building and scaling businesses from startup to growth phases. He possesses strong strategic decision-making abilities and hands-on leadership skills, with experience across startups securing Series A investment, scale-ups obtaining continued funding, and post-acquisition companies ranging from SMEs to publicly listed global players.
Since June 2025, Hamer has owned Nautica Collective, a company reshaping luxury yacht travel for the new generation of travelers. Nautica Collective offers curated, boutique yacht experiences designed for over-30s millennials seeking connection, culture, and comfort through small groups, hidden anchorages, and chef-hosted dinners under the stars. The company operates routes in Mallorca, Greece, the Caribbean, and beyond, positioning itself as “aspiring luxury meets authentic adventure.”
In January 2025, Hamer co-founded Transcend Consultancy, which helps businesses navigate growth challenges with cost-effective solutions. The consultancy works with founders to streamline operations and expand into new markets, specializing in the transition from startup to scale-up with strategies built for today’s fast-changing business landscape.
Previously, Hamer served as Chief Operating Officer at ExperienceFirst from November 2022 to December 2024, Interim Chief Commercial Officer at Bundl from July to November 2022, and CEO/Management Consultant at GJH Consulting from October 2016 to November 2022. His diverse background spans consulting, operations, and commercial leadership across multiple industries and business stages.
Akila McConnell is a dynamic entrepreneur and cultural historian who owns Unexpected Virtual Tours and Training, and Unexpected Atlanta Tours & Gifts. She creates radically creative cultural training sessions for remote teams and immersive tours for visitors to Atlanta.
Since 2020, her virtual tours company has been featured in The New York Times and Forbes, specializing in cultural awareness events around Juneteenth, Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, and Pride. Her Atlanta tours business, operating since 2015, has been named one of Conde Nast’s 16 best things to do in Atlanta and National Geographic’s top tour in the city.
As a freelance culinary historian and writer since 2009, McConnell contributes to major publications including Conde Nast Traveler, USA Today, and National Geographic Traveller. Her book “A Culinary History of Atlanta” was a finalist for Georgia Author of the Year in History in 2020. She also hosts “Savory Stories,” a food-focused podcast on WABE, Atlanta’s NPR affiliate.
McConnell specializes in sharing stories of disenfranchised and minority populations through food, history, and immersive experiences that challenge the perception that cultural education has to be boring.
A Colorado native, Staci left a job she loved designing dental offices and funeral homes, to accompany her husband on a job transfer to the Central Coast of California in 2009. At the height of the Great Recession, jobs in an area known for its high density of retirees – let alone jobs in her industry – were scarce to non-existent.
After a couple unsuccessful years trying to resurrect her thriving career, someone mentioned a Food Tour. In a few short months she researched, built, and launched Carmel Food Tours (CFT). Now in its 12th season, CFT is expanding and rebranding to Enjoy Carmel, offering more than just food tours. CFT employs 6 guides, and plans to grow the staff by 50% in 2023.
In her free time she enjoys traveling, pickleball, and Pilates with her husband, and tossing a tiny ball at the beach for her fluffball Chuck.
Simon began his career in tourism as a tour guide with Fat Tire Tours – Paris. As a trained social studies teacher and a dual FR/US citizen, this job fits like a glove! After three years as a tour guide with Fat Tire and side-hustling as an independent motorcycle guide, Simon returned to FTT – Paris to create its human resources department.
Specializing in local compliance and talent acquisition, Simon took over the hiring strategy for FTT’s European operations in autumn of 2019. With a new group of trainees set to begin work in several cities, COVID required an immediate 180 degree turn for everyone. After a decade of building tour leader teams, Simon combined his two passions and started a motorcycle sidecar tour business, and welcomed his first guests in Paris in spring of 2022.
Born and raised in Charleston, SC, Catherine began her 18-year career in tourism waiting tables while in college at one of Charleston’s busiest restaurants. What started as just a fun job that paid the bills and allowed for many social outings with friends, had turned into something that made her realize that working in hospitality was the only industry she ever wanted to be in.
After graduating from the College of Charleston, she came to work at Bulldog Tours in 2007. Serving as Operations Manager, Catherine oversees a staff of 50+ tour guides and customer service members. The best part of the job for her is seeing guests experience and love Charleston in the same way the staff does. When she’s not working, she enjoys playing volleyball, going to the beach and spending time with her husband and two super adorable daughters.
Chad is an experienced tour leader, trainer and tour business consultant. He’s been the go-to-guy for developing world-class training programs and leading global teams for tour operators such as G Adventures and many small to medium tour and activity businesses. Chad also comes from a background of startups in the tech industry, having worked for Adventure.com, Airbnb Experiences and other great companies.
Live the life you dream of living… That’s Chad’s mantra and he does his best to bring it to life every single day. Chad’s a big fan of micro adventures and spending quality time in the wilderness, sailing, hiking and camping with his wife Julia, daughter Cali and friends.
John founded Bulldog Tours in 2001 as a hobby with a goal of helping preserve his hometown. This sustainable tourism model has raised over $4M to help preserve many of Charleston’s most historical landmarks. Bulldog Tours offers a variety of history, food, pub and ghost walking tours with over 50 tour guides.
John is the Chairman of the Charleston Area CVB’s Travel Council and on the Advisory Board for the College of Charleston’s Hospitality Tourism Management Department.
Ralph Velasco is the founder of Continental DRIFTER® Experiences, where he has developed more than 200 once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences since 2008. He specializes in travel product development, researching and vetting local partners in destinations worldwide, conducting scouting trips with local operators, and creating unique itineraries that guests remember for a lifetime.
Velasco has personally led small group tours (4-10 participants) to more than 30 destinations including Antarctica, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Cambodia, Lapland, Vietnam, India, Bhutan, Romania, Mexico, Morocco, Turkey, Iceland, the Baltics, and the Adriatic. As founder of Continental DRIFTER®, he handles every aspect of the business from branding and trip design to marketing, social media management, contract negotiations, and client follow-up.
Since December 2018, Velasco has expanded his expertise through The Continental DRIFTER® YouTube channel, which features more than 75 videos offering travel advice, photography tips, destination guides, and interviews with locals. The channel targets GenX and Baby Boomer travelers and serves as the hub for his international tours. He conceives and films all content, oversees channel branding and optimization, writes scripts, records voiceovers, and manages social media distribution to increase viewer engagement.
Through his comprehensive approach to travel experiences and content creation, Velasco combines his extensive international travel expertise with practical advice for mature travelers seeking authentic, well-curated adventures.
Yaron’s love for travel turned into an 18-year career building one of Israel’s most successful travel companies. What started as personal wanderlust became Abraham Tours and Hostels – a business he co-founded and grew from scratch into a powerhouse serving 100,000 travelers annually.
As CEO from 2010 to 2022, Yaron learned how to turn great experiences into profitable business. The early years weren’t profitable despite rave reviews – they focused on creating amazing content without understanding business fundamentals. Once they cracked variable pricing, team management, and operational efficiency, everything changed.
Yaron and his team built systems that let him step away from answering every email. He developed bonus schemes that kept their best guides and drivers loyal for years, reducing industry turnover. Most importantly, he learned how to scale across multiple destinations while maintaining quality and profitability.
After stepping down as CEO in 2022, Yaron spent eight months traveling before launching his consulting practice. Now he works with the Israeli National Parks Authority on major system overhauls and helps tour operators worldwide through Guest Focus coaching, as well as other consulting projects.
Yaron brings this scaling experience to operators ready to grow beyond the one-person show, helping them delegate, systematize, and make data-driven decisions that improve both profits and personal freedom.

Accomplishments:

  • Co-founded and grew Abraham Tours & Hostels from startup to serving 100,000 tour participants and 200,000 hostel guests annually

  • CEO from 2010-2022, scaled company to 4 hostel locations plus a multi-destination tour operations

  • Established Israeli Hostel Association 17 years ago, served as general manager and chairman

  • Developed variable pricing schemes and team management for 100+ subcontractors/guides

  • Successfully exited as CEO in 2022, now consulting & mentoring various businesses in Israel and globally

After receiving his Applied Degree in Ecotourism & Outdoor Leadership from Mount Royal University in Alberta, Canada, Dave Kratt has made a living for the past 20 years in the alternative tourism industries as a guide, researcher, instructor, teacher, facilitator, manager, business owner, and naturalist. He has worked in many world regions including Central America, Australasia, Asia, and North America, applying his skills and training to various tourism, cultural, and environmental initiatives.
Kratt has been fortunate to find success through starting a number of businesses, which he tailors to achieve a more personal work/life balance. Recently, he made the significant decision to sell his farm and offload all personal and business assets, relocating his family (wife, daughter, and two dogs) to be more present in aiding his aging parents. This transition has provided him with the opportunity to share his business expertise through new and exciting channels.
In addition to his regular business coaching role with Guest Focus, Kratt recently started a consulting business called Wild Kratt Tourism Consulting Ltd. The two operations complement each other and have helped him find ways to share his passions for recreation, tourism, travel, and nature while enabling others to engage in these activities safely and consciously toward their potential social, economic, and environmental impacts.
Klaudija packed her bags in Slovenia 20 years ago with no plan except to see the world. A travel rep job in Turkey was supposed to be temporary – just long enough to fund the next adventure. Instead, it launched a global career building tour businesses from nothing and selling them for profit.
Her biggest win came with Urban Adventures, joining when it was just an idea without a brand. Over 10 years, she helped grow it to 500,000 passengers working with 170 tour operators worldwide. She spearheaded expansion into experiential products and negotiated one of the industry’s first media partnerships with New York Times Journeys.
Klaudija also built and sold two tour businesses in Ljubljana and London. Not many coaches have walked the startup-to-exit path.
Now she’s Head of City Experiences at TUI, leading an experimental department testing new products. This year her team achieved 75% revenue growth and 50% growth in passenger numbers.
Klaudija brings startup grit and corporate scale to Guest Focus coaching. She specializes in sales strategy, marketing optimization, and distribution channels. Her coaching clients particularly value her website development expertise – she’s guided three members through complete overhauls.

Accomplishments:

  • Grew Urban Adventures to 500,000 passengers working with 170 tour operators worldwide over 10 years
  • Negotiated one of industry’s first media partnerships with New York Times Journeys
  • Built and sold two tour operating businesses in Ljubljana and London
  • As Head of City Experiences at TUI: achieved 75% revenue growth and 50% passenger growth in one year
  • 20 years in travel industry across multiple roles: rep, guide, marketing, sales, managing director

Angela Shen is a proven business builder with deep roots in entrepreneurship and brand management.

Angela founded Savor Seattle in 2007 and grew it to a $1M business in under 5 years without outside investment. During the COVID shutdown in 2020, she pivoted the business from food tours to curated food boxes and grew revenues more than 2x her best tour year! Angela was named in Puget Sound Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40, and started a second tour business Savor the Wild Tours in 2023.

Angela’s expertise in business strategy and operations hails from the consumer packaged goods sector where she previously worked in brand management at PepsiCo and looked after iconic brands including Quaker Oatmeal and Life Cereal. Angela is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business and serves on the board for Visit Seattle.

Ana stumbled into tourism backwards in the 1990s—first as a guide in remote Northwest Argentina mostly because she spoke English where few others did. As a horse rider, mountaineer, and fitness trainer, she naturally fell into adventure guiding, learning the hard way by doing first and studying later.

Everything began to click when she attended her first ATTA Adventure Travel Trade Summit in 2014. Suddenly, the entire structure of the travel industry made sense—the difference between operators and travel advisors, how B2B relationships actually work, or how marketing for a B2C audience is so different. That clarity saved her years of trial and error.

Since then, Ana has built her own travel company, Adentrando, initially as an active inbound tour operator for Northwest Argentina serving multi-day B2B clients, and since 2023 as an Argentina DMC and also operating trips in Latin America, working together with trusted partners. She’s become an ATTA trainer, developed Adventure Travel Guide Standards, and spoken at major industry events about responsible tourism and community partnerships.

Ana brings her hard-earned industry knowledge to Guest Focus members, particularly those starting out or pivoting their business models. Her specialty is multi-day trip design—creating itineraries that tell a story and have a positive impact, rather than just connecting attractions. She helps operators avoid the mistakes that cost her years of learning, turning complex industry relationships into clear, actionable strategies.

Accomplishments

  • First woman adventure travel guide in Northwest Argentina, driving Land Rovers across deserts
  • Been an ATTA trainer since 2016, traveling to Jordan, Chile, Colombia working with suppliers
  • Co-creator of Adventure Travel Guide Standards (2015) – one of 15 people who developed industry standards
  • ATTA business partner since 2012 and trainer for their Adventure EDU program
  • Speaker at major industry events like Pure, Lata in London, ATTA World Summit, Adventure Elevate on responsible tourism and adventure travel product design.

Casey spent 14 years at Zegrahm Expeditions, climbing to VP of Marketing Communications where she managed a million-dollar budget. Through her leadership, Zegrahm increased business with travel advisors by 10% and cut direct mail costs by 23% – real money when working with those numbers.

After Zegrahm, she spent a decade at the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), growing net revenue by 30% and profit margins by 60%. Through COVID and its recovery, as President of the ATTA maintained a 90% team retention rate by keeping people engaged and motivated.

Now running Casey Hanisko Coaching and Consulting in Seattle, she’s doubled her own revenue in one year while becoming ACC certified through the International Coaching Federation. She’s also Dare to Lead and DISC and EQI assessment certified, bringing structured tools to her approach.

Casey specializes in strategic planning and getting tour operators out of the daily grind so they can work on their business instead of in it. She helps solo entrepreneurs and small teams document knowledge, define roles, and build growth systems. Her Guest Focus clients have hit major milestones – one reached a million in revenue, others doubled income, and several Guest Focus members have brought on new team members, consultants, and partners.

She’s passionate about supporting women leaders and purpose-driven operators focused on responsible tourism.

Accomplishments:

  • Grew ATTA net revenue by 30% and net profit margins by 60%
  • Maintained 90% team retention rate during COVID challenges
  • At Zegrahm Expeditions: managed million-dollar marketing budget, increased travel advisor business by 10%
  • Cut direct mail costs by 23% (significant savings on million-dollar budget)

Jess quit her high school teaching job for what she thought would be one fun summer guiding bike tours around Paris. Eleven years later, she’s still there. Turns out, trading lesson plans for tour routes was the best career move she never planned to make.

She worked her way up from tour guide to director at Fat Tire Tours, learning every role – designing tours, training guides, managing ticketing, overseeing operations. This ground-up experience taught her what works for staff. She now works as Europe Head of Retail, as well as overseeing Paris/Versailles operations.

Her biggest win? Maximizing operational efficiency while keeping the human element intact. She redesigned scheduling systems to reduce labor costs and spoilage, automated data processes, and streamlined operations without losing Fat Tire’s family-friendly culture.

What she’s most proud of is her team development approach. Using her teaching background, she focuses on staff satisfaction and growth, helping guides and managers build confidence. Many told her the training changed not just their work performance, but their lives outside the company.

Jess brings this dual focus – operational efficiency plus people development – to Guest Focus coaching. She works with operators from solo startups to multi-million dollar companies, helping them increase profitability while maintaining authentic culture. Her coaching clients especially appreciate her reminder to take breaks and prioritize self-care.

Accomplishments:

  • Worked way up from tour guide to director at Fat Tire Tours over 11 years
  • Maximized operational efficiency – redesigned scheduling systems to reduce labor costs and spoilage
  • Automated data entry processes and streamlined operations without losing company culture
  • Developed team management systems with 60+ guides, created buddy system and quarterly reviews
  • Created staff retention program with traditions, events, and ‘dominate’ t-shirt recognition system

Fieldbook focuses on one thing: simplifying all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into delivering a tour.

The Fieldbook platform makes it easy to:

  • Publish stunning, interactive itineraries digital and paper itineraries
  • Equip guides with a comprehensive run-sheet
  • Streamline supplier management and track reservations and rooming lists
  • Bring all your tours into one connected workspace

Unlike other platforms, Fieldbook is simple and easy to use. And because it’s a small business just like you, you’ll get the kind of support big software companies can’t offer. That means getting up and running in days, not weeks.

If you want to give Fieldbook a try for your next tour, you can sign up here or if you want to have a chat feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected].

More About Fieldbook

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That’s when they partnered with ResmarkWeb – a digital marketing agency that specializes in the tour industry.

ResmarkWeb’s solution delivered:
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What sets ResmarkWeb apart? They understand tour operators. Their team walks you through every step, from understanding your vision to optimizing for conversions.

Nathan’s takeaway: “Don’t wait until you’re burned out. ResmarkWeb helped us grow without compromising our values.”

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