In today’s world, travellers need interactive and fast digital experiences before, during, and even after their trips. They may need to check the booking or event updates, and they are likely to do it online.
Tourism operators need to provide their visitors with a responsive digital ecosystem, which can be delivered through a reliable infrastructure and specialized tools. As an infrastructure foundation many choose a Linux VPS (Virtual Private Server), which is considered affordable, flexible and highly customizable and able to securely and efficiently scale and deploy these tools.
In this article, we will explore the tools that can help with visitor engagement.
One of the most integral parts of any travel is booking, which includes booking accommodation, transportation, reserving a table at a restaurant, etc.
For travellers, a booking system must be quick, responsive, and capable of issuing and confirming bookings in real-time. Modern booking platforms have features like customizable schedules, reminder notifications, calendar integration, secure payments, and others. When you have a system like this powered by a reliable server infrastructure, you can better control the data you receive from visitors, improve performance, and communication between clients and vendors.
You can use plugins like Bookly (for WordPress) for your website to simplify the booking process.
A fast booking system is especially relevant in peak seasons and popular destinations, where any downtime, lag, or crash can mean lost revenue. Therefore, we recommend using resourceful and reliable server infrastructure with booking systems.
Most travellers nowadays prefer exploring on their own. For this, they use various interactive tools to help them make the most out of their adventure. Interactive digital maps, suggested routes, and audio tours can all be used by travellers to craft a more enjoyable experience. For example, tools like Google Maps and Mapbox also support historical data and recommendations.
The reason those apps are popular is because of convenience, all-in-one-place functionality, and media abundance. Having a historical fact accompanying a traveller here and there makes the journey much more interesting.
Consider incorporating navigation features that resemble that into your application or website to boost visitor engagement. For example, you can use StoryMapJS, a free tool that creates map-based narratives.
While travelling, basic tasks like googling the answers to questions (and typing overall) might not be the most convenient and are surely time-consuming. Integrated virtual assistants can easily take off the load from travellers’ shoulders.
An AI-based assistant located directly inside an app or website can help visitors navigate through common questions, booking, and even offer recommendations for activities. Unlike regular customer support, virtual assistants can work around the clock and help visitors after hours.
With a Linux VPS, you can have a chatbot software or even AI models on your server.
For any industry, feedback is very important. Engagement shouldn’t end when the visit does; making sure that the opinion of visitors matters is a way to make people feel seen and get valuable insights.
You can create a customized survey using LimeSurvey or Formtools, generate a QR code, and put it on your website, hang it in your office, or simply send it out via email. It’ll help you gather insight into the work of your staff and overall customer experience. You can later showcase reviews as proof of quality service, using, for example, CusRev (for WordPress).
Beyond the widespread booking and navigation tools, there are other helpful tools that can enhance the visitor experience and boost engagement.
The mentioned tools can be easily hosted on your VPS and incorporated into your website or application to create a more engaging environment for visitors.
More engagement from visitors isn’t about pricey and complex software; it’s more about creating a product or service with your visitor or potential customer in mind. Features that focus on making their travels easier and more convenient, thus centering the user within your product, will attract more people.
The more technical advancements and tools are also an important part of the equation. However, no matter what tools you end up using, make sure that you have a reliable infrastructure, such as a Linux VPS, to support them.
