Peter Syme on Survival. From bomb disposal to saving a tour business during the pandemic. (136)
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Described by some tour operators as the ‘Yoda’ or ‘Mr. Miyagi‘ of the tour and activities industry, Peter Syme shares some of his life and business lessons in a special Tourpreneur Spotlight.
TP136 – Tourpreneur – Peter Syme under the spotlight
Peter Syme joins me today to discuss the evolving travel industry and how activity and tour businesses can survive and find success.
He shares his military experiences and the lessons he’s learned from his military career. We discuss why continued education is vital and personal, and how you can research courses, and who is delivering them to ensure your time and money are spent well.
Peter Syme shares what business actions to prioritize, including focusing on surviving first and adapting to provide the most effective online and offline experiences.
He highlights how businesses that focus on the most difficult things and recognize that the customer is in control are the ones that succeed. He also highlights why you need to change your guest journey for the post-COVID world, the importance of understanding the interdependencies between industries, and that partnerships and outsourcing may be needed for business growth.
Who is Peter Syme?
Having traveled to over 130 countries, Managing Director of 1000 Mile Journeys Peter Syme, is passionate about adventure travel. He is a sought-after digital leadership and transformation conference speaker. Peter also co-hosts the Travel Industry Mavericks show on Tourpreneur.
Peteris the owner and operator of several niche adventure travel companies, including Splash White Water Rafting, and gives back to the travel industry as a mentor and strategic advisor to startups. Upon leaving school, Peter joined the military, eventually going through officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Today’s episode of Tourpreneur is kindly sponsored by Ventrata
Ventrata is a proven and versatile booking platform built for high volume tours and attractions. With contactless booking, payment and check-in solutions they can get your business back up and running quickly while keeping your staff and customers safe. For more visit us at Ventrata.
“If you’re disciplined to do things you don’t really want to do, it is a reliable habit that ends up in outcomes.” – Peter Syme
This week on Tourpreneur, the podcast for tour operators:
- How Peter joined the military intending to see the world.
- Why discipline is more reliable than motivation in finding success and achieving goals.
- Making the jump from the military to the corporate world, and then to travel.
- The importance of reading, courses, and dedicating time to learning.
- Why Peter finds learning in a digital environment less effective than a classroom environment.
- The paradox of choice and how Peter researches courses and what he looks for.
- Adapting your business, strategy, and financial model as the world becomes more digital.
- Why you should focus on local business, where to focus your marketing, and understanding the psychology of your customer.
- Why OTAs are investing in advertising local tours and how this may change the industry.
- How the success of digital virtual tours will affect their price
Our Favorite Quotes:
- “If you make things happen and get results, people take notice.” – Peter Syme
- “Survive first. Align with how the new customer is going to be, and then set the business up in a way it will thrive in the new world.” – Peter Syme
- “Those that focus on the most difficult things win.” – Peter Syme
Resources Mentioned:
- MIT
- Scott Galloway
- Disciplined Entrepreneurship.
- The Tourpreneur Daily Brief – Curated news for the tour industry.
Connect with Peter Syme:
- 1000 Mile Journeys
- 1000 Mile Journeys on Facebook
- 1000 Mile Journeys on Instagram
- Peter Syme on LinkedIn
Exploring the World of Tour Entrepreneurship
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Tourpreneur. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more tour operators
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn and join the Tourpreneur Facebook community! And for more great content and information about the tours and activity industry, visit our website and subscribe to our Daily Brief emails.
Are you looking to start or grow a travel-related podcast?
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‘I am opening my calendar to a select few who want to create, launch and/or grow a podcast in 2021.
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This episode is sponsored by: Ventrata
Exploring the World of Tour Entrepreneurship
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Tourpreneur. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more tour operators
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and join the Tourpreneur Facebook community! And for more great content and information about the tours and activity industry, visit our website and subscribe to our Daily Brief emails.
Reach Out and Connect with Tourpreneur the Tour Operator Podcast.
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