Ask these same questions of
others in your group. Keep those thoughts in mind as you start the planning for your
own tour.
Determining the potential for the
development of a tour is a process that calls for objectivity.
You may be convinced that your
idea for a tour is shared by many others, when in reality its greatest appeal lies largely
with you, your group or your organization.
The easiest method of learning
about tour development is through shared experiences from others that have or are
conducting successful tours (if they have the time and you are willing to spend the time
to search for experiences important to you). There is also great value in learning
from those ventures that did not work as well as anticipated.
There is not a sure fire formula
for success - in many instances the success and / or failure can be impacted by factors
outside of your control, i.e. the weather, conflicting events, a regional emergency,
etc. Following a checklist can serve to minimize the potential for failure or
problems that are under your control.
The more difficult and time
consuming method of learning about tour development is by “doing” - planning a
tour without having the experiences of others to draw on. Following an outline for
putting a tour together can make the task easier. This approach requires time,
effort and input from a large number of people.
Being the first with a
specialized or "never tried before" tour carries with it a higher level of
risk. There are no past experiences to draw upon, so the key words are to keep it
small, simple, and with a minimum of financial risk.
One way to help give you a
comfort level is to test your concept out with a small sampling of people before putting
major commitments of time and dollars into the event. In other words, take your idea
and materials to a set of individuals or group leaders to obtain their reaction.
Listen carefully and adjust you plans accordingly.