tailieunhanh - A Guide for Tourism Business Entrepreneurs

The 10 problems of least concern are generally issues of limited exposure to most small-busi- ness owners and typically find themselves at the bottom of the ranking each year. Three prob- lems are new to the top 10 of least concern and one problem in the group is new to the survey. “Exporting My Products/Services” holds onto the 75th ranking, a position held for six of seven editions that it has been listed as a problem. It moved up one position in 2000, replaced by the problem “Y2K Impacts.” Only 3 percent of small-business owners find exporting a critical problem, nearly unchanged. | A Guide for Tourism Business Entrepreneurs Table of Contents Introduction A Great Place to Start 3 About this Guide Helping You Build Your Future 4 Chapter I British Columbia s Tourism Industry 5 Economic Value of Tourism We re 3 in British Columbia. 5 Tourism Trends A New Type of Visitor 5 Tourism Markets Local National . and International 6 Types of Visitors Leisure and Corporate 7 Tourism Products Matching Your Business with the Visitor 8 Types of Tourism Businesses in British Columbia 8 Chapter II Starting a Tourism Business 9 Developing Your Business Plan It s Essential 9 Financing Your Business High and Low Seasons 11 Registering Your Business Federal Provincial and Municipal 12 Sector-Specific Registration Licences Fees and Permits 13 Insurance Protecting Your Business 15 Risk Management 15 Business Operations Your TO DO List 16 Chapter III Human Resources 17 Staffing Needs Change with the Seasons 17 Training New Skills Are Vital to Every Business 18 Chapter IV Developing Your Product 19 Market Research Target Your Customer 19 Product Development Packaging Be Creative and Competitive 20 Offering a Tourism Package 20 Pricing Your Product and Packages 20 Chapter V Marketing Your Business 21 Your Marketing Sales Plan Your Road Map to Success 21 Working With Partners An Affordable Way to Increase Your Reach 21 Destination Marketing Organizations DMOs Working Together 22 Profile of a Regional Tourism Association 23 Tour Operators Your In-Market Partner 24 Travel Agents Storefronts In-Market 26 Media Relations Earning Free Editorial Coverage 28 Corporate Travel Market Accessing the Business Incentive Traveller 28 Internet Marketing Maximizing Your On-line Opportunity 31 Shows Marketplaces Meeting Your Partners 33 Marketing Advertising Making an Impression 34 Directory of Helpful Tourism Resources 35 2 A GUIDE FOR TOURISM BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS Introduction A Great Place to Start Anyone planning to start a tourism business in British Columbia will be entering an