A mission statement describes what your business does and why it does it, offering visitors to your website, social media, and marketing material a clear look at what your brand is all about. Whether you’ve just opened your tour or activity business or have been up and running for quite some time, it’s important to revisit your mission statement and company purpose to ensure they continue to provide value to readers and potential customers. Mission statements are not only important to your tour guests; they also create a sense of unity within your business and among your tour guides and staff.

We understand it can feel daunting to sit down and attempt to craft a mission statement – but rest assured, you already have all of the information you need to create a value statement that’s unique to you and your business. By focusing on what your business does, why it does it, and how it provides its services, you can craft a memorable, inspirational blurb that will help get your business noticed by potential tour guests.

For most tour and activity operators, your passion and dedication to offering recreational experiences is a great starting point for determining your company purpose. When you think about why you started your business in the first place, you’re well on your way to writing a mission statement that will resonate with readers. We’ve also put together some best practices and tips to get you started.

Why Does my Business Need a Mission Statement?

Mission statements are important for both your readers and the people involved with your business. Not only do they help potential guests find value in the experiences you offer, but they also help you guide your business forward, focus your attention on the most important part of your business’ purpose, and create a company culture for your tour guides and staff. 

When it comes to building your brand, your mission statement is a guiding principle for the rest of your business’ identity. It can help you make decisions about how you want to convey your brand across your website. For example, if your mission statement highlights your eco-friendly initiatives, perhaps you could follow that theme in your web design by incorporating appropriate color schemes, green imagery, and rich content that speaks to your sustainable practices. The mission statement and branding won’t always match up with exact imagery, but it’s a great way to try to inject your company purpose into your website.

Mission statements also establish your company’s image by sending out a strong message to your viewers. By encapsulating your business’ values, you offer viewers a transparent look at why they should book an experience with your company. The best mission statements hook the public or reassure them in some way that your company is one they’d like to do business with. People have strong opinions and preferences when it comes to travel and they often like to do business with companies that share the same values, whether they’re looking for locally-owned businesses, tour operators that give back to the community, or guides with years of experience.

Finally, writing a clear mission statement is a great way to inspire tour guides and staff to continue doing a great job at work, while showing them why their work is so important to your business. Mission statements contribute to company culture because they give everyone a purpose to rally around. They also help promote growth within your business since everyone is working toward a common goal.

How to Write a Mission Statement

Whether you’re writing a mission statement for the very first time or reevaluating what you already have, start by focusing on these three questions:

1. What does your business do?
2. Why does your business do it?
3. How does your business do it? 

Think about how your business started. You or whoever created your company likely had some goals in mind — perhaps it was to become the first eco-tour operator in your area, to create experiences run by locals, or to help people get in touch with nature. Whatever the purpose, thinking about your business’ inception helps you get at the why behind your operations.

When it comes to the what, your mission statement is all about conveying what you do in a way that makes sense to readers. You’ll want to make it short and free of jargon so that your tours and experiences feel accessible to everyone. Keep it simple and don’t add any filler.

The how is where you get to set your business apart from competitors. It’s likely that other companies offer experiences similar to yours, but they probably do things a bit differently, so be sure to highlight what’s unique about your operations. This doesn’t mean offering a breakdown of how you actually run your tours and activities, but instead, use your values to explain what you do. 

For example, if your company purpose is to help guests get to know your city on a more intimate level and you do it through custom and private tours, the how part of your mission statement might touch on your dedication to each individual itinerary and the fact that you don’t follow a one-size-fits-all approach to tourism. Other examples of the how part of your mission statement might be providing superior customer service, supporting the local community, employing tour guides with years of experience, or practicing sustainable tourism.

When it all comes together, the mission statement is short and sweet, encompassing all three steps. 

• What: City sightseeing tours
• How: Local tour guides take guests to the lesser-known, off-the-beaten-path spots around the city
• Why: To share our love of the city we live in while helping guests have an authentic experience away from the typical tourist hotspots.

MISSION STATEMENT:

At City Step Tours, our passionate local guides want to skip the tourist traps and show you a side of the city that’s seldom found in guidebooks for a true local experience.

Pro tip: If possible, speak to your tour guests in your mission statement or at least include what they will get out of your experiences. This way the focus is not entirely on your business but on your guests as well.

Using Your Mission Statement

Once you’ve written a mission statement that speaks to the value of your business, include it on your homepage or about page so that people can get a feel for your company. Since tour and attraction websites tend to be less formal, you don’t need to advertise it as being your mission statement in writing. Simply including it at the top of your about page before going into more detail about your business or as a blurb on the homepage gets the point across to readers and briefly introduces what your business is all about. You can think of it like a tagline or slogan.

Finally, be sure that your employees know your mission statement and are able to connect to it. Getting in the practice of keeping the mission in mind will help tour guides continue to provide excellent activities and experiences to everyone who books with you.