No matter which pricing strategies are used to sell activities, there’s always room for something extra to help drive revenue and set yourself apart from the competition. 

Tour add-ons are additional services or products that guests can add to their tour or activity during the checkout process. These optional tour extras like meals, special offers, upgrades, or products are not included in the base price of the tour and are specific to the tour being booked.

Add-ons are an excellent way to add value to the experiences you offer and facilitate a cohesive booking process. This gives customers confidence knowing they will have everything they need from the moment their booking is completed.

If your tour or activity requires additional items or has specific requirements (for example, that snorkeling guests must use reef-safe sunscreen only), add-ons help ensure that your guests get everything they need before the activity begins.

This guide will detail why you should offer tour add-ons and what kind of products and services can be included as add-ons. You’ll also learn whether add-ons are right for your business and how to avoid creating decision fatigue by adding too many booking options. Plus, we’ll cover some tips and tricks for implementing add-ons in the booking process.

Types of Add-Ons

Add-ons can be almost anything imaginable, from meals and transportation to rental gear and more. Here are a few of the most common add-ons:

• Trip protection: Trip protection (aka “tour protection” or “activity protection”) allows customers to pay a fee at the time of booking to gain flexibility to cancel or rebook, if needed. The exact coverage is up to your discretion — for example, you could allow reimbursement for cancellation for up to 24 hours before the start time or rebooking up to 30 minutes before trip departure. It’s a win-win upsell that protects your business from revenue loss while also giving your customers peace of mind. And, in the event customers do not end up using their trip protection — aka, most of the time — you enjoy that extra money in your pocket. Bonus:Trip protection is super easy to set up as it is just a tailored custom field in your Dashboard!
• Combos: Have your customers been asking for the ability to buy multiple tours and activities in one checkout experience? Well now they can! FareHarbor Combos makes it easier than ever to upsell to your customers and seamlessly bring in higher total sales at the time of booking. By implementing this feature, you will promote your other business offerings to sell as an add-on within a single booking flow.
• Meals and beverages: Allow customers to add lunch to their hiking tour or purchase dinner or drinks aboard an evening cruise.
• Transportation: If you operate near many major resorts, consider providing transportation to and from the hotels for tour guests.
• Rental gear: Even if you include a selection of gear and equipment in the base tour price, offer additional items that might make customers feel more comfortable. For example, if you run hiking tours, give people the option to book trekking poles or binoculars to rent at checkout. These are small things that aren’t necessarily required on the tour but would likely enhance the guest experience.
• Souvenirs and memorabilia: Do you sell dockside photos at your vessel? Or collector pins or magnets? Consider adding memorabilia items that truly add to your guest’s experience right in the book form!
  • Pro tip: If your booking form already includes many custom fields, you should skip items (like T-shirts) which can be sold in person at your business. Keep in mind that having too complicated of a booking form can confuse potential bookers and possibly cause them to abandon the booking — so be selective with any add-ons you include in the book form!
• Photo/video packages: Is your activity one of those must-photograph adventures? If the tour involves activities that are difficult for guests to photograph (snorkeling or scuba diving, zip-lining, cave rappelling, ATV tours, etc.), providing a professional photography or videography service is a way for guests to capture their experience and create lasting memories. Plus, a photo/video package lets guests focus on living in the moment without having to worry about taking photos of their own.
• Reef-safe sunscreen (or other area-specific products): Many water sport tour operators require the use of reef-safe sunscreen due to area regulations. Adding this item at checkout is a great way to ensure that guests come prepared.

Feel free to get creative with add-ons. Think about things that would enhance your guests’ experience or help them get prepared for the tour. If your add-ons will offer great value and set you apart from your competitors, it’s a win-win for your customers and your business.

Tips for Using Add-Ons

• DO — Make the add-on process as simple as possible by including all taxes and fees in the price of the add-on.
  • USE LOGIC! https://help.fareharbor.com/dashboard/custom-fields/conditional-custom-fields/ 
• DON’T — Include add-ons that may inadvertently reduce the price of a tour or activity. For example, if a guest is able to bring their own equipment. Consider offering a lower price as an incentive for them to complete their booking with you.
• DON’T — Overwhelm guests with too many options. Customers may be most receptive when they are in the buying process, but you don’t want to bombard them with unnecessary add-ons. Doing so creates decision fatigue which can lead to booking abandonment and fewer bookings. Make sure each add-on has a valuable purpose or leave it off the booking form.
• DON’T — Surprise guests with add-ons in the book form, include full information about them on your site and in item descriptions
• DO — Upsell retail items as suggested items in your confirmation email if you believe an add on may over complicate the check out

Get started by brainstorming possible add-ons and include them with the most popular tour(s) to see how well they perform. You can always add additional extras or remove whichever ones aren’t selling. Find information on how custom fields are performing by running the Custom Field Answers report in your Dashboard.

Now that you know how to set up custom fields for tour add-ons, learn how to report on their performance — and if they are worth keeping in the book form — in this Help resource. 

For more resources about how to make the most of your bookings see our pricing and up-sell strategies guide.