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Planning is key to the success of your tourism business' growth. There are many ways that your business can grow. Research and planning will help you choose the right strategy.

Create a strategic plan

When growing your business you will need to make many decisions on how you want to expand your operations. Creating a strategic plan is a vital part of planning for growth. It is important to set clear, realistic, measurable goals. You should use decisions-making tools such as a business plan to help achieve your goals. 

See the following guides for more information:

• assess your options for business growth
• strategic planning for business growth
• prepare a business plan for growth

Assess your performance

One of the first steps in growing a tourism business is to assess your current business performance. This will help you identify your strengths, weaknesses and the things you need to improve. Key performance indicators (KPIs) for tourist accommodation businesses could include average annual occupancy rates, average annual room rates and revenues. These KPIs can be compared with business targets and industry averages. See measure performance and set targets. 

Conduct market research

Market research and market reports can help you gain knowledge about your marketplace and your customers. There are a number of ways of working out what are the best opportunities for your business. A SWOT analysis will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your business, and the opportunities and risks it faces. See a SWOT analysis example.

Finding your unique selling point can help you highlight the aspects of your product or service that will make it stand out from the competition. See find new business opportunities. 

Free market research guidance is available from Invest NI's . Here you can access company databases and worldwide business directories. 

Tourism can help you identify opportunities for your business. 

Write a marketing plan

Developing a marketing plan will help you grow your business and work out the best strategy to do so. The plan will help you identify where you are now, where you want to be and how you will get there. See how to write a marketing plan.

If you're seeking to grow a tourism business in Northern Ireland, there may be funding options available to help you.

Tourism Northern Ireland

Tourism NI offers .

Invest Northern Ireland 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ

Invest NI offers .

If you are a tourist accommodation business Invest NI may be able to offer both capability and capital 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ. Non-accommodation tourist businesses may qualify for capability 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ.

Other funding bodies

As well as considering funding 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ options available from Tourism NI and Invest NI, you should also consider the range of other that may offer funding schemes. 

Northern Ireland business 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ finder

The Northern Ireland business 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ finder is a searchable database that can help you find publicly-funded sources of assistance. Support may be available in a number of forms, including financial assistance and free or subsidised advice services.

Attending events and winning awards are two effective ways of growing a business. Attending events can help you learn new skills that will allow you to improve your business performance or target customers more effectively, eg attending a social media masterclass. Awards raise the profile of your business and can distinguish you from your competitors. 

Tourism events in Northern Ireland

Tourism NI regularly run events designed to help the tourist industry grow and develop. Events will range from improving the skills of your workforce to advice on how to make the most of upcoming opportunities. See their .

The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation also run industry development events such as the annual . See their .

Use the nibusinessinfo.co.uk to search for a wide range of business events. The events are for many sectors, not just tourism. They cover topics like social media, equality and business growth.

Tourism awards in Northern Ireland

Winning awards is a good way of seeking recognition for your tourism business. Winning an award can set your business apart from your competitors. You can also benefit from the publicity you receive from winning the award. Some awards come with marks or standards. 

Tourism NI holds the .

Your local council will probably hold an annual awards ceremony so check for a suitable category for your business to enter - customer service or perhaps a tourism specific award. See local council contact details in Northern Ireland. 

The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation run awards for the hotels sector, such as housekeeping and receptionist of the year. Check their for information on upcoming awards.

Local restaurants can enter the , which include a range of categories recognising excellence across the island of Ireland. 

If Northern Ireland is to position itself as a world class tourism destination then visitors will have expectations of world class customer care. Providing customers with a good customer service experience can position your business above your competitors. There are a number of sources of advice and 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ:

• A tailored  have been developed by Tourism NI and People 1st in conjunction with WorldHost. 
• Tourism NI regularly run  designed to help the tourism industry grow and develop.
• The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation occasionally run training events for their members on topics such as digital marketing and housekeeping.  Check their .
• Hospitality Ulster offer to their members on topics such as marketing, licensing, recruitment and staff training. 
• You can search the  for business events in Northern Ireland, including courses, seminars and workshops to improve various skills. 

Done well, online marketing can provide an effective, accountable and cost effective way of promoting your tourism business. Tourism NI has a . 

Browse more information on digital marketing and social media.

Digital marketing tools

There are a range of online tactics that tourism businesses can use to grow:

• Social media can be particularly useful for tourism businesses who can share images of experiences and landscapes. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are ideal for this. It is important to develop a strategy for using social media to connect with your audience. See social media best practice for business.
• Tourism businesses often have some form of booking system through which they capture customer details. This information can be used to develop a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database. CRM can help you learn more about your customers' needs, trends and preferences.
• Email marketing can be used to inform your customers about new services and special offers. It can help to drive repeat custom.
• Creating a website for your business is important part of your digital marketing strategy. Using search engine optimisation (SEO) can drive visitors to your site, where they can book using your own booking engine.
• External booking engines can also increase sales as they receive high audience numbers. However they will also charge you a commission when can reduce profit margins. See selling through online travel agents.

It is important to take a strategic approach to digital marketing and use the channels that work best for your business. See develop a digital marketing plan.

User generated content

Word-of-mouth can be very influential in the tourism sector. Visitors often make decisions based on online reviews on social media, review sites such as TripAdvisor and booking websites.

There are a number of benefits to managing your online review reputation:

• learn what is being said about your business online, and pinpoint areas for improvement
• respond to reviews to provide good customer service and resolve any issues
• be seen as a business that cares about its customers
• learn more about your customers' wants and needs

Encourage your customers to leave online reviews. Read and respond to reviews of your business each week. Take note of recurring themes in the reviews and make changes to improve your business.

Look out for other user generated content about your business on social media. This may include images, videos, blog posts and 'check-ins'. This is an opportunity to engage with a customer online to build a relationship. You can also share this type of content with your audience. It can be more convincing than your own marketing because it's impartial. 

Your brand should communicate what is unique about your business. This is what will set you apart from competitors. Branding is particularly important for tourism businesses.  

Understand your customer

It is important to create a brand that is line with your customers' wants and needs. The first step is to define your target market. Consider which groups are your potential customers, for example:

• young people
• families
• European visitors
• Chinese visitors
• golfers
• food enthusiasts 

The next stage is to consider what your customers are looking for in a tourism experience. This goes beyond the basics of a bed for the night or a meal. Think about what they want to experience and take away from their trip. For example:

• learning a new skill
• relaxation
• overcoming a challenge
• self-discovery
• engaging with local culture

Use market research and market reports to understand your customers' needs.

Your brand promise

Once you know what your customers are looking for, create a brand promise that fulfils that need. Make sure that your business offering is unique and adds value.  You should aim to create memorable experiences for visitors. For example you could aim to provide an authentic Northern Ireland food experience or the ultimate relaxation experience.

Everything in your business should help to communicate the brand promise - from your website to your menus and staff uniforms.

It is particularly important that your staff are aware of your brand promise and are committed to delivering it. See training for the tourism sector.