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Finding new partners for your business
As a business looking for sustainable growth and aiming to offer your travellers the best travel experiences- great, reliable partners are key.
How do you select your (new) partners? Very curious to hear about your approach!
👉 What is your preferred way of finding new partners?
👉 Do you prefer online or offline meetings to connect?
👉 What are criteria you use to select new partners? And is good tourism part of this?
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52 Replies
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I’d want to do business with an entity with similar values. A simple
example in doing business in Uganda, where nearly everyone has been
“tuned” to expect a bribe, or something under the table for something
that they are actually already employed to do! It can be quite
frustrating.In-person meeting would be preferred. If online, perhaps via referral.
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Very good to hear you’re looking to do business with companies that share your values. Which values do you find most important?
And very understandable that doing business in Uganda is difficult like this, how do you overcome/avoid situations like this?
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I would like to select in an offline manner . Go to different communities and express to them my approach to Community Tourism. Find out what tour packages they would like to offer. Discuss with local stakeholders the payment for their demonstration of their tour package.
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Hola Anne,
I answer the questions:
1.
I think that attending a tourist event in a country would be the most fun and recommendable, but there are few opportunities that can be given. Today it could be recommendations, searching the internet is also a good option, always guiding you from the opinions and if you have time working in the business you already know who are good suppliers.
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Online but depends on others.
3.
Experience or otherwise talent and potential.
Vision or practice of social responsibility that we can contribute to the visited destination.
The infrastructure or equipment is in adequate condition according to standards.
Highly trained staff to provide good service.
Professional ethics
Greeting from Peru!
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Hi Javier, thank you for your extensive answers. Yes absolutely, a tourist event in a specific destination is most fun but also more difficult and more expensive. Most likely the best approach is a combination of first online and then on-site.
Also so good to see you have a very clear idea what kind of partners you’re looking for. This will get you far, well done!
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I think a B2B approach through an expo or a road show is a good option: You are able to communicate your values, unique selling points to your prospective partners. However homework is needed to on the prospective buyers to understand what they may be looking for and why they should choose you. The Elephant in the room is how are you managing Sustainable tourism.
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Yes absolutely @mugisha-nelson – and how do you then make sure you select the right partners to have meetings with? And how do you communicate why they should choose you?
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I do some research on the product that prospective partners offer; give suggestions on what to add from my destination and I also communicate my unique selling points.
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Very good, well done! 👏
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I would prefer an offline meeting. This way I’ll better able to see facial expressions. I would also check for 5 star reviews. Get feedback from others.
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Good idea to also look at reviews and hear feedback from others. This is a great tool to find out what the company is actually like!
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For sustainable growth find the right partners is crucial. Partners who share the same values on sustainable tourism like improving the livelihoods of the local communities are some I would definitely target.
It obviously involves searching online, which is the cheapest way. However getting them to experience what services you are offering through trade shows or joint Ventures like conventions or campaigns for the same cause, would be a effective way to get to know your prospective
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Yes absolutely. First make a pre-selection online and when you feel there might be a suitable fit you can try and meet them in person!
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This is one of the secrets of the business success. In this regard wide range of partners are available.
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If we develop unique experiences and open opportunities for wide range of guests then we can attract travelers at any time of the year.
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hello Anne
I would target partners that share the same valve on sustainable tourism and understand their customer reviews.
2.i think meeting with them is much more reliable compared to online because you are able to understand your partners interests and purpose of the business unlike online not everyone is always reliable.
3.with the criteria you look at their customers reviews, The transparent in their practices. The quality services and sustainability plan
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Yes I agree with you that meeting them in person is always much better. It will give you a good idea of the business (and people in it) and understand how they work and communicate. However, money/distance wise it might not always be an option and in this case online meetings (or attending trade shows) is a better option.
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Meeting a successful business partner takes a hard thinking, understanding and knowledge. it may both be online/offline depending on who the person you meet is? However in a world of Travel & Tourism business, finding a reliable, genuine, trusted and committed partner especially with GOOD TOURISM is a way to go. Partnership is one way to grow, market, promote and increase sales for a business.
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Spot on Herbert! Good tourism requires good partners and as a tourism business it’s your responsibility to forge the right partnerships that help your business grow and become more sustainable.
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For me I prefer to look for local craft makers where visitors will get an authentic local personal experience and where the money they spend goes directly into supporting local businesses than taking visitors to the big tourist shops. I visit the local craft markets and talk with the crafters there to see who will welcome visitors to their studios or where we can see their work displayed and for sale in local cafes restaurants and bars.
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Such a great approach Robert, thank you for sharing! What are criteria you select local craft makers on besides them wanting to welcome visitors into their studios? And do you work with one craft maker only or do you work with multiple visiting them alternately?
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We have a list of local crafters that we can visit so clients can choose to visit people and crafts that they have an interest in. People like Sean Egan an amazing Glass cutter in Waterford to Susan Meaney at the Burran Fairies studio or the Skellig chocolate factory everyone of them took the chance to set up their own business and I like the idea of supporting them and I want to see what we do as a benefit everyone in the local community.
Money earned locally spent locally is benefiting the whole community, B&B & Cafe owners shop locally their staff are local so when my clients stay in a local B&B or have a meal in a local restaurant the money trickles down to benefit all of the local community. when client buys a piece from Sean Egan they are not just buying a beautiful signed piece of art they are injecting money straight into the local economy.
Over the next year our plan is to create a listing of all the local crafters in each area on our website with links directly to their websites
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That sounds great Robert and well thought through to ensure fair distribution of tourism benefits, well done!
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Our preferered way of finding partners is going online ,searching and presenting proposals t.o companies with similar business objectives and values. Attending business expos in the region and internationally are other avenues we have tried to meet would be partners though it has become even harder since Covid-19 hit.
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Thank you for sharing Priscilla. What happens next as soon as you’ve found a suitable partner?
I can also imagine that due to the pandemic it’s a lot harder to meer suitable partners in person, do know that even there it’s difficult to find the right one with so many present. There are pros and cons for all approaches, and in the end it’s important you choose what works for you.
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After getting a suitable fit online, then i would arrange to meet them in person to discuss deeper how we can work together to achieve our objectives through a win -win sharing plus putting into consideration doing responsible tourism profitable business with sustainability practices as our core area.
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Sounds great Priscilla, to filter online and when you think you’ve found a suitable partner, meet them in person to discuss how to best work together. Good luck!
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Going through the current lost of partners and checking if they have any sustainability certification. For those who don’t, inquiring them about their sustainabiity policies and practices. Whenever possible, offline meetings alow a clearer picture, but often they are far away and its difficult, so online is a solution. And yes, finding if they have a good tourism approach is definitely a condition.
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🙌 🙌 🙌
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Hello
Travel and Tourism is part of mankind’s DNA. Thanks to travel, we meet
other cultures, we discover, we learn, we trade, we create wealth for
our communities. I am very confident that the travel industry will
come back and may be faster and stronger than we dare to predict now
and even more resilient.
Partnership.
we have been told that to succeed in life and business you need
partnership. In this era of scarce resources, that ‘s the case even
more. There are many opportunities for partnerships in the travel and
tourism industry but they take FOCUS, Planning and work.
For a partnership to be truly successful;
1. It must be mutually beneficial
2. It requires that participants discuss and agree on their roles and
responsibilities and document them in writing.
3. Those involve should equally shoulder the duties and commitment.
4. communication is crucial
5. Mechanism must be in place to evaluate the success and benefit of
the partnership.
The whole career has been and continues to be, that travel and tourism
partnership is key in a very business and makes the industry
enjoyable, profitable and resourceful. It is in this therefore, that
ONE VILLAGE TOURS & TRAVEL a tours and travel company that runs
inbound tourism in Uganda calls for a business partnership with you
as an individual, company and organization.
For further details, contact us through;
Herbert Bagyenyi Kajoki
P o BOX 422,
Kabale – Uganda.
emails: onevillage2013@gmail.com
info@onevillagetours.com
herbert@onevillagetours.com
Tel: +256701233725 whatsapp/ +256772692569
website: http://www.onevillagetours.com
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Partners are crucial in the tourism business and hence the process of finding new partners is not to be taken lightly. If possible, I would like to meet them offline than online. Because people can easily talk about practices they have read but not practiced and they might appear to be slow in the journey of meeting the standards. Distance and time are also a challenge if you want to meet a partner in person whom you’ve been discussing offline. People are more genuine offline that offline.
Criteria’s?
Effective communication; There has to be a transparent and effective communication on a regular basis with potential partners.
Shared vision; This is so important in choosing a potential partner to me because there have to be a common goal unto which we are all working hard to achieve
Reputation; Online and offline, you can always get information about people’s good reviews, history with other partners and their testimonials. I will track the records and reputation while looking for partners.
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Absolutely Divine and it looks like you have thought this through very well! All three criteria are essential for a successful partnership.
How will you track their records and reputation?
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To track their reputation and record, I will check out from their different social medias, to see how they are doing, which sustainable practices they have and enquire them especially about their sustainability practices to assess that we really have common goals.
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👏👏👏
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Hello
Travel and Tourism is part of mankind’s DNA. Thanks to travel, we meet
other cultures, we discover, we learn, we trade, we create wealth for
our communities. I am very confident that the travel industry will
come back and may be faster and stronger than we dare to predict now
and even more resilient.
Partnership.
we have been told that to succeed in life and business you need
partnership. In this era of scarce resources, that ‘s the case even
more. There are many opportunities for partnerships in the travel and
tourism industry but they take FOCUS, Planning and work.
For a partnership to be truly successful;
1. It must be mutually beneficial
2. It requires that participants discuss and agree on their roles and
responsibilities and document them in writing.
3. Those involve should equally shoulder the duties and commitment.
4. communication is crucial
5. Mechanism must be in place to evaluate the success and benefit of
the partnership.
The whole career has been and continues to be, that travel and tourism
partnership is key in a very business and makes the industry
enjoyable, profitable and resourceful. It is in this therefore, that
ONE VILLAGE TOURS & TRAVEL a tours and travel company that runs
inbound tourism in Uganda calls for a business partnership with you
as an individual, company and organization.
For further details, contact us through;
Herbert Bagyenyi Kajoki
P o BOX 422,
Kabale – Uganda.
emails: onevillage2013@gmail.com
info@onevillagetours.com
herbert@onevillagetours.com
Tel: +256701233725 whatsapp/ +256772692569
website: http://www.onevillagetours.com-
Looks like you’ve thought this through @HERBS123 , well done.
Can you tell us a little more about which mechanisms you put in place to evaluate the success and benefits of a partnership?
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