How can travel professionals encourage clients to experience the local culture?

As Travel Advisors, it's our job to really know our client and to have a robust network of connections/supplier relationships. Besides the tips offered here, working with a local (in destination) DMC can be the most effective option. Working with a local partner gives your clients a chance to immerse themselves safely and confidently while getting first-hand tips and guidance. I've found that my clients make a deeper connection when I've worked with a local DMC partner.

Encouraging clients to experience the local culture is a great way to enhance their travel experience and create lasting memories. Provide information on upcoming cultural events and festivals taking place during the client's visit. Suggest off-the-beaten-path attractions, that may not be well-known to typical tourists. Recommend accommodations that reflect the local culture, such as home stays. Emphasize the importance of trying local cuisine. Suggest guided walking tours to enhance their understanding of the local culture. Share testimonials from previous traveler's, who had enriching cultural experiences. Encourage clients to share their cultural experiences on social media, creating a positive ripple effect for future travelers.

Travel professionals can play a crucial role in shaping their clients' travel experiences and encouraging them to embrace and appreciate the richness of the local culture at their chosen destination.

Travel professionals can suggest various ways to immerse clients in local culture. They might recommend participating in local tours, engaging with community-based experiences, trying authentic cuisine, attending cultural events or festivals, staying in locally-owned accommodations, and interacting with residents through language exchanges or volunteering. Sharing stories, testimonials, or videos from other travelers who've embraced local culture can also inspire clients to seek similar experiences.

I think it is crucial to network and get some information from local peers who can provide candid and honest feedback with recommendations about local activities. You can still make your own research about the ongoing cultural events agenda in the city/country you will visit.It is crucial to learn the local cultural customs and practices,learn the country’s history and be aware of the ongoing political climate.The more information you get the better so the conversations with your local contact can be more fruitfuil. There are always fun activities to organize,like a treasure hunt around the city, a festive dinner or a cocktail with animations highlighting the local culture.The learning experience will also be a great memory!

Work with a local expert or destination management company (DMC) to find folklore, mythology, music or cuisine that is only found in this special place on the map. These memories are the ones that move you over and over again throughout your years. Whether it's learning an Irish jig in a pub or eating something you never thought you would put in your mouth, you'll never forget this special time.

As a DMC we use local licensed guides that speak the language of the customers, their experience and skills are the key to the customers experience even during tours that may not be cultural or historical. They speak about the countries culture,history & traditions, and giving the customers the chance to try the traditional tastes of the country ( in Turkey) Turkish coffee, Turkish delight, icecream etc. visiting local bazars & spice stores, are also popular.

At Eva's Best Travel, I spend a lot of time getting to know my clients so I can craft their ideal trip. They share their interests and hobbies and I customize their travel. It is easy to offer tours and opportunities where they get to meet the locals and experience local culture, whether it is through food, the cuisine and markets, architecture, the arts, the history, a visit to local's homes and more. It there are volunteer opportunities in the destination, I make that available to my clients. But it all starts with the clients interests and making their "travel dream" come true!

Providing cultural information and tips beyond the basics may be a limited option if they are traveling a world away. This is where getting them off the beaten path comes in. Encourage them to interact, and the locals will almost always be happy to show them the local traditions.

This will also help in supporting the Local business, which will emphasize importance of sustainable and responsible tourism. Opportunity to learn local language more effectively ( such as greetings or expression of gratitude).

Encourage and promote the boutique, local experience, rather than the big chain or corporate option. Authenticity drives everything underneath, so seek out the mom and pop shop, the Airbnb option or the “hand made.”

Look for local experiences that are "off the beaten track" and tailored for your group - chat with the locals for their insights.

In my years of specializing in immersive travel, even when people are looking to do "checklist" travel, we weave in lots of local experiences in between the checklist items as early in the trip as possible. This almost always opens them up for more, and radically enhances their trip.

Folks often have certain stereotypes with regard to a culture. We should challenge them on this and suggest new mindset. On the other hand, we can share testimonials of those who have already experienced local culture through another lense. That helps reinforce the idea of travelling differently

Curiosity and openness can facilitate cultural exchange and understanding. When clients observe tourism professionals engaging with the local culture, it can motivate them to do the same, promoting intercultural dialogue and empathy. Beisdes that, it can have a positive impact on the community, promoting appreciation for local traditions, craftsmanship, and cuisine. This, in turn, supports local economies and helps preserve cultural heritage.

Being aware of ethical tourism and its impact is one of the ways professional travel designers are set apart from the DIY traveler. For example, I (and many of my colleagues), do not book animal interactions for certain countries where animal welfare laws are known to be lax or nonexistent. We educate our clients on ways to honor local customs and traditions without participating in cultural appropriation. We take the time to do EVERYTHING in our power to ensure that our clients' travel experiences are fantastic, but not to the detriment of the local community they're visiting.

As tour operator we have to take over responsibility and guide clients accordingly. We need to know the Sustainability standards of hotels and other service providers and prefer those who make a bigger effort. This will automatically entice others to start implementing a Sustainability strategy. It is also important to explain to clients why certain choices are made over others and create awareness in them as well. As much many travelers are already acting more responsible, there is still a long way to go to make sustainable traveling a common practice.

Supporting responsible and ethical tourism is absolutely key in so many ways. This is not just about human rights and environment. The tourism business is filled with mass market "Cattle Call" companies. The smaller, locally owned companies, will already tend to be significantly better in this area, AND you also end up providing a better and more personal experience for the travelers.

Travel professionals can inspire clients to embrace local culture in South Africa by recommending immersive activities like cultural tours, local cooking classes and community engagemnet programs. Suggesting visits to markets, traditional events and connecting with locals through guided experiences can enrich their travel experience and create lasting memories.

Supporting local communities should be an obvious aspect of tourism. All activities should be locally led by communities. This contributes to two dimensions of sustainable tourism First, local residents are the best and the only legitimate ambassadors of cultural identity. They represent local culture and NOT monuments or landscapes. Second, locally led initiatives mean direct money to the destination. No leakage to international corporations, no leakage to corrupted government

In soliciting feedback and reviews, I highly discourage sending surveys. Yes, I said it! Surveys are cold and impersonal. Make real connections with people, and if you want actionable data, keep a database and take notes from what people tell you on that follow-up phone call, text or email. You may call them or text them and ask if they would mind writing a review, but unless you want them to see you as a corporate entity, do not send a survey.

Encouraging feedback and reviews from clients after their trip is a valuable way to deepen their engagement with local culture. By sending surveys, testimonial requests, or thank you notes, you not only express appreciation for their participation but also demonstrate a genuine interest in their experiences. Inviting them to share photos, videos, or stories across various platforms showcases the authentic moments they've encountered, inspiring others and illustrating the rich value of experiencing local culture. Moreover, gathering feedback allows you to learn from their perspectives, enabling you to continually improve and tailor recommendations to future travelers seeking similar experiences.

For our cultural tours by coach in Turkey we provide a QR code to a short survey on the key points of service. this works well for us and there is also a comments box so they can tell us their highlights of the tour and suggestions.

We never use post-tour reviews. Our feedbacks are in real time and right on the ground. In this way, in case of problem, we can resolve it easily. In our hands-on feedback form, the authenticity question is clearly mentioned.

Surveys are so rigid, allow clients to relate their experience without borders, let them share their experiences through your social media platforms by sharing videos and photos.

Using AI, travel professionals can easily create travel guides and digital ebrochures for their most popular destinations and itineraries. ? Analyzing customer preferences and suggesting personalized, culturally-rich activities ? Providing real-time insights on local events, festivals, and traditions ? Offering language translation tools to facilitate communication with locals ? Suggesting authentic, off-the-beaten-path experiences that promote cultural immersion ? Sharing local stories, history, and insights to enhance cultural understanding By leveraging AI in these ways, travel professionals can thoughtfully encourage clients to engage with local cultures, fostering a deeper connection with the destinations they visit.

Offer collaboration with local communities where guests could do village tours and experience the culture and history of the various communities.

Travel professionals need to create activity tours packages that can inspire clients to embrace local culture by suggesting immersive activities like cooking classes, bead making,guided city tours led by locals, or recommending community events and festivals. These activities help client connect to locals and have a first class experience of the culture of the people.Additionally, providing information on cultural etiquette and suggesting authentic, locally-owned accommodations enhances the overall cultural experience.

Considero que como agente de viajes lo más importante es mostrarle al cliente lo atractivo que es el país y todo lo que éste puede ofrecer. Siempre es buena idea salir del área de confort y mostrar cosas nuevas que conocer. Pero sobre todo abrir esa curiosidad del cliente por conocer algo nuevo. Y no hay nada mejor que, si uno como agente ya lo experimentó y conoce; pueda hablar de ello y constatar que la experiencia para ellos será inolvidable como lo fue para uno mismo.