Do you want to get your tour business noticed on TikTok? With over 800 million active users in 2023 around the world, TikTok is a great platform for promoting tours and activities.
In this blog post, we'll show you tips and tricks on how to make engaging videos on TikTok. We'll also share some best practices and TikTok tips for getting the most out of your content. Here we go!
What is TikTok?
TikTok is an incredibly powerful and popular short-form video app and visual platform, targeting a generally younger audience and female travelers.
It allows users to create and share creative short videos with their followers.
For example, TikTok influencers have used the platform to create cool content through short videos of their travels. This has resulted in a surge of interest in certain destinations among their followers.
TikTok for Tour Operators
It's a great platform for tour operators to take advantage of when marketing their tours, as it has an audience of millions around the world! Operating on a unique algorithm, many TikTok users go viral with their content. One factor is if their videos are deemed particularly entertaining or worthwhile.
Consider TikTok usage in the US alone:
"TikTok has about 80 million monthly active users in the United States."-TikTok Statistics 2023 by Wallaroo Media

On top of that, its easy navigation and simple user interface make creating and editing videos a breeze for beginners.
Getting to know how TikTok works and some best practices can help tour operators promote their tours on the app through short clips.

Wondering where and how to start? We've got you covered!
Keep on reading and at the end of this blog post, you'll get to kickstart your TikTok social media strategy with a bang!
Let's begin with the steps on how to start making videos.
How to make TikTok travel videos for your tour business
TikTok has been gaining a lot of popularity among many social media users and can be an effective tool for tour operators to promote their tours in more engaging ways than ever before.
Creating TikTok travel videos involves understanding how the app works, how to start making videos, and how best to promote them.
Know how TikTok works
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Firstly, get familiar with how TikTok works by creating an account and scrolling through your feed. Scan the home feed and explore more videos and see how you can incorporate their styles when you upload videos.
Once you understand how different content styles work together and how videos are seen by viewers, then you can create content that meets their expectations and grab their attention.
Get creative
Secondly, have an idea of what kind of videos you want to make before starting recording; the key is to keep the content creative and not just a sales pitch.
Tip: To start, using TikTok's search bar, key in the type of tour you are selling. For instance, "safari tours", "city tours", "cape town tours", or "Canada travel"- start with the main thing, the type of tour you are selling and the place where you are operating. Then, you will see how tourists and other tour agents film their tours, by these you will get an idea of how you can sell your tours too.
What are some good TikTok ideas?
Share different angles of your tours
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You are not restricted to the type of content you can share, so get creative and give your viewers a 360-degree view of what you offer.
Share your local and traditional cuisine to die for
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The best way to get a man's heart is through his stomach, so try creating a video that introduces viewers to the traditional dishes at a local restaurant, whether you grow your own produce or shop for the best crops. As they say, 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach'. By sharing the food you serve in your tour business, you can spread the vibe of what makes you unique.
A 'get-ready-with-me' reel
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You could also create a behind-the-scenes video of your team prepping for the tour, cleaning your space, and share it with viewers to give them an exclusive look at what goes on.
Share historical and interesting facts
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You can share the story of how the castle or the arch you are visiting was built or the significance of the museum you are touring.
Feature recent tour groups
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In addition, you can create a reel of your tour group hiking up a mountain, taking in the scenic views, and having a great time.
After all, people love being filmed and featured! They can share this content on their own profiles and generate word-of-mouth marketing to their followers, family, friends, and friends of friends!
What are the most popular TikTok topics?
Popular topics center around gaining knowledge (perhaps of a foreign language and cultural differences) and sharing experiences as well as travel tips on preparing for eco-friendly travel: from innovative packing strategies to reusing materials while traveling, TikTokers have been delivering all kinds of unique travel ideas. There's never been an easier or more exciting way to get creative with travel and share one's discoveries!
There is so much you can film about travel! Ideate and get your mind out of that box and share whatever makes your tours and activities unique.
Use hashtags strategically
Finally, use trending hashtags or collaborations on TikTok when necessary while also taking advantage of other channels like Instagram and Twitter to spread the reach further toward your desired market.
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Reach local audiences
TikTok hashtags are a great way for tour operators to boost their local SEO.
To properly leverage hashtags on TikTok, it’s important to use them strategically. Here are some tips for doing this:
- Research trending hashtags in your industry and related industries.
- Use relevant hashtags that accurately describe your post.
- Come up with multiple themed hashtag lists to use for different videos.
- Avoid using too many hashtags in one post, as it can lead to being flagged as spammy.
- Include hashtags in your caption, as well as on the videos.
- Use popular tourism industry hashtags to help increase visibility.
By using relevant hashtags, your videos can be discoverable to audiences interested in the services you provide, increasing engagement and visibility.
How do you make a good travel video?
To make great travel posts and reels (a viral video), make sure to pay attention to small details such as sound levels, framing, cool transitions, and lighting as they can help take your travel video from mediocre to mesmerizing!
For instance, using natural lighting for outdoor shots can help create a more dynamic and vibrant look for your video, while using a microphone to record sound can help make your footage stand out from the crowd.
Final tip: Use editing software (TikTok has its own editor) when you're putting together clips to show viewers the uniqueness of each travel destination. From there, use strategic placement of music, text, voice overs, and transitions to bring it all together and make the finished product professional and engaging.
Best practices for Tiktok Video Creation
Whether you are a travel blogger or selling travel brands, here are some best practices for creating effective travel-related content on TikTok:
- Focus on one topic or destination at a time
- Keep your videos entertaining and informative
- Be creative and use different angles to show off your services
- Interact with followers in the comments section
- Make sure you have a good audio quality
- Post consistently
- Use trending songs
- Use hashtags strategically for maximum visibility
- Share behind-the-scenes footage
- Encourage viewers to share their feedback
- Use timely content
- Try adding text and text-to-speech features to engage viewers
- Optimize viewing experience for social media
Creating opportunities on TikTok doesn’t happen overnight. It takes patience, research, and a bit of creativity to get your content in front of the right people.
Talking about getting your TikTok video in front of the right people, aside from creating authentic content, you should know how to promote your content.
The key? Distribution.
How to promote your Tiktok videos
When it comes to promoting your video content, there are a few key TikTok tips that can help enhance the visibility of your content. The first and most effective way is by leveraging hashtags and collaborations.
Use hashtags
Hashtags are an important tool for helping your video stand out and reach a wide audience on TikTok. When utilizing hashtags, it’s important to research trending tags within your industry, as well as related industries.
You can also create your own hashtag that is relevant to the content of your videos and use it consistently across all platforms. This will help increase brand awareness and attract more viewers to your profile.
Connect with Instagram
Connecting with Instagram is an effective way to promote your videos and reach a wider audience. By leveraging the relationship between the two platforms, you can tap into millions of potential viewers.
One of the most effective ways to connect with Instagram is by creating content that is highly engaging and shareable. When creating content, focus on topics that you know your audience will find interesting and entertaining.
By connecting with Instagram, you can also leverage influencer marketing to help promote your TikTok videos. Influencers are a great way to reach new audiences and increase visibility for your profile.
Repurpose content across channels
In addition, one of the best ways to promote your TikTok videos is to repurpose your existing content across other platforms, like into your travel website and social media channels.
This means taking some of your best-performing TikTok videos and posting them on other social media websites like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. This will help increase the visibility of your profile and reach a wider audience. Additionally, it can help drive more followers to your TikTok page.
Collaborations
Collaborations are another way to increase visibility on TikTok.
These can be done with other tour operators, influencers, travel bloggers, digital creators, or even local businesses that you partner with.
Collaborations are great for expanding your reach and getting more eyes on your content. It’s also a great way to build relationships and gain exposure for both parties involved.
Finally, it is important to engage with your followers on TikTok.
Engage with your audience
Commenting on other people’s posts and replying to comments on yours will help you build relationships and create a loyal following.
You can also run contests and giveaways that encourage people to follow you or use a specific hashtag. This will not only help you increase engagement on your profile but it can also be used as a way to funnel potential customers toward your services.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, TikTok is a powerful platform to promote and make an impact on your tour businesses. All that tour operators need to have are ideas of how to incorporate interesting, creative content in their videos, and they are good to go!
Making creative content requires research and trial and error, but it will be well worth it when visitors feel attracted by the unique stories that you share.
Keep exploring these TikTok tips until you find something engrossing. Post regularly, repurpose existing content, and don’t forget to promote your creation on other social media platforms. You can also consider connecting with a travel blogger and double the fun! With a bit of hard work in the process, you can create highly engaging TikTok videos for your business!
But of course, no great feat goes unrewarded. Aside from marketing with the right platforms, a tour business should also have the support from the right digital tool; TicketingHub is designed to help tour operators grow their tours with ease. Get your demo today!