Batten down the hatches… for now
Guest columnist: David Lamyman, President, BOA NSW
There is a recession on its way. That’s the biggest challenge facing the industry for the next year. Read more »
STA catches the mood
There is plenty of evidence to suggest holidays are now seen as an essential item of expenditure, with households preferring to forego a new television than their annual break when planning the family budget.
Sorry, this bed’s taken
The scenario – a booking is made, several weeks in advance, for a particularly busy time of the year, when the hostel is likely to be full. The backpacker arrives at 7pm that evening, and presents your e-mail which confirms the booking.
Best job just got better
“Bring on 2009, we promise you we’ll continue to shine!” were the infamous words in our New Year e-mail. Well shine it didn’t, and rain it did, with the central north coast flooding, Ingham under water and roads north blocked.
No need to take it personally
Many suppliers will extend credit terms to backpacker hostels and tour operators as opposed to cash on delivery.
Reasons to be cheerful…
Despite the credit crunch, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the year ahead.
Names can sometimes hurt you
I couldn’t help noticing the Best Hostel Booking Engine Award at last year’s Golden Backpack Awards gala dinner was keenly contested. Congratulations to the winner, Hostelworld.com, and to the finalists.
ACCC must see the light
I am intrigued at the reports in Backpacker Trade News that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is warning the backpacking sector it faces an audit next year. Read more »
The devil’s in the detail
It’s understandable business practice for a supplier to undercut the price a competitor offers to attract business,
knowing that consumers will shop around on price. Read more »
How are you doing? It depends..
Everyone in the business world is in agreement, whether they be government officials, not-for-profit industry bodies, town councils, business owners or managers: a reporting service that allows businesses to compare their key performance results against their competitors would be very useful – particularly if the reporting was frequent and based on live updates. Read more »
What happens when the cash runs out?
When the cash runs out in a business, everyone takes what they can to salvage something from the smoking ruins. Read more »
Always use protection
Creating, building and protecting a brand are essential to successfully marketing a backpacker/tourism business. But what about the legal side? The better the legal protection, the more valuable the brand. Read more »
Don’t be mistaken over identity
Backpacker hostels routinely scan ‘proof of identity’ documents to verify the identity of payers who use credit cards. Read more »
Credit where credit’s overdue…
The collapse of Travel Bugs came as a rude shock to 160 suppliers who came to realise they had ‘financed’ the business to the tune of $1.1 million ($6,875 on average) by giving it credit. Read more »
Loyal family can be crown jewels
The backpacking sector faces an interesting conundrum. Since visitors may only be in Australia and New Zealand for a year and on a one-off trip, client databases may not be given the same importance as in other sectors. Read more »
Nightmare on Cleveland Street
Have you ever dreamed about converting an old warehouse into a backpackers hostel? Read more »
Be careful what you wish for…
Luxury is a term overused to describe accommodation – from resorts to backpacker hostels. Is there any harm in this? Is luxury only a dream or does it mean something real and measurable? Read more »
-
RSS Feeds
-
Email Newsletter
-
BOA Golf Day
20 August 2010
@ Eastlakes Golf Club, Sydney -
BOA Annual General Meeting
02 September 2010
-
Australian International Education Conference
12 October 2010
@ Sydney, Australia -
World Youth & Student Travel Conference
17 October 2010
@ Beijing, China -
BOA Melbourne Cup Day Lunch
02 November 2010
@ Side Bar, Wake Up, Sydney -
Independent Travel Exchange
03 November 2010
-
Golden Backpack Awards
04 November 2010
-
Adventure Backpacker and Industry Conference
04 November 2010
-
Sydney Adventure Travel and Backpackers Expo - 6 & 7 November
06 November 2010
-
BOA Christmas Party
09 December 2010
