“As we see the tourism industry develop and evolve it becomes more important to work with countries and markets that are not just English speaking. It’s a weakness within Canada and within our city that we provide English-only service.”
– Jason Bryant, Director of Sales and Marketing, WESTCOAST Sightseeing
Executive Overview
WESTCOAST offers custom itineraries on open-top sightseeing buses, vintage double-deckers and highway coaches. The company also provides airport shuttles and private transfers within British Columbia, Canada.
WESTCOAST Sightseeing is a company focused on providing world-class tourism experiences by way of hop-on, hop-off and guided tours and activities in Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler, British Columbia. The company operates highway coaches, tour buses, mini-buses and vans to accommodate groups of all sizes.
Management wanted to solve tour consistency challenges arising from driver-led narratives and missed opportunities for growth in foreign language markets. A lack of differentiation in the marketplace became the key motivator for change. WESTCOAST identified GPS commentary from AudioConexus as a perfect fit to meet the needs of an underserved foreign language market.
By taking on an investment in storytelling and multi-language tour commentary delivery, the company doubled its ridership, gained higher customer satisfaction ratings and opened up new opportunities for expansion and growth.
Business Challenges
Among tour operators, there was little-to-no differentiation in the market, causing competing companies to outspend each other on marketing while vying for ticket sales at key points of distribution. In addition, WESTCOAST struggled to find drivers with the ability to provide high quality tour narration, so the company invested in the performance improvements necessary to pursue new market opportunities while improving the delivery of tour narration to achieve quality and consistency.
WESTCOAST looked to AudioConexus to showcase its destination and provide access to underserviced markets. With the installation of GPS commentary solutions, the company’s tour delivery platform, which previously supported inconsistent driver-led narration, now has the capacity to deliver 30 languages simultaneously. This switch to high-performance GPS tour systems helped WESTCOAST Sightseeing become more competitive, especially during peak operating season.
Solution
WESTCOAST Sightseeing enabled its fleet of sightseeing buses to deliver multi-language tour entertainment. The solution deployed into open-top buses uses hard-wired infrastructures connected to weatherproof seat-back units to provide passenger entertainment at every seat.
WESTCOAST Sightseeing also counts on the AudioConexus GPS commentary solution to deliver cinematic audio tours to its English-speaking guests, providing high quality tour consistency every time a tour departs. To meet the needs of key foreign language markets, the company developed tours in seven languages aimed at securing new business from international tour wholesalers, cruise lines and FIT (Free and Independent Travelers) and VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) markets.
From the outset, the company made customers its focal point. By putting customers’ needs and desires first, WESTCOAST Sightseeing achieved competitive advantages and accelerated growth. The services enabled its sales and marketing department to sell new tour products, growing and expanding its business to accommodate the pent-up market demand for premium foreign-language tours.
Before turning to AudioConexus, the company coped with inconsistency and spent significant amounts of time training drivers and managing staff. With improved delivery of services, training time has been reduced dramatically, saving the company money and increasing productivity with safer driving.
“This was the best year the company has ever had! Without AudioConexus, we would have only been able to operate half the buses that we had on our tours! That’s the number one thing with AudioConexus, they made it possible for us to provide a consistent commentary experience without the extra expense of having train drivers in lengthy commentary delivery.”
– Jason Bryant, Director of Sales and Marketing, WESTCOAST Sightseeing
Key Outcomes
WESTCOAST Sightseeing achieved a significant rise in ridership due to an undeniable demand for foreign language tours. By increasing the number of languages available, the company increased ticket revenues and improved both performance and reliability. As a result, the company continues to see ridership grow because of key investments made by management to improve the customer experience.
“Working together with AudioConexus has been a real pleasure. The introduction of their commentary systems realized the business results we were looking for – they deliver a quality product.”
– Stuart Coventry, General Manager, WESTCOAST Sightseeing
Business Results
- Significant Boost in Ticket Sale Revenues
- Tour Consistency
- Safer Driving
Only AudioConexus
AudioConexus customers share a vision for engaging storytelling. Our professional storytellers are trained for GPS audio delivery, providing seamless, integrated experiences that mesh with advanced technology and propel growth.
Creative Services solutions are employed internationally, giving sightseeing operators worldwide advantages over companies that don’t place a high value on narrative.
The most underrated skill in tourism and business today is the ability to tell a great story. Emotional engagement leaves lasting impressions. Companies that rely strictly on facts and figures miss the mark–and miss amazing opportunities.
Tell compelling stories and your company will be transformed in big ways.
If you’re an ambitious tour operator who wants to attract new customers and promote your competitive advantages, learn why AudioConexus Creative Services are right for you.
