Last year was not good for the tourism sector because of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Things are now changing in 2021 and businesses are picking up. As we all know that 251 billion dollars were spent in 2019 by foreign tourists in the United States. Some of this can be yours in 2021 if you would start up a tourism related business.
Let us look into the opportunities waiting for you to get your share in this huge sum.
What are the businesses providing services for the tourists?
Starting with food, clothing and souvenirs to providing internal tours and travels there are many interesting ways to meet the needs of tourists coming to the country of opportunities.
Tourists to Italy from Ireland were asking me if there were any Indian restaurants around!!
I was selling roses at that time since there was nothing else I could do as I didn’t speak any Italian except saying ‘Fiori’, when I encountered this couple in Sorrento.
American tourists were welcomed with roses I sold to the Italians there.
I earned $22000 in six months around 91 in this little village without speaking a word of Italian except ‘Una Fiori’ taught by a friend from Argentina.
It was that money that opened the doors to my visit to the United States getting my first visa.
I was dying to see DisneyLand in Los Angeles with my ten year old son becoming a kid again with him. There is huge business opportunity in tourism industry if you start with a solid business idea and proper planning.
Here is a list of 15 profitable tourism business ideas that you can start today
#1. Hotel Booking Website or App
We stayed at YMCA when we first arrived in Los Angeles with self cooking facilities.
You could start a hotel booking website to help new tourists to find the right kind of hotel to suit their budget and convenience.
An app could directly connect them to all kinds of hotels and hostels from your ad on Facebook.
You will get paid when the tourists find a hotel to stay through your app or website.
#2. Tourist Guide
If you know the ins and outs of your City and are familiar with its tourist spots, you could become a tourist guide and get handsome tips and payments.
Link up with tourist agencies or advertise online.
Some guides go to tourist spots like The Grand Canyon and help out the tourists going there without knowing how to get a helicopter on hire etc for sightseeing.
Little did we know about Mesa nearby which we discovered accidentally.
A guide would know the surroundings better.
Perhaps you would need a license to get registered.
#3. Tourism Helpline Website or Mobile App
You could help out the tourists by providing them A-Z information they would need on your website giving them links to hotel bookings and restaurants reservation etc.
Tell them how they could get around using a city bus or metropolitan services.
Give them a map and other details about tourist spots.
Get paid when each click turns to a sale.
Set up live chatting or a helpline number to work round the clock.
#4. Bed and Breakfast Business
Open a Bed and Breakfast to welcome the tourists on a day to day basis which could extend for weeks by giving them discount rates.
You will need a 4 to 5 bedroom house at least where you must provide beds and wardrobes with a chair and a table etc.
A television must be provided in the lounge at least, where they can sit and eat their breakfast and use the internet cafe if you can provide one or two computers.
You must register a business name to pay your taxes.
A license will be needed from the health dept who will certify the premises for public use.
Get insurance to protect against fire hazards.
#5. Car and Bike Rental
Tourists usually rent a car near the airport itself so they can tour the country sleeping in the car itself in emergencies.
Bikes rental should be close to a bed and breakfast or hotels; where the tourists are looking for bikes to rent.
You can be sure to make good money setting up car and bike rentals close to the airports and tourist concentrated areas.
#6. Photograph Business
You must have taken a lot of photographs like me when you went to a new country as a tourist at Grand Canyon etc which become lifelong memories.
You needed photographs development shops to see your photos.
If you see such shops thriving in your town full of tourists,you could set up one more to make some money.
Get an employee who knows how to print photos if you don’t know how to do it yourself in the beginning.
#7. Night Club
Where can the tourists go to relax after a tiring day of sightseeing?
If they want to meet local people to make friends or even get married,they would look for a night club to relax.
People flocked to night clubs in Sorrento in Italy to meet the American tourists; to enjoy live orchestra and dance to the music.
Start a nightclub if you love to meet the tourists and spend time with them dancing or listening to a piano forte.
You will need licenses to sell alcohol and to be open late at night.
Employ security personnel in case of drunken tourists get into brawls like it happens sometimes.
#8. Coffee shop
No tourist will ever return to his country without visiting a coffee shop.
Set up a coffee shop near Railway stations or bus stations etc frequented by tourists to attract a good traffic.
You can also sell ice cream and fresh fruit juices.
Make your own sandwiches grilled with cheese and vegetables etc or buy them readymade from suppliers if you have a demand.
If you were a tourist, you would be looking for souvenirs.
I bought some of the prettiest earrings when I visited the native Indian tourist spots in the USA.
I still remember the turquoise gemstones they used.
You can also set up a souvenir shop in the heart of the city where the tourists will go to buy something as memoirs.
Think of what would carry the memories of your town.
Thousands of tourists would like to buy a replica of the statue of Liberty in NY.
#10. Translation Services
Set up a translation service offering to translate as many languages as possible to English or vice versa.
You could charge upto $10 per page translating from French or Spanish etc as they would need to present translations in the immigration office for extending their visas.
I paid a lot to get my documents from Italy to be translated to English when I applied for a visa.
I was happy to find one with on the spot quick services within hours to save my time and they were authorised to put a stamp etc.
#11. Ticketing and Reservation Services
Tourists can save their time if you offer them a place to book their tickets for a return or onward journey when they are ready to move on.
It was touching to see Mexicans return to their home country when it was Christmas and time to visit their families
They risked their lives every time they crossed the borders and they would have to wait for long hours even when they had legal documents.
#12. Event Organiser
If you are good at catering and organising events, you could become an event organizer when a tourist wants to get married or someone wants to give them a farewell party.
Houston party to say Howdy Modi is an example of how much local communities would spend to receive such a celebrity.
Imagine the money you could make organizing a music concert for Justin Bieber.
#13. Houseboat Rental
Many tourists would like to stay in a houseboat like they do in the canals of Amsterdam.
Does your town offer such stays?
Buy a houseboat to rent it to the tourists who would love to stay for a week or two in spectacular Florida or on the rivers of America like Mississippi.
#14. Restaurants
Food is something everyone needs to eat three times a day.
Offer a speciality of your town, like I enjoyed waffles with maple syrup or pancakes with blueberries with butter.
We enjoyed an apple pie or chips at McDonald’s being vegetarians.
If you’re an Italian, you know pizza can be sold in every corner of the world; lasagna and spaghetti are equally popular.
You will need approval from the health dept and you will work under their scrutiny.
You will need permits if you are selling alcohol and insurance if anybody falls sick after eating.
#15. Outdoor Camping Management
We stayed in a camp when our flight required an overnight stay in Madrid on our way to NY.
It was an open outdoor camping site and it was refreshing and safe as they provided enough security with CC cameras etc.
We could hear the music of the Spanish flamenco dancers.
Many such camping sites operate in America offering caravan spaces for a modest fee.
You could set up this business if you have access to a huge open space surrounding a lake or an olive garden like they have in Italy.
Advertise online and offer sanitary facilities like washrooms etc.
These are economical offering a stay sleeping under the sky in nature which is different from sleeping between four walls. You can rent camping equipment or tents already set up with camping beds etc.
Please let us know if you like any of our ideas and start up your business based on them.
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