How to Actually Protect Yourself (And Your Team) From Christmas Burnout
Look, the Christmas period is brilliant for tourism businesses.
The bookings roll in, guests are in a good mood, and you're finally making the money you need to get through quieter months.
But I've seen too many operators come January completely wrecked exhausted, resentful, and swearing they'll never do it again.
Here's what I know: if you're burned out every peak season, your business model needs to change. Full stop.
SME owners run risk of festive season burnout
Start planning now.
Most chaos happens because we're reacting instead of preparing.
Go back through last year.
What actually worked?
What left you dead on your feet?
What took way longer than it should have?
Use that to actually plan this year.
Bring casual staff in early so they're trained before December hits. Build your rosters so people get breaks.
And honestly? Pre-write your emails and social posts now. I watched one operator down the coast save hours by scheduling their socials two weeks out instead of posting daily in panic mode.
You can't do it all yourself
The operators I work with usually say something like, "I have to handle the clients because no one does it like I do."
Then December comes and they're working 60-hour weeks wondering why they started the business in the first place.
Write down what you actually do.
Train someone else to do it.
Document it properly so it's not in your head.
If your business completely falls apart when you take a day off, that's a problem with your business, not with you. This is often the biggest insight I see come up when operators take the Tourism Business Health Check it's amazing what becomes clear when you step back and look at the whole picture.
Six ways to avoid burnout in the end-of-year holiday rush
Cut your menu, not your profit
This is the peak season secret nobody talks about.
You don't need to offer 10 different experiences in December. Pick the three that make you the most money and give your guests the clearest choices.
One tour operator we worked with cut their product line down to three packages and their sales went up 25% because staff could actually explain what they were selling instead of being overwhelmed by options.
Actually rest
I know this sounds obvious. But I mean it. It takes 15 minutes to walk outside. Say no to meetings that don't matter. Check in with your team about how they're actually doing, not just whether the work's getting done.
And culture matters. If your team can't step away without worrying you'll think they're lazy, you've got a culture problem, not a time problem.
Tell people what's happening
Your guests need to know your opening hours and how long it'll take to hear back from you.
Your team needs to know what's expected of them and what's actually a priority.
Your suppliers need to know what you need and when.
Most stress comes from people guessing, not from the actual workload.
Update your business profile with your Christmas hours. Send a message to your team about what the season looks like. Be honest about what you can deliver.
Actually celebrate
Don't let December blur past. Grab coffee with your team when it's over. Share photos of the good moments. Remind everyone, including yourself why you chose to do this.
The real issue
If you're exhausted and stressed and working crazy hours just to survive peak season, something needs to change. And I'm not talking about working harder. I'm talking about building a business that doesn't rely entirely on you.
That might look like better systems in th business. Training your team properly. Sorting out your marketing so you're getting the right bookings. Or getting clarity on what's actually profitable so you're not spinning plates that don't matter.
Before December gets into full swing, it's worth taking a step back and getting real about what's actually holding you back.
Book a free 15-minute chat if you want to talk through what that looks like for your business. Or if you want a deeper dive, the Tourism Business Health Check gives you a personalised report and a 30-day action plan, it's free right now and actually worth doing before peak season hits.
This Christmas, you should actually enjoy it.
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