TRIPSC: The 6 Pillars of Tourism Business Success
Running a tourism business is exhilarating… and exhausting.
From keeping up with bookings and guests to managing staff, suppliers, and socials it is easy to feel like you’re spinning a dozen plates and one wrong move could send it all crashing down.
I get it, because I have been there.
When I was running Aquaduck, Southern Cross Tours, and our wider Tours & Attractions Group, I felt the pressure daily. I knew our products were good award-winning, in fact. But I also knew that good wasn’t enough.
I wanted our businesses to be exceptional.
Through trial, error, real wins, and honest but big mistakes, I developed a framework that became my anchor: TRIPSC, a 6-part formula for building a resilient, profitable, and purpose-driven tourism business.
And now, through Exceptional Experiences, I coach other tourism operators to use this framework to grow their own success stories.
What is TRIPSC?
TRIPSC stands for:
T – Transformational & Memorable Experiences
R – Relevant to Consumer Demand & Market Trends
I – Innovate & Differentiate
P – Profit & Performance
S – Sales & Distribution Channels
C – Capacity Building & Preventing Burnout
Let’s break down what each one means and how you can apply them in your tourism business.
T – Transformational & Memorable Experiences
“People don’t just want to go on tours, they want to feel changed by them.”
The heart of every tourism business is the experience and in today’s world, guests are craving more than just sightseeing.
They want to feel something. They want meaning, stories, and moments they’ll talk about for years.
My own example:
At Aquaduck, we shifted our commentary from facts about real estate prices & buildings to storytelling about the Gold Coast’s history, wildlife, and quirky local legends. The result? More laughs, more memories, more reviews and more repeat bookings.
Pro Tip: Craft your experience with emotional touchpoints: moments of awe, humour, connection, or self-reflection. That’s what sticks.
R – Relevant to Consumer Demand & Market Trends
“If you’re not listening to your customers, you’re marketing blindfolded.”
Your tour might be amazing, but is it what people want right now?
Understanding emerging trends, travel motivations, and audience shifts helps you stay one step ahead.
Know your ideal client, who are you talking to and why do they want what you are offering?
My own example:
When I noticed growing demand for family-friendly experiences, we developed themed tours for Halloween, Super Heroes and Christmas with quizzes, scavenger hunts, and child-friendly commentary.
This opened the door to a whole new market segment and more repeat visits.
Pro Tip: Use tools like Tourism Australia’s Future of Demand insights to align your offer with high-growth travel behaviours.
I – Innovate & Differentiate
“You don’t have to do something new. You just have to do it differently and better.”
Innovation doesn’t always mean launching a whole new product. Sometimes, it’s about small, smart tweaks that create a big impact.
My Own example:
When other operators zigged with similar brochures, we zagged by creating Combos like our “Aquaduck and Infinity” that bundled Aquaduck with the Infinity Attraction.
It helped us stand out in a crowded market and boosted per-booking value. We also attracted more teenage guests.
Pro Tip: Find your “only we” statement what’s the one thing that only you do or say? That’s your edge.
P – Profit & Performance
“Sales are sexy. But profits pay the bills.”
One of the hardest lessons I learned early was that revenue means nothing if your margins are leaking.
You need systems to measure profitability by product, by channel, by season. And you need the courage to cut what’s not performing even if it’s “popular.”
My own example:
We ran a sunset cruise aimed at adults only “Secrets, Scandals & Sunsets” that was underperforming in terms of bookings.
It looked good on paper because post COVID we needed to attract more locals, our marketing was fantastic but after digging into the numbers, I found it was not performing financially. Also our team didn’t like the tour at all so nobody wanted to guide it.
Pro Tip:
Get intimate with your numbers. Know your fixed vs variable costs, channel commissions, and real-time sales data. Tools like Xero and Rezdy can help automate it.
S – Sales & Distribution Channels
“It’s not enough to be amazing. You have to be findable.”
I’ve worked with many operators who had brilliant products but were invisible to the travel trade and online travel agents (OTAs). Sales and distribution are how you unlock scale and make you business profitable.
My Own Example:
When I first started consulting to Hot Air Balloon they were selective about who they worked with in the travel trade post COVID. They had disconnected from OTAs like Viator and GetYourGuide due to Google Adword competition.
In the meantime the competition had monopolised the OTA platforms, so I had a lot of work to do to ensure we would be seen. 18 months later we are number 1 on multiple OTAs but it has taken a lot of time and a lot of work to be visible again.
Pro Tip: Audit your current distribution. Are you on the platforms your customers use? Do you have relationships with travel agents, wholesalers, or tourism bodies? If not, it’s time to grow that channel mix.
C – Capacity Building & Preventing Burnout
“You didn’t start your business to become its prisoner.”
This pillar is deeply personal.
I know what it’s like to burn out to be the one doing everything, all the time.
A strong business isn’t one that relies on you doing 80 hours a week. It’s one that has systems, trained people, and room for you to step back and think.
My own example:
At Southern Cross Tours, we built SOPs (standard operating procedures), trained the guides with tour spiels and processes and created a pricing and marketing calendar 3 months in advance. It gave me breathing space and let the business run more smoothly even when I wasn’t there.
Pro Tip: Ask yourself: “If I left for a month, could the business still operate and grow?” If the answer is no, you need to build team and system capacity.
TRIPSC in Action
Every pillar of TRIPSC works together:
You deliver transformational guest experiences
That are relevant to what travellers want
You innovate to stand out
Stay focused on profitability
Distribute effectively across sales channels
And build internal capacity to keep going sustainably
Ready to Build Your TRIPSC Strategy?
This framework was born from 25 years of building, scaling, and ultimately selling award-winning tourism businesses.
Now, I help operators like you put TRIPSC to work through done-for-you marketing, sales channel audits, and coaching programs tailored to your business goals.
📞 Want to explore how TRIPSC could transform your tourism business?
