What NOT to Do When Starting a Tour Business

Ever wonder what the top companies in the industry did right (or didn’t) to get there? 

Recently at Arival | Activate Edinburgh, the Global Managing Director of Walks & Devour Tours, Roisin O’Sullivan, gave a candid talk entitled “Nine (NOT Ten) Things You Wish You Knew When You Started a Tour Operation.” 

Walks, which started out as a single-destination company based in Rome, Italy 15 years ago, has grown to over 25 cities across 10 countries in Europe and North America with a team of over 600 tour guides, and acquired food tour operator Devour Tours in 2021. O’Sullivan, who has been with the company for 11 of its 15 years, was recently promoted to the top spot when co-founder and former CEO Stephen Oddo turned over the reins.  

As O’Sullivan shared, there’s always something new to learn along the way, which is why, she explains, she shares nine things — not ten. Here are a few of our top takeaways from O’Sullivan’s talk — Arival Insider Pro Access members can watch the full talk on-demand here.

1. DON’T Hire Just Anyone

Hiring the right people, especially at the start, is super important — but it isn’t easy. “You’re not going to find that many people who have formal education and industry experience,” shares O’Sullivan. 

Rather than expecting someone to know everything from the start, O’Sullivan recommends choosing wisely and then investing in an employee’s growth and development. “The thing we most credit Walks’ success with is that institutional knowledge and keeping that passion with us as we grow.” 

2. DON’T Leave Accounting for Later

Invest in an accountant early on, O’Sullivan advises. “Accountants are very good at getting you focused on where you’re making money where you’re losing money, and they’ll build that into your culture,” she says. “Sales and marketing can come later, HR can come later.”

3. DON’T Expand Without Localization

“Global expansion is a nightmare,” confesses O’Sullivan. “My recommendation to anyone who’s thinking about expanding beyond their home city or home country is you’d want to have exhausted your growth opportunities where you are for your time to be worth as much to you somewhere else.”

“And when you do do it, make sure that you connect really early with a local who can help you take what you’ve learned and localize it, vs. trying to replicate what worked in one place vs. another,” advises O’Sullivan.

Access the Full Video Session and Learn More at Arival

Want to see all nine of Roisin O’Sullivan’s points? Arival Insider Pro Access members can access the full “Nine (Not Ten) Things You Wish You Knew Before You Started” session on-demand here.

Want to learn more from the industry’s top leaders? Join us at an upcoming Arival event to learn from the best and connect with other operators and business leaders in the experiences sector. We hope to see you there!