The Tour Operator’s Superpower: Storytelling in an Age of Disruption

10/01/2025 12:00 PM CET

Multi-day, Experience Design

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In an era of cultural tension and growing polarization, the stories we choose to tell — and how we tell them — matter more than ever. For tour and experience operators, this moment presents both an exceptional and urgent challenge: to share deeper, more complete narratives of our destinations and to help travelers connect with the complex realities of the places they visit.

In this powerful and timely session, Akila McConnell, founder of Unexpected Tours and Training, shares how they reached over 27,000 employees at the world's largest companies in 2024 through authentic, human-centered storytelling. In this actionable discussion, learn how compelling narrative can foster resilience, drive revenue, and connect communities. At the same time, learn how to combat the dual threats of disinformation and artificial intelligence.

Whether you run food tours, watersports adventures, or outdoor ziplines, this session will inspire you to embrace storytelling as your most powerful (and cheapest!) tool, and give you strategies to protect and elevate it in today’s changing landscape.

What you'll takeaway:

  • Storytelling drives revenue: Learn how authentic stories helped a tour company survive the pandemic and grow in a "post-DEI" climate.
  • Your competitive edge is human: Discover why powerful, emotionally resonant narratives outperform flashy tech or trend-based gimmicks.
  • Disinformation and misinformation threaten our industry: Understand how policy shifts and AI are reshaping public narrative and what that means for tour operators.
  • Every tour can tell a meaningful story. Gain practical strategies to infuse purpose-driven storytelling into any experience.

Event: Arival 360 | Washington, DC 2025

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