Building an Adventure Tour Company People Come Back To for 20 Years with Dan Oberlatz of Alaska Alpine Adventures

Building an Adventure Tour Company People Come Back To for 20 Years with Dan Oberlatz of Alaska Alpine Adventures

What makes a tour feel truly transformational? And how do you build an experience guests never stop talking about? In this episode, Nikki sits down with Dan Oberlatz, founder of Alaska Alpine Adventures, to talk about building one of Alaska’s most respected wilderness adventure companies over the last 28 years. Dan shares how Alaska Alpine grew from a single guest and a Backpacker Magazine ad into a thriving adventure travel business serving more than 400 guests a year. They dive into attracting the right traveler, creating experiences that genuinely change people’s lives, why expectation-setting matters so much in adventure travel, and how word of mouth, repeat guests, and emotional connection have fueled long-term growth. You’ll also hear: - Why “transformational travel” creates stronger referrals and loyalty - How Alaska Alpine filters for the right-fit customer - Lessons learned from working with OTAs vs direct bookings - What makes email marketing still incredibly effective - How storytelling and emotion drive bookings - Why great experiences start long before the trip begins This episode touches every stage of the Growth Engine — from Dreaming and Planning to Experiencing and Sharing — and is packed with insights for tour operators who want to build a business guests remember for the rest of their lives. Learn more about Dan and Alaska Alpine Adventures: https://alaskaalpineadventures.com/author/dan-oberlatz 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters:  00:00 Welcome to the show - Alaska Alpine Adventures 01:50 How Dan Fell in Love With Alaska 04:20 Starting an Alaska Tour Company With $5,000 05:57 Competition in Alaska Adventure Travel 07:16 What Creates a Transformational Guest Experience 09:40 Why a Better Booking System Increased Sales 10:18 Defining the Right Adventure Traveler 12:19 Why Alaska Alpine Had to Filter Out the Wrong Guests 15:58 How Transformational Travel Creates Word of Mouth 17:44 Why Guests Keep Coming Back to Alaska 21:13 Why OTAs Didn’t Work for Alaska Alpine Adventures 24:07 Email Marketing Strategies That Still Drive Bookings 33:00 Dan’s Advice for Tour Operators Starting Today

Build a Checkout Flow That Actually Closes the Sale

You did the hard work — they clicked Book Now. So why are so many of them dropping off before they finish? In Part 2 of the Booking Stage, Nikki, Greg, and Brandon Lake dig into what happens after the click: the checkout flow, mobile experience, upsells, and the small friction points quietly costing tour operators bookings every day. We talk through how many steps your booking process should really have, the calendar and form mistakes that send visitors to a competitor, why mobile-first matters more than ever, and how smart upsells can lift your average order value without adding a single new customer. Plus how offline conversions — phone calls, chats, and emails — fit into the bigger picture. In this episode: * The biggest checkout killers: friction, uncertainty, and a broken mobile experience * Where to place upsells (and how to grow average order value on any tour) * Why post-booking silence is killing your conversion rate — and what to do instead 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com 0:00 Intro & Welcome to Part 2 of the Booking Stage 0:42 How Often Do People Abandon Checkout? 2:47 Traffic Is Down — Why That's Not Always Bad 5:08 Conversion Rate vs. Traffic Volume 9:02 How Many Steps Should a Booking Process Have? 10:23 Common Friction Points That Cause Drop-Offs 14:13 Eliminating Dead Ends in the Checkout Flow 17:12 Mobile vs. Desktop: Why Conversion Rates Differ 20:15 Mobile Checkout Issues to Watch For 24:06 Uncertainty: The Hidden Checkout Killer 26:18 Silence: Why You Need a Way for Customers to Reach You 27:22 Post-Booking Communication & Customer Confidence 28:33 What to Include in a High-Converting Checkout 30:25 Borrowing Amazon's One-Click Concept for Tours 33:14 How Visibility & Conversion Rate Compound 34:52 Upsells & Increasing Average Order Value 42:13 The Power of Strategic Upsells 42:51 Offline Conversions: Phone, Chat & Email 47:52 Why Personal Connection Drives Bookings 48:46 Wrap-Up & What's Next: The Experience Stage

3 Tour Page Fixes That Drive More Bookings

Your tour pages are the 15-second preview that decides whether a visitor becomes a booking or bounces. In this episode, Nikki and Greg are joined by returning guest Brandon Lake to kick off the Booking Stage of the Resmark Growth Engine, starting with the product page itself. We break down why most tour operator sites convert at just 1–3%, the trust markers and copy that need to live above the fold, and how to write tour descriptions that speak to your ideal customer instead of yourself. Plus real numbers from real clients — including a 37% conversion lift in a single month and a 150% increase from tour page optimization alone. In this episode: * Why 98 out of 100 visitors walk out of your "theater" — and how to keep more of them * How to write tour descriptions that match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) * The relevance, reassurance, and performance framework for fast conversion wins 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters:  0:00 Intro & Kicking Off the Booking Stage 1:14 Why People Land on Tour Pages and Don't Book 1:21 The Theater Analogy: What Conversion Rate Really Means 4:35 The 5 Questions Every Visitor Is Asking 6:45 How to Optimize Tour Pages for Conversion 8:34 Imagery That Resonates With Your Ideal Customer 10:10 Converted Skeptics & Named Guides 12:15 Trust Markers & Cancellation Policies 13:23 Writing Tour Descriptions for Your Ideal Customer 14:54 The Data-Driven ICP Process at ResmarkWeb 18:08 Speak to Them, Not About You (Features vs. Outcomes) 22:08 Qualifying and Disqualifying Visitors 23:24 The "Know Before You Go" Section 24:42 What Belongs Above the Fold 29:27 The Power of a Key Differentiator 31:06 Real Client Results: 150% Conversion Lift 32:35 The 3 Final Fixes: Relevance, Reassurance, Performance 39:43 Wrap-Up & What's Next in Part 2

Why Tour Operators Lose Bookings Without Clarity

What actually makes someone choose your tour over everyone else? In this episode, we bring on Katja from the Resmark team, who works hands-on with tour operators every day, to break down what’s really happening in the Planning stage. We get into why so many potential guests open multiple tabs, feel overwhelmed, and leave, and how a lack of clarity is usually the reason.  From a traveler’s perspective and real client experience, we talk about what builds trust, what makes your experience stand out, and how to capture and nurture people who aren’t ready to book yet. 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com

Why the Best Tour Marketing Feels Like a Conversation

Most tour operators focus on looking professional. But that’s not always what makes you stand out when every option looks good. In this episode, we sit down with Stephanie from Sunny Cove Kayaking, an operator with nearly two decades of experience in Alaska, to break down what actually makes guests choose one tour over another. Her approach is simple but powerful. She writes her website like she’s talking to a friend. Her emails feel like real updates, not promotions. And that personal tone carries all the way through the experience. The result? Strong word of mouth, a 30,000-person email list, and a brand people remember. We also dive into how she’s started using AI in a practical way to improve her website and increase traffic without losing that personal voice. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why sounding “professional” can actually hurt conversions - How to make your website and emails feel more human - A simple way to use AI to improve your marketing without overcomplicating it This episode sits in the Planning stage of the Growth Engine, where guests are comparing options and deciding who they trust. Note: Stephanie was joining us from Alaska where the internet can be a bit unpredictable, so you may notice some blurriness and lighter editing than usual. But the insights in this one are absolutely worth it. Learn more about Sunny Cove: https://sunnycove.com 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com 00:00 Who Is Stephanie from Sunny Cove Kayaking? 00:54 How Do Tour Operators Get Started in the Industry? 02:07 What Do Tour Operators Love Most About the Job? 03:24 What Challenges Do Guests Face When Planning a Trip to Alaska? 05:00 How Do Guests Decide Which Tours to Book? 07:04 What Makes Guests Choose One Tour Company Over Another? 08:35 How Can Tour Operators Make Marketing Feel More Personal? 11:13 How Does a Website Help Turn Visitors Into Bookings? 13:02 How Can Tour Operators Use AI to Improve Website Traffic? 16:48 How Do You Stay in Front of Guests Who Aren’t Ready to Book? 23:58 What Actually Helps Tour Operators Get More Bookings Over Time? 30:42 What Is the Best Advice for Tour Operators Who Want to Grow?