Starting a Watersport Business in 2023 in 5 Steps [Ultimate Guidelines]

With 2023 in full swing, it is a perfect opportunity to benefit from the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Start your own watersport and boat tour business or work on shelved initiatives for your existing attraction company. In this article, we’re going to cover the ultimate guidelines on all things watersports that every tour operator should consider when running a boat tour and jet ski rental business.

Table of Contents

• Step #1: Develop Your Attraction Branding
• Step #2: Build Your Value Proposition
• Step #3: Get Watersport Business Insurance
• Step #4: Arrange Liability Waivers
• Step #5: List With Your Niche Online Travel Agencies
• Bonus Step: Learn Lessons from 2021 & 2022

Step #1: Develop Your Attraction Branding

Figuring out your niche has always been the priority for watersport operators! Are you offering boat rentals or multi-passenger head boat tours, or both? Determining your target audience becomes much easier when you have your tour company branding in place — it boosts your watersport business website SEO and helps you connect with your local CVB.

Step #2: Build Your Value Proposition

Your watersport business value proposition is just as crucial as your attraction branding. When you establish your value proposition, it makes it so much easier to connect with your customers! Whether Facebook Posts or Instagram Reels and TikTok Videos work better for your audience engagement — they will let you know. Just keep in mind that adventure travel is a revived concept, as well as that building on the experiential turn are those key factors vacationers are looking for in outdoor activities.

Step #3: Get Watersport Business Insurance

Marketing on its own, while important, won’t get your boat tour or jet ski rental company up and running if you don’t invest in insurance. Getting travel company insurance doesn’t have to be daunting if you know insurance options for tour operators, including Commercial Auto, Boat and Vessel Insurance, and General Liability Insurance. Speaking of liability…

Step #4: Arrange Liability Waivers

Liability waivers are known to be a watersport tour operator’s best friend.Waivers can mitigate liability, and waivers help with marketing; waivers are also a great protection against fraud. Stay tuned for more information on how else watersport boat tour operators can benefit from our upcoming guest blog by Wherewolf; in the meantime, find out where to obtain a waiver.

Step #5: List With Your Niche Online Travel Agencies

It’s now more important than ever to build your watersport business robust website and get your watersport business found, especially since Google Analytics is changing, but if you feel like it sounds daunting, we have you covered. List your water-based activities and offerings with online marketplaces like TripShock, especially since we’re shifting our TripShock listing program toward the watersports and boat tour industry, which means that watersport tour operators are in for a treat. TripShock specializes in customer service and marketing services like blogs, email, and google marketing. Our 10+ years of experience have always been about making sure that the watersport business community strives, don’t just take our word for it — check out what TripShock Partners are saying.

Additionally, we’ve invested significantly in our TripShock reservations department to take care of all your customer phone calls, so you can focus on excelling in your watersport activities. Find out how to speed up the onboarding process with TripShock, complete the request for an invitation, and enjoy growing your attraction business!

Bonus Step: Learn Lessons from 2021 & 2022

The pandemic madness caused by COVID-19 and the years followed after have demonstrated to all watersport operators that outdoor activities are what vacationers have desired all along. Watersport operators have adapted and developed fun and interesting tour activities, as well as developed pricing strategies for watersport companies. However, the good thing is that COVID restrictions finally seemed to become an afterthought, with DMOs showing optimism. Are there any lessons or other observations you’d like to share? Message us on social media — we’d love to hear from you on Facebook and Instagram and see the word spreading around!