Advertise your tours at convention centers, visitors’ bureaus, tourist offices, and hotels and guesthouses. Distribute special discount cards and flyers around town, with numeric codes for different locations, which will allow you to pay commissions to business owners or hotel concierges who steer visitors your way. Place ads in local newspapers aimed at tourists. In addition, don’t forget that your tours advertise themselves; if people who are not part of the tour seem interested in what you’re saying, give them a card inviting them to come along another time. The expenses of the historical tours business include research books and materials, costumes, and props. You might want to purchase a small battery-operated amplifier to increase the volume of your voice. Other expenses include advertising.
For the cost of the business, you can price tours at a fixed rate, and offer discounts for children and senior citizens. (If the tour is not appropriate for youngsters, make sure that is clear ahead of time.) You might offer a discount to visitors who sign up for more than one tour and a reduced rate for organized groups that book more than 8 or 10 tickets at a time. Decide on your policy if just a couple of people show up for a tour instead of the usual 15 or 20; in general, it is best to go ahead with the tour rather than risk endangering your reputation. You will also need to set refund policies regarding cancellations or abbreviated tours due to rain, snow, or extremes of temperature.