The 5 Stages Every Tour Business Must Build to Grow with Brandon Lake

The Resmark Growth Engine is not a funnel. It is not a campaign. It is not a single tactic.

It is a tour business growth framework built around the full customer journey for tour operators.

The five stages are:

• Dreaming
  
  
• Planning
  
  
• Booking
  
  
• Experiencing
  
  
• Sharing
  
  

Each stage compounds the next. When one stage is weak, the system leaks. When all five are aligned, growth becomes predictable.



Brandon Lake developed this framework after decades of operating high-performing tour businesses. The insight was simple but powerful: growth does not come from more tactics. It comes from a connected system.

This is what separates a tour operator growth strategy from a collection of marketing experiments.

Many operators grow inconsistently. One month bookings spike. The next month slows. Marketing budgets fluctuate. Teams react instead of plan.

Common patterns include:

• Over-investing in ads while ignoring website friction
  
  
• Focusing only on bookings while neglecting post-trip engagement
  
  
• Adding tools without diagnosing root problems
  
  
• Treating marketing and operations as separate worlds
  
  

The result is exhaustion without clarity.

The Growth Engine was created to replace hustle with structure.

Systems outperform tactics.
Clarity outperforms chaos.

When operators understand which stage needs attention, decision-making becomes simpler and more strategic.

Dreaming: Being Found by the Right Guests

The Dreaming stage is about visibility.

This is where potential guests discover your brand through search, AI tools, social media, video, and word of mouth. It is the inspiration phase.

But Dreaming is not just about traffic. It is about qualified traffic.

Being omnipresent across the channels your guests use increases exposure. Strong SEO foundations, structured content, and authority-driven visibility ensure that you appear when travelers begin researching.

This stage connects directly to omnichannel visibility and the evolving AI buying journey.

If you are invisible here, the rest of the engine cannot activate.

Planning: Turning Visitors Into Future Customers

The Planning stage begins when someone shows interest but is not ready to book.

This is where patience turns into profit.

Planning includes:

• Lead capture
  
  
• Email nurture sequences
  
  
• Remarketing campaigns
  
  
• Downloadable guides
  
  
• Itinerary content
  
  

Instead of hoping visitors return, you create structured follow-up systems.

Operators often underestimate this stage. They assume if someone leaves without booking, the opportunity is gone. In reality, many travelers take days or weeks to decide.

Planning builds trust over time.

Booking: Removing Friction at the Moment of Yes

The Booking stage is where revenue is unlocked.

It is not where demand is created. Demand was created in Dreaming and Planning. Booking simply converts it.

Common friction points include:

• Confusing pricing
  
  
• Complicated checkout flows
  
  
• Lack of trust signals
  
  
• Mobile usability issues
  
  
• Misalignment between phone and online processes
  
  

A strong tour operator website, clear policies, transparent pricing, and optimized booking software reduce hesitation.

Revenue does not increase by pushing harder. It increases by removing friction.

Experiencing: Winning Before the Trip Even Starts

Growth does not stop at payment.

The Experiencing stage begins immediately after booking.

Confirmation messages, pre-trip emails, packing guidance, expectation setting, and anxiety reduction all shape the customer experience before arrival.

Five-star reviews are engineered, not accidental.

When operators control pre-trip communication, they reduce uncertainty and increase satisfaction.

This stage also impacts operational efficiency, customer confidence, and review outcomes.

Sharing: Turning Guests Into Your Best Marketers

The Sharing stage feeds back into Dreaming.

Satisfied guests become promoters through:

• Automated review requests
  
  
• SMS follow-ups
  
  
• User-generated content
  
  
• Referral incentives
  
  
• Repeat booking campaigns
  
  

Most operators treat reviews as a byproduct. The Growth Engine treats them as a strategic asset.

Sharing amplifies visibility. It strengthens authority signals. It improves AI summaries and search rankings.

The engine becomes cyclical.

The true power of the tour operator growth engine is compounding.

Dreaming drives traffic into Planning.

Planning increases conversion rates in Booking.
Booking feeds high-quality experiences.
Experiencing increases positive reviews.
Sharing amplifies Dreaming.

When aligned, each stage reinforces the next.

Growth becomes cyclical rather than effort-based.



Operators no longer depend solely on ad spend spikes. Instead, they build momentum through connected stages.

If one stage weakens, the entire cycle slows. If strengthened, it accelerates.

This is why diagnosing engine health is more powerful than launching new campaigns.

Most operators are strong in one or two stages and weak in the others.

Common examples:

• Strong Booking, weak Dreaming
  
  
• Strong Dreaming, weak Planning
  
  
• Strong Experiencing, no Sharing automation
  
  

Instead of diagnosing leaks, many add more tactics. More ads. More content. More tools.

But adding fuel to a leaking engine does not create speed.

Fix leaks before scaling traffic.

If bookings are inconsistent, it may not be a traffic issue. It may be a Planning-stage weakness. If reviews are declining, the Experiencing stage may need attention.

Understanding where you are stuck creates clarity.

If you are unsure which stage is weakest, a structured diagnostic can reveal it quickly.

The Growth Engine is not about fixing everything at once.



Start with diagnosis.

1. Map your current customer journey.
   
   
2. Identify the weakest stage.
   
   
3. Improve that stage deliberately.
   
   
4. Measure impact before expanding focus.
   
   

Improving one stage at a time creates measurable progress without overwhelming teams.

This disciplined approach is what separates sustainable growth from reactive marketing.

If you feel stuck in inconsistent growth, overwhelmed by tactics, or unsure where to prioritize, the solution is not more effort. It is structure.

A Growth Engine diagnostic can help you:

• Identify stage weaknesses
  
  
• Prioritize improvements
  
  
• Align marketing and operations
  
  
• Build compounding momentum
  
  

Book a strategy consultation to evaluate your current engine and create a clear path forward.



Sustainable growth is not accidental. It is engineered.