Local knowledge: Unleash your team’s polymath

Who is a polymath? 

Put simply, a polymath is a person of wide knowledge or learning. The qualities of these individuals are inherent across many passionate teams and business units within the tourism industry. Brands are built around expert knowledge of destinations, experiences, history and culture. This sense of trust or ‘local knowledge’ is earned over time and is often the integral factor in the minds of customers who seek and expect authentic experiences. The opportunity to showcase this expertise should not be limited to the core product itself. As an established part of the industry, it is expected that your team can give advice on other destinations and experiences beyond your own.

Hybrid thinking

“If you go to a circus and you see a bear, that’s pretty interesting but not that much. If you see a unicycle that’s a bit interesting, but if you see a bear riding on a unicycle that’s REALLY interesting. When you combine things you’re not supposed to combine, people get interested.”  

– Naval Ravikant, AngelList

Monetize mastery

Why not harness the wide range of local knowledge and relationships that have accrued over your years of blood, sweat and passion? By continuing the vein of authenticity, you can leverage honest recommendations for onward travel and reap the financial rewards. As a sales agent, new revenue will far outweigh the costs of integrating this complementary service into existing processes. Depending on unique business requirements this can come from anywhere – reservations teams, tour guides or even a curated digital marketplace for customer self-service.

The network effect

A network strategy will ensure referral commissions are retained by the people giving the quality advice as well as help avoid less than memorable experiences for your customers. Beyond financial gain, promoting the network of industry will also defend value by demonstrating confidence in the market and brand integrity. Commoditising your peers and incentivising staff to engage further will supercharge your business, the industry, and most importantly, the customer experience.

Author: Adam Vandermeer

Digital Tourism Strategist