Tourism to different countries is a thriving business. Top tourist locations, like France, the United States and Spain, get over 65 million tourists every year. Are you looking to get more international  tourists to stay at your hotel? To help you stay competitive, it’s an important target market you need to attract.

Attracting foreign visitors can be difficult, though. A large part of it is getting noticed as people plan their trips, especially since international travelers do research differently than locals do. This stems from search engines operating differently in different geographical areas and cultural differences as well.

Here are some tips to help you bridge the gap, better connect with foreign tourists, and help book those empty rooms.

Providing and Marketing Amenities They Need

Because of cultural differences, what a local market looks for in a hotel may be different than those from a different country. This could include things like sleeping arrangements, what is included in a complimentary breakfast, or different forms of technology. The key is identifying what amenities will help your guests feel the most comfortable while traveling in a new country.

For example, America’s morning beverage of choice is coffee, but many other cultures prefer quality tea. While many are okay with normal quality teas, having high quality teas and the means to make good tea is something that could help you stand out. Marketing something like this wouldn’t even be that hard; just be sure to include high quality tea brand names where you advertise other amenities, and mention it occasionally on social media.

Another major thing to look at is providing means for your international travelers to contact home. While many smartphones have WiFi calling or communication apps like Skype, some travelers from less developed countries might not have access to that technology. Either provide free international calling to them, or give them access to other ways to contact home. Consider having a program where they could check out a laptop or tablet so they could Skype home with.

Multiple Language Options On Your Site

Make it easy for people to use your website. While a lot of people do speak and read English in some capacity, having translated versions of your site can increase the appeal of your business. It shows that you want to make their experience with you as pleasant as possible.

When looking to translate your site into different languages, do your business a favor and hire professional translators. While there are some softwares meant to quickly and easily translate text, they can make mistakes. Also, if you want your site’s content to feel natural, it’s better for an expert to write it so your grammar feels natural.

Now, it isn’t feasible to translate your site into every single language, so decisions have to be made. First, the practical solution is to have the languages spoken in your general geographical region. Then, look to your analytics for further guidance. If you have tracked where your guests are from, maybe look at targeting your most popular ones. Then, look at your site analytics for information on which countries your site already gets traffic from.

Content Marketing For Local Attractions

Have your blog be the concierge service you might not be able to provide in the hotel. The bare minimum is detailing the major tourist spots, but put a twist to it. Give tips only locals would know and advice for seeing everything. Also, many foreign travelers are looking to have an “authentic” experience, so your content should guide them on how to do so.

Having a good blog can help your hotel attract more visitors to your site, who can then transform into customers. The key is providing different information than the hundreds of other travel blogs. Provide different insights that are targeted to people from out of country. Look at travel sites that target your area, see what they talk about, and cover stuff nobody is touching.

Provide A One-of-a-Kind Experience

For a lot of travelers, a hotel is a hotel. They expect a decent bed, a quiet night, maybe a pool, and, perhaps a small continental breakfast. But hotels that stand out — that do something amazing — get extra attention. People are willing to go out of their way, and spend more money, for a unique experience. It’s why people are willing to spend so much extra money to stay at a Disney Resort instead of a normal hotel in California or Florida.

Stand out. Maybe create a smartphone app exclusive to your hotel that gives customers control of their experience. Let them do stuff like order room service from it, schedule when their room gets cleaned, or even control their AC so they can get their room nice and chilly when they are heading back from a long day of adventures. Or maybe offer other meals other than a breakfast. Just do something different and worthy of attention.

Then market it. Put it on your social media, print ads, commercials, blog about it, whatever you focus on. Get the word out and give people a novel hotel experience.

Focusing on the international tourism market can help fill those empty rooms and maintain a more steady income for your hotel. By doing things like providing amenities they want, running a helpful blog, and speaking in their language, they will undoubtedly pick your hotel over the competition.