Why Every Tourism Business Should Have a Newsletter (Yes, Even Small Ones)

If you run a tourism business, chances are your energy is split a dozen ways: guiding guests, answering WhatsApp messages, managing bookings, updating your website, posting on social media… and somewhere on the list, marketing quietly slips to the bottom.

A newsletter changes that dynamic. Not because it’s flashy, but because it’s steady.

A well-run email newsletter is one of the few marketing tools you truly own. Algorithms can change. Social reach can vanish overnight. But when someone gives you their email address, they are raising their hand and saying: I want to stay in touch.

This matters at every stage of the client journey — from first website visit to long after they’ve gone home.

The Client Journey: Where a Newsletter Fits

Think of your newsletter as the thread that connects every phase of a traveler’s relationship with your business.

1. Welcoming New Visitors

Someone lands on your website for the first time. They’re curious, but not ready to book. A newsletter signup gives them a low-pressure way to stay connected.

Instead of losing them forever, you can:

• Welcome them with a short intro to who you are and what makes your experience different
• Share practical travel tips for your region
• Set expectations around responsible tourism and how you work with local communities

This is especially important for travelers who are planning months (or years) ahead.

2. Supporting the Booking Decision

Newsletters quietly build trust. When travelers consistently see thoughtful, useful emails — not just sales pitches — your business starts to feel familiar.

That familiarity often tips the scale when they’re choosing between you and another operator.

3. Staying Connected With Past Guests

This is where many tourism businesses drop the ball.

Past guests are already your warmest audience — and yet they’re often forgotten once the trip ends. A newsletter lets you:

• Share updates about new experiences or seasonal changes
• Let guests know how the community or conservation project they visited is doing
• Invite them back for a different kind of trip
• Encourage referrals to friends and family

Repeat visitors and referrals don’t come from discounts alone. They come from relationship-building.

Email vs. WhatsApp vs. Text: Understanding How Travelers Communicate

It can be hard to believe — especially if you operate in Latin America — that email still matters.

WhatsApp and text messaging dominate day-to-day communication across much of the world. They’re fast, personal, and incredibly effective for logistics, quick questions, and in-the-moment coordination. We use them too.

But here’s the reality tourism businesses need to plan for:

North American and European travelers still rely heavily on email for professional and transactional communication — even as they use text and messaging apps for casual conversations.

Email is where travelers expect to receive:

• Booking confirmations and follow-up details
• Longer explanations and itineraries
• Pre-trip preparation information
• Post-trip updates and reflections

For many travelers, WhatsApp feels immediate. Email feels official.

A newsletter lives in that “official but approachable” space. It’s not intrusive like a message ping, and it’s not fleeting like a social post. It gives people time to read, save, and return when they’re ready.

Using email doesn’t mean abandoning WhatsApp or text. It means using each channel for what it does best.

Why Social Media Isn’t Enough

Social platforms are useful — but they’re rented land.

You don’t control who sees your posts. You don’t control how widely your content is shown. And you definitely don’t control whether today’s favorite platform will still matter in two years.

Email is different. Your list is portable. Your audience is direct. And your message lands in a space people check daily.

That’s why newsletters consistently outperform social media when it comes to long-term engagement.

Choosing a Newsletter Platform: Two We Recommend

There is no single “best” email platform — but there are tools that work especially well for tourism businesses.

Here are two we regularly recommend, depending on your goals and comfort level.

Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

Best for: Story-driven brands, content creators, and businesses that want a more personal tone

Pros:

• Generous free tier that allows you to build a large list before paying
• Very strong automation and tagging (great for different traveler interests)
• Clean, text-forward emails that feel human, not corporate
• Excellent for storytelling and educational sequences
• Easy to grow with as your business becomes more sophisticated

Cons:

• Higher price point as you use more advanced features
• Can feel like more than you need if you only want a very simple newsletter
• Fewer visual templates (this is a feature for some, a drawback for others)

Kit shines if your newsletter is about building trust over time — sharing stories, context, and values alongside practical information.

MailerLite

Best for: Visual brands, small teams, and businesses just getting started

Pros:

• Very affordable, especially for smaller lists
• Strong visual editor for image-rich emails
• Simple to learn and quick to implement
• Solid automation for basic welcome sequences

Cons:

• Automation is less flexible than Kit at higher levels
• Can feel limiting as your segmentation needs grow
• Can be difficult to learn

MailerLite is a great entry point if you want something visual and budget-friendly.

Compare Kit with MailerLite

Both Kit and MailerLite offer free plans, which makes them appealing for tourism businesses that want to start without upfront costs. The differences matter.

Kit’s free plan is generous in terms of subscriber limits and is designed to let you build a meaningful list before you pay. It also allows you to send regular newsletters and begin thinking strategically about audiences, even if you delay using advanced automations.

MailerLite’s free plan is also attractive, especially for visual emails, but it comes with tighter limits on subscribers and monthly email sends. For some businesses, this is perfectly adequate at the beginning; for others, it can feel restrictive sooner than expected.

Why We’re Cautious About Mailchimp (and Substack)

Mailchimp used to be the default recommendation. That’s no longer the case.

Here’s why we’re cautious about Mailchimp:

• Pricing has increased significantly, especially for automation
• Features that used to be included are now locked behind higher tiers
• The platform has become more complex without becoming more powerful
• Many tourism businesses outgrow it quickly and end up migrating later

We also get asked about Substack.

Substack works well for writers and journalists whose primary product is their writing. For most tourism businesses, however, it lacks the segmentation, automation, and client-journey tools needed to support bookings, repeat visits, and referrals. It’s designed around publishing, not around managing relationships across different stages of travel planning.

Migrating email platforms is doable — but it’s work. Starting with a tool that fits your long-term needs saves time and frustration.

A Newsletter Is a Relationship, Not a Campaign

The biggest mistake we see? Treating newsletters like promotions instead of conversations.

Your newsletter doesn’t need to be frequent. It needs to be consistent.

Even one thoughtful email per quarter can:

• Keep your business top of mind
• Reinforce your values
• Support bookings without constant selling

If you already believe in meaningful travel, community connection, and long-term impact, a newsletter isn’t optional — it’s aligned.

Where to Start

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start small:

• Choose a platform
• Create a simple signup form
• Write one solid welcome email
• Commit to consistency over perfection

If you’d like help choosing the right tool, setting up your first sequence, or aligning your newsletter with your broader client journey, that’s exactly the kind of work we do at NYAA Consulting.

A newsletter isn’t just marketing. It’s how your story keeps traveling — even when your guests aren’t.