As the festive season approaches, PADI Dive Centers have a unique opportunity to capitalize on the growing trend of consumers prioritizing experiences over physical gifts. GetYourGuide’s 2024 research reveals that at this special time of the year, a remarkable 92% of Americans prefer to receive memorable experiences to share with loved ones, over traditional presents​.

Now is the perfect time to ensure your offerings are easily found online, positioning scuba diving as an easy-to-give gift.

What Sales Boost Can You Expect From the Festive Season?

Consumers are eager to spend, especially on gifts that offer emotional and memorable experiences. For the dive centers offering their courses and fun dives online, the festive season benefits are significant. Two key factors contribute to this potential sales increase:

High-Margin Bookings: The festive period drives consumers to invest more in premium experiences, leading to an uptick in high-margin bookings. Customers are often willing to pay more for exclusive or unique diving experiences that serve as perfect gifts.
More People in the Booking: December is a time for get-togethers with family and friends. It encourages group activities, resulting in larger booking sizes. Families, couples and groups are likely to book diving experiences together, amplifying the reach for PADI stores.

How to Successfully Sell Courses and Fun Dives Online During the Festive Season

Given most consumers plan their festive activities about one month in advance, ensuring your festive season offerings are online by early November is crucial.

Here are a few tips on how to effectively market your products at this time of the year:

Create Emotionally Engaging Content

Selling experiences is about selling emotions. Use images and videos that evoke the feelings associated with your diving experiences – excitement, joy, and adventure. This will not only attract attention but also encourage potential customers to take action.

Tailor Offerings to the Festive Season

To make the most of the festive spirit, consider creating themed diving packages. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Christmas Day Dive – Offer a unique experience to celebrate Christmas underwater.
Festive Season Deal – Provide special discounts throughout November and December to attract more customers.
Learn to Dive – Festive Edition: Design a package for families or individuals looking to start a new adventure during the holidays, with lessons tailored to fit into the seasonal break.

Ensure a Seamless Online Booking Experience

Listing your activities on PADI Adventures with an instant booking option ensures straightforward and pain-free transactions for consumers. If your services aren’t easily accessible, you could miss out on significant sales opportunities.

Offer Activities on Demand

Domestic Market: This is your time to shine. Many people may not know that they can learn diving near their hometown. Make sure you offer and highlight the benefits of entry-level courses, like the PADI Open Water Diver course and the PADI Open Water Diver Referral course Part 1/2 (Theory & Pool). These courses can easily be completed during a seasonal break, either in cold or warm water climates. Also, don’t forget about divers who may have paused scuba diving for some time – help them bring the magic of scuba back into their lives by listing your PADI ReActivate® Scuba Refresher Program online.

Vacation Destinations: People who prefer celebrating at the beach start looking for gift ideas before departure. By offering flexible training options, like the PADI Scuba Diver course, PADI Open Water Diver Referral course Part 2/2 (Open Water Dives), and Discover Scuba® Diving (DSD), you’ll be visible to those seeking “things to do” in popular diving spots. ReActivate, Advanced and Enriched Air courses remain among the top sellers on PADI Adventures for the outbound market, so don’t miss out on these opportunities targeting certified divers.

Give the Gift of Scuba Diving

Make sure to showcase your offerings as the perfect gift, appealing to both those new to diving and certified divers. By listing your scuba diving activities on PADI Adventures, your dive center can turn the holiday season into a highly profitable time, offering memorable experiences that consumers are actively seeking. Don’t miss out – start planning and promoting your December offerings today!

The post Make Scuba Diving a Must-Do Activity This Festive Season appeared first on PADI Pros.

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