Tourist traffic comes from both discovery and recommendation. Some people walk in because they see you. Others come because someone pointed them your way. Store owners who treat both as part of their visibility strategy tend to create more stability in how traffic shows up.
Your store’s visibility often starts before someone ever steps onto your block. Gain tourist appeal by building referral relationships with businesses that are already guiding your ideal customers.
Start with hotels and rental hosts
Hotels, boutique inns and short-term rental hosts act as unofficial concierges. Guests ask them where to eat, what to do and where to shop. Make it easy for these businesses to recommend your store.
There’s value in partnering with local hotels and rental hosts. This can be as simple as having clean rack cards with a map, a small guest offer or a locally themed freebie that hosts can hand out to visitors.
"Gain tourist appeal by building referral relationships with businesses that are already guiding your ideal customers."
Some store owners build relationships with Airbnb and Vrbo hosts by offering a standing “guest perk” or creating a small welcome gift that hosts can purchase at a discount for their properties.
Hosts want their guests to have a good experience. When you help them deliver that, they remember you.
Become part of the itinerary
Local tour operators may also be great partners for attracting new customers. Walking tours, food tours, history tours and experience-based excursions all shape where visitors spend time and money.
Some stores work with tour operators to become a quick stop on a route. Others create themed products that match the tour story. A history tour might align with locally inspired merchandise. A food tour might pair well with packaged local goods that visitors can take home. Try to position your store as part of these experiences, not just another place to browse in town.
Rely on word of mouth
Travel creators and local content creators influence where people go long before they arrive. You do not need huge audiences; you need alignment and engagement.
Stores seeing results tend to offer structured collaborations. Maybe try private shopping appointments for content capture, unique product bundles tied to a creator’s visit or trackable codes that show whether the partnership drives traffic.
The real strategy here is simple: Stop thinking only about how to attract tourists, and start thinking about who already has their attention. Traffic grows faster when you plug into existing pathways instead of trying to create your own path from scratch.
Kathy Cruz is a retail business coach and host of the Savvy Shopkeeper Retail Podcast. Reach her via email at: kathy@savvyshopkeeper.com. Learn more on her website, www.savvyshopkeeper.com and Instagram @savvyshopkeeper.
