Information Desks

Information desks are present to assist tourists, both local and global. These centres commonly address the most frequent issues that occur during their holidays. Besides answering their questions, they add to their comfort levels. This positive image will later boost the reputation of the tourism providers, such as hotels or tourist attractions. Scroll down for more insights!

What are information desks?

Information desks are the hubs for providing trustworthy and sufficient facts that relate to travel and tourism for visitors. Usually, these are inside Tourist Information Centres in tourist attractions. You can also find them in hotels, restaurants, points of interest, trains, bus terminals, and others. Travellers can ask multiple questions regarding the best vehicle modes to arrive at certain tourist destinations.

Other types of questions are related to local culinary delights, nearby tourist attractions, hotel recommendations, activities, and booking services. The role of information desks remains and has become more critical today. As you visit a new location, asking for advice from random people is a bit tricky. The common risk is receiving invalid information.

Let’s say you ask for advice from someone at a bus terminal on how to get to a certain point of interest quickly and at low cost. The stranger may suggest the wrong choice, making you waste time and money. Hence, information desks are the best go-to sources. The staff behind the centres won’t lie. Otherwise, they put the images of their workplaces at stake.

Types of information desks

As hinted above, there are some types of information desks that relate to tourist attractions, hotels, and corporations. This results in different categories of content that travellers will get. These support centres will cater to their special needs or problems. This is what makes them part of the whole service excellence strategy.

Besides, they enable travellers to avoid any stress that is partly due to their lack of energy after hours on planes or trains. The information desks offer complete details, so no need to browse some websites at once. The officers will be glad to connect you with certain hotels or transport firms when needed. Meanwhile, let’s check the types of centres in the list below.

• Tourist information centres

This type is usually present in tourist destinations, like museums, islands, mountains, or beaches. The officers will display and distribute maps and brochures to promote the places, facilities, and nearby accommodations. They are ready to explain about ongoing or upcoming events at the attractions. Travellers can come to them when they lose their way or belongings.

• Hotel travel desks

As the name suggests, these information desks are part of hotels and resorts. The management places the centres in the lobbies to make it easier to find them. Among the facts they can obtain are booking flights, tours, and local guides. Guests can also make use of them to discover the facilities within the hotels or resorts.

• Corporate travel desks

Business travel requires corporate information desks. This tour type has its own unique nature as it involves a group of people within a company. The centres offer full details on flight and hotel bookings and transportation handling. You can also find visa assistance for corporate tours for overseas touring.

Three ways to craft effective informative desks

At the surface, information desks may look simple and easy. They collect frequently asked questions from visitors as the primary source. The other source comes from within the hotels, resorts, or tourist attractions. In this case, the desks display the unique values of the sites and benefits for all travellers.

While those provide enough data, information desks need strategies to improve their services. The methods stem from tourism, communication, and marketing principles that make up these facilities. The list below will discuss the ways to bring the principles into real practice. Hopefully, it will help both aspiring students and professionals in the field of tourism and travel.

1. Know and update what the travellers need

Some information desks don’t upgrade their information. They stick to the data that is no longer crucial. For example, the desks at the Tourist Information Centres are not aware of the new and low-budget hotels near their sites. As a result, they can’t advise travellers when they ask for some advice regarding such a hotel type.

2. Communicate properly

Information desks act as a bridge between the travellers and the tourist attractions, hotels, or resorts. Therefore, proper communication, both verbal and written, is very important. If you work in this area, studying language and communication is a great strategy. Here, you will learn how to speak properly to various types of tourists using different languages.

3. Market strategically

Your excellent service at the desks can make a huge difference. Travellers will have good impressions and may visit your hotels or tourist sites again. In addition, promote events, products, or collections at your workplace. You can directly explain those to the travellers. Another option is handing over manual brochures or showing barcodes so they can look at them while on the go.