Running a fishing charter is always a changing game, but the past couple of years have been especially hectic. COVID’s effect on travel and customer behavior has changed businesses everywhere, and fishing charters are no different.
And while all travel businesses are in the same boat, we couldn’t help but notice that there are some areas where the fishing industry is swimming in the opposite direction.
To help you prepare for the year ahead, we talked to several captains about how they see things playing out. We also dove into our own data to discover the biggest trends you should know about in 2022.
You’ll hear about:
- A new emerging clientele and how to adapt to their needs
- Things you can do on FishingBooker to set yourself up for success
- Expectations for Spring Break 2022
You’ll Teach and You’ll Learn
Last year brought record numbers of first-time anglers. With COVID putting a clamp on countless activities, fishing became a getaway for many people who wouldn’t normally be wetting a line. According to Outdoor Industry, as many as 4.4 million Americans fished for the first time in 2021.
The new clientele came as a welcome change to Captain Jorge Fernandez:
“Most of my first timers just want to enjoy themselves and learn. They’re not coming in with huge expectations, they just want to have something pulling on the line. And that’s really cool because it brings me back to teaching mode.”
As rewarding as it is, Jorge says having more newbies on board brings its set of challenges. “You have to make more time and have the patience to explain things. But if you do that, you’ll have customers that are extremely happy and thankful.” Don’t just take Jorge for his word – check out his reviews instead.
The learning experience goes both ways. For Captain Charlie Williams out of Orange Beach, AL, an influx of first-time anglers has provided a new perspective on how he guides trips.
“I think a lot of us guides tend to get jaded with what we do. But looking at things from a newbie’s perspective brought up a bunch of questions and reactions that I wouldn’t normally get.“
What does this mean for 2022?
You’d be right to point out that not all of the 4.4 million first timers actually went on a charter. But consider this: these newcomers fished an average of 5 times last year. If there’s a fishing guide considering coming back from retirement out there, now’s a good time to dust off those rods.
A New Generation of Anglers
Here’s a sobering thought: 166 Million Americans – over half the nation – are now millennials or younger. These will be the people with the most buying power going forward, and that spells a few changes for the charter industry.
Getting Reviews Will Be Easier – As Long As You Ask For Them
Like many of his fellow captains, Jorge has had plenty of guests in their 20s and 30s recently. To him, it was obvious that this new clientele did things differently to what he was used to.
“Us older guys, we’ll tell a buddy about our experience all day long, but having to go online to write it down, that becomes a burden for us. Youngsters are on their phones a lot more, and I’ve noticed that they’re quicker to write reviews.” he says.
“I think they’re used to making their buying decisions on their phones, so writing reviews comes naturally to them.”
On average, nearly 2 out of 3 FishingBooker customers leave reviews for their trips. Younger anglers will push this number up to an extent, but to maximize your reviews, we suggest you take a letter from Captain Jay McCorry’s book.
Ask your customers if they found your reviews useful and most will say that they did. When the trip is all done, you can use Capt. Jay’s line: “Remember how you found me through those reviews? Later today, FishingBooker’s going to ask you write one yourself. I’d appreciate it if you’d take just three minutes and share your experience.”
The numbers don’t lie – when we talked to Jay last summer, his listing boasted an impressive 350 5-star reviews. Now, that number is at 434!
Images and Videos Will Define How Many Trips You’ll Get
We’ve talked about the importance of visual content before. But now that your customers are getting younger and younger, it’s time to double down on the visual appeal of your listing.
Before the season starts, make sure:
- The images are bright and of good quality
- The people in your photos are smiling
- Customers can see the species that you regularly target
- Your video shows your clients reel in their catch.
If you want to make your listing stand out even more, you can apply for a free promotional video shot by our professional video crew.
Flexible Booking and Safety Will Be More Important than Ever
COVID has made travel increasingly unpredictable. That’s why, according to Google, future travelers will put booking flexibility and security on top of their priority lists. Here’s what you can do to make prospective customers confident that you’re their best choice:
- Expand your payment options. Not everybody’s comfortable with carrying wads of cash around. If you’re using cash only, consider including credit cards or PayPal on your list of accepted payment options. You’d be surprised by how many people care about this!
If you’re in the US, consider activating Online Payments. This will give your customers a more seamless booking experience but also act as a big time protection in cases when customers breach your cancellation policy.
- Offer to change the booking when something unexpected happens. For most customers, the fishing trip you take them on is the highlight of their vacation. That’s why being flexible and saving the day can earn you an awesome review like this.
- Stay on top of your credentials. Being fully verified assures your customers that they’re in good hands. For extra peace of mind in 2022, consider getting liability insurance.
- Consider a more flexible cancelation policy. Listings with a “deposit non-refundable” policy don’t get as many bookings as those with a more customer-friendly setup. You can allow your customers to cancel for free anywhere between 60, 30, 14, 7, 3 or 1-day in advance. There’s plenty of room to protect yourself while allowing customers some flexibility.
People Will Cross Borders to Fish
After being cooped up for nearly two years, many people are now in full revenge travel mode. And with international travel still recovering, most travelers will look for winds in their hair somewhere closer to home.
Interestingly, though, fishing charters will still see a good amount of guests arriving from beyond state lines. This is especially true in places like the Gulf of Mexico most of the Southeast, where Captains Jorge (FL) and Charlie (AL) both say that 75% of their recent customers came from out of state.
“I had a lot more people come from the West and from up North,” Charlie reported.
In places with stricter seasonalities, locals will continue to fill the gaps during the low season. Capt. Mason Porter (NC) explains: “My customer base is families coming in for vacation. But during the slower months, that’s when I’m taking my locals out. These are people that I’ve known for a while – my regulars.”
Out west in San Diego, CA, guides will finally be able welcome back more out of state visitors. The local Convention Center reopened on January 15, which was great news for captains like Kevin Cibulka. Here, fishing guides rely on a steady stream of visiting business people. Whether businesses will actually go back to doing live meetings is still a coin toss, however.
Customers Will Book Further In Advance Again
Since the pandemic started, a lot of travelers have become apprehensive about booking their vacations in advance. That made sense considering how unpredictable things were. But fishing charters aren’t hotels or B&Bs. Anglers knew that to get the best captains, they needed to reserve their spot ahead of time.
Capt. Mason told us that by late April, he was already booked out for most of the summer of 2021, and Capt. Charlie stayed booked out several weeks in advance for most of the year:
“The newer guys did have people book them last minute when more established charters weren’t available. I noticed that guides that weren’t on FishingBooker also got some last minute trips.”
FishingBooker’s data indicates that people are actually booking trips further and further in advance.
Getting bookings this far out is great news, but it does come with a twist. While the majority of these trips went through, the ones booked furthest in advance actually had a bigger chance of getting canceled.
This is why it’s super important for you to stay in touch with your customers and not wait for the last moment to touch base. If there’s a change of plans, rescheduling will be much easier if you’ve already spoken to them.
Spring Break Is Looking Very Promising
Spring Break 2021 was a huge success. This year, we believe it will be even bigger.
In Orange Beach, last year’s Spring Break bookings came out of nowhere. Now, Capt. Charlie says they’re starting off even stronger: “We’re already receiving bookings for March and April.”
Another encouraging fact is that online searches in January for “Spring Break” have already topped those from a year ago.
And the most important indicator comes from our very own lab. Compared to last January, bookings scheduled for Spring Break have already grown by a whopping 150%!
“Last March was my busiest to date. And I’m hoping that we have the same kind of a reaction this year,” said Capt. Jorge.
Fingers crossed, Captain.
A Lot to Hope For
As we’re approaching year 3 of COVID, things seem like they’re finally nearing an end. For our part, we think that 2022 will be one of the most exciting years to date. But what do you think?
Did you find these predictions helpful? What are your expectations for 2022? Let us know in the comments, we’re always happy to hear from you!
