Tour Pro Talks:
Tourism chats, live from my kitchen
Tour Pro Talks is my LinkedIn Live interview series (and growing community) for small and independent travel and tourism businesses.
Twice a month, I talk with a guest who’s bringing fresh thinking to the industry. No sales pitches here, just relaxed conversations about the things that matter to SME travel and tourism brands.
Such as, how do you stand out when you’re small? How do you take ideas from the wider industry and make them work in your own destination, with your own offer?
Proudly broadcast from my kitchen table, with punk production values. No studio lighting and the postman might be fixing himself a brew in the background.
Where the real conversations happen
Small travel and tourism businesses do such amazing things, but they don’t always have access to inspiration and the community that bigger operators take for granted. That’s what this series is here to change.
Each episode features someone with something useful to say to independent travel businesses.
And because it’s live on LinkedIn, a global audience of tourism professionals shows up to join in.
Recent conversations from the kitchen table
Connection has always been at the heart of tourism, but in a world of AI-generated content and algorithm-driven travel planning, it’s never been more urgent to focus on what makes you you.
Mitch Bach joined Tour Pro Talks to explore why small operators have a real advantage, why “weird” beats polished every time, and what it really means to put connection before conversion.
Give it a watch, and get ready to question everything you thought you knew about standing out.
Customer journey maps may look great in theory, but real people bounce between tabs, get distracted, and make decisions that are anything but linear.
Brand strategist Catherine Warrilow came on the show to explore what happens in the “understory” beneath the idealised path to purchase.
Catherine shared how attractions and experience brands can simplify their strategy, align their messaging, and stop losing bookings to avoidable friction.
What if a walking tour could change a life: not just the traveller’s, but the guide’s?
Zakia Moulaoui Guery shared the remarkable story of Invisible Cities, the social enterprise she founded in 2016 that trains people who have experienced homelessness to lead tours of their own cities.
Now operating across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and York, it’s a powerful reminder that tourism, done right, can be a genuine force for change.
Venice. Barcelona. Mallorca. We’ve all seen what happens when tourism tips over the edge — and by then, it’s too late.
Jamie Burr, co-founder of Better Routes Collective, joined Tour Pro Talks to explore overtourism: why it happens, what it costs communities, and how guides, copywriters and marketers can be part of the solution.
From his campervan travels through Spain, Portugal and Morocco, Jamie brought real-world insight and a practical framework for regenerative destination marketing.
Got something worth saying?
You could be a great guest if you’re:
- A tour operator, guide or DMC with a fresh perspective on travel
- A destination marketer wrestling with the big questions facing the industry
- A social enterprise or advocate using tourism as a force for good
- A strategist or thinker with something useful to say to independent travel businesses
Download my guest info guide to find out what to expect.
What my guests say:
"...combines being both very professional yet also extremely personal"
Genevieve is such a generous interviewer: she allowed me to formulate my answers in a thoughtful, supportive, and expansive way. .
It was a fascinating journey to allow me to consider my answers in ways that I had never expected they would go.
I highly recommend these sessions: they manage to be both very professional yet also extremely personal.
"you get to share your ideas and your offers with a very engaged audience"
Every time we talk, it feels like free thinking out loud. Riffing on what’s working, what’s not and how we can raise messaging in the industry.
But Genny’s podcast goes way beyond copy. She explores the travel world from all angles, from the perfect cup of tea to overtourism and slow travel. And she’s such a curious person with fab questions.
Joining her is an uplift and a win. because you get to share your ideas and your offers with a very engaged audience.
"engaged and curious audience [...] asked meaningful questions"
She ensured I was well-prepared by sharing thoughtful questions in advance and encouraging me to dig deeper into my insights. Her communication was clear, timely, and supportive throughout the entire process.
What impressed me most was her engaged and curious audience—they asked meaningful questions that led to a dynamic and enriching conversation.
If you’re ever invited, I highly recommend saying yes. You’ll be in great hands.
Join the club.
Fancy a Shetland pen pal?
Become part of my inner circle and get regular emails with:
- insights into storytelling and strategy for travel businesses
- copywriting lessons I’ve learned the hard way (so you don’t have to)
- unfiltered tales from my chaotic family life on the UK’s most northerly archipelago