In this installment of our Alberta Tourism Information Service (ATIS) content series, we’ll define what an ATIS listing is, walk you through how to determine what category or categories to use for your listing and explore how to make your ATIS listing stand out.
For detailed information on the information below, visit the ATIS Resource Hub.
What is an ATIS listing?
A listing is one of the content types offered in ATIS. Additional content types include events, offers and articles. In order to add content into ATIS, including listings, you must first have an ATIS account. Anyone can have an ATIS account and each account (identified by your unique email address) can add, or have access to, multiple ATIS listings, events, offers or articles.
An ATIS listing is defined as information about an Alberta tourism experience that is relevant to the leisure traveller. ATIS listings are experiences that attract or support leisure travellers in the booking stage of a vacation as well as help them to navigate while they are in Alberta.
Listing information includes a business’s name, description, contact information, social media sites, and images. For most tourism products (excluding events) we recommend that your first step after setting up your ATIS account is to create a listing.
Did you know?
Depending on your tourism experience, you may be eligible to create multiple listings under different listing categories. The listing categories help to define the type of experience or experiences that you offer and determine where your listing appears within travelalberta.com and other web properties and apps or for publishers that use your content.
When would I enter multiple listings?
Some tourism businesses offer multiple services or experiences. Here are three examples of businesses that qualify for more than one listing:
Example 1: ABC hotel has an on-site restaurant with a unique name and is open to the general public for lunch and dinner. The restaurant is not a chain and operates under the name Nosh. ABC Hotel also operates a full service spa, The Infinity Spa, which is accessible to the general public not staying at the hotel. This business is eligible for three listings:
- ABC Hotel can have a listing under the Accommodation category.
- The restaurant Nosh can have a listing under the Food & Entertainment category.
- The Infinity Spa can have a listing under the Attraction category.
Example 2: ABC ranch offers horseback riding tours that can be booked outside of an ABC ranch stay. This business is eligible for two listings.
- The ABC ranch stay can have a listing under the Accommodation category.
- The horseback riding tours can have a listing under the Guided Tours category.
Example 3: ABC Casino offers an on-site movie theatre called ABC Movie House, a golf course called Links and spa called Luxury Spa. Visitors can experience each of the three businesses separately (movie theatre, golf course and spa each have a separate entrance fee) OR the experiences can be packaged together under a package rate.
What’s eligible for a listing in ATIS
Generally most leisure businesses that operate in Alberta are eligible for an ATIS listing. These businesses include:
- Accommodations
- Restaurants and other food establishments (chain restaurants with more than 7 locations are not eligible)
- Natural Attractions (such as beaches, waterfalls, trails and more)
- Transportation
- Attractions (including museums, ski hills, retail outlets, golf courses, sporting venues, theatres and more)
You can download a full list Category Types and Definitions.
Events are eligible for ATIS, but should be added as an event content type. More on this in a future article.
How do I add a listing into ATIS?
Adding a Listing: The following steps will be your guide in reviewing all of the necessary steps to building an effective listing.
How do I make my listing stand out?
- Take ownership of your listing! – Make sure your content is accurate and up to date at all times.
- Use a high standard of writing – Make sure your listing is well written in terms of sentence structure, syntax, grammar and punctuation.
- Use high quality photography – Images in your ATIS listing often create the first impression of your tourism experience for potential customers. The photos you use to market your business may make the difference in someone choosing your experience over another.
For more information on listings visit the ATIS Resource Hub or contact us today.
