Throughout 2023, the PADI Adventures team was in constant contact with PADI Members via numerous dive shows, Member Forums as well as an improved Member Support system. Even with these frequent communications, there is still value in an in-depth analysis of the previous year.
Beyond looking back at the overview of PADI and its Members’ joint accomplishments during the last twelve months, we invite more PADI Members to align with the 1,200+ PADI dive shops already using PADI Adventures. Together, we’ll shape our plans for the upcoming year, merging PADI Travel’s collective experiences with our customers’ acquisition strategies and aspirations for the future.
Responding to Your Feedback: A Look at Business Improvements
Listening to Members’ feedback has always been at the heart of PADI Adventures’ strategy, and the implementation of features based on this was prioritized throughout 2023.
PADI Members selling online courses, fun dives and snorkeling activities via PADI Adventures and the PADI integrated digital ecosystem now enjoy enhanced features, making the user experience seamless for dive shop owners and their staff.
Furthermore, our Product Team, located across Europe and the USA, have worked hard to deliver tangible business improvements and a strategy roadmap for the future of PADI Adventures.
Enhancements that have already been implemented include:
- The ability to more easily retrieve personal and contact details of guests who have booked through the platform.
- Clear visual alerts and reminders to take specific actions, such as a reminder to send eLearning codes as soon as a booking is received or confirmed.
- The reduction of the minimum payout thresholds in specific countries where PayPal is not available for automatic payments.
- A dedicated PADI Adventures team to provide solid support during the onboarding of new shops, including one-on-one personalized video support for those who need it.
- The introduction of clear content guidelines in order to streamline the product listing process, effectively reducing rejections and saving valuable time during the review phase.
- Video tutorials were rolled out in multiple languages (with more to come) to facilitate the understanding of the platform and how easy it is to use.
- The PADI Adventures Booking Widget has become more user-friendly and efficient.
- The new Professional Activities filter on the PADI Dive Shop Locator makes it easier for divers interested in becoming a PADI Pro to find all of your professional-level courses. These can now be uploaded in the Extranet in the same way as any other PADI Adventures activity, so that customers can book them via the Dive Shop Locator, PADI Dive Guides, the PADI Travel website and the PADI Adventures App.
- Terms and Conditions, including specific points relating to third-party distribution, were established, offering clarity for ongoing collaborations with the ultimate goal to grow your business.
- We’ve also invested in significant growth of the PADI Adventures Team, ensuring around-the-clock B2B Member support for all inquiries and providing quick, hands-on troubleshooting assistance, in addition to regular updates to the FAQs resources.
Booking Trends: What the Data Reveals
2023 saw some clear trends in booking preferences, showing that PADI Adventures is THE tool to acquire new divers and revamp interest from your occasional divers.
- A robust increase in bookings.
- A significant uptick in the use of the PADI Adventures Booking Widget and a corresponding boost in revenue growth triggered by bookings on PADI Dive Shops’ websites.
- An impressive mid-double-digit growth in online product inventory from January to December 2023, with dive shop participation showing substantial growth in the same period.
- A large share of all bookings on PADI Adventures were for courses, many of them entry-level.
Inspiration for Dive Shops Considering Joining PADI Adventures
Considering joining the PADI Adventures platform? Here’s a hot take from Andrea Hoffman, of Create Launchpad, a web developer specializing in the scuba diving industry:
“These PADI Adventures Booking Widgets are brilliant — it takes minutes to copy the HTML code from PADI and paste it on your website, and it works straight out of the box. Literally plug and play! It’s a godsend for dive centers who don’t have a big budget but want an e-commerce or instant-booking functionality on their website.”
Andrea has created dozens of websites for PADI Members. Check out the latest one, on which she has embedded the PADI Adventures Booking Widget.
Looking Ahead: The Future of PADI Adventures
PADI Adventures remains committed to innovation and the deepening of relationships with PADI Members worldwide. Future developments will continue to build upon the successes of 2023, with a keen focus on product and technology improvements based on PADI Members’ feedback. Furthermore, efforts will be geared towards enhancing new distribution partnerships, ensuring PADI remains at the forefront of the diving industry.
Join us in this exciting journey as we continue to dive deeper into the world of diving adventures, attracting more non-divers and occasional divers to take the plunge, discover the beauty of our ocean and take concrete actions to protect it, by booking online with YOUR dive business.
