How to Start a Ghost Tour Business in 2024
Last Updated: 12/17/2023
Starting a Ghost Tour Business: The Complete Guide
If you’ve ever thought about starting your own ghost tour company, you’re not alone. Ghost tours are becoming super popular as people look for those creepy, thrilling experiences that you just can’t find anywhere else. And while it may seem intimidating to start your own tour biz from scratch, it’s totally doable if you follow the right steps. In this complete guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to launch a kickass ghost tour operation. Let’s do this!
Pick Your Concept and Location
First things first — you gotta decide what kind of ghost tour you want to run and where you want to set up shop. Some popular options include:
- Haunted history tours in cities or towns with creepy pasts. You’ll visit spots with dark histories and tell the ghost stories linked to them. I’m getting chills just thinking about it!
- Cemetery tours for those who don’t mind a midnight stroll through the graveyard by lantern light. You can share tales of the spirits rumored to hang out there.
- Theatrical tours with costumed guides putting on dramatic reenactments of famous paranormal encounters. These are more performance-based.
- Bus or trolley tours covering multiple haunts in a single trip. The wheels on the bus go ghost-ghost-ghost!
Consider your area and research any well-known local haunted happenings, myths or ghost stories that could inspire your tour concept. Bigger cities like New Orleans or Salem are obvious choices, but you could launch tours anywhere with spooky history.
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Form a Business Entity
Once your concept is set, it’s time to make it official and form a legal business structure. Registering as an LLC or corporation keeps your personal assets protected if any legal issues pop up down the road. It also makes you look legit when getting licenses, permits, insurance and the like. You can handle forming the biz yourself or work with a service to do the paperwork for you.
Map Out Your Tour Route and Itinerary
Now comes the fun part — plotting out exactly where your tour will go and what ghostly adventures folks can expect! Walk around your desired stops to find the most logical, engaging route to follow. Think through how to smoothly transition the group from one site to the next.
Map out the full tour stop-by-stop and decide on the spooky tales you’ll tell at each spot. Tours generally run 1–2 hours, so build an itinerary to fill the time with the perfect mix of history, hauntings, and walking. Don’t overload it — you want people to have time to snap pics and ask questions too!
Line Up Your Tour Guides
A huge part of the experience is your actual tour guide. Their storytelling chops, showmanship, and rapport with customers can make or break the whole tour. Line up your guides well before opening day. Consider hiring local actors who will thrive in the dramatic role. Hold auditions to assess guides’ public speaking skills and comfort performing.
Have guides study up on your planned route and memorize scripts for each stop. Do dry runs to help them polish their delivery and transitions. Provide costumes and props to add some spooky ambiance.
Get Your Business Licenses and Insurance
Don’t forget about the legal stuff! Research and apply for any required business licenses and permits in your city or county. Liability insurance is crucial to protect you from potential lawsuits, injuries, damages, and more ghostly mishaps. Work with an insurer to get a policy tailored to your freaky risks.
Promote Your Tour
Start spreading the word about your new ghostly venture! Make professional flyers, posters, and brochures to display around town. Claim and optimize online listings to show up in searches. Reach out to tourism boards, hotels, and other haunts about partnerships, referrals, and cross-promotions.
Leverage social media by creating accounts to share local ghost lore and attract your target audience. Enlist influencers, investigators, or psychics to promote your tour on their channels in exchange for free passes.
Set Your Prices and Schedule Tours
Determine fair ticket prices based on your costs and profit goals. Keep rates competitive with other local operators. Offer discounts for groups, students, seniors, kids, etc. Set up your website or ticketing platform to easily handle online bookings and payments.
Block out your calendar based on expected demand, guide availability, holidays, etc. Don’t overbook at first — start small with 1–2 tours per week and build up over time.
Launch Your Biz and Watch It Grow!
Woo hoo, opening day is here! Make sure your guides are prepped and arrive early to handle any last minute hiccups. After each tour, ask for feedback on what patrons enjoyed and suggestions. Tweak your route and activities accordingly.
With awesome customer service and word-of-mouth marketing, your ghost tour should gain traction fast. Consider reinvesting profits into cool upgrades like props, costumes, lighting or sound to attract repeat and referral business. The possibilities are endless if you start out on the right phantom foot!
Let me know if you would like me to modify or expand any part of the rewritten post. I aimed to keep the same structure but make the tone and language more natural and engaging throughout.
Need a Ghost Tour Business Plan?
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Ghost Tour Financial Forecasts
Startup Expenses
Monthly Operating Expenses
Revenue Forecast
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need any special licensing or permits to run ghost tours?
A: Regulations vary by city and county, so do your research. Most places require standard business licenses and permits. Some may have special rules for guiding tour groups or operating at night that you’ll need to comply with.
Q: How much does it cost to start a ghost tour company?
A: Startup costs can range from $2,000 to over $10,000 depending on the scale of your operations. Budget for costs like: licenses, insurance, website, ticketing system, promotional materials, costumes, props, lighting and more. Starting small helps keep initial expenses down.
Q: What qualifications do ghost tour guides need?
A: There are no official requirements, but look for guides with public speaking experience, comfort with theatricality, and enthusiasm for your local haunted history. Relevant knowledge, skills or background in acting, tourism, storytelling or history is a plus.
Q: How much can a ghost tour guide earn?
A: Earnings vary greatly based on your pricing model and number of tours. Many companies pay guides $25-$40 per hour or $50-$100+ per tour. Successful guides can make $200 to $1,000+ monthly as a side gig.
Q: Are ghost tours seasonal?
A: Yes, ghost tour demand peaks around Halloween but operates year-round in most tourist destinations. Scheduling more tours in your high season and fewer in the off-season helps maximize profits.
Q: Is ghost hunting equipment needed?
A: Special equipment isn’t necessary, but some companies incorporate tools like EMF meters, infrared cameras or laser grids for added experience. Focus on great storytelling first before investing in expensive gear.
Q: Are ghost tours safe?
A: Safety is paramount. Carefully assess and address any risks. Thoroughly vet guides, maintain supervision over groups, follow safe routes and obtain adequate insurance coverage. If run responsibly, ghost tours rarely pose major hazards.
