This article will give you points to consider but it does not replace, or act as, legal advice.
Reach out to your insurance company or local industry specialist for guidance that is specific to your needs.
Your guests are a fun-loving and adventurous bunch, and you’ve got all the equipment to make sure they don’t get injured while they’re having the time of their life with you. Seatbelts, helmets, lifejackets… your tours are secure from any bumps or bruises!
It gets little bit trickier to plan for guests who have personal conditions such as allergies though. For food and beer or wine tours or for outdoor adventure tourism, here’s why you should consider asking guests about their allergies.
Are your guests exposed to any common allergens?
If your tour is based around the consumption of food or drinks, or includes using certain products on the skin, you should familiarise yourself with the ingredients to see if there are any common allergens.
Some common allergens are eggs, certain nuts, dairy, shellfish, soy, or wheat. Food, beer, and wine could all include trace amounts of these allergens!
For outdoor and adventure tourism – bee stings, pollen, and certain animals are all common allergens to be aware of.
What Are the Most Common Allergens?
- milk and dairy
- eggs
- soy
- wheat
- peanuts
- fish
- shellfish
- sesame
- tree pollen
- bees
- grass pollen
- cats and dogs
- mold
- dust mites
Asking about allergies on your waiver
The more that you know about your guests before their arrival, the better prepared you are and the more secure they feel.
You can adjust the tour to ensure everyone is catered to and safe, such as by calling the brewery or kitchens ahead and requesting options without allergens.
But even if you don’t have to take special precautions, your guest will feel a little bit safer knowing that your staff are prepared for all scenarios.
Imagine if you were about to go on a hiking tour and entered “bee allergy” onto your waiver. When you arrive, the safety briefing includes information about how the group would proceed if a someone is stung by a bee and has an allergic response. You’d feel like the business was taking your health and safety seriously and was paying attention.
For food, wine, and beer tours – the preferences and allergies of your guests can be more than simply a health and safety question. This deeper understanding of your customers can help you to develop tours and experiences with even more precision.
Monitoring the ratio of customers that have intolerances or allergies could expose a growing demand for a boutique tour that caters to a certain dietary restriction.
For example, that a lot of customers are allergic to dairy products. Now you have the insight to add a new tour or event that specialises in dairy-free foods – and you can market it to the customers who requested dairy-free options in the past!
If you’re not collecting this information in Wherewolf now, you might have guests on your brewery tour avoiding the wheat beers without you ever noticing. By asking after allergens and preferences like this in your waiver, you get a clear picture of how many guests are affected by that allergy (and how many people would be thrilled to see a wheat-free brewery and foods tour come to their town!).
How you can get started
First make sure you have procedures ready for staff to check guest waivers for allergen information, as well as protocols for how to manage that.
If a guest tells you that they’re allergic to something, you should be prepared for their arrival and ensure that any allergen exposure is minimised as much as possible, or that the correct medication and antihistamines are ready.
Wherewolf customers can click here to email Wherewolf Support and ask for our team to add in this question.
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