How this training company keeps near-100% client retention

In this edition:

• Learn Tourism helps hospitality organizations – from theme parks to resorts – build custom online training programs for their staff, business partners, and customers

• Despite the pandemic decimating its industry, the academy now has 65+ partners and hit a 100% client retention rate last year
• Below, CEO Stephen Ekstrom shares the strategies behind the growth

​​1. Define what a successful training program looks like

Before Learn Tourism developed any training program, Stephen and his cofounder Sheena Works spent years studying adult learning psychology. That research became the backbone of the business, a framework called TEA: 

• Transformations: Learners must be able to do something new or better after completing a program

• Engagement: Learning must be active and interactive

• Accessibility: Education must accommodate different learning styles, schedules, and environments

This framework shapes the way Learn Tourism builds online training programs. For instance, lessons typically cap at four minutes to account for short attention spans, while quizzes are built for knowledge reinforcement, not just testing.

2. Give every partner its own branded environment

Many B2B training businesses put all their clients on one shared platform. Learn Tourism made the opposite call – each of its nearly 70 partners gets its own white-labeled instance, with its own branding, admin access, and analytics dashboard. This is made possible through Thinkific Plus, which supports multi-tenancy.

Having their own instance means partners can self-serve, reducing the operational load on Learn Tourism’s team. As Stephen says, “A good portion of what we do is hand-holding – showing partners their analytics and how to use the tools.” That coaching is what turns a vendor relationship into a long-term partnership.

3. Reframe training as a revenue driver, not a compliance cost

Corporate training often gets positioned as something you have to do. Learn Tourism’s pitch is different – it builds programs that generate revenue, attract leads, and produce measurable workforce outcomes.

Partners report reaching 10 times the number of participants compared to their previous in-person training, and being 20 percent more satisfied with the on-demand format. Individual learners see a 17 to 19 percent increase in confidence. When a partner can connect their training program to real performance numbers, the decision to renew stops being a conversation about cost.

With a proven learning framework and white-labeled partner programs, Learn Tourism has scaled to 60,000 enrollments across 65+ programs.

4. Use completion rates as your primary proof point

Learn Tourism’s average completion rate is 80 to 85 percent, well above the industry norm. It only counts programs that have been established for at least six months, which filters out newly launched ones still finding their audience.

This is also a downstream growth driver. High completion rates produce confident learners, and confident learners are the proof point that gets programs renewed – and expanded into other parts of the organization.

5. Let your partners’ data close the renewal conversation

Last year, Learn Tourism retained 100 percent of its clients in an industry still navigating uncertainty. “And we are on target for the upper 90s this year,” Stephen says. That didn't come from long contracts, but from results partners could see and measure.

A key part of that value is showing partners their analytics, like enrollment numbers, completion rates, and learner confidence scores. “Even with the tourism industry in flux, delivering that value allows us to retain our partners,” Stephen notes. When results are visible and trackable, the renewal conversation takes care of itself.

6. Set growth targets tied to things you can actually track

Learn Tourism’s near-term goal is specific: supporting more than 100 partner organizations and surpassing 100,000 enrollments. The current numbers – nearly 70 partners and 60,000 enrollments across programs – are the baseline, not the ceiling.

Having specific, measurable targets gives the business a clear direction to work toward. “If you’re doing the right thing for the right reasons, you’ll be successful,” Stephen says. “It takes hard work and a team behind you that understands how to deliver on the promises you make to your customers.”

Learn more about Learn Tourism, see its case studies, and explore its custom course development services.