Travel Is Alive and Well. Now What Are You Going To Do About It?

How about we start off this blog post with some good news?

Travel is back! It’s hot, it’s cool, and like a Visa slogan from the 80s, it’s where everyone wants to be! As we learned in our latest travel and hospitality webinar with our friends Movable Ink:

• 63% of travelers say they want to make up for lost time with travel
• 72% are ready to say yes to ANY vacation, as long as they can afford it
• 82% of Americans are planning a vacation in the next 12 months
• Travelers are spending more and staying longer

Data from: Booking.com and Expedia.

So if you’re a travel or hospitality marketer, you’re just out there making money hand over fist, right?

Not so fast.

Your competitors are all salivating as much as you are. Who’s going to come out on top? The brands that make customers feel like they really “get” them.

But how do you do that? Just like a waltz, there are only 3 easy steps:

1. Make the most of your 1st party data

And no, we don’t mean adding FNAME to your emails. We’re talking about taking it a step further – sending targeted emails based on purchase intent, past history, nearest airport, and so much more.

But what if you don’t have 1st-party data? Go get some! IHG recently ran a live poll that had users vote for where they’d like to take their next vacation. They then used those results to target users with recommendations for their preferred destination. If your 1st party data is insufficient or messy, then it’s worth cleaning it up and adding some more so that you can start targeting smarter.

2. Laser-focus on customer loyalty

According to our poll, 61% of marketers haven’t freshened up their loyalty programs since before the pandemic.

Your customers have a stockpile of miles and points just waiting to be used – now’s your chance to make the most of it!

And just to be clear, this is no time to tell your best customers that their rewards points are about to expire! Instead, show them how they can spend those points on an amazing getaway, and while you’re at it, find some new ways to thank them for being awesome. Run some small tests on your best customers and then expand the results to your larger customer base.

3. Adapt your message to the moment

Keeping up with the mood of the moment is tricky – one area is locked down while another is opening back up, some people are masking while others are barefaced, and at any moment, a major news story could break out that affects all or part of the globe. It’s a lot to keep up with, so you may want to bring in some AI to help you do it at scale!

Now if you’re reading all of this and thinking “I want to learn more!” well you’re in luck. Check out our on-demand webinar “Wheels up: Wishing customers a (personalized) bon voyage” to see real-life examples of high-converting content from Apple Leisure Group, Hilton, Best Western, IHG, Hotwire, Jet Blue, Vrbo, Spirit and more.

via GIPHY