The travel market is just like any other market. Except it isn’t.
Yes, it’s subject to the same political, economic, social and technological forces as other sectors, but travel is also a market where people invest emotions as well as money. That two-week holiday in the sun is what people spend their whole year saving towards. It’s an experience and a deeply personal one at that. What people choose to do this year compared to last year is also incredibly capricious.
Travel marketers understand that their role in the sector is influenced just as much by data, customer engagement and media strategies as in others. But there is a third layer to add into the mix: the particular year-by-year trends in the travel market.
When you add this all up, travel marketers find themselves dealing with an unconventional degree of complexity. For instance, the travel agent marketer who has data that says customers want Alexa-style convenience for holiday bookings but is committed to a long-term mass media campaign, leaving no budget for app development.
Or the destination marketer who wants a campaign targeting the most profitable segment in the run up to Brexit yet is torn between the growing numbers of staycationers and the international tourists who are taking advantage of a weak Pound. There seems to be an overwhelming number of factors to take into consideration.
Edit have sorted through the macro developments, sector influences and new consumer tendencies to identify the six key travel trends that every marketer should know about. Most importantly of all, we also explain how best to respond.
Whether it’s technology offering new ways to reach out to holidaymakers or those same holidaymakers turning away from technology while on the beach, travel marketers have plenty to contend with.
Here, you’ll see six of the hottest topics influencing the travel sector and what they could mean for your travel brand. In each case, you’ll find plenty of evidence that these trends are here to stay as well as guidance from Edit experts on how you can turn them to your advantage.
If you want a hand implementing any of this advice into your marketing strategy, then get in touch.