Travel PR Can Grow Your Business If Done Right
In 2024, global tourism spending is forecasted to reach 2 trillion USD, with sports and eco-tourism being the highest growth categories.
Perhaps, you are aware that public relations play an important role in every industry, and travel and tourism are no different. But what are the specifics of travel PR? Stay tuned as we find out.
Why Do You Need Travel PR?
The travel industry is very dynamic, and you need to keep up the tempo if you want to stay ahead of the game.
Nowadays, people fly more than ever before, and they are visiting very far away destinations as well. This means that the competition in the industry is very tough, and you definitely need to have good PR, in order to survive.
What Are the Benefits of Travel and Tourism Public Relations?
- Media Relationships
- Business Promotion
- Brand Awareness
- Audience Connection
1. Media Relationships
One of the essentials of tourism PR is establishing valuable, long-term relationships with the media. For example, media outlets often release lists of the best hotels to visit, and getting featured on such a list can greatly increase your authority, and credibility, helping you to create a positive image for your business.
2. Business Promotion
A big mistake travel companies make is to think the only way they can promote themselves is by being pushy. Instead, much greater success comes when promotion is done in a more subtle, and engaging manner.
Blog reviews and press releases, for instance, are an awesome way to tell the story of your business, and generate interest through storytelling.
3. Brand Awareness
Travel public relations can help you streamline the awareness of your brand. Activities like organizing special events, supporting charities, and so on, can easily promote your business.
4. Audience Connection
Connecting with the audience is important for every business, and perhaps, even more so for businesses in the travel and tourism industry. Delving into various public activities, receiving the right media attention, etc., can all bring you closer to your target audience.
On top of that, such PR activities can also achieve better communication, and establish good relationships with stakeholders.
Travel Public Relations: Key Elements of an Effective PR Campaign
- Partnering With Influencers
- Developing Social Media
- Targeting Local Customers
- Participating in Events
- Creating Video Content
1. Partnering With Influencers
An essential element of modern PR is to collaborate with influencers. Not just any influencer will do, though, you need to do your homework and find ones that share your target audience.
Look for influencers and brands that you have in common, and think about how you might gain exposure through collaborations with them.
2. Developing Social Media
Social media is a must. To no surprise, you should definitely focus on developing social media channels.
Nowadays, most travelers book their trips through online platforms, so not having a great online presence will most certainly hurt your business. It is the role of the public relations specialist to make sure your social media and website are full of exciting photos, great reviews, and so on.
The goal is to encourage users to do business with your brand. Of course, each social media strategy should be developed differently and conform to platform specifics.
3. Targeting Local Customers
You might be tempted to market and advertise your business to the whole world, but that is nearly impossible to achieve. Instead, it is much better to focus your efforts on targeting local customers, putting emphasis on specific areas.
Keep in mind that using this tactic means crafting personalized messages, and making sure that your potential customers feel like they are talking to you as a friend. To accomplish this, though, you need to gain a big understanding of their preferences and psychographics.
In the travel industry, word-of-mouth marketing is still a very big factor, so, chances are, they will recommend you to friends and family if they are satisfied with your service.
4. Participating in Events
Participating in PR events or organizing one yourself provides an opportunity to project a favorable image of your company and highlight its social advantages.
Events are a great opportunity to meet your customers, directly promote your business, and create lasting relationships with them. Alternatively, you can also take part in virtual events, which are similar to real live events, but in some ways can provide even more data flexibility.
5. Creating Video Content
Video is one of the most engaging types of content. It is an effective way to capture the short attention spans of modern-day consumers. Also, through the use of video, you can allow people to easily picture what it would be like to go on vacations to the beach, the mountains, and so on.
Essentially, every travel and tourism public relations activity can be enhanced by adding video. Use it on social media, events (live or virtual), etc. The best part is that you do not need to be a professional, you can use your smartphone, as long as the video quality is good.
Remember: the better production value, the more likely you are to convince travelers to use your services.
Summary
Travel PR is essential to the success of every travel-related business. You need to invest in establishing and nurturing your relationships with clients, developing social media channels, collaborating with the right influencers…
One thing’s for sure, though – PR is not an easy job. Luckily, RLM is a PR agency with 30+ years of experience under our belt, so we would be ready, willing, and able to work with you, and help you achieve your goals.