It was the year without holidays. But despite horizons being confined to their living rooms, consumers haven‘t lost their wanderlust. The Drum explores how top travel marketers are ‘rebooting‘ the sector to get you back on a sandy beach as soon as it is safe.
The travel industry is facing financial ruin. But also, it is restricted from doing its immense social good in helping people rejuvenate and explore. It won’t be for much longer.
Taking flight
Flight comparison tool Skyscanner has got a trove of consumer insights around demand. Jo McClintock, senior director, global marketing of brand and content at Skyscanner says 2020 “has underscored the importance of understanding your audience’s needs more than ever”. Friction and concerns are high, and need to be addressed.
Skyscanner attributes a recent surge of demand to the news of vaccine progress, coupled with Black Friday and its usual peak sales period approaching. “November saw booking volumes increasing 57% over the course of the month,” she says.
McClintock says it is “anticipating a multi-speed return to pre-coronavirus levels of global travel over the next few years,” and is enthused to see what its hardened team can deliver in easier times.
Hard advice
Justin Reid, director of EMEA destination marketing at Tripadvisor has a unique perspective on traveller and hospitality shutdowns. Its 9 million partners, all fighting for dominance and visibility in the service, were affected in some way.
He calls what followed a “reboot” of travel. Reid says: “On the media side, we adapted quickly for our advertising partners. This involved, weekly webinars to share our data and insights, reviewing all creative and messaging to ensure we mitigated any potential sensitivity to our users and giving consultative strategic support on short-term survival and long-term resiliency.”
Travel agents
Neville Doyle, chief strategy officer of independent, full-service creative agency Town Square, based in Melbourne, includes among its clients Qatar Airways and Visit Victoria. “Flexibility and agility, are vital from clients and their partners, along with strong planning.”
He concludes: “More companies are fighting for a slice of a smaller pie. It means differentiate or die.”
