The world is full of wonderful mountains, valleys, mesmerizing beaches, dense forests, historic cities & all kinds of romantic destinations for us to experience.
The tourism industry is generating millions of dollars every year. In fact, according to the latest reports in 2019, digital travel sales are set to reach $755 billion, more than half of the total receipts.
And here is something else.
Do you know how much revenue the global tourism industry generate per year?
It is around $1.3 trillion in revenue per year.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in 2018, travel and tourism grew 3.9 percent.
India in fact due to its significant rich culture, along with beautiful natural topography, ranks third among 185 countries in terms of travel & tourism’s total contribution to GDP in 2018.
India is also the third-largest globally in terms of investment in travel & tourism with an investment of US$ 45.7 billion in 2018, accounting for 5.9 percent of national investment.
Now, with such massive potential, comes the fierce competition. The brands are using innovative marketing strategies to stay at the top of the game.
What is tourism marketing?
Tourism marketing is a collective name given by the marketing experts who do marketing for or within the tourism industry.
Now, keep in mind that the tourism industry is quite interrelated with the hotel industry, as both of them are quite codependent on each other.
So when we are discussing the tourism industry, it includes accommodations, travels, rental services, entertainment venues, tour operators, travel agents & so on.
Why tourism marketing is important?
The objective of tourism marketing is to promote a particular business, attract customers, and generate brand awareness. Many brands use both offline & online marketing, but to be honest digital marketing has a bigger perspective for the tourism industry than offline marketing.
How to market for the tourism industry?
Marketing for the tourism industry can be a bit challenging because of the stiff competition.
But here are some ways you can promote your business online.
Identify Your Target Customers
Knowing your customers is essential for any business, not just limited to the tourism industry.
Think about the business you are associated with & then think about who are your customers.
If you own a hostel in Goa, your target customers are likely to be younger demography, aging from 18 to 30 years, backpackers, solo travelers, college groups, or young couples. Also, you need to market for people outside India of the same age group.
Similarly, if you are a digital tour agent specializing in cruise holiday tours, your primary demography will be upper-class people from ages 30 to 60 or more!
This brings me to the second point.
Be Specific Of Your Business Agenda Or Product
Now tourism is a service-oriented industry so you need to be specific about what you want to provide to your customers.
There are a bunch of products that are suited for young people & some suited mostly for young families.
If you are providing destination tours for young couples, the honeymoon market is the best place to grab.
It would make sense to focus some of your marketing strategies on that specific niche.
Use Of Virtual Reality Marketing
The rise in VR technology is becoming quite beneficial for the tourism industry as people are drawn towards a more realistic 3D environment.
In fact, around 25% of consumers said they planned to use VR in the future to help them decide on a holiday destination.
So it might be a good idea to use this technology in your marketing strategy.
Essentially, virtual reality marketing is about providing the audience with an experience you ought to be offering them so that they can see for themselves why they should choose you over a competitor.
How to use social media marketing in the tourism industry?
No digital marketing is complete without an adequate dose of social media marketing.
Platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram can be a major, major inspiration for choosing holiday destinations, hotels, activities, restaurants and likewise.
Significant Engagement
Here is the Instagram account for Australia Tourism. (pic)
You know why does it look appealing?
It is because of the thoughtfulness behind each picture posted. It has everything that the continent is famous for- kangaroos, stunning beaches, majestic sunsets.
All these are facets of a wider goal of the campaign; to draw more attention, to create a world that people want to be a part of!
Remember there are 3.5 billion social media users worldwide who spend almost 3 hours per day on social networks and messaging.
So to grab their attention, even a small section of them, you need to be unique & innovative in your ways!
Importance Of Visuals
Social media is all about engagement. And to create that you need visuals!
Traveling 7 tourism has an added USP, which is that it can play on the wanderlust of others so pictures and videos can work wonders.
An amazing example of this type of marketing is @VisitCalifornia on Instagram who regularly shares images of the ‘Californian lifestyle’.
They even have dedicated hashtags to showcase the best of the photos to get that extra push.
Paid Ad Campaigns
The organic promotion has its own charm but in today’s age, you need that extra fire to stay at the edge of the game.
In paid campaigns you will have access to engagement data and insights that are useful for finessing your content and strategy, both now and in the future.
You can go for pay-per-click ads or display ads which will further benefit your cause.
What role does personalization plays in tourism marketing?
Nowadays, marketing is all about getting personal, treating your customers as friends.
This could mean, for instance, sending a personalized guide or newsletters, showing them a product they might like. Personalization marketing requires you to capture user data and make intelligent use of it, often through AI and automation.
Use Voice Search
Voice recognition technology has opened new prospects for personalized marketing.
Hotels, travel agents are using voice controls to make things much easier for customers. Additionally, voice search can be used to put customers in contact with a chatbot.
Creating Amazing Guides For Customers
Travelers are one of the main focuses of any tourism industry.
Now, you need to understand their wants & needs. One of the primary things most of the traveler’s wants is information about local cuisine, local attractions, facts & so on.
Make the guide easy to read and understand. Make it skimmable. The more super-secret, “locals only” advice you provide the better.
Benefit Of Using AI
Artificial Intelligence is making a buzz everywhere, then why leave it from the tourism industry?
Research Analysts estimated the size of the global Artificial Intelligence in the Travel and Tourism industry at around $1.6 trillion in 2017. And the number is growing fast.
AI can be used through chatbots, or customer queries 27* 7 regardless of the staff availability.
How can content marketing help the tourism industry?
For tourism marketing, it is important to signify the customer experience. With this in mind, one of the most beneficial tools for tourism marketing is using content marketing.
Create Destination Videos
Not only blogs, but videos can be a vital source for content marketing.
Videos convey a huge amount of information in very little time, so it’s a great way to showcase who you are and what you do.
Create insightful videos to show major attractions in your area, flea markets, local cuisines, helpful tips & so on.
Share them on all social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube.
Promote User-Generated Content
The loyalty factor generated from reviews or even a challenge can create wonders for your brand. People buy from brands they like and trust!
Document the user-experiences through reviews, pictures, short videos & post them on social media. You don’t need to push around your customers to get positive feedback. People love to post about things or services they like on social media.
Influencer Marketing Benefits
An influencer might promote a restaurant by posting photos of the meal they had there, or promote a hotel by sharing a video of their stay.
This can greatly benefit your brand as they have a huge fan following of their own.
To create a highly effective marketing strategy for the tourism industry, you need to stand out from the crowd & promote the qualities that make your business unique.
For an effective marketing strategy Contact Skyram Technologies. We will provide you with a tailor-made marketing plan suited for your business! For more blogs, read here!
