Travel marketing
In the forth of a series of articles looking at how leisure travel is expected to recover, our Creative Content Strategist, Kristina Sikorskaja, continues to provide a round-up of thought-provoking industry opinion and insights of our own regarding consumer priorities and business opportunities in the early phases of Travel 2.0.
The post-pandemic world is not just a place where travel habits will invariably shift, but also a place where a lot of people will fear to travel. To help overcome any concerns among future travellers, it is time business and brands thought more about their social strategy.
In order to build long-term customer value and loyalty, brands will need to work harder to recapture and strengthen consumer trust, and the number one way to generate trust with consumers is through shared, authentic experiences.
We have already seen that during times of uncertainty, consumers turn to the people and organisations that they trust most. According to Nielsen Research, 92% of consumers trust earned media, besides, UGC is trusted more than any other form of content. Retail brands such as Asos and Boohoo have seen success in their new adopted creative—photography captured by models, stylists, and influencers alike. These in-home shoots feel more relatable and proved to be extremely effective in sparking new purchases.
By businesses illuminating their community members and having them share their travel experiences is how travel brands will be able to persuade and reassure people to go on holidays. But to get people to travel in the first place, influencers are those who can play a critical role in reassuring people by telling (and showing) their followers when it is safe to travel again and where it is safe to travel to. They are a trusted source of information, so destinations and travel brands should be engaging with these people and making sure that they are among the first visitors as their destinations open up again.
For more industry insights on how the travel industry is changing and adapting to the global pandemic, read up our other articles in the Rebuilding Travel series:
– Rebuilding Travel, Part 1: Safety Measures & Innovations
– Rebuilding Travel, Part 2: Behavioural & Industry Changes
– Rebuilding Travel, Part 3: Demographics, New Priorities & Motivations