One of the industries affected significantly by the pandemic has been the Travel and Tourism sector. And with travel bans finally lifting, and many UK businesses in the tourism sector almost back to normal, Travel PR has never been more important.
Why do I need a Travel PR strategy?
Having a strategic PR plan in place is vital for tourism businesses looking to recover from the pandemic. Travel PR Agencies can help companies to understand the customers changing needs, researching popular methods of engagement and measuring the success of such.
Expectedly, the biggest shift in consumer behaviour is the prioritisation of safe travel and responsible tourism. Consumers are choosing to support brands that back values matching their own and in the case of travel and tourism, consumers are calling brands to demonstrate an understanding of wider environmental responsibility and sustainable travel, looking to them for help in making the ‘right’ travel choices.
It is important for your brand to create a Travel PR strategy with this in mind, and we at Polymedia harness traditional media, blogging, social media and more, to help you do just that.
Find out more about our Travel PR services.
So, what does a Travel PR strategy look like in a post-covid world?
Digital Engagement
In Travel PR, use of social media is the quickest and easiest way for a brand to communicate clearly and effectively with their audience. The impact of the COVID-19 meant many people were driven to online sites for both personal and business use.
With more people online than ever, it is essential that all digital appearances represent your brand in the most effective way to leave the best impression on your audience. Whether it’s an update on a new event or a response to a customer query, Travel PR can help you to utilise social media as one of the core methods of interacting with your audience.
Social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok are varying platforms that can allow the travel and tourism industry to connect with consumers, allowing a strengthened relationship built upon trust and authenticity to form.
Especially as restrictions on travel ease, it is important to take advantage of social media utilities such as photos and videos to remind the customer of what they love and update them on what they may have missed out on whilst being away.
Within Travel PR, keeping on top of competitors is crucial, as consumers are far more likely to choose holiday destinations from providers with up-to-date posts and consistent interaction with customers.
Moreover, increased interaction from your audience, adjusts how the algorithm shares your posts – which means your posts would be spread to more people, improving your audience reach.
Storytelling in PR
Storytelling within Travel PR is essential to building consumer relationship, as it can deliver a feeling of personalised experience, beneficial to the customer’s needs.
This is key, as the pandemic has also brought a spotlight on wellbeing and mental health – thus updating audiences on causes that are important to them, such as opening times or relevant cleaning routines, help put their minds at ease and feel safe in choosing your brand.
Storytelling can come in a variety of forms, but it is key they create an emotional connection to have impact upon the viewer to make them want to keep updated and invest in your brand long-term.
The storylines shared should resonate somewhat with your brand values, an example of this would be a wildlife preserve might choose to provide regular updates on a family of birds living on the estate, so that viewers may watch along as they grow and live.
This form of communication in Travel PR allows you to convey the service you provide to your audience – without using industry jargon that some people may struggle to understand.
Simply put, the consumer will have an increased understanding of you and the service you provide, based upon the powerful and meaningful stories you share.
Effectively communicating the value of your property to leisure travellers is crucial to any hospitality brand and allows you to reveal what makes you unique and stand out from the rest.
Crisis Management
Ultimately, a brands ability to react with efficiency and calm in times of crisis can be the difference in maintaining loyal customers, long-term.
No one would’ve expected the past years pandemic – and questioning what else the future holds in store is of upmost importance. Our PR team can help you achieve that.
To find out more about our crisis management services, get in touch with our team.
