It’s time to go on vacation! Will your clients be hiking through the forest trail? Build a castle on a sandy beach? Stargazing in the remote desert? Whether you set up in the happiest place in the world or literally Death Valley, attracting tourists is how you present yourself. While different people will be attracted to different experiences, there are some marketing strategies that will translate across almost any audience. Not sure where to start? Here are some of the best marketing tips and travel swag ideas for tourists.
Marketing tips for the destination
As a destination attraction, you rely on the “wow” factor to bring crowds. But do you know what crowds should attract you? One of the first and most important steps for you is to get to know your audience. Are you offering adventurers adventure? Are you on a long journey for those who are trying to relax in loneliness? Are you a family-friendly place to make memories? Do you only offer unique cuisines available in your area? Whether you are at a restaurant, an amusement park, a guided tour or even a state park, you need to know what you have to offer and to whom it applies.
Once you know what you are offering to anyone, everyone else is getting your message across. Just don’t try and do it alone, though. Reach out to others in the tourism industry and work together! For example, car rental companies and hotels may pass your brochures, and airlines may feature your pictures in their marketing videos. The more businesses display your business as a must-see destination, the more people will make your place a priority stop on their vacation agenda.
Marketing Tips for Travel Services
No matter where people plan their vacation, they will need some help to get from point A to point B when there is still plenty of time and energy left for real vacation. This is where you come in. Airlines, taxi services, car rental businesses, and even hotels can fall under this umbrella of travel services. No matter what kind of service you provide, your main appeal to any customer will be affordable price, convenience and comfort. You may not be the reason they are going where they are going, but you can show that you are the best way to get there.
You should work with other companies to improve your marketing visibility. Create travel packages with other services (such as providing taxi service to certain hotels, or hotel discounts for certain airline passengers.) When it comes to cost effectiveness and convenience. You should also use local destinations in your marketing, show your customers what experiences they can access while using your services.
How to market to tourists
When marketing to inbound tourists, you’ll want to get more family and people who are familiar with some of the experiences available. It will be more difficult to convey a feeling of alienation (unless they come from a completely different part of the country) so you may find it more effective to focus on luxury, comfort from a busy life and creating memories with loved ones. You can also point them to souvenirs that must be there, such as sea shells off the coast, fossils in the desert and zoos, and wildlife relics from the prairie and mountains.
On the other hand, international tourists are coming from completely new countries. Everything from driving on different sides of the road to the natural park and wild amusement park may seem new and strange to them. Show them an adventure outside the world as well as help them navigate safely and conveniently through complex travel issues such as foreign exchange conversion, cost and understanding our tip-based culture, finding transportation, and navigating a foreign language. These people will rely heavily on the tourist-oriented business to help them enjoy their vacation safely and with minimal stress.
5s for travel marketing
Laughs – You know the ads where the kids are running in the sun and everyone is laughing? This is what you want your ad to show. Don’t just show what you have to offer, show people that you enjoy what you have to offer. Seeing these smiles creates an unconscious sympathetic reaction in the audience so that they feel the joy behind those smiles and want to be a part of it.
Places of interest – Whether it’s a landscape, a city that never sleeps, or a luxurious work of art that will leave a dent, you need to show the sights you can afford. Even if you are a hotel without the best visits, you can promote the experiences available near your location so that people know what they will have access to.
The senses – Think of your business as nothing more than a beautiful picture. Engage the images with all the senses of eating local cuisine, touching local animals, feeling the sea air, smelling pine from the mountains, and being physically involved with the landscape. Show them that the adventure you offer is about living, not just seeing.
Service – Are you a hotel with poolside margaritas? Does your airline have an app for navigating terminals? Does your taxi service offer full day city adventure tours at a discount? Take what sets your business apart and make sure customers know about it!
Solitude – Whether parents are busy professionals traveling with their kids or looking for breaks, everyone dreams of spending that quiet “alone” time on vacation. Show how your destination or service can provide that leisure time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Travel swag ideas for marketing
Branded souvenirs
Tourists love to take home items from their vacation, and it works for you if you have your logo on the items they take home! Travel mugs, pens, sunglasses, magnets, keychains, towels and other trinkets make a great souvenir for businesses that want to improve their visibility by contacting potential returning customers and their customers back home. You can also give these items to other businesses to transfer to airports, gift shops and more to spread your visibility.
14 oz stainless steel no camp mug with lid
Cooling towel
Travel is essential for tourists
This is a particularly helpful source of visibility for travel services such as hotels, airlines and more. Luggage tags, toiletry bags, portable chargers and other small but essential items will be used throughout your customers’ vacations and on future trips. Not only do they increase visibility, customers will appreciate your company whenever they use those little essentials.
Standard luggage tag with attached straps
Good Value: PrevaGuard ™ Toiletry bag
Tech Travel Set
If you have big travel essentials, such as duffel bags, backpacks and umbrellas, you can also use them as gifts. Market your services with a chance to win and you will attract a wider audience of tourists who are happy to try their luck while using the services they already need.
Econo Duffel Bag
High Sierra® Impact Depack
Travel gift for client and business connection
Everyone loves a good gift, including other businesses! Pens, stationary, gift sets and other simple business gifts are a great way to connect with others in your industry. Even sharing your other swag reserved for tourists can create a great gift package!
Alpha soft touch pen engraved with Stylus®
Nifty notes caddy and pen
Bodega
Travel marketing is a major part of any business that relies on tourism for any part of their profits, and especially those that primarily cater to vacationers. No matter how amazing your destination or services are, you can’t just rely on BuzzFeed’s top ten listings and five-star Yelp reviews to get the visibility you need. Take the time to research other businesses in your area that you can collaborate with, make sure your marketing is targeted to the right audience, and implement some of our travel welcome ideas and other tips to get the attention your business deserves.