Travel marketing - how digitalization has transformed the travel industry

The digital transformation of tourism marketing

As you've probably noticed, the travel industry has changed radically in recent years. What used to be about creating great brochures and big TV advertising campaigns is now about using the digital tools we have to reach the right people in the right way. It's no longer just about reaching out broadly, but about reaching the right people with a message that feels personal and relevant to them. And that's where we can make a big difference together.

Let's take a journey together 😅

How is good marketing used to motivate travel?

How do some travel companies use data to get better results?

We want to reach people where they are, and we can do that by using digital marketing to target the right people. The benefit of digital marketing is that we can get accurate data on what people react to, how they interact with our content, and which campaigns work best. This allows us to fine-tune our strategies in real time, which was not possible with traditional marketing.

One of the most effective tools we have for destination marketing today is social media. When we work with social media, we can get people dreaming away to your destination long before they start thinking about booking a trip. This is where we can use beautiful images, inspiring videos and stories that hit them emotionally. Social media is all about building a relationship with potential travelers. People want to feel like they know the place before they've been there, and it's this connection that we can create.

One example of how we can work smart with social media is by using influencer marketing. You’ve probably seen how influencers can make products or destinations go viral in a short amount of time. When an influencer recommends a trip or a hotel, for their followers, it feels like a personal recommendation from a friend. That’s what makes it so powerful. If we find the right influencers who align with your destination, we can reach an audience that already trusts these individuals. This will make it easier for people to imagine themselves having the same experience.

However, we can’t rely solely on social media. We also need well-designed websites and digital tools that are easy to use. You mentioned that you want to make the booking process as simple as possible for your customers. We need to ensure that when people visit your website, they move seamlessly from inspiration to action. This means the website must be user-friendly, mobile-optimized, and have a smooth booking process. No one wants to spend time on a website that’s difficult to navigate, so we can do a lot here to make sure visitors stay and complete their booking.

Another thing I’ve thought about is how we can use digital advertising more effectively. Instead of spending money on broad advertising that reaches many people who may not be interested, we can use targeted digital advertising. This allows us to show ads to people based on their interests, online behavior, and location. For example, if someone has shown interest in hiking, we can show them ads highlighting mountain experiences in your destination. If someone has been searching for luxury hotels, we can show them ads focusing on your accommodation offerings. This way, we reach the right people with the right message, increasing the chances that they will actually book a trip

Email marketing

How to use email marketing for the travel industry?

I've also been thinking about how we can use email marketing more effectively to stay in touch with potential travelers. It's about sending the right information at the right time. When someone has shown interest in a trip but hasn't booked yet, we can follow up with an email reminding them what they missed out on. We can also use the data we have about them to tailor the content of the email, giving them a personalized experience. For example, if we know they've been looking at luxury hotels, we can send them an offer for a luxury stay with discounts or special benefits. This kind of personalization makes them feel seen, which in turn makes them more likely to book.

When we combine these digital tools - from targeted advertising, social media to email marketing - we can create a holistic marketing strategy that really reaches the right people. We can grab their attention, pique their interest, and get them to take the next step. And best of all, we can measure the impact of everything we do. We can see how many people have clicked on our ads, how many have watched our videos, and how many have actually gone on to book a trip. This gives us valuable insights that we can use to adjust and improve our campaigns over time.

Understanding the customer journey in tourism marketing

What is the customer journey in travel marketing?

The buyer's journey is a concept we use to understand how your customers go from first discovering a problem or need, until they end up buying something - in this case, booking a trip to your destination. It's important to think about how we can support them at each stage of this journey, meeting them where they are and guiding them towards a booking in a natural and comfortable way. This isn't about pushing people, it's about giving them what they need to make a decision they feel confident about.

I know we've talked about how understanding the customer journey is key to creating content and campaigns that hit the mark. When we know where the customer is in the process, we can customize our communication so that it feels relevant and helpful, not like advertising. I'll go through the three key stages of the customer journey - awareness, consideration and decision - and how we can use this to improve your marketing.

Phase 1: Awareness.

This stage is at the very beginning of the customer journey. This is where they realize they have a problem or a need, but they may not know what the solution is yet. They just know they want to travel, but not necessarily where, or they may have a vague idea of what kind of experience they're looking for - for example, a relaxing vacation, an adventurous trip, or a cultural experience. In this phase, it's our job to grab their attention and make them realize that your destination could be the solution to what they're looking for.

You said that you want us to be more visible to new customers, and this is where we need to start. In the awareness phase, it's not about selling directly, but about inspiring. This is where we use content that makes people dream. Think beautiful photos, videos from the destination, or blog posts about things to experience there. People in this phase will often search for inspiration on social media, read travel blogs, or perhaps watch videos of different destinations. So this is where we need to be.

For example, we can create content that focuses on topics such as "The best places to visit for a weekend getaway in Norway" or "How to get a true cultural experience in your next vacation destination". It could be videos that show what makes your destination special, from nature and landscape to food and culture. Most importantly, we meet customers on their terms - they're looking for inspiration, so we give it to them.

Once we know what people are searching for in this phase, we can also use digital advertising to target them with inspiring ads that create interest and curiosity. Here, we can use platforms like Google and Facebook to place ads that pop up when people search for destinations, vacation ideas or specific activities. This is a great way to make your destination pop up on the radar of people who may not have considered it before.

Phase 2: Assessment.

By the time people move into the consideration phase, they've started to flesh out what they want. They may have some options they're considering, and now it's about figuring out which destination or offer is the best fit for them. This is a critical phase because this is where people start to compare you to your competitors. If we don't give them enough information, we risk them moving on to someone else.

You mentioned that you want more information available to your customers, and this is exactly where we can build on that. In the assessment phase, people are looking for more detailed information about your destination. They want to know what they can do there, where they can stay, and how they can get there. That means we need to have easily accessible information on everything from activities and attractions to accommodation and travel options.

We can create blog posts or guides that give a deeper insight into what to expect, such as "A complete guide to a weekend trip in Lofoten" or "The best experiences in Stavanger in the summer". This is also a good time to use customer reviews and success stories from people who have visited the destination. If we can get people to share their own experiences - perhaps through videos, photos or reviews - it will give potential customers a sense of security. When they see that others have had a great experience, they'll be more inclined to choose you.

You mentioned that you want to be more visible online, and here we can also use search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure people find your website when they search for specific experiences or activities. For example, if someone searches for "best hiking in Norway", we want your destination to appear among the first results. This requires us to create good content that is optimized for the right keywords, so we can capture people in this phase of their journey.

In addition to organic content, we can also use paid advertising to target people who have already shown interest. By using retargeting, we can follow up with ads to people who have been to your website but may not have booked yet. These could be ads that remind them why your destination is the right choice, or that offer a special discount or benefit if they book within a certain time.

Phase 3: Decision

In this phase, the customer is almost ready to book. They've compared options and now it's time to convince them that your destination is the right choice. This is perhaps the most important stage, because this is where we need to remove all doubts and make it as easy as possible for them to complete the booking.

You mentioned that you want a simpler booking process, and this is crucial at this stage. If your website doesn't make it easy to book, many people will drop out. This is where we can look at how to improve the user experience on the website, making sure that every step of the booking process is intuitive and quick, and that there are no surprises along the way. People don't want to spend time on complicated forms or figuring out how to pay. The simpler we make it, the more likely they are to complete the order.

In addition, we can use tools such as online customer service or chatbots to help people if they have last-minute questions. For example, if someone is unsure about availability or wants more information about a particular activity, we can make sure they get a quick response through the chat function on your website. This allows us to remove any obstacles that may prevent them from completing their purchase.

We can also offer special incentives during this phase, such as discounts for early booking or exclusive packages for those who book directly through your website. This can be just the little nudge people need to make the final decision to order. When we do this, it's about creating a sense that they're getting extra value if they order now.

After the purchase

Even though the purchase is complete, the customer journey doesn't end here. Now it's all about making sure the customer is happy, so they become an ambassador for your destination. This is a phase where we can collect feedback, ask for reviews and make sure they feel cared for even after their trip is over.

We can follow up with email campaigns thanking them for their visit, offering special deals if they want to come back, or asking them to share their experience with friends and family. Reviews are particularly valuable in the travel industry, so the more positive feedback we can collect, the better. This will help us build trust and convince future customers that they too will have a great experience if they book with you.

By following this customer journey, we can ensure that we provide the right information at the right time, build relationships with potential customers, and make it easy for them to book a trip to your destination. I think this will give us a solid framework to improve your marketing and we can adapt it based on the results we see along the way.

What are your thoughts on implementing this strategy? I'm confident we can get more customers through the door by following this structure and adapting to their needs throughout their journey.

Sustainable tourism and destination marketing

In today’s world, sustainability is no longer an option but a necessity—especially in the tourism industry. You may have noticed that more and more travellers are concerned about the environment, local cultures, and how their holiday impacts both people and nature. This is where sustainable tourism comes into play. Sustainable tourism is about offering travel experiences that not only delight the tourist but also protect the environment, support local communities, and preserve the cultures they visit.

When we talk about sustainable tourism in the context of marketing, it’s about much more than just “green” hotel rooms and recycling. It’s about a holistic strategy for promoting destinations so that we attract the right travellers—those who appreciate nature, culture, and people, and are willing to pay for authentic and responsible experiences. You mentioned wanting to stand out from your competitors, and sustainability could be one of the most effective ways to achieve this.

What is sustainable tourism?

Let’s start by defining sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism means offering travel experiences that protect the environment while respecting the social and economic needs of local communities. This means that tourism should not harm natural resources or culture but rather contribute to preserving them. It also means that the economic benefits of tourism should flow to the local population, whether through jobs, sales of local products, or direct support for local initiatives.

Sustainability is about balance. It’s a balance between giving people the chance to experience something amazing while ensuring there’s still something amazing left to experience for future generations. We need to think long-term, and that’s what makes sustainable marketing so important.

How does sustainability impact destination marketing?

You asked how we can incorporate sustainability into the marketing of your destination. It’s quite simple: today’s travellers, especially the younger generations, care about the environment. They want to know that their travels aren’t contributing to the destruction of nature or the exploitation of people. If we can show them that your destination is a responsible choice, that may be the key factor in choosing you over your competitors.

When we market a destination in a sustainable way, we focus on highlighting the aspects of the place that make it unique while showing how it cares for its resources. For example, we can talk about how local businesses and operators take responsibility for the environment, or how the destination works to preserve its cultural heritage. This not only builds trust with potential travellers but also gives them a deeper understanding of the place.

Sustainability as a USP
Examples of sustainable tourism
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How can we use sustainability as a marketing tool?

It's important to stand out in a competitive industry, and sustainability can be your big advantage. The first step is to make sure that your destination actually lives up to the sustainable values we want to promote. This could mean anything from using local suppliers, reducing plastic waste, to ensuring employees have good working conditions.

Once we have this in place, we can start to promote it in a way that is honest and credible. It's about communicating the specific actions you're taking and why they're important. We need to make it clear to travelers that by choosing your destination, they are also choosing to support a place that takes responsibility. People want to feel like they're doing something good, and that can be exactly what makes them choose to travel to you.

A great example of how we can use sustainability as a marketing tool is to tell the story of the local people and initiatives that make the place special. This puts a human face on your marketing and makes people feel a stronger connection to the place. We can also encourage visitors to take part in local projects, whether it's helping with nature conservation or learning about local traditions and crafts. This creates a deeper and more meaningful experience for them, while giving something back to the local community.

Examples of sustainable tourism and marketing

There are several good examples of destinations that have succeeded in using sustainability as part of their marketing. Costa Rica is one of the best-known examples. The country has long marketed itself as a destination for ecotourism, focusing on nature experiences that do not harm the environment. This has made Costa Rica an attractive destination for people who care about nature and sustainability, and has led to the country attracting a large amount of tourists who are willing to pay more for an experience that feels responsible.

Another example is Bhutan, which has a concept called "gross national happiness" instead of gross domestic product. They have deliberately limited the number of tourists allowed into the country each year to preserve the culture and environment. They have also introduced a tourist tax, with the money going to projects that support the local community. This has made Bhutan an exclusive destination that attracts travelers who are willing to pay for an authentic and sustainable experience.

Both of these examples show that it is possible to combine economic growth with sustainable tourism, and that it's a win-win for both the destination and the visitors.

Challenges with sustainable marketing

While sustainable tourism can be a great advantage in your marketing, there are also some challenges to be aware of. One of the biggest challenges is to avoid "greenwashing". This happens when companies or destinations market themselves as sustainable, without actually having the measures in place. Travelers today are more aware than ever before, and if they discover that you're not living up to your promises, it can damage your reputation.

That's why it's important that we're always honest and open about what you're doing, and that we don't promise more than we can deliver. If there are areas where you want to become more sustainable but aren't quite there yet, we can communicate this in a positive way. For example, we can talk about how you're working to improve your sustainability and what your long-term goals are. This shows that you take responsibility and are willing to develop.

Another challenge is that sustainable initiatives can often be more expensive in the beginning. Investing in environmentally friendly technology or working with local suppliers can cost more than the cheaper alternatives. But this is where marketing comes in. If we can communicate the value of these initiatives to your customers, they'll be willing to pay more for an experience they feel good about. Many travelers, especially in the premium segment, are willing to pay extra to know that they are traveling responsibly.

How to get started with sustainable marketing

If you want to start marketing your destination as sustainable, it's important to start by defining what sustainability means to you and your business. What are the key values you want to highlight? What actions can you take to ensure that you operate in a sustainable way? This could be anything from reducing plastic consumption, to supporting local businesses, to preserving nature and culture.

Once we have these values in place, we can start building them into your marketing strategy. We can work on creating content that highlights these initiatives and shows why they're important. We can also make sure that everything we communicate, whether it's on your website, in social media, or in ads, is consistent and credible.

I suggest we start by taking stock of the sustainable initiatives you already have in place and then look at how we can use these as part of your marketing strategy. We can also look at what new initiatives you can implement and how we can communicate these to your customers.

Sustainable tourism is all about giving something back, both to the local community and to travelers who want to make a difference. I think this can be a fantastic opportunity for your destination, both to attract the right travelers and to contribute to a more responsible and sustainable travel industry.

What do you think about this as a direction? I think this can give us a strong position in the market, and at the same time help create a more sustainable future for tourism.