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How To Promote Travel Business On Instagram? Best 8 Ways

How to promote travel business on Instagram? Of course, Instagram is a hugely popular photo-sharing app that currently has over 300 million monthly active users. This makes it a great platform for your travel business to promote yourself and your products.

In this blog post on How to Promote a Travel Business on Instagram, we’ll outline the top ways you can engage with your audience on Instagram to increase sales and exposure.

You’ll learn how to create an amazing profile picture, how to measure using analytics tools like Google Analytics & Google Display Network, and how to monitor the numbers of followers you gain through Instagram’s advertising capabilities.

If you want to increase your travel business sales, this blog post is for you. We will give you actionable tips, step-by-step instructions, and examples to help your business take the next step toward greater success.

Instagram is a social media channel that is used to share photos and videos with friends and followers. It is used primarily by women, though it is still growing as a platform for men.

To get started on Instagram, you need an Instagram account, which can be located under the ‘Profile’ tab on your Facebook profile. The majority of Instagram business profiles are set up by businesses that are selling a lifestyle, a product, or a service.

However, finding a business selling travel products purely on Instagram would be difficult. When setting up your profile, make sure you use the same name and logo as your main website so that anyone who comes across you on Instagram then visits your website.

Instagram Business Account to Promote Your Travel Business. It is possible to promote your travel business using an Instagram business account.

Below are the best 8 ways to promote your travel business on Instagram and engage with your audience:

1. Build A Complete Account:

It’s a good idea to have a complete Instagram profile. This will include your physical location, a photo of you, your business logo, and then your captions & hashtags.

To build a complete Instagram business account profile with the correct level of engagement, focus on. Have several quality photos + captions relevant to your business’s target audience.  

You will notice that some of the most popular travel brand pages have an outstanding Profile picture. A great profile picture should do the following:

Be bright and eye-catching so that users can find you easily in search results. Someone searching for a specific destination might look for accounts with great profile pictures to follow.

When using a profile picture on Instagram, it is best to use a height of 566, and 1350 pixels fixed size. Use this size for a profile picture because it gives more impact.

You can use an animated profile picture to grab attention and inspire people to follow you. You can also use a meme, photo, or video as your profile picture on Instagram.

Push notifications are used on Instagram to inform users of new content and updates, usually around photos or videos posted by other users.

You can also use push notifications as a way to get your followers or fans engaged with your brand and keep them engaged with your posts. A travel agent Instagram names needs to be a little unique compared to others. You can use your business name for your Instagram name. A travel agent Instagram names is essential.

2. Use Hashtags:

Hashtags are a great way to highlight your posts and interact with other people who are interested in the same topics.

Instagram offers a tool called the Hashtag Explorer that shows you which hashtags people use when they upload photos to Instagram.

Using hashtags is not the only way to interact with your followers and fans. You can also use Instagram Direct Messaging so that you can connect with users face-to-face to facilitate sales, introduce yourself or ask questions.

3. Take Help Of Business Account Features:

Instagram business account features are useful to help you engage with your followers on Instagram.

The first feature is calls-to-action (CTA). This can be used to tell users what they should do after they have been on your page, such as ‘book now,’ ‘click here,’ or ‘turn off ads.’

Another useful business feature is being able to add links and CTAs in your bio section.

The bio section can be used in a similar manner to how you use your website and business Facebook page. You can use it to give the user a sense of who you are and what your business is about and also direct them to other places on Instagram or outside of Instagram.

If you have a strong SEO strategy, you can add meta descriptions in your bio on Instagram.

4. Advertise On Instagram:

You can advertise on Instagram if you want to spend money to promote your business. Your options will depend on your level of engagement with your followers and the time you have available to promote your business.

If you are not currently advertising, you should use Instagram Ads. Instagram Ads can be very cost-effective for travel businesses if used correctly.

If you don’t want to pay for Instagram advertising, consider creating a campaign in AdWords or Bing Ads. You can monitor the number of followers on Instagram through the advertising capabilities.

5. Post Beautiful Pictures:

The first thing you should do after you have set up your business profile on Instagram is start posting beautiful pictures.

You can post to the main account profile, but it’s not recommended because you don’t want your posts to look spammy.

If you are a travel business and want more followers on Instagram, then your pictures must show people doing something. It could be a certain kind of tourism product or service or someone who is wearing a clothing item you offer or selling your product or service.

You can use different filters to make your photos more interesting and engaging. The Instagram app also has a setting called ‘portrait mode, which is best for taking pictures in limited lighting conditions. This mode can give you the best results from the Instagram photo app.

6. Use Relevant Geolocations:

Your geolocation is an important factor when it comes to Instagram business accounts. You will want your location to be relevant to your business.

It is recommended that you choose the state or region where your target market is located as well as the city or town of that region, as this will enable you to reach more potential customers.

In addition to sharing photos on Instagram, you specify the photo’s geolocation. Then the audience will be more attracted.

7. Share Video Contents:

If you have a video for your business, you should post videos to the main account profile. You can create a profile video that will play at the top of your page.

If you are not interested in making a video, then you should use one of the many other posts that Instagram offers to make videos. You can even upload your Instagram videos as YouTube videos instead if you want to make extra income from them.

In addition to sharing photos on Instagram, you can also upload videos. You can upload some short videos of your trip here. By watching the video, many people can express interest in visiting that place.

Travel content for Instagram doesn’t need to be different. You can use the same video on YouTube or Facebook here if you want. You can use Instagram story ideas for Travel Agency . Instagram travel marketing is pretty simple.

8. Partner Up With Travel Bloggers/Influencers:

Travel bloggers and influencers can help you reach a broader audience on Instagram. You can partner up with them to help promote your brand or business for free if you don’t have a big budget. You have to approach them and tell them about your business, which can help create new followers.

You can also work with bloggers and influencers to create sponsored posts on Instagram, where they will share a photo with one of your products or services along with the product or service you are offering.

How To Promote Travel Business Online?

There are many ways to promote a travel business online. Given below:

1. Google Ads:

Businesses can also use travel ads on Google to promote their business. They will have to use the same strategies as they do on Google’s search engine to get more travel leads and increase revenue .

While making Google Ads, you will have to select the right keywords so that your ads appear when customers search for them. It is important that you find related keywords so that your brand gets exposure and quality leads. You can place paid ads on Google to promote your travel business.

2. Social Media:

Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the most used platforms to promote travel business online. They offer the best platforms to reach out to a large number of clients.

Blogs are also a great platform for travel businesses, and you can use them to promote your brand online. You can write posts on your blog that can help you increase traffic, leads, and revenue for your business.

Blogs are the media for the travel business these days. Apart from your blog, you can add ads to all the popular websites. Or you can connect with popular bloggers about running a travel business.

You can ask, How can I promote my travel business? The easiest way to promote a travel business is online. You can promote online very easily.

How To Promote A Travel Agency On Social Media?

Travel agencies have been making use of social media to spread their reputation and generate more business. Nowadays, people spend most of their day on social media. You can use social media to promote your travel business if you want. Here are some of the best ways that they should be used:

1. Create An Account:

You can create an account on any social media site that you want. You need to create an account to promote your travel business on the social media of your choice. Then you can promote your travel business there.

In addition to the accounts on social media sites, your travel agency can also run a blog so that the followers of your travel agency can read what is happening in the business.

You can post messages and pictures on the particular strengths of your travel business so as to attract more customers. To do this, you must add informative content. You can use images, videos, and GIFs to display your business’s personality and brand.

3. Promote Your Post:

Once you have created an account and posted correctly on social media sites, you can promote your post through paid ads.

These days, the travel industry is very famous. People have a wide range of options when it comes to traveling. They are always looking for the best option so that they can save time and reach the beautiful places of their choice.

If you are a travel agent or own travel business, you need to be ready to promote your brand on social media. Recently we have seen that more and more people are using Instagram for traveling as compared to some other websites.

I hope the above-given tips are useful in promoting your travel business on Instagram. These are the very ways you can boost your business to the next level by promoting it through Instagram. If you have any doubts or queries, feel free to post them in the comments section below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading this post!

How To Promote Your Travel Agency Via Instagram?

If you are a travel agent, you want more clients and earn more income. One of the best ways to promote your travel agency is on Instagram. If you want your travel agency to gain a lot of recognition, then you should advertise it on this platform. You can also promote travel business using the above-mentioned ways.

How Do You Successfully Promote Your Business On Instagram?

The first step that you should take is to create an account on Instagram. Once you have an account, then you should start promoting it by posting great Instagram posts with beautiful images to increase your followers and followership. To promote your travel business successfully on Instagram, you can promote your travel-related posts.

What Type Of Instagram Accounts Get The Most Followers?

Instagram accounts get the most followers by posting great images, videos and GIFs. The more you post, the more followers you get.

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[2023 GUIDE] How to Start a Travel Instagram – 8 Tips from a Travel Influencer

Posted by Mick | How to Become a Digital Nomad | 0

*POST SUMMARY: How do you use Instagram for travel ? Tips from a travel influencer who has worked with international tourism boards and luxury hotels – read below!

Starting a travel Instagram has opened my opportunities for travel influencers to travel the world while making money online . But the question still remains, do travel Instagram pages still make money in 2022? The answer is YES! Who would’ve thought like ten years ago that a platform like Instagram could eventually lead people to pursue their passion, such as traveling while earning a full-time income ? The content creators, who have some of the best travel pages on Instagram , generate their income mostly from tourism and brand sponsored content. Today, tourism boards hire Influencers with a trendsetting travel Instagram accounts to promote their country’s tourism spots.

According to a  National Geographic  report, travel influencers provide an incredible amount of investment when it comes to promoting tourism.  As a result, influencers with a big following and an aspirational travel Instagram pages get hired sometimes on a monthly basis, raking in full-time income while traveling the world. It’s a lifestyle that every aspiring digital nomad wants to achieve.  Considering the opportunities in the travel Instagram space, every wanderluster wants to emulate travel influencers who get to pay a lot of money and travel for free.  Unfortunately, many fail to realize that becoming an ‘influencer’ and having a trendsetting travel Instagram page takes a lot of work and requires a certain level of professionalism to turn this passion into a full-time career through Instagram. 

In this article, I will give eight simple tips to help position yourself to become a travel influencer and turn your Instagram into a full-time career. 

Table of Contents

How to Become an Influencer on Instagram? Find Your Travel Instagram Niche

If you’ve ever wondered how to become a travel influencer , your travel Instagram needs to hone and focus on a specific niche to establish yourself as a thought leader and an authority in that subject.  Traveling is a huge niche with so many sub-niches you can focus on. The different types of travel niches are adventure travel, luxury travel, health and wellness travel, gastro tourism, themed cruises, tropical/island travel, hiking, winter destinations, and so on. Picking one (or if you can blend a couple of other sub-niches through your content), can help you establish authority over the subject.

An example of a travel Instagrammer in the adventure sub-niche would be posting content related to exploring mostly wild, outdoor, and exotic locations that requires a bit of adrenaline. The images and videos in adventure travel give a high focus on non-touristy places, destinations that are still unknown to the masses. Trolltunga, the now popular site in Norway, reported an increase in their tourism from 500 to 40,000 between 2009 and 2014. The spike in tourism credits the rise of Instagram between this period.  Another example of a sub-niche in the travel niche is luxury travel. To be regarded as a go-to influencer in this sub-niche, your travel Instagram would have to be filled with luxury travel content. Examples would be pictures or videos flying in first class, or staying in luxury hotels, or traveling in style that people aspire to achieve someday. 

Build Your Instagram Brand

Digital branding is key to helping your travel Instagram page stand out from the many other successful travel influencers. Many creative travel influencers have spectacular content through their stunning travel photography and inspirational videos. With the number of travel influencers out there today, you need something more than great content to stand out. With that said, digital branding gives you that extra edge to compete with other travel Instagrammers vying for travel campaigns via Instagram sponsorship .  Building a digital brand is part of a travel influencer becoming an aspiration and inspiration.

Perhaps loyalty is the most significant advantage and benefit of creating an aspiring and inspiring digital brand. When you have a loyal following, they are more likely to engage and interact with your content, which is critical if you want to grow the followers of your travel Instagram page. A way to create an inspiring and aspiring brand for your travel Instagram page is to post visually striking images or videos consistently. If your content doesn’t capture your followers’ attention, they will just scroll past your post and be buried among the rest.  Another strategy to create an Instagram brand is through your voice. Do your captions tell a meaningful story that engages your audience to think, and inspire them to join the conversation? We spend quite a lot of time ensuring that our captions on each of our posts reflect our brand and represent our voice. 

Take Great Photos

Instagram is a visual platform, so it should not be a surprise that taking great photos is a massive part of becoming a travel influencer. But don’t think you need to be a professional photographer to create visually striking imagery to inspire your followers about your travels. It’s about knowing the simple tips and tricks of creating a beautiful image and finding your style of photography. Once again, being a travel influencer doesn’t require you to invest money to study photography. However, it does require you to study the basic rules of photography and find a style that works for you. For example, every travel influencer I know is familiar with the rule of thirds, where the basic idea is NOT to place your subject and focus on the center of the image.

Another photography basics are lighting, where travel influencers mostly shoot during a specific time of day (mostly in the early morning) to have the softest lighting possible.  Apart from learning the basics of photography , many travel influencers use Presets to improve their pictures. These days, it’s pretty rare for a travel influencer not to have a preset of their own that they sell so that you can easily copy their feed. If you prefer not to spend money on presets, you can still improve your pictures by knowing some tips and tricks on how to improve  Instagram filters .  Lastly, taking exceptional photos also doesn’t mean having the fanciest and most expensive equipment. For us, we do use a professional camera that helps us create some of our best content. However, there are also moments where a picture looks just as great as using an iPhone. 

Take Great Videos

Mastering Videos is another medium that travel Instagrammers need to master. We especially like to take videos on our travels and make it a point to post on our feed. Videos allow us to capture our experience on our travels better than images can. Editing is one of the necessary skills in creating a powerful Instagram travel video. Great editing would quickly tell a story and draw your viewers to keep watching the video. Focus using some of your best shots on the first five to ten seconds of your video to ensure you captivate your audience’s attention.  Consider using video editing apps such as Adobe Premiere Pro , or edit videos directly on your phone with apps such as Videorama . Both of these editing apps are user friendly and easy to follow and master. 

After you’ve mastered the editing portion, the next step is selecting the right music that goes along well with your travel videos.  Some of the equipment to use to build our Instagram travel pages are drones, a professional camera, and an iPhone. We especially love drone shots because it allows us to capture certain angles that would otherwise be impossible. Professional cameras can capture quality videos as well and are high on the ground level. Lastly, iPhones are also excellent quality for capturing videos for stories.

Travel Instagram Stories

Instagram stories are, without a doubt, one of the platform’s popular outlet.  Considering that editing photos and videos take time, posting on Instagram stories about your travels allows you to give a preview of what’s to come. For us, we rarely post our content on our feed immediately following our travels. The amount of time it takes to edit a video and photograph just takes too long. 

As a result, content creators use Instagram stories to share their content immediately. The posts are typically instantaneous and don’t require editing effort. Instagram stories also allow their followers to get an instant glimpse of their travels, and allow content creators to document everything that is happening during their travels and share them with their followers. It’s fun and a great way to interact with your followers. Instagram stories are such a powerful medium to take your travel Instagram to the next level because it allows you to go off-brand. Regardless of being a travel influencer, posting content not related to travel is entirely acceptable and won’t be seen as ‘weird.’ Posting content not related to your niche allows you to show off a little bit about yourself and other things that your followers can relate to.

Use Hashtags

Travel Instagrammers who get hired for paid travel campaigns, the use of hashtags in almost always part of the deal of the job. It means that for every post we make about the travel campaign, we have to use that specific hashtag related to that campaign.  Using hashtags can make a difference in getting your content discovered and ultimately land on the explorer page. The hashtag allows Instagram to identify people who are not following you but may be interested in your topic. In other words, you could be gaining a lot more followers if you use hashtags correctly.  So use hashtags effectively, whether on your feed posts or stories, chances are your content will reach a new audience you’ve never had before! 

Collaborate with Other Travel Influencers

Part of the job of travel Instagrammers is to network off Instagram.  Not many realize that part of the hustle is to meet other travel Instagrammers and collaborate on creating content. They tend to tag each other on stories and on static posts, which creates an opportunity to be introduced to a brand new set of audiences and grow their accounts.  For us, the best part of meeting other travel Instagrammers is getting an opportunity to be invited to other travel campaigns. If a travel campaign is looking for 15 other content creators, you can potentially get an invite your new travel Instagrammer friend endorses you to be part of the campaign.  Collaborating with other travel influencers also allows you to learn from each other. There are so many creative strategies and knowledge that influencers can share with each other – from little tricks on taking pictures, or how to edit videos, or possibly learning the business side of having a travel Instagram page – networking with other influencers is a crucial part of their growth in the business. 

Starting a Travel Instagram Hub Account 

Many might be surprised to know that you can still start a travel Instagram account even if you don’t have a lot of personal travel content to post.  You might have just said ‘How?!’ Many Instagram travel pages are created to repost other travel content creators. It’s a curated travel page where they repost other travel pictures or videos while giving credit to the original poster. It’s a great strategy to build your travel content and followers in the beginning if you don’t have a lot of travel-related content to post yet.  Some of the Instagram accounts that are travel hub accounts that you should check out our @theglobewanderer , @welivetoexplore , @beautifuldestinations , and @earthpix to name a few.  The travel hub accounts mentioned amassed followers in the millions, and followed by some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, both in the US and abroad. 

Final Word To Start Your Travel Instagram

There you have it!  Traveling while getting paid is possible with Instagram. It’s a dream that many wanderlusters aspire to have given the freedom to pursue your passion for traveling while getting paid to do it.  It’s totally doable, but it seriously takes a lot of hustle, consistency, and dedication to achieve the lifestyle of traveling the world while getting paid.  It’s also important to add that a certain level of professionalism is required to achieve success in the business. Besides creating content, travel influencers have to become business savvy and know how to pitch and negotiate when it comes to paid Instagram sponsorships – it’s all part of the game!

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Hello there, thanks for stopping by! My name is Mick – nice to meet you here. I was born in Manila, grew up in Chicago, went to college in San Diego, and then worked for the French Government up until 2017.

Since then, I have been trotting around full-time. I’m grateful and excited to share all things travel with you, and perhaps we’ll cross paths somewhere along in our journey!

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6 Awe-Inspiring Examples of Instagram Marketing for Travel Companies

This content discusses the importance of Instagram for travel companies and provides examples of successful Instagram strategies used by popular brands.

Did you know that over 60% of people aged 18-34 believe the ‘Instagrammability’ of a location is the most important factor in deciding a holiday destination?Users crave likes and positive reinforcement when they take vacations. This manifests as tons of beautiful user-generated photos and videos filling Instagram’s feed.It gives you an insight into how critical Instagram is for travel companies. There is no better place to show off a picturesque location. We’re programmed to double-click a photo or tag a friend in the comments if we think it looks stunning.While some may tell you that organic reach is dying on the platform, this is completely untrue for things of beauty. Pristine photos and videos of iconic holiday locations will never get old. It taps into the inner emotion of users who wish you could transport them from the mundane day-to-day grind into what comes across as idyllic.So they like, comment, and share. Your reach grows.But Instagram marketing for travel companies goes beyond crystal clear water and pure white sand beaches. Let’s look at some first-class examples of travel companies on Instagram which you can draw inspiration from.

Expedia is one of the most iconic travel brands globally, and its Instagram profile is a reflection of that memorability.What I love most about Expedia’s Instagram strategy is its use of Reels - the most popular content on this social network at the moment.

Via high-quality video (often taken by a drone), Expedia takes its followers to locations they have only ever dreamed of. They partner these videos with provocative, consistent, and on-brand overlay text that piques interest.The result? Thousands of organic views every time.Consider how you can incorporate regular Reels into your strategy to increase your reach dramatically.

2. Travel Nevada

Travel Nevada’s Instagram profile shines a light on its most recognizable landmarks and locations. From Lake Tahoe to Rubies Route and The Loneliest Road in America, you can sink your teeth into videos, photos, and maps of this vast and beautiful state.I particularly like how they feature these memorable locations in the Stories Highlights section, with cover photos that resemble the Travel Nevada logo:

Categorizing content as Highlights makes it easier for followers to find your best collateral. This section is also one of the first things a user will see when they land on your profile.Travel Nevada’s effective social media strategy goes far beyond Instagram. For example, discover how it grew its email list with personality quizzes using ShortStack.

3. Skyscanner

Next up is Skyscanner , one of the world’s biggest search engines for travelers booking flights, hotels, and cars.What makes Skyscanner’s Instagram profile so interesting? Its use of Instagram Guides is what caught my eye.If you’re unfamiliar with Instagram Guides, I’m not surprised. It’s a feature that has only been available since late 2020, and the uptake has been underwhelming.But for travel companies, it’s an excellent way to organize your content and uniquely engage with followers.You can add places, titles, and descriptions to photos in your catalog to create a sequential way for users to visualize a travel destination (or a series of destinations).For example, Skyscanner has a Guide titled “Awesome Architecture” that shows off “Brilliant buildings from around the globe.”

Guides are added to your Instagram profile as an easy-to-find tab next to Posts, Reels, and Videos.

4. Lonely Planet

A list of travel brands wouldn’t be complete without Lonely Planet . It has over 3 million followers on Instagram alone, but its reach is far greater than that.One thing Lonely Planet does very well on Instagram is to use mini-games to increase post engagement. For example, check out the photo below of a sunset in Greece, overlaid with the text “The best sunset I ever saw was in _______” .

The trick is to make questions like this widely relatable (the sun sets every day, everywhere) and easy to answer (just one or two words). It’s no surprise this post has almost one thousand comments!

Airbnb is an interesting addition to this list because it’s less about the location and the scenery, and more about the unique homes of its hosts.For decades, the attraction of traveling has been to uncover secret caves, beautiful mountains, and jaw-dropping views. Airbnb creates a similar sense of excitement and awe from the architecture and surroundings of its homes.All of its content features popular stays, inside and out, to entice potential travelers into planning a vacation. Here are a few examples, but I’d highly recommend looking at its Insta profile!

What can you learn from Airbnb? There is more to travel than the scenery. Culture and experience are embedded in every aspect of a vacation.

6. Intrepid Travel

Intrepid Travel is “On a mission to create positive change through the joy of travel.” When it comes to Instagram, its focus on people makes it stand out. Rather than simply sharing photos of landmarks, architecture, and scenery, Intrepid captures the moments that matter to travelers - the personal experience and joy of being in a beautiful new location with no troubles. Followers can visualize themselves doing the same thing.You’ll notice that almost all of its content includes personal travel experiences:

Be sure to include at least some photos of people in your content so that it resonates on a deeper level with your target audience.

Instagram is the perfect social media network for travel companies due to its visual nature. It also allows you to organize your content using Guides, Highlights, Hashtags, and more.Organized information is critical when planning a vacation. While a stunning photo may catch someone’s attention, the structure of your content allows them to truly immerse in a location and plan a trip.Think of your Instagram profile as a modern-day travel brochure. All the information, excitement, and details a trip planner needs to get started should be available.Are you maximizing your use of Instagram? What could you learn from the examples shared in this article?

About the author

Will Blunt is the founder of Sidekick Digital by Will Blunt - B2B Marketing Expert - Sidekick Digital , a publishing business that launches, manages, and grows brands with content marketing.

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How to Promote a Travel Agency on Instagram

A travel agency’s online presence is just the first step towards developing an online business, and promotion on social networks plays a big role in this. Today, we’ll talk about how to properly maintain an account on Instagram and what you should pay attention to.

Devising a promotion strategy

A social media promotion strategy can only be based on a complete understanding of the brand’s global mission, its values, and priorities. Make sure that your company already has these things figured out.

Next, you need to determine why your brand needs to be on Instagram. Perhaps your main goal is to increase sales, or maybe increase and/or expand your target audience. Your goal will dictate a certain pool of tasks and the tools that will help to accomplish these tasks.

The next step is to study your target audience. If your company develops a high-quality promotion strategy, but directs it at the wrong group of customers, the result will not meet expectations and the resources invested will not pay off.

Your company needs to clearly define its target audience and create a portrait of its ideal customer. It’s important to consider the needs, desires, and interests of the target audience.

Finally, the brand needs to analyze the environment on Instagram: study the social networks of competitors to identify their advantages and disadvantages, and the uniqueness of their selling proposition. After that, you need to form your own USP (unique selling proposition), relying on internal (the company’s mission and values) and external factors (competitor analysis).

What to pay attention to

For several years now, the main task of Instagram accounts is not to collect likes, but to engage customers. It became necessary to build gamified content. In other words, brands need to make posts that customers can respond to.

Engage followers in communication

A modern Instagram toolkit allows you to create interactive content, especially in Stories. You can create Stories with quizzes, polls, sliders with quick response emojis, etc.

These tools don’t just help you to maintain engagement, but also to collect feedback. For example, by using a poll or a free response box, followers can tell you what the account is missing or which offers they find particularly useful and interesting.

Gamified content does not only help keep your followers engaged, but also helps to collect feedback.

Share useful and interesting content

Users may look at Instagram not just for entertainment, but to learn something useful. In this case, you can publish posts with tips or amusing information. Practice has shown that an Instagram account that only contains direct sales will never be able to hold customers’ attention. 

Don’t forget about variety and look for new topics

You should think about what will be in your account besides offers for tours. If you provide additional services (for example, visa processing), dedicate a post to them. If you know everything about excursions in a particular city, then tell all you know. If, during real life, you tell a tourist which beach is the best to relax at with children, then tell this to your followers as well. Get them “hooked” on your Instagram.

Design a visual style

Don’t forget that Instagram is primarily a visual social network. The quality of photo content plays one of the key roles here. Companies should stick to a consistent design, preferably in the brand’s color palette. 

The gallery should catch the eye and make you want to take a closer look at the photos and captions—this will set the account apart from competitors and increase traffic to the page.

The company should develop a consistent visual style for the account in order to stand out from the competition and grab users’ attention.

Be prepared to communicate

Instagram is a living social network where communication with people is paramount. Interaction with followers should be conducted not only through gamified content, but also in the comments—via private messages in Direct and under posts. Questions can be asked anywhere, and you must be prepared to answer them.

Remember to keep content fresh

A content plan and delayed posting services will partially help you manage regular posting. If you have content ready for a week and your posts are planned in advance, you can safely deal with texts and photos for the next posts. 

However, it takes time throughout the day to create Stories and respond to comments and incoming requests, so think about which employee can devote at least 1/2-1 hour a day to the account.

Which promotion methods are available

All promotion methods can be divided into three main groups.

This is the nicest for the brand because it does not require any expenses. Among the free tools, hashtags especially stand out. You need to determine which tags are close in subject and scope of activity, since correctly selected tags can attract the target audience to the posts.

Simplified account navigation

Even if you use captions on photos (posts containing text on photos), it takes a lot of time to find the post you want. Add custom hashtags that match each category. For example, #*name of travel agency*_beaches. Anchor the list of existing hashtags in your highlights to make it easier for your followers to navigate your account.

Yet another tool is geolocation. Many users indicate their location when uploading a photo. Users will most likely search for a travel agency in the city where they live. Geotags will represent the brand on the search page according to location.

Add custom hashtags that match each category to make it easier for your followers to navigate your account.

Collaboration

Collaboration can be a relatively inexpensive method of promoting a brand (for example, if you negotiate on mutually beneficial terms), but requires the careful selection of a partner. Among the available tools are joint live broadcasts, and contests with companies, experts, and bloggers. The main condition is that the partner must be connected with the brand’s target audience.

Paid advertising

Paid advertising is certainly much more efficient than free advertising. The quality and cost of promotion depends on which method you choose. One of the most effective methods is targeting. The main characteristic of targeted advertising on Instagram is that it’s possible to choose the audience that you show messages to. 

Advertisements on blogs and in public groups also stand out among the paid advertising tools.

“Gray” promotion methods have long been recognized by the social network as spam and are immediately blocked. A company will not be able to buy loyal and engaged followers overnight. For these purposes, the brand needs to plan an Instagram marketing strategy.

Those who are planning to sell trips should not neglect a powerful tool like Instagram. The use of promotional tools will help to attract the target audience, but a consistent visual style, regular posting, competent targeting, and interesting partnerships can ensure an account has stable growth even with a small budget.

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The 5 Best Travel Brands on Instagram (and what you can learn from them)

What makes the best travel brands on Instagram “the best”? Why are they so successful? And what can your brand learn from them? In a world where people actually prioritize travel over apparel, you need to know how to get consumers to view and engage with your content over others. Here, that’s what we’re diving into, plus giving you new insights into their strategies, so you can learn from the actual best and ace your social media game.

Instagram is a constantly evolving platform. When used correctly, it can drive brand awareness, boost sales and build engagement. The channel’s primary advantage over other social media is its visual nature. Of course, visuals tend to be pretty intrinsic for travel marketing, but brands can’t rest on just taking good photos and reels to see results. 

You have to implement a relevant, working strategy based on your KPIs to start reaching your goals. Luckily, some brands are already doing that. So let’s take a look at each one, what we can learn from them, and how you can implement their methods into your own social media marketing . 

1. Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has over 3.3 million followers on Instagram. Their feed is full of travel inspiration, tips, and destinations. But it’s clear they’re here for more than just vanity metrics. Lonely Planet has a highly engaged profile with people commenting on their posts and reacting to their content daily. The best part? A lot of these comments tend to be people tagging their friends. This is where word-of-mouth marketing turns digital. 

Why their content works

Lonely Planet has mastered the art of interaction with its content. They post guides, questions, and ideas so that their followers can write their own opinions. Posts like the one below, asking people to fill in the blank, will inevitably get lots of engagement (this post has nearly 400 comments). Lonely Planet has utilized highly engaging posts in its strategy in order to nail organic growth. They’ve combined this with valuable, interesting, and useful content to develop a trusting community that brings their friends with them too. 

2. Airbnb 

This travel brand doesn’t need much introduction. Airbnb changed the world of vacation accommodations and, with it, the way we view them. With a whole host of amazing homes to post about, it’s no wonder that Airbnb showcases what they offer. Quirky stays, one-of-a-kind buildings, and stunning interiors all make up the @airbnb feed. But where they really shine is their content through influencers. 

Airbnb has utilized the power of influencers in all aspects of its marketing. This isn’t just on the side of vacation goers; this is also on the side of hosts. They want hosts and guests to get involved, so why not create influencer-led content for both? Airbnb partnered with influencers like @laureen to build excitement over specific Airbnb homes – a clever choice since 84% of millennials say that they are likely to plan their own vacation based on someone else’s social posts. They also worked with micro-influencer @mariamanna_ to showcase how easy it is to become a host. This is a brilliant example of how brands can build a full-funnel influencer marketing strategy with multiple target audiences. Don’t just tag influencer partnerships in your marketing. Build them into the foundations for maximum results. 

Belmond’s experiences range from riverboat cruises and luxury train services to stays in opulent accommodations. But what makes Belmond’s social strategy work so well is its commitment to customer loyalty. 

To help build this trusted community, influencer marketing was a must. We worked with them to select seven influencers from the travel, photography, and luxury sectors to travel to the “Seven Wonders of Belmond” – Venice, Sicily, Peru, Brazil, Cambodia, and South Africa. Each influencer received a gifted trip and captured the astonishing experiences these destinations offer. The result was a treasure trove of content for Belmond to share across their socials.

Belmond’s approach to working with influencers led to significant engagement and built that all-important brand trust. The campaign drove 37K+ sticker taps to @belmond and the brand-specific hashtag. During the seven-week duration of the campaign, the Belmond Instagram following grew by over 22K. They also drove over 24K clicks via paid social media and produced 277 high-quality social assets for Belmond’s channels. This strategy shows the power of influencer marketing in creating appealing, authentic content, driving engagement and follower growth, and producing useful content for a brand’s social media channels.

4. Trending Travel

The clue might be in the name of this one. Trending Travel is a company that shares the best travel deals for its customers. Their feed is scattered with posts on destinations, flights, and inspiration. But the key here is they are always up to date on what’s trending (hence the name). From posts on barbie themed getaways to seasonal topics, they keep up with the times with every post they share. 

Staying on-trend has helped Trending Travel build 655K followers. Their posts are relevant and on point, but where they really shine is in their story-building strategy too. They ask people to tag @trendingtravel to feature and then share people’s Instagram stories on their own channels. This builds trust between them and their followers and keeps the content coming. It allows their customers to see the destinations that they are promoting through an authentic lens. Combine these daily updates from influencers with up-to-date trends and you have a winning feed. Make sure you’re creating regular stories on Instagram and use UGC to build more content. Not only will it make your content feel more authentic, but it will also boost brand awareness too through riding the viral wave of trends.     

Journee may not have the sheer numbers as other travel brands on Instagram. But their 70k followers keep coming back for more. Why? Because they use real faces. They share customers’ photos of each Journee trip they go on and have collaborated with nano-influencers on Instagram to showcase their product experience. This strategy is less about massive reach, but more about nurturing vacation goers who might be in the consideration phase.

All of the influencers that Journee has worked with are picked for a reason. @emmygoesplaces is a specific travel influencer, so it goes without saying that she has a loyal, close-knit following of travel enthusiasts. Kyra Brucek is a lifestyle influencer who shares her day-to-day, another creator reaching their target market of millennials. Take a leaf out of their book. Working with influencers doesn’t have to be on a grand scale. In fact, micro-influencers and nano-influencers have a much more engaged following than mega-influencers and celebrities. So pick the right talent for your brand, and don’t be afraid of thinking small. Depending on your goals, this might be the ideal plan for upping your engagement rates and, ultimately, sales.

Bonus brand – Ryanair

Instagram is a brilliant channel for travel brand marketing. But to get maximum results, a cross-channel approach can be the best way forward. Ryanair has nailed its humorous online presence on Instagram and TikTok. On Insta, they’ve rolled out relatable memes and image-based jokes, whereas, on TikTok, they’ve posted hilarious videos with funny filters and short sassy snippets. With 90% of consumers being more likely to remember funny ads, there’s a method to their madness. 

Knowing your channels is so essential when creating content. Instagram posts will inevitably need different creative approaches to TikTok videos. Nailing this is essential for your overall social media marketing strategy. The same goes for any influencer-led campaigns. These will need to adapt to the context of the channel they’re displaying on and, of course, the audience you’re targeting. 

What can you learn from these travel brands?

We’ve gone through each brand and why they work. But in all of this information, what do you really need to know to get ahead as a travel brand on Instagram? These are the key takeaways.

• Aesthetics are great, but authenticity is king

A lot of these travel brands have nailed the aesthetics on their channel. What haven’t they done? Come across as fake. Each brand here has trod the fine line between being real and still creating stunning visuals. This is where your brand can really take note. Build high-quality content, but don’t forget to ground it in reality. Show actual experiences through influencer collaborations and UGC. Build trust through these and wow them with inspiring travel content too. 

• Integrating influencer marketing

Influencer campaigns are great, but only if you integrate them within your overall social media marketing strategy. They shouldn’t be viewed as an “add-on.” They’re a fundamental part of some of these travel brands’ success on Instagram. Work out your target audience and create a robust influencer outreach strategy to build campaigns that work throughout the marketing funnel. 

• Bigger isn’t always better

Finding specific metrics to measure is essential for Instagram. It’s not just a place to try and get tons of brand awareness. It’s also a channel that’s great for building relationships, nurturing customers, and leading people through the consideration phase. Understand what it is your looking for first, before implementing massive ad spend or influencer marketing campaigns. You may want to work with nano-influencers like Journee or a mix of influencers with different audiences like Belmond. Making the most of your budget starts with the right strategy, so it doesn’t always have to be the bigger, the better. 

Gram with the right people

Nailing your Instagram strategy means working with the right people. Whether that’s the perfect influencer or the right agency. We help brands build winning influencer strategies on Instagram. So if you want to know if we’re the right people for you, get in touch.  

Insights Manager at The Goat Agency

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7 Instagram Strategy For Tours & Travel Agencies

Are you the owner of a travel agency and curious to know how to promote your business on Instagram? If so, then you have come to the right place. Here at Waffle Bytes , we specialize in managing various types of Instagram and other social media platforms for our clients. We also have expertise in managing travel pages on Instagram.

In this article, we will share our experience in managing travel pages. We will also provide insights on the kind of content that resonates with people on travel pages, as well as strategies for generating organic leads and utilizing paid ads.

Let’s dive into Instagram marketing for travel agencies

On This Page:

Content Strategy for Instagram Travel Pages 

Content is king on Instagram, and if you blindly post only about offers, you are doing it wrong; it will not work. 

To understand why content matters, you have to understand the psychology of people on Instagram. People use Instagram for fun; they are not using it to buy something. However, when they see photos of other people traveling or travel videos showcasing different places, it sparks an idea.

Here is the content strategy and content types for Instagram tour and travel pages:

Travel Reels

The average time people spend watching Instagram Reels is 30 minutes per day. Therefore, the first content format we need to target is Reels. You have to create travel Reels to engage people and build a community. However, do not create reels with generic or stock videos, as this type of content appears fake and boring. Instead, try to create reels using user-generated videos. You can ask your clients or purchase relevant videos, but avoid using stock footage. 

Here are some examples of different types travel reels that can inspire you:

1. Tag Someone or Tag a Friend

This type of Reels receives high engagement because it prompts people to take specific actions, such as tagging someone, tagging their friends, or sending it to the third person on their Instagram DM list

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yelo Holidays (@yeloholidays)

2. Reels of Places

Reels about places are the best way to inject the idea of a travel destination, but it requires creativity and an understanding of video editing.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by JustWravel™ (@justwravel)

Travel Meme Marketing

Memes are the best way to attract travel lovers because they are the foundation of Instagram. Most people use Instagram primarily for memes. You just have to create memes that relate to places or life events appealing to travel enthusiast. Here is an example:

Lastly, find a person who has a good sense of humor, or hire an agency, to create memes and entertain people. Incorporating humor into your content can yield positive results in engaging your audience and generating interest. With the right comedic touch, you can capture people’s attention and leave a lasting impression. Consider leveraging the expertise of individuals or agencies skilled in meme creation and humor to maximize the impact of your content.

Informative Post 

Along with entertaining your audience, sharing informative posts is the next task in your Instagram travel strategy. Most travelers love to consume information, tips, and itineraries about the places they are planning to visit, such as the price per person, distance, and places to visit on a trip. 

Here is an example of an informative travel post:

Customer Feedback & Reviews 

Customer feedback is essential for both the company and the people who will avail of your services in the future. Even in this digital era, people read reviews before booking a trip or buying a product. Therefore, it is crucial to gather customer feedback and showcase it on your Instagram, along with their photos and their booking experiences with you. This will help gain the trust of your future customers and spread positive word of mouth.

Engage Followers with Instagram Stories

Instagram stories are the best way to engage with your followers using polls , quizzes , countdown stickers and the ‘ Ask Me a Question ‘ feature. 

For example, you can create quizzes about different places, conduct opinion polls to gather insights on their upcoming travel plans, use the countdown sticker to indicate validity of offers, and give your followers the freedom to ask you anything related to travel with the ‘ask me a question’ feature. These features provide valuable information about your followers’ preferences, allowing you to effectively predict their likes and dislikes.

Travel Giveaways & Contents 

How does this sound? ‘ Win a luxury holiday in Bali, Indonesia. ‘ Exciting, right? Absolutely! Giveaways and contests are an excellent way to attract an audience because you’re offering something for free, and everyone loves freebies. Therefore, consider launching online contests or giveaways and encourage the audience to complete specific tasks, such as following our page, commenting, and tagging five friends for a chance to win a trip to Manali.

Always remember, don’t be fake and don’t lie. Fulfill your promises made during the giveaway.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Halo Flights US (@haloflights.us)

Influencer Marketing

If your budget allows, consider stepping into influencer marketing. Instagram has numerous influencers, including those in the travel niche. Collaborating with influencers can provide several benefits to your business, such as:

• Reach a Wide Audience : When you collaborate with influencers, you have the advantage of exposing your brand to people who may not be familiar with you.
• Build Trust : Gen Zers value influencer recommendations more than those from friends and family. When influencers mention in their videos, ‘You must visit this place, and you can book with XYZ app,’ it helps build trust among their audience.
• Increased Bookings and Sales : Influencer marketing can lead to direct conversions, with their followers engaging with your brand, visiting your website, and ultimately booking your travel services or purchasing your products.

Here is the guide for influencer marketing you can read: Influencer marketing guide and message outreach template !

In Conclusion

These are all strategies that we believe can help your travel business succeed on Instagram. However, to execute these strategies effectively, it’s important to have talented individuals on your team or consider hiring an agency like Waffle Bytes. Implementing the mentioned strategies requires a content calendar and a skilled content strategist who can guide you on what to post and when.

If you already have an in-house team, that’s great! They can work on implementing these strategies. However, if you’re facing challenges in managing your travel page and need professional assistance, feel free to contact us. You can reach us by phone at + 91 87001 63222 or through our contact form .

At Waffle Bytes, we have the expertise and experience to help you navigate the world of Instagram marketing and drive success for your travel business. Get in touch with us today to discuss your requirements and explore how we can assist you in achieving your goals.

Hi, I am Tarun, and I have been working as a Digital Marketing Executive at Waffle Bytes since 2021. I am passionate about PPC and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and I consider myself a philosopher of these field.

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Travel agency marketing: 4 Instagram content ideas to steal

Learn four travel Instagram content ideas you can swipe for your travel agency today, with examples to get you inspired.

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Instagram may no longer be the freshest and coolest social media platform on the block right now (TikTok currently holds that honor). Nevertheless, it’s still an amazing place for promoting a brand. And this especially holds true for promoting a travel agency with travel Instagram content ideas. Because where do people often post their travel pics and vids? You guessed it—it’s Instagram.

While Instagram is trying to get brands to pay to advertise on the platform, there are many ways of marketing your travel agency on Instagram without giving Meta—that’s Instagram’s parent company—a single cent.

Want to learn how? Then check out these four travel Instagram content ideas you can swipe for your travel agency today. We’ve also included examples taken from some of the best travel brands on Instagram to get you inspired.

1. Design attractive travel social media flyers

Of all the travel Instagram content ideas, the most obvious one might be to create travel flyer posts. But the challenge is getting your flyers to stand out in your followers’ feeds. After all, your followers have no shortage of Instagram content to scroll, and you want them to spend more time on yours.

The key to achieving that is designing travel social media flyers that use attention-grabbing elements. Just like what travel agency Kohhe has done:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kohhe (@kohhe_)

The word “Bali” in huge font immediately catches your eye, as do the graphics of Bali’s famous places of interest. And of course, the image of the airplane makes you want to pack your luggage and jump on a plane to Bali right now.

If you don’t have a professional graphic designer on your team, try using PosterMyWall to design your flyers! We have over 6,800 Instagram post templates for travel content that you can customize using an easy-to-use graphic design editor.

Add your own text and images to make the designs unique, then post the resulting travel flyers on Instagram to market your travel agency.

2. Feature customers in your Instagram posts

Instead of just publicizing your travel agency’s tour packages in your Instagram posts, why not showcase your customers as well? This is a refreshing change of pace that makes you look less salesy, while helping you get remembered.

To do a customer feature, interview your customers to learn their experiences while on a tour with you. Then, use what they’ve shared to craft Instagram posts that showcase their stories in glorious detail. After potential customers read these posts, they might just rush to sign up for your trips!

Here’s a post by Intrepid Travel, where the company spotlighted one of its satisfied customers:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Intrepid Travel (@intrepidtravel)

In the Instagram post, the customer mentioned how she had booked one of Intrepid Travel’s Egypt tours, and how the trip had brought her much joy. She also shared an unforgettable moment from the trip that made it worthwhile for her.

What happened after Intrepid Travel posted this Instagram post? Well, its followers took note of its Egypt packages for sure: the post got plenty of favorable comments ranging from “Love this!” to “Wonderful! I hope to do the same soon. ❤️❤️❤️”

3. Engage your followers via Instagram Stories

Apart from creating Instagram posts, be sure to also make use of one of Instagram’s signature features: the Instagram Story. They provide a great opportunity for you to engage with your customers by inserting stickers such as:

Adding these neat stickers to your Stories lets your followers interact with your content more, instead of passively consuming it (and moving on to the next brand’s content). The more they interact with your Stories, the stronger their loyalty toward your brand—which may also translate to them booking their next trip with you.

If you need Instagram story ideas for your travel agency, take a look at this Instagram Story by Travel Alberta:

The organization used a stunning photo (of a location in Alberta, presumably!) to attract attention, and added a Questions sticker to ask its followers which part of Alberta they wanted to visit.

And Travel Alberta’s followers delivered. They responded with various answers as shown below:

People can reshare their responses to their Instagram feeds for their own followers to see—which only helps boost awareness of Travel Alberta and its offerings among more people.

P.S.: PosterMyWall has got Instagram Story templates too! Just check out some of them below.

4. Demonstrate your expertise with Instagram Guides

Instagram is rolling out new features all the time. As far as possible, you’ll want to make full use of these as you promote your travel agency on the platform. And here’s one relatively new feature worth checking out: Instagram Guides.

This feature helps you add a simple blog to your Instagram page for promoting longer-form content. It works by combining multiple Instagram posts into individual guides, which are publicized in a separate Instagram feed tab.

Here’s an example of an Instagram Guide promoting West Village in New York City, courtesy of travel agency SmartFlyer:

The guide starts with a beautiful cover image, before stringing together a series of Instagram posts of places in West Village. Each post likewise contains an appealing photo plus a short write-up of the location in question. Then, when clicked, each post in the Instagram Guide leads followers back to the original post.

Take a quick look at your competitors’ Instagram accounts: do they have Instagram Guides set up? Possibly not—so this is your chance to showcase your content in a new format that your rivals haven’t adopted yet.

Bring your travel Instagram content ideas to life with PosterMyWall

The competition among travel agencies can be tough, with people planning their summer trips and travels for beyond—and every travel agency (including yours) vying for their business. Instagram’s visual nature makes it the perfect travel agency marketing platform, so use these travel Instagram content ideas to help your travel agency get noticed on Instagram.

This means taking drool-worthy photos of scenic locations and writing punchy copy, and combining these two into polished Instagram marketing collateral. Regardless of whether you’re creating an Instagram travel agency flyer , Instagram Story, Instagram Guide, or something else, PosterMyWall’s travel agent marketing tools make it easy to create such content even if you don’t have design experience.

PosterMyWall can also be used for free, helping you keep your costs down as you steal our travel Instagram content ideas to market your travel agency. All you have to do is to create your free PosterMyWall account here to get started.

Qasim is a senior editor at PosterMyWall. Qasim is a reader and writer during and after work, and likes to explore a wide range of topics and niches. Outside of work, he likes to meditate, listen to good music and journal.

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Effective Travel Ads: Examples and Ideas

Looking for fresh ideas on how to create ads for your travel business? In this article, we'll explore tourism advertisement, focusing on what really resonates with the viewers. We’ll share a selection of creative ideas and insights for marketers looking to kickstart their travel campaigns. Stay with us and get inspired.

Features of Engaging Travel Ads

Creating ads that grab attention and get stuck in one’s head, making them hum the ad’s catchy tunes on the way to work, isn't easy—it takes a whole team of creative minds. But even with all that creativity, these ads often share some key elements and are built on the same basic principles.

The 5 Commandments of Good Travel Ads:

1. Emotional resonance. Ads that evoke feelings of excitement, peace, or adventure tend to connect more deeply with viewers, encouraging them to imagine themselves in the setting.

2. Visual storytelling. Can’t afford a team of outstanding screenwriters? Luckily, in the tourism industry it’s often enough just to show what a destination looks like. This is the case, when an image speaks a thousand words, and a video is worth a thousand pictures.

3. Compelling narratives. Storytelling and a simple, but strong message is what truly sets great ads apart. Always keep in mind that people don’t want to buy tickets and tours - they pay for emotions, memories and adventures with their loved ones. If you want to create a strong message, define for yourself what your company’s mission is, and how exactly you aim to make your clients’ lives happier and easier.

4. Personalization. Speaking to a broad audience is rarely sufficient. Spend extra time to understand who your clients are. What are their lifestyles, budget, values? At what stage of decision-making are they? Are they just window shopping? Are they thinking about where to spend their honeymoons? Or maybe, they already have a destination in mind, and now search for the best deals? Conduct a survey, use big data and hire a strategy team to learn everything about your target audience.

5. Call to action. A self-explanatory, but often overlooked point. A strong CTA that clearly guides viewers on how to explore more about the destination or offer ensures the ad doesn't just captivate but also converts interest into action.

6 Best Travel Advertisement Examples

Let’s take a look at some travel ad examples to see how the industry giants do it.

1. American Express Travel

Why does this Delta SkyMiles American Express Cards ad work? It’s short, its message is perfectly clear and simple, and it speaks to a very specific demographic. If you’ve ever been in a long-distance relationship, you know how expensive it is to keep seeing your significant other frequently. Amex doesn’t offer their clients to save some money on flights. Instead, it offers to remove the obstacle that stands between them and their desired love lives.

In this ad , Amex offers exclusive access to event presales, to dedicated venue entryways and Card Member lounges:

Here is what the Vice President of Global Brand Advertising at Amex, Jessica Ling, has to say about this ad:

“Sports have the power to connect communities around the world. We’re excited to launch these high-energy, contextually relevant ad spots that show a mother and daughter building their connection through a shared love of sports. We hope by watching these stories, viewers will get a taste of the energy and excitement that comes with experiencing sports with Amex.”

2. Booking.com

What does the following Booking ad sell?

Right, it sells the opportunity to try oneself in different roles people don’t get to play in their everyday lives. Whether you're an office worker or a stay-at-home dad, book a vacation and be an explorer, an artist, or a professional surfer. This ad is a pro example of when a strong message gets across even without precise targeting.

And here is a banner ad by Booking:

It has several noteworthy features:

• a great photo, which conveys emotions;
• a clear and straigh-forward CTA;
• seasonality (it is tied to New Year -  a time, when most people probably reevaluated their life decisions and promised themselves to experience life more);
• a limited special offer.

Most companies strive to be omnipresent and reach viewers through all the possible channels. Here is an ad that runs across META platforms. Nothing fancy, but the main elements of a good ad are still here. It features a short video of surfers, a clear CTA that invites to install the app, and a short message that highlights the company’s main proposition - the possibility to find and book a place fast and easy. 

The company makes sure to dominate the search result pages too. Just last month they ran around 2.1M Search ads on Google:

And even though their Paid Ads game is strong, the company visibly invests a lot of resources into Search Engine Optimization . This way booking.com appears on the search result pages of most of the travel-related queries, saving a lot on clicks:

Most of the tourism industry giants use pop-up ads on their websites:

It’s a great opportunity to inform about your current special offers, or get visitors on the email list in return for some bonuses. You have to be careful with pop up ads though - sometimes they can do more harm than good. 

Read more about how to make effective pop up ads here . 

Another effective strategy that many companies use is user-generated ads:

Such approach kills several birds with one stone:

• it costs basically nothing;
• it serves as a social proof and makes the company look trustworthy;
• you get exposure among the users’ following.

Agoda also runs ads on Meta. This ad in particular is 6 seconds long, but enough for the actor to say the buzzwords:  “cashbacks, coupons, discounts”. Most companies use short formats on social media ads, saving longer and more complex video ads for Youtube.

And here is a beautiful campaign run by Agoda during the pandemic:

It shows sympathy for everyone stuck at home, and shifts the focus from closed borders to discovering places in our own countries. It’s compassionate and doesn’t pressure us to purchase anything. It simply suggests that now might be the time to see more of our own countries, and Agoda is here to help with special offers. 

The recipe is the same:

Understanding the pain of the target audience + strong positive message + beautiful emotional storytelling + great visuals. 

Be like other successful companies and don’t forget about mobile marketing . Travel companies that have mobile apps actively invest in Paid User Acquisition and App Store Optimization. 

But, of course, mobile marketing isn’t limited inside the app stores. Here is a creative and slightly dark YouTube ad from Kayak marketers, who did a great job at understanding the struggles of their target audience:

One more proof that the Kayak marketing team just gets us:

No, we’re not telling you to use politics in your marketing messages. But it’s always worth it to keep up with the latest news and trends, in which people are emotionally invested. If done tastefully, such ads are likely to become viral and connect with big audiences. 

Take a look at this campaign that ran on YouTube and TikTok:

Just perfect targeting. If you can, always address different segments separately.

This is an Expedia Facebook ad. If you look closely, you'll notice it's structured similarly to the travel ad examples from other companies we've discussed. It targets parents with family-friendly packages and features a clear call to action (CTA).

Expedia has a very strong social media game. Apart from the most popular media, it also runs ads on Pinterest, which has less competition and still isn't widely-used for advertising.

This video ad from Expedia is another good example of appealing to emotions and using a strong slogan:

If you’d like to get more inspiring ideas and see ad examples, choose a brand you look up to and browse through their social media and YouTube account. Also, Google, Meta and TikTok have open ad libraries that show what kind of campaigns run on the platforms at the moment. 

Ideas for Crafting Effective Travel Ads

Now let’s sum up what we have seen. Based on successful campaigns from leading companies, here are some straightforward ideas for making ads that connect with viewers and inspire action.

🥰 Make an Emotional Connection

Try to create a strong emotional bond with your audience. Like Agoda's campaign during the pandemic, show you understand and care about your audience's current challenges. Showing support for your clients without pushing for sales can make your brand feel more relatable and trustworthy.

🌍 Keep Up with Trends and News

As suggested in the Kayak example, staying updated with the latest trends and news can make your ads more relevant and engaging. This approach can help your ad become popular and connect with more people.

🤳 Use Content from Your Customers

‍ Add content made by your customers, as it's cost-effective and acts as proof of trust. Ads with content from users can make your brand seem more credible and expand your reach to the users' followers, making your company seem more reliable.

✔️ Show Clear Benefits

Make sure your ad clearly shows the unique advantages your service offers, like the Amex Miles Cards ad that focuses on solving a specific problem for its target audience. Ads that clearly state their benefits tend to work better.

🗂️ Target Carefully

‍ Make your message specific for different groups of people, as shown by Airbnb's campaign. The more personalized your ad feels to its viewers, the more effective it will be.

💡 Use Eye-catching Visuals and Easy-to-Remember Slogans

‍ Use striking visuals and catchy slogans to make your ads memorable. Expedia's video ad is a good example of how using emotions with great visuals and a strong slogan can make a big impact.

💰 Promote Special Offers and Benefits

‍ Don't hesitate to highlight special access, discounts, or special deals, as Amex Travel does. These incentives can be a key factor for people thinking about making a purchase.

➡️ Have a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

‍ Your ad should have a straightforward CTA, telling viewers exactly what to do next. Whether it's booking a trip, looking at discounts, or signing up for an email list, make the next step clear.

🍁 Take Advantage of Seasonal Trends

‍ Use seasonal trends and holidays to make your ads feel more timely and relevant. Booking.com's banner ad related to New Year's resolutions is a great example of how to connect with people's mindsets during different seasons and holidays.

By applying these simpler ideas, drawn from the practices of top travel companies, you can create effective travel ads that grab attention, spark interest, and get viewers to engage with your brand.

Unlock Your Potential with Promodo

We know managing ads can be tough. To make a successful campaign, you need strategic approach and creativity. But you don't have to figure it out by yourself. Promodo experts are ready to help you every step of the way, from researching the market and running A/B tests to launching pay-per-click campaigns and analyzing the results. Get in touch with us today, and let's talk about how we can help you reach your goals.

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How Facebook & Instagram Ads Can Inspire Travel

Use Facebook and Instagram in your strategy to reach the right travelers.

Social media is a driving force for travel marketer’s success. In 2019, travel marketers allocated the majority of their digital budgets (28%) to social. But how is a travel marketer to choose which social platforms to advertise on? From TikTok, to SnapChat, to Pinterest, there is no shortage of options. Travelers spend five times more time on Facebook than any other travel-related touchpoint. Instagram, filled with user-generated photos and videos of destinations, hotels, and attractions, is a major source of inspiration for travelers.

In our joint webinar , Facebook reported that in a survey of over 20,000 users on the platform, they discovered that travel is the #1 interest on Instagram, and 45% of people use Instagram for travel inspiration. If your travel brand isn’t there, another one will be. With billions of monthly users, the opportunity on Facebook & Instagram is massive. These platforms are constantly changing and increasingly competitive, with 5 million businesses advertising each month.

A Social Overview

Let’s look at the basics of Facebook & Instagram to help you implement a strategy to reach travelers.

Organic vs Paid Facebook & Instagram Media

Organic social: Social activity without paid promotion. You’ll access a free set of tools to build and engage audiences. Organic social cultivates brand awareness, helps build trust with your audience, and, if done right, can offer a positive customer service experience. Paid social: Reach a larger audience and target ideal customers (many outside of your network) with advertising dollars. This type of advertising reinforces the messaging you’re sharing on organic social, while driving leads and conversions.

A Look at Facebook Ads

A Look at Instagram Ads–Feed vs Stories

Feed: Posts in your feed are evergreen, they stay in your profile as long as you don’t delete them. Think of these posts as part of your official brand–your feed is the “face” of your company. When a traveler goes to your page to learn about your business, posts there will help them determine if they’d like to come visit you. The posts on your feed should rely on a more established strategy as the content is usually planned out. Most users scroll through their feed with sound off, so assume some of the content will be watched, not heard.

Pro tip: Post the best images of your location, images from travelers who had a great time visiting you, and share holiday and seasonal updates.

Stories: Stories can be more of an experience and are ideal for engaging your existing audience. Because they’re fleeting–they only last 24 hours–they can be shared in the moment without as much strategy behind them. They’re more casual and unofficial to your brand, which leaves room for experimentation. Take advantage of some fun sound on experiences with stories– 70% are watched with sound on.

Pro tip: Showcase a fun day your staff had or images and videos that bring a feeling in the moment. Is it snowing across parts of the world, but your hotel is beachside? Entice travelers with feeling like they're already there and they’ll remember you when it’s time to book their getaway.

Facebook & Instagram Make Travel Marketing Easy

Ads on these platforms are more engaging and native to the platform compared to many other channels. Programmatic is a great example of that–when you spot a banner ad, it draws you away from the content. Facebook and Instagram advertisements blend in with the content you’re viewing. It keeps the experience more organic.

‍ Facebook’s ability to analyze performance across devices is superior when compared to other channels. Most users access these platforms on a mobile device but often feel more comfortable booking trips via desktop. For example, on Facebook campaigns Sojern manages, we serve the majority of ads to users on mobile devices–the devices used for inspiration for trips–and can track and measure performance when they book their trips on a desktop.

‍ Facebook’s ad delivery system is very effective . Input the specific campaign objectives to let Facebook know how to optimize who to serve ads to. This ensures you target an interested audience, and encourage them to perform specific actions, always keeping the ads engaging for users. In short, helping you to advertise to the right traveler, at the right time, with the right message.

Travel Audiences to Target Travelers

Facebook & Instagram provide the unique opportunity to target travelers at every stage of their path to purchase–from discovery, to planning, and booking. Through Trip Consideration and Custom Audiences, reaching the right travelers on platforms that drive engagement is more efficient. Use trip consideration audiences during the discovery phase of the path to purchase.

Trip consideration helps identify or prospect new travelers within the Facebook & Instagram ecosystem, and influences them to go directly to your website to learn more and book. For example, a traveler is interested in taking a winter trip and you place ads of your ski resort in front of them. Custom Audiences allow you to layer your data or partner data into Facebook to further enhance targeting.

For an example of how this would work with partner data, when working with Sojern, you can use Sojern’s Travel Audiences on Facebook. With our unique travel data partnerships, we know, in real-time, when someone is searching or booking travel to your destination. We use these searches and bookings as ‘travel intent signals’ and they power our campaigns across display, video, native, and more.

Custom audiences allow us to include these audiences in Facebook campaigns, along with additional support from targeting and performance tactics. We optimize campaigns to audiences, tactics, and targeting that get the best performance for KPI goals.

Multi-Channel Marketing to Reach Travelers Across the Path to Purchase

While social media is a very important part of digital marketing and one of the best ways to reach travelers, implementing a multi-channel marketing strategy is becoming increasingly important. Travelers are using different devices and spending time on different channels every day looking for inspiration and planning their trips.

Customers working with Sojern who ran Facebook & Instagram, display, and Search Engine Marketing on a campaign together saw 2X the number of conversions. Learn more about Eat.Drink.Sleep, a hotel that implemented a multi-channel digital marketing strategy and saw a 7X ROI.

“Travel marketers need to diversify with a multi-channel approach and not rely too heavily on any one channel. Travelers aren’t using only one channel—they’re shopping for travel on multiple devices and websites, researching on social media, and so on. This also allows for generating improved insight into customer preferences, better targeting parameters for campaigns, and ongoing dialogue with customers as they move from planning to purchase.” – Kurt Weinsheimer, Chief Solutions Officer, Sojern

Want to learn more about Facebook & Instagram’s tailored solutions for the travel industry? In our Facebook & Instagram Digital 101 webinar , Facebook joins us to cover one of the fastest growing channels for travel marketers. Or talk to a Sojern expert today to discuss implementing a new digital marketing strategy.

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Our digital ad experience with Sojern has been nothing short of top-notch. Valencia Hotel Group tends to move quickly with various strategies, A/B testing, and consistency exploring the digital space. The creative team at Sojern works alongside with us to deliver ads that speak to our brand in a timely fashion. Sojern works very effectively with keeping our lines of communication open and being aware of our internal deadlines. When the digital ads are presented to us, the team at Valencia Hotel Group is consistently pleased with the designs delivered. They have been an amazing strategic partner.

"My experience with Sojern design team was very smooth and efficient. The example/template provided was very helpful, to explain what we were looking for. Based on all brand elements (ie: fonts, colors, tagline…) and a selection of pictures I provided, they were able to put together a very nice and well-balanced ad selection."

"It was an absolute pleasure working with the entire team at Sojern. We were looking for a simple way to reach potential guests on social media, and Sojern provided a simple solution. They answered all our questions quickly and put together well-designed ads that the entire staff was thrilled with and did it quickly."

"Sojern’s ad creative offering is great! For agencies or advertisers who do not have the ability to provide their own creative, Sojern offers complimentary ad creative with media buy-in. The ad creative process is seamless and turnaround times are exceptional."

"Thanks to Sojern's Reputation Manager, we can communicate with guests effectively, identify problems promptly, and resolve guest issues instantly. Instead of negative experiences, we turn them into opportunities to enhance their impression."

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Mastering Travel Advertising: Effective Strategies and Emerging Trends

You can’t rely solely on people’s wanderlust when advertising travel services because while it may keep your business afloat, it’s not enough to help you make waves in the industry.

Besides, people’s appetite for traveling is dependent on many factors and may decrease as a result of unforeseen events.

We’ve seen this happen when traveling took a hit in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is reflected in the industry’s spending data on digital advertising from previous years. While things are improving, a lot is riding on travel ads performing well.

For your vacation advertising efforts to be truly successful, you need a combination of good strategy and creative ads .

Stick with me as I walk you through the steps of building an actionable travel advertising strategy, including identifying your target audience, knowing the customer journey, setting your campaign goals, and measuring ads’ effectiveness.

Table of Contents

• Understand Your Audience
• Know the traveler’s customer journey
• Set your travel campaign goals
• Craft compelling ads
• Choose the Right Channels
• Measure your ads’ effectiveness

Travel Advertising trends

1. understand your audience.

A well-defined target audience is the foundation of any good travel advertising strategy. 

Just think what a waste of resources it would be to target users with no potential to become customers. Narrowing down the group allows you to focus your efforts on reaching those who would benefit most from your travel services.

Plus, with a clear target audience in mind, you can create travel ads that double as personalized customer experiences, proven to be more successful in converting to sales.

To define your audience, make a list of different attributes you’d like your ideal customer to have, a.k.a. build a buyer persona. These attributes can be geographic, demographic, psychographic, or behavioral. 

• Geographic : anything related to location, including customers’ country, region, city, or even postal code;
• Demographic : population-based attributes, such as gender, age, education, income, marital status, and so on;
• Psychographic : personality traits, values, interests, hobbies, and lifestyle aspects;
• Behavioral : online behaviors according to browsing patterns, spending and purchasing habits, and many others.

2. Know the traveler’s customer journey

The customer journey sums up all interactions a prospect has with a brand during the purchase process, from the first encounter, up until a transaction is completed. 

Commonly, it’s divided into three main stages: awareness, consideration, and conversion.

However, a traveler’s customer journey differs from the typical model because booking a trip isn’t an easy-to-make purchase decision; quite the opposite—a lot of thought and planning is put into it. 

I mean, would you buy plane tickets as quickly as you would a chocolate bar? Me neither.

So, the customer’s travel journey can be split into the following four to five stages: 

• Dreaming: whether it’s picturing themselves in a gondola on the canals of Venice or sunbathing in Greece, all soon-to-be travelers begin here.
• Planning: even the most spontaneous people make some sort of arrangement for their trip, even if it only implies picking a hotel to stay at.
• Booking: prospects are ready to buy plane tickets and book accommodation. 
• Experiencing: travelers are enjoying their vacation and making lasting memories.
• Remembering: this is an optional stage that comes after the traveler’s journey is completed, where you can consolidate the relationship with your brand .

Understanding this customer journey allows you to time your travel advertising to the most favorable moments, specifically when prospects are in the planning and booking stages.

3. Set your travel campaign goals

Goals or objectives give your travel campaigns a clear direction and help you measure progress along the way, so you don’t lose sight of the value of your work.

To yield the best results, you should set your campaign goals according to the S.M.A.R.T. criteria. The acronym stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, all qualities your goals should have.

A few of the most common goals that can aid your campaign’s success are the following:

• Increase brand awareness by getting your travel services on the radar of potential customers;
• Grow website traffic or attract new visitors to your company’s website;
• Drive consideration through campaigns that promote different travel services;
• Generate leads , whether that means new subscribers to a newsletter or prospects filling out a form to find out more about an offer;
• Boost conversions , a.k.a. make sales.

4. Craft compelling ads

Use high-quality visuals.

Travel advertising relies heavily on visuals. Use high-resolution images and videos that showcase the destinations, experiences, and accommodations you offer. Invest in professional photography or use user-generated content with permission.

Tell a Story

People are more likely to engage with ads that tell a story. Highlight the unique aspects of the destinations and experiences you offer. Use customer testimonials and success stories to build trust and credibility.

Include Strong Calls to Action

Encourage potential customers to take action by including clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs) in your ads. Whether it’s “Book Now,” “Learn More,” or “Get a Free Quote,” make sure your CTA stands out.

Leverage Seasonality

Tourism is highly dependent on weather conditions, which creates three seasons in the travel industry: peak season, shoulder season, and off-season.

• Peak Season (High Season): Summertime (mid-June through August), when demand is at its highest.
• Shoulder Season: From April to mid-June and from September to October, when people still travel, but not as much as during peak season.
• Off-Season: From November to March, when travel businesses experience a decline in sales.

Seasonality isn’t necessarily negative for travel marketing as it provides a clear perspective over the coming months. Stay mindful of seasonal patterns and trends to understand when prospects are most likely to purchase plane tickets, accommodation, or all-inclusive offers. Timing your creative ads and tailoring your messaging according to these seasons can significantly influence purchase decisions.

5. Choose the Right Channels

There are numerous advertising platforms available, and the easiest way to identify the most suitable ones for your brand is to look at where your customers are spending time.

Generally, the following three platforms are obvious choices for most businesses: Google Ads: Running search or display campaigns on the Google ad network allows you to leverage Google’s massive reach and advanced targeting options to get in front of potential customers exactly when they are looking for travel services.

Social media ads: Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, advertising on social media helps you increase brand recognition and reach a wider audience at the same time. Plus, it gives you the chance to experiment with a wide range of ad formats, including image and video ads.

Email marketing: Email offers a direct communication channel with customers that you can use to send personalized messaging, as well as discounts and special offers. Besides, it’s a cost-effective marketing method that provides easily measurable results.

6. Measure your ads’ effectiveness

Even with a killer strategy up your sleeve, things might not go as expected. And even if they do, measuring the success of your travel campaign is vital to understanding how your vacation ads are performing. 

If everything is going well, you’ll know what to repeat with future campaigns, and in the opposite scenario, you’ll figure out how to optimize ads for success.

Luckily each advertising platform, including Google and Facebook , offers relevant metrics known as KPIs (key performance indicators) to track for the most popular campaign objectives. Hence, you know exactly what to look at.

Things work differently for email marketing campaigns, as you need third-party tools that also enable email automation to measure campaign performance.

Staying up-to-date with travel advertising trends is essential to keep your strategy fresh and compelling. Here are some current trends to consider:

Sustainability

Sustainable travel is gaining traction. Highlight eco-friendly practices and sustainable travel options in your ads to appeal to environmentally conscious travelers. Emphasize efforts such as carbon offset programs, eco-friendly accommodations, and sustainable travel itineraries.

Remote Work Travel

The rise of remote work has led to a new trend: the digital nomad lifestyle. Many professionals now have the flexibility to work from anywhere, making destinations that offer reliable internet, coworking spaces, and long-term stays particularly attractive. Advertise destinations as ideal remote work locations, emphasizing amenities and lifestyle benefits.

Solo Travel

Solo travel continues to grow in popularity, with more people seeking independent and personalized travel experiences. Create ads that cater to solo travelers by highlighting safe, welcoming destinations, solo travel packages, and opportunities for social activities and community engagement.

Wellness Travel

Wellness travel is on the rise as more people seek vacations that offer relaxation, health, and rejuvenation. Advertise spa retreats, yoga retreats, wellness resorts, and health-oriented travel packages to attract this growing segment.

What is the future of Travel Advertising?

• The future of travel advertising is expected to be highly personalized, leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver tailored content and offers to travelers. The focus will also be on creating immersive experiences through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), allowing potential travelers to explore destinations virtually before booking. Sustainability will play a crucial role, with more travelers seeking eco-friendly options and companies highlighting their sustainable practices in their advertising.

How important is social media for travel advertising?

• Social media is incredibly important for travel advertising as it allows brands to reach a broad audience, engage with potential travelers, and showcase destinations and experiences through compelling visuals and stories.

How can I measure the success of my travel advertising campaign?

• Success can be measured through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, click-through rates, conversion rates, return on ad spend (ROAS), and engagement rates on social media.

What are some effective strategies for off-season travel advertising?

• During the off-season, focus on highlighting unique experiences and deals that travelers can take advantage of. Use personalized marketing to target specific demographics and interests, and consider promoting destinations that offer activities suitable for the off-season.

How can influencers help my travel advertising strategy?

• Influencers can help by reaching a wider audience and building trust through authentic content. They can showcase your destinations and services in a relatable way, which can lead to increased engagement and conversions.

As seen from the strategy tips and information in this article, understanding and connecting with the customer is key in the travel industry. Hopefully, you’ve learned something new that you can implement when planning your future travel campaign or designing ads for it.

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• 9 Instagram Accounts for Travel Advisors to Follow

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Social media is so oversaturated, it's tough to know what to focus on. But by following the right accounts, scrolling can be a valuable experience for travel advisors to get itinerary ideas, sales and marketing tips, and more. Here are some Instagram accounts that we recommend every travel advisor follow. 

@ciretravel 

          View this profile on Instagram                       CIRE Travel: Luxury Travel (@ ciretravel ) • Instagram photos and videos

CIRE Travel is a luxury agency booking group travel – from corporate business trips to family vacations and honeymoons. President and founder Eric Hrubant was recently featured on two business podcasts where he discusses the agency's success, which can be found on the account, as well as monthly updates on where CIRE Travel is sending its clients and spectacular photos from their trips. 

          View this profile on Instagram                       Fora (@ hellofora ) • Instagram photos and videos

Fora Travel, a technology-driven travel agency, of course has a stunning Instagram account showcasing its supplier partners, FAM trips, and more. Some recent helpful posts include "Insider Recs to Level Up Your Italy Vacation This Summer" and "Destination Debrief: California Coast Road Trip." The account also features its talented agents and an all-around aesthetically pleasing presence to have on your feed. 

@marty_sandiego

          View this profile on Instagram                       Black Travel Show host / Tech Founder (@ marty_sandiego ) • Instagram photos and videos

Martinique Lewis is a diverse travel expert and founder of ABC Travel Greenbook, a guide that connects travelers to the African Diaspora globally. On her Instagram, Lewis features Black-owned businesses – from brunch spots and cocktail bars to airport restaurants and even a snack museum – in many hot tourist destinations. She highlights hidden gems worldwide, so advisors can follow her for itinerary ideas, especially for clients who want to be in community with and support Black business owners. 

@myadventurebook__

          View this profile on Instagram                       Nicole Delahanty (@ myadventurebook__ ) • Instagram photos and videos

For the insider scoop on all things Disney theme parks, blogger Nicole Delahanty is worth a follow. She posts frequently with tips and tricks, plus the latest updates and eye-catching video to show your clients as an example of the kind of magical vacation they could have. Delahanty, a fashionable Millennial, also has some content about Universal parks and other family-oriented vacations. 

@notabeneglobal 

          View this profile on Instagram                       Nota Bene Global (@ notabeneglobal ) • Instagram photos and videos

This ultra-luxury travel agency will grace your feed with beautiful photos from trips they've painstakingly planned. Look no further for ideas of where to send your most high-end clients, from chic Paris bars to bespoke safari lodges, as well as some of the most luxurious boutique hotels. 

@seeitalytravel 

          View this profile on Instagram                       See Italy Travel (@ seeitalytravel ) • Instagram photos and videos

It's no secret that Italy is among – if not the – hottest destination for North Americans jet-setting to Europe. The Italian travel advisors at See Italy give you the inside scoop through their Instagram account so you can stay up to date on all things Italy in its many exciting cities. 

@solotravelexpert 

          View this profile on Instagram                       Shelby Frenette (@ solotravelexpert ) • Instagram photos and videos

Shelby Frenette is a travel agent trainer and social media strategist with many years of experience in the industry. Her agency, TravelFun.Biz, focuses heavily on digital marketing. You can find some free resources on her Instagram about how to market your own agency on social media, while staying up with the latest trends when you follow her account. 

@tiquehq 

          View this profile on Instagram                       Business Solutions For Travel Advisors (@ tiquehq ) • Instagram photos and videos

Tique is a company dedicated to helping travel professionals grow their business. Follow their Instagram for updates on their Tique Talks podcast, travel advisor-specific tips, and more. Some recent useful posts have included "Must-Have Email Templates," "What to Automate in Your Business," and "How to Select the Best Supplier." 

@travelagentcollective 

          View this profile on Instagram                       Social Media For Travel Agents (@ travelagentcollective ) • Instagram photos and videos

This account gives practical, detailed advice and resources for travel advisors promoting their business on social media. From AI assistants to keywords to travel stock video, travel advisors can find everything they need here to take their social media game to the next level. 

Bonus: @travelmarketreport 

          View this profile on Instagram                       Travel Market Report (@ travelmarketreport ) • Instagram photos and videos

Don't forget to follow TMR to stay updated on all the latest travel industry news. 

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Date: May 30, 2024

Innovative Travel Marketing Campaigns From Around The World

Creating a successful travel marketing campaign can be a challenging task for most of the travel marketers. With numerous travel agencies, airlines, and hotels in line, there is fierce competition for brand awareness.

A lot of travel marketing campaigns try hard to capture the curiosity of travelers, but fall flat. So, our expert digital marketers at ColorWhistle wanted to give you a little inspiration for your own travel and tourism marketing in 2023 and beyond.

From social media, video content, display, we searched for some of the most compelling travel marketing campaigns that inspired people to go on their next travel adventure.

Here’s a roundup of some of the most famous travel and tourism marketing campaigns you should check out.

Best Travel Marketing Campaigns From Around The World

We have segregated all the travel marketing campaigns into social media, video content and display ads. This will help you to frame a multi-channel strategy.

14 Best Examples of Travel Video Marketing Campaigns

Here are some of the most innovative travel videos.

1. KLM – Live Hologram Bar

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has built a hologram bar where people can meet to exchange local tips when they are waiting for flights. These holograms are placed in the airports of Amsterdam, Oslo and Rio de Janeiro.

2. Turkish Airlines – The Journey

Turkish Airlines released a short film called ‘The Journey’ where 90% of the film was airplanes and scenery. This short film has done a brilliant job promoting the airline and the destinations.

3. Iceland – Explore the a-ö of Iceland

The A-Ö of Iceland, a marketing campaign uses Icelandic alphabet to increase awareness of Iceland as a good place to visit; a great place to do business; and a place that provides great food and experience.

4. Cheapflights – Drag, Drop and Go

Cheapflights and agency Uncle Grey designed an ad banner that appeared on articles about sports, art, music events and relevant publications. The user had to simply drag the article image into the Cheapflights banner and it will instantly find the best tickets. Rather than focusing on destinations, it promoted experiences that people were already interested in.

5. Van Gogh’s Bedroom – Let Yourself In

To promote the Art Institute of Chicago’s 2016 van Gogh exhibit, Leo Burnett built Van Gogh’s Bedroom and listed it on Airbnb as a place for people to stay for a night. The campaign was a tremendous success.

6. Switzerland – Yodel Ay Hee Hoo

This ad campaign encouraged busy city people to visit the countryside. A live video feed was placed in the train station where a man was sharing information about his village and even printed train tickets in real-time.

7. Tourism Ireland – Fill your Heart

Tourism Ireland asked a married couple to wear a custom-made technology which had head-mounted cameras during their holiday in Ireland. The technology tracked their response to various experiences. They wanted to use this data to show the ‘heart-filling’ effect that Ireland has on visitors. This campaign has combined storytelling with technology.

8. Airbnb – Let’s Keep Travelling Forward

Geo-politically, 2018 was not a good year. When Donald Trump imposed a travel ban during that year, Airbnb immediately released a video highlighting the brand’s belief – “to limit travel is to turn back progress.” This campaign helped to voice the brand’s message to the world while staying relevant.

9. Hong Kong Tourism Board – VR Time Travel

When the Hong Kong tourism board launched a VR time travel experience with Timelooper, it wanted to show people that this will be an engaging experience. This VR experience enabled viewers to see the 1960’s Hong Kong, the battle between two kung-fu fighters on Hollywood Road, aircraft landing at Kai Tan airport and more. This campaign showcased the location in an innovative and engaging way.

10. British Airways – Safety Video

Safety videos are usually boring. But, British Airways turned it into a marketing opportunity. They made a safety video with actors Sir Michael Caine, Olivia Colman and comedian Chabuddy G. This video created a great online buzz for British Airways.

11. Easyjet – Imagine

Easyjet launched a £12m pan-European campaign in 2018 called ‘Imagine.’ It was a TV ad which showed the many wonders of air travel. Along with this, the company also ran ads across print, digital and social. This ad campaign helped viewers associate Easyjet with imagination and experience.

12. SNCF – Europe, It’s Just Next Door

The French National Railway operator wanted to encourage people to take the train to visit nearby countries. It placed blue doors in and around Paris. When a person opens the door, it will give an immersive digital experience of what they could see ‘next door’.

13. Tourism Quebec – Blind Tourist

Quebec is a place known for its outdoor lifestyle. But, Tourism Quebec wanted to show people that traveling can be more than just visual experience. They wanted to offer a rich experience to the senses in such a way that seeing things was only a small part of the picture. This ad has a very rich narrative.

14. Northern Ireland – Doors Of Thrones

Northern Ireland used the hit show Game of Thrones to draw tourists in. They took destroyed remnants of battered trees and carved them into 10 intricate doors. All these doors resembled the 10 episodes of season 6.

15. Helsinki Airport – Life In Hel

Helsinki was voted the best airport in 2016. They leveraged this success by running a campaign featuring Chinese actor Ryan Zhu. He lived in this airport for 30 days and shared the experience across social media and other video channels.

11 Best Examples of Creative Travel and Tourism Print Ads

Here are some of the most innovative print ads.

1. LATAM Airlines used the rainbow flag in a series of print ads

2. Norwegian Airlines utilized the Brangelina split to its advantage

3. Kielo Travel – Dreaming of a Holiday?

4. Detroiter Travel Center – You Made It

5. CVC – The World Is Outside

6. Cruise Ship Centers – Dreaming of a cruise?

7. Flight Center – Forget Work

8. WWF – Exploring the ecosystem also threatens lives

9. TBWA Buenos Aires – Medical assistance for travelers

10. Shchusev State Museum of Architecture – Discover the full story

11. Staedtler – Where it begins

13 Best Examples of Travel Social Media Campaigns

Here are some of the most innovative travel social media campaigns.

1. Eurostar

This Instagram campaign from Eurostar turned heads by trying something new. They wanted to promote train travel from London to Paris. So, they split an illustration of a journey from London to Paris into 200 Instagram tile images. Some tiles were videos and others were hidden offers.

2. Alaska Airlines

At the end of the year, many companies give gifts to customers and employees. Keeping this in mind, Alaska Airlines launched a fun promotional Twitter campaign by partnering with Starbucks. They gave a free Starbucks gift card to their guests.

3. Hawaii Tourism Department

The Hawaii tourism department wanted to give first-time visitors an idea of Hawaii’s beauty and culture. Plus, they also wanted veteran vacationers to visit the island again So, the tourism department collaborated with travel Instagrammers to get users to share their favorite Hawaii memory by using the hashtag #LetHawaiiHappen. The campaign was a huge success because ordinary users shared their own experiences.

4. WOW Airlines

WOW Airlines launched a Snaptraveler program where 4 winners would get to tour across all 28 of the airline’s destinations for free. In exchange, they have to post a Snap story about all the locations they visit. The idea of this summer Snapchat contest was to create a reality television-like experience, target their main demographic and share relevant content in WOW Airlines’ Snapchat account. Here is a short video of the campaign.

5. National Geographic

National Geographic launched a wanderlust contest for aspiring travel and nature photographers. They have to submit their own photographs with the hashtag #Wanderlustcontest. The idea behind this campaign was to improve National Geographic’s reputation as the leading source for beautiful travel photography.

6. Kenya Tourism Board

Kenya Tourism Board partnered with Expedia to promote Kenya and an incredible destination to travelers. They choose a famous travel blogging couple and sent them on a one week trip to Kenya with no fixed itinerary. The people following this couple on Instagram can decide the itinerary by voting through an Instagram Stories poll. Throughout the week, the couple broadcasted their journey to their Instagram followers. The content was also repurposed on a microsite. This campaign was a huge success. Here is a short video of the campaign.

7. Cheapflights Facebook Messenger

Cheapflights Chat launched the world’s first Facebook Messenger bot which allowed people to search for flights and hotels. The bot utilized seven APIs. To promote this chat, videos of fictional conversations were created and shared across Facebook. Here is the chat demo.

8. Hotels.com

Hotels.com dedicated an entire Facebook ad carousel to promote its “Gift $50, Get $10” holiday deal. Each slide focuses on the deal and also shows the different types of trips that people can take. This is a simple and memorable ad.

10. Visit PA

Visit PA wanted to push Pennsylvania as the perfect summer getaway. They used Facebook’s carousel ads format to show one panoramic photo in parts.

Airbnb created a unique Instagram video ad that showed users how the experience of discovering each activity in the Airbnb app will look like.

12. Air Canada

Air Canada ran an ad in the US during the night of the 2016 presidential election. That night, Canada’s Immigration and Citizenship site had so many visitors that it crashed. Air Canada learnt this sudden interest and targeted the ad towards people who are looking to fly outside the country.

13. Explore Georgia

Explore Georgia wanted to position itself as the most pet-friendly state in America. So, they created a social media strategy targeting millennial pet owners. They shared lots of posts with the hashtag #ExploreGeorgiaPup to show that Georgia was the perfect place to visit with a dog. This campaign generated lots of traffic to their website and also helped them to reach 10,000+ followers on their pet-friendly travel Pinterest board.

7 Best Examples of Travel Email Marketing Campaigns

Here are some of the most innovative travel email marketing campaigns.

1. Air Canada

During email sign-up, Air Canada asks new subscribers to tell their home airport and the destinations they are interested to travel. By using this information, they send personalized emails according to the interest of the subscriber.

For example, this email was sent to a subscriber whose home airport is in Montreal.

2. Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic proved that it can promote activities that focus on the journey and not just the destination. The company created a memorable customer experience by sending them email offers for virtual reality skydiving. The name of the campaign was Virgin Experience Days.

3. Fairmont Hotels

Loyalty is hard to find in the travel business because travelers always search for the best deal rather than a specific brand. However, if there is a reward program, it will encourage loyalty and repeat business.

Fairmont Hotels wanted to persuade their subscribers to sign up for their loyalty program through an easy sign-up form which included a call-to-action. Here’s the attractive email.

4. Flight Centre

Limited period offers always create a sense of urgency and encourages people to take action. Flight Center used this idea and offered cheap deals to New York City. To convey that this was a limited-time offer, they added a countdown clock at the bottom of the email.

5. Southwest Airlines

Subscribers will feel good if you send emails appreciating them. Southwest Airlines sent an email to its subscribers by adding their customer’s name, travel history and reward points they earned. This ‘thank you’ email also had smiling faces and diverse employees.

Holidays are the time when flight tickets might go up. Mostly, people book tickets at the last time and when the rates are high, they often get disappointed. To avoid this, Hipmunk sent a simple email announcing that prices will go up.

7. Memphis CVB

Memphis CVB wanted to improve awareness of Memphis by showcasing its many attractions and key events they must attend. Here is one of the custom emails they sent to their subscribers.

Drive Conversions and Boost your Business with Expert Travel Website Development.

It’s time to start your next travel marketing campaign.

We hope that the above travel marketing campaigns will inspire you to kickstart your next one. All of these ads have gone beyond the typical boring list of destinations, images and pricing. They show the power of timing, relevance and personalization – all of which are important to create a great campaign.

To create such ad campaigns, all you have to do is get creative, think big and dig deep to find inspiration in the destination you represent. The ideas you come with today will continue to inspire travelers for years to come.

If you need any help to create a travel marketing strategy, our experts at ColorWhistle are eager to assist you. Contact us today. We will help you to stand out from the crowd.

Have you seen a better online travel marketing campaign? Do share them in the comment section below.

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About the Author - Anjana

Anjana is a full-time Copywriter at ColorWhistle managing content-related projects. She writes about website technologies, digital marketing, and industries such as travel. Plus, she has an unhealthy addiction towards online marketing, watching crime shows, and chocolates.

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• Best Travel Pillows

We evaluated travel pillows from Cabeau, Trtl, NapFun, and more to see which would provide the best support during a long trip

When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more .

I inherited many things from my mom. A stiff neck, unfortunately, is one of them. Traveling can be a challenge for both of us, as well as others who are prone to neck stiffness and pain . Like me, you might spend several hours cramped in an airplane or train seat and wake up feeling the strain in your neck after sleeping for a long time in an odd position.

How We Evaluated Travel Pillows

When we are in an unsupported position, we tend to protrude our heads forward, so a travel pillow can help alleviate potential neck pain or stiffness if it provides support in the right places and keeps the spine in a neutral position, says Jim Edwards, the rehabilitation manager at Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation and Sports Therapy. 

For the past 20 years, my mom has carried an inflatable pillow whenever she travels to help her sleep. As someone who loves to have that extra neck support but loathes adding any more bulk to my carry-on, I’m endlessly intrigued by the product. I see them everywhere on planes and at airports, and I always think: Is that one as comfortable as it looks? And is the support the pillow offers worth the sacrifice I have to make in carry-on space?

Summer will be upon us soon, and people might ask the same questions as me before purchasing a neck pillow for their travels. To find out which are worth the investment, two evaluators and I, who travel frequently, tried out seven different pillows from popular brands. 

We judged them on criteria including how supportive they were, how comfortable they were to wear, how easy they were to use, and how portable they were. We tried them at home in settings where we could simulate a middle-seat or window-seat position, and when we could, we took them with us and used them in our travels.

One quick note: Preferences for travel pillows can be subjective. A neck pillow that works well for one person might be less comfortable for another. With that in mind, here are some of our favorites.

Never judge a pillow by its appearance. I was skeptical about this one at first because of its unusual shape, but I’m so glad I was proved wrong.

The first thing I want to address is the hurdle I have faced with other inflatable pillows in the past. I’ve never been able to inflate anything in my life before—not a pillow, not a balloon. They always come out sad and deflated. So, before I tried this pillow, I expected inflating it to be another ordeal, with a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.

The Manta Travel Pillow from Manta Sleep claims that it’s fast to inflate, and I can attest that it’s true. I was taken aback (in a good way) by how quickly the pillow inflated. No need for huffing and puffing. It was three breaths for me, and the job was done.

Most of us enjoyed the support that the pillow provided. As suggested by the manufacturer, there are many ways to use the pillow. For example, you can have the pillow cradle your head when you lean back or lock the pillow around your neck by attaching the clasps in the front. You can also fit the pillow in front of you so that your chin rests on it if your head bobs forward when you sleep. Or hug the pillow in front of you to give your neck support. ( Read more about the positions suggested by the manufacturer.)

“I thought the head and neck support was great when leaning in all directions in the ‘lock,’ ‘nod,’ and ‘cradle’ positions. The support was so stellar that it felt like my head didn’t weigh anything,” says Wendy Greenfield, CR’s copy chief, who flies abroad about twice a year. 

The Manta Sleep Manta Travel Pillow was especially supportive when I tried it with my shoulders leaning against a wall, simulating a window-seat position. Maybe because of the height of the pillow, I felt it gave more support on the side than the other pillows we evaluated. 

It gets a few points deducted because it might lose air over time, as was the experience of Anna Kocharian, one of our evaluators and a CR shopping editor. She used the pillow on a red-eye flight that was around 5 hours, and by the end of her flight, the pillow had deflated a fair amount. So, if you plan to use it for more extended travel, just know that you might have to re-inflate it.

The pillow’s microfleece cover feels comfortable, but it’s not very breathable. Because it’s inflated with air, it has less give than a memory foam or microbead pillow, which is softer. 

On the pillow, there is a side pocket that the manufacturer suggests you use to store your earplugs, phone, or headphones. It’s handy, but the size of the pocket is better suited for earplugs or earbuds. When Greenfield tried to squeeze her iPhone 14 Pro Max into the pocket, only a third of the phone fit inside.

But if you don’t mind that rigidity and you’re looking for a supportive pillow that will enable you to travel light, the $29 Manta Sleep Manta Travel Pillow is the pillow to purchase. It’s lightweight and portable and provides a great deal of support. When it’s not inflated, you can fold the pillow into the travel pouch it comes with and fit it into your carry-on.

“This is the one I’m planning to buy for an upcoming long flight. One leg of my trip is 14½ hours, and I think this pillow will make a long time in that economy seat a little more tolerable,” Greenfield says.

If you prefer a travel pillow that offers soft, cushy support, the Cabeau Evolution S3 Neck Pillow could be the one for you.

The $40 memory foam pillow has raised sides near the jawline to prevent your head from bobbing left and right. There’s also an adjustable clasp in the front for you to modify how tightly you want the pillow to encircle your neck.

As someone whose head tends to flop to the side when I’m sleeping, I loved how snugly the pillow fit me when I adjusted the clasp to be the tightest it could be. That said, the pillow can feel hot after wearing it for a while.

Its fit also might not be for everyone. For Kocharian, the pillow felt too snug for her head. She had trouble keeping the pillow in place because it would either slide backward or rise up to her ears when she moved her shoulders.

Though this pillow is bulky and heavier than many of the other pillows we tried, you can roll it into the travel case that it comes with, which significantly reduces its size. However, the label in the case warns that you shouldn’t store the pillow inside for more than one month because the pillow might not return to its original shape afterward.

It’s a pillow that comes with a lot of convenient features. It’s the only pillow we evaluated that comes with seat straps you can attach to the headrest of your plane seat to help keep your head from bobbing forward. (The brand warns, however, that you shouldn’t use it on a car’s head restraint because it could interfere with the vehicle’s safety features.) There’s also a small storage compartment on the side of the pillow where you can store your earbuds or earplugs if you’d like.  

On my recent trip to Europe, I took this pillow along with me in my carry-on bag. After trying it on flights that lasted for more than 7 hours, I’m happy to report that it helped me sleep more comfortably, and when I woke up, I experienced very little pain and stiffness. 

The Cloudz Microbead Travel Pillow is a good budget pick that’s light, soft, and most supportive of the back of your head.

The surface of the pillow is comfortable to the touch. On one side, it’s a warm, cozy plush, and on the other side, it’s a cooler spandex for people who’re afraid of their necks getting too hot from travel pillows.

This pillow offers the strongest support for the back of your head, but it doesn’t provide as much support if your head is leaning to the side or drooping to the front.

While it might take up more space than an inflatable pillow, this microbead travel pillow is pretty lightweight, weighing only 5.5 ounces, according to my measurements. We purchased it for $16, and it was one of the least expensive pillows we evaluated.

Our evaluators were split on the support this pillow offered. Two of us felt that it didn’t offer much support, particularly when one’s head was leaning on the side, while one of us thought it did a decent job. “I appreciate the way it hugs my face and, in a way, conforms to the contours of my head and neck,” Kocharian says.

The memory foam pillow is comfortable, but its fabric doesn’t feel super-breathable. Like the Cabeau Evolution S3 Neck Pillow, it has a buckle in the front that allows you to adjust how tightly you want the pillow to fit your neck.

One drawback of the pillow is that it is bulkier and heavier than most pillows we evaluated. It’s close to the Cabeau Evolution S3 in size and slightly heavier at 3 pounds, 3.9 ounces. You can, however, roll it up and place it in a travel case that takes up less space, though from our experience it might not always be easy to stuff it perfectly into the case.

As a pillow, this one feels like the middle of the road for me. It’s nice, but it doesn’t leave a super big impression. It’s not the most snug and supportive compared with the Cabeau Evolution S3, which it’s close to in form, and it’s not lightweight enough to compete with other pillows that offer a similar level of support.

The Open Story Travel Neck Pillow is soft and comfortable to wear, though it offers limited support. It’s decent when your head is leaning back, but it’s not supportive enough on the sides or when your head is leaning forward, Greenfield says.

If you’re in a window seat, however, where your head is less likely to bob side to side or forward, you might want to consider it. When I tried it at home in a seat placement simulating a window seat, I felt that it provided a certain level of support to my neck that most of the other pillows didn’t.

As a microbead pillow, it’s bulkier than inflatable pillows, which can be adjusted in size. And unlike the two memory foam pillows we evaluated, the Cabeau Evolution S3 Neck Pillow and the Napfun Travel Pillow, it doesn’t come with a travel case that you can squeeze the pillow into. So if you’d like to travel with it, you’ll have to fit it into your carry-on or snap it around the carry-on’s handle.

One of its biggest draws is its price. At $13 at the time of purchase, it’s the least expensive pillow we tried. “For this price (and if I was in a pinch), it’s not a bad option! It’s not the most supportive neck pillow I’ve had, but it gets the job done,” Kocharian says. “However, for those who require more support for their head and neck, a more ergonomic alternative would be better.”

The Trtl Travel Pillow certainly stands out with its unique design. Unlike the U-shaped microbead or memory foam pillows, this one looks like a scarf. The supportive plastic frame inside the fabric has the contour of a neck. To use it, you extend the pillow, wrap it around your neck, and hold it in place with the fastening tape inside.

So is it supportive? Yes, but it has its flaws. While it’s easy to use and it does support your head and neck, it needs to be repositioned if you want to change the direction your head is leaning. It’s better for people who don’t move a lot when they’re sleeping because it can definitely get annoying having to reposition the pillow every time your head is leaning in a different direction.

It can also feel constricting at times. “The Velcro is very strong (for good reason), but a downside is that attempting to take the Trtl off wasn’t as seamless as with the others. I didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t easily move it around and felt claustrophobic at times,” Kocharian says.

The pillow, when placed at certain angles, can also feel uncomfortable. “The plastic support pushed too hard on my ear,” Greenfield says. “The discomfort to my ears was pretty close to actual pain.”

But size-wise, it’s less bulky than the microbead and memory pillows. It looks more like an article of clothing and not a full-blown pillow, Kocharian points out. “This means that when traveling, I can seamlessly slip it into my weekender without a second thought. Portability is a major plus for me, and the fact that this one is lightweight to boot is hard to beat,” she says.

And with a cost of $65 at the time of purchase—the most expensive of the pillows we evaluated—is it worth the price? The answer is eh, maybe . It depends on your sleeping habits. I wouldn’t mind bringing this along on a long flight because it’s portable, and I do like the support it gives. The one catch is that you have to accept the fact that its support is applicable only one position at a time.

Let’s start with the good things first. It’s portable and lightweight. In fact, it’s the lightest of all the pillows, weighing only 2.3 ounces, according to my measurements. It’s also fairly easy to inflate, though the process isn’t as smooth as with the Manta Sleep Manta Travel Pillow, the only other inflatable pillow in our evaluation.

The fabric, which is a fleece cover with a polyester underside, felt cooler than the material of the other pillows, which is a big plus if you’re afraid you’ll end up too hot while you’re sleeping.

When it comes to support, some of us enjoyed it. For Greenfield, it gave her support when her head leaned to the side and the front. The support was less apparent when she was leaning her head back.

But some of us felt that it was inadequate. For me, the support the pillow provided came dead last out of all the pillows we tried. The support it offered my head and neck when I tried leaning to one side felt slight to the point of being nonexistent.

“It can be useful in a pinch but not as a primary neck pillow for someone who requires serious or comfortable support. I would use it if I had it lying around, but despite its small size and portability, I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase this product,” Kocharian says.

If your goal for a travel pillow is one that’s small and offers a little extra comfort, you might still like this pillow. But don’t expect this to offer much comfort and support on a long red-eye flight, Kocharian says.  

We evaluated all these travel pillows in settings at home that simulated a middle-seat and window-seat position. In the cases of a few, we also tried them out during our travels.

The pillows were judged on the following criteria:

Support: We tried leaning our heads forward, backward, and to the sides to mimic common sleeping positions on a plane, and gauged how well the pillow supported our neck and head.

Comfort: We looked at how comfortable the pillows were and whether the material was breathable.

Ease of usage: This covered how easy they were to use and adjust. For the inflatable pillows, we considered how easy they were to inflate. And for memory foam pillows, we judged how easy the pillows were to store in the travel cases.

Portability: The bulk and size of the pillows were taken into account, as was their weight.

Pang-Chieh Ho

Pang-Chieh Ho is a senior content creator at Consumer Reports who writes about the intersections of home products and health. She has been working in the media industry for almost 10 years. Books are her first love, but movies come a close second. You can send tips to her at [email protected] .

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The Best Country for Tourism Is Not France, Italy, or Spain—Here’s What Nation Claims the Title

By Katherine McLaughlin

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the United States is the best country in the world for tourism. The independent international organization recently released a list of top locales for travel, which looked at a number of factors, including infrastructure, sustainability, labor availability, pricing, and natural resources. In addition to clinching the top spot on the list, the United States was the only country in North America to secure a place within the top 10.

New York City, the USA’s largest city by population.

As WEF notes in its report, global tourism is expected reach pre-pandemic levels in 2024. However, there are a number of challenges that continue to face the industry, such as AI, which may require adaptation and agility. Some countries and economies are more equipped to do this, and this new data “aims to serve as a benchmark for stakeholders to gauge progress, inform decisions and policies, and encourage sustainable and resilient growth.” As such, the report doesn’t necessarily speak to the experience of being a traveler in these nations, but rather the business of travel.

Barcelona, Spain. The country ranked second on the WEF list.

Among the top 10 countries on the list, Europe demonstrated an impressive showing. Spain ranked second, while France, Germany, the UK, Italy, and Switzerland nabbed spots four, six, seven, nine, and 10, respectively. Rounding out the list, Japan ranked third, Australia fifth, and China eighth. The data also showed that of 119 economies reviewed, 71 displayed improvement between 2019 and 2023. However, the average index scores were only 0.7% above pre-pandemic levels.

San Diego, California

Of the countries that improved their scores since 2019, 52 were those with low to upper-middle-income economies. Countries such as Uzbekistan, Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Indonesia, and Nigeria all showed growth; however, the report also notes that “despite above-average growth, non-high-income economies account for nearly 90% of below-average index scorers, indicating a need for further investment to close gaps in enabling conditions if these economies wish to increase their share of the travel and tourism market.”

The Colorado River winds through the Grand Canyon.

By Morgan Goldberg

Overall, the report showed that Europe and Asia-Pacific regions were in the most favorable position to grow travel and tourism markets, as were high-income economies. Of the top 30 ranked nations, 19 are in Europe, seven in Asia-Pacific, and 26 are high income.

Lake Clark National Park in Alaska

While the report doesn’t speak directly to traveler experience, the United States’ title as the best country for tourism does correlate with the abundance of places to visit in the nation. From towering metropolises like New York City and Chicago to beautiful small towns , trips for a design and architecture lover are aplenty. Of course, the country also boasts striking natural scenery, such as the South West’s deserts and canyons; Midwest prairies; the Rocky, Appalachian, and Sierra Nevada mountains ; and beaches on the east, west, and south coasts. Whether an international or local traveler, there is no shortage of destinations to discover.

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