Marketing News: Tourism in Fall 2021 Gets a Marketing Overhaul

✈️Marketing in the travel industry is facing a MAJOR overhaul for the fall of 2021. Traveling in 2020 seemed essential to some habitual travelers but still afraid to make plans to fly, drive, or take a vacation at all. Some countries went into a complete shutdown which caused massive flight cancellations, hotels became practically empty, and many small tourist shops were going out of business. This cost the tourism industry

all across the world!

🚗 For 2021, with people now becoming accustomed to the “new normal” of travel during a pandemic, airlines, hotels, resorts, and even cruise lines have taken a different approach. Tourism needed an overhaul to prevent any further devastating losses, so major companies dove in head first with their marketing teams to see what new approaches could be done to boost sales.

🛥 If you can’t stop the effects of a pandemic as a retailer, you have to adjust to it for your consumers. For businesses who rely on tourists and travel, the first step is to change the tourism consumer culture. Focusing on safety has become the number one priority. One of the major changes has been listing public safety protocols on websites and in common areas to be viewed by travelers, since every state and country are different. It’s important to let travelers be aware of what’s to be expected such as:

mask requirements
vaccine protocols
safer contact free check ins
quarantine requirements and
testing requirements

This can not only bring comfort to guests knowing what to expect, but it can make travel an easier transition for some who are unfamiliar with what to anticipate. Some hotels and resorts even went the extra mile to hire additional cleaning staff to provide the most sanitary conditions possible.

You may have even noticed changes in advertising. Now we can see social distancing on social media ads, sanitation being open and practiced in front of guests, contactless check-ins with your mobile phone, zoom meetings and even masks in certain settings. By giving traveler’s a pleasant view of people practicing pandemic protocols, it can make a tourist destination become a more attractive venue to experience without worry or hesitation.

One of the next serious concerns companies are addressing in their marketing strategies is budget. With jobs being cut, people leaving due to safety concerns or other issues in the workplace, and evictions beginning, many are holding on to the very last dollar they may have in their account. With such a large gaping hole in bookings, this has driven the travel industry to offer MASSIVE discounts for some destinations as well as package deals at unheard of low rates. Now the average traveler has been given extra incentive because they can travel to vacation spots they may not have been previously able to afford. Some companies have even thrown in a bonus for booking in advance with additional discounts tied to their promotions.

As the fall of 2021 sweeps by, marketing corporations are prepared with these new protocols and are taking action to boost sales by successfully encouraging the average tourist to not only book a vacation, but to make their travel plans far in advance. With these strategic marketing plans put into place, sales have already begun to increase to get people on the move. By transforming the travel experience and adequately preparing guests, tourism for the fall of 2021 is set to bounce back. Although we are a long way off from pre pandemic tourism sales numbers, expect to see tourism adapt to a new era of travel.