As borders reopen and travel resumes, the stakes to make up for lost time and revenue in 2020 and 2021 have never been higher. For many travel and hospitality organizations, there is no doubt about it – the 2022-23 season must be a success.

The good news is that hope is firmly on the horizon. Latest data from US Travel shows that travel spending was 3% higher than 2019 levels for the first time since the pandemic began. While nearly 60% of U.S. travelers say rising gasoline prices will affect their future travel decisions, more than a quarter plan to spend more money on vacations this summer than in 2019.

We still live in uncertain times, especially with rising costs in almost every industry a major concern for consumers. But now is the time for travel and tourism brands to look to recover and work with customers who, after two long years, want finally get away from home.

With many strategies and product tightenings nearing completion in 2020, travel and tourism brands can do a lot with their marketing to support their long-term success.

Anticipating consumer needs and concerns

One of the biggest changes that many travel and tourism brands have experienced in the last year is the longer consumer buying cycle. Where before 2020 customers may have been ready to book a flight, hotel or tour with very little research, this is no longer the case.

Instead, customers take the time to decide whether travel is safe, affordable and accessible for them and their families. This has ultimately led to longer wait times for travel companies as customers move down the sales funnel.

But as a travel company, part of your role has always been to make sure your customers experience is what they’re looking for. The biggest difference now is anticipating and responding to the new fears that have emerged over the past two years about travel security.

Educational tourism company Context Travel saw this change in attitude firsthand and found success by adapting his marketing strategy.

“We go above and beyond to earn travelers’ trust by creating and sharing compelling content for people who are just getting back into travel,” says director of marketing Ali Murphy. “This is a big shift from pre-pandemic when we focused our marketing efforts on capturing people who were ready to buy a tour.”

Acknowledging fear

You’ve probably spent most of the last two years constantly tweaking your marketing strategy—and now’s not the time to stop. While consumers may be somewhat apprehensive about resuming travel, travel and hospitality brands need to acknowledge and embrace these fears rather than turning a blind eye to them. This is where you need to think like your customers and change your search marketing approach.

What does the data tell you? Instead of looking for large group tours, are your customers more likely to be interested in smaller, private tours with just their family group? Or are outdoor activities becoming the most visited pages on your website?

These are also the pages on your site that you may want to prioritize for an SEO refresh. Consider whether the consumer landscape matches your existing messaging and keyword strategy. If not, now might be a good time to find some copy and content sources to rewrite those pages more in line with your current strategy and offering.

There’s a good chance your customers will prioritize different aspects of their experience in the near future, so it’s up to you to meet those needs. Instead of shying away from marketing your products and services, promote private accommodation, outdoor adventures and a more human-conscious travel experience.

Taking advantage of new opportunities in search

Looking for brand new experiences in your search strategy is one thing, but travel brands should also keep an eye on what new features in search itself can be used to their advantage. Mobile-first marketing is on the rise and your travel brand needs to be at the forefront.

You might not immediately think of TikTok as part of your search marketing plan, but we’ve all seen YouTube videos and tweets pop up in search results over the years, and TikTok content is finally making its way into the SERPs as well.

While social content should still be focused on your primary channel audience (even the people who actually see the content on the intended platform), there are many benefits to be gained if your content can rank in traditional search results. As you work on your social strategy and plan to create new content, keep this in mind when optimizing your videos later (or get your branding team involved to tackle this in silos!)

This also applies to destination brands that offer consumers a dinner, night out or activity, as it is the destination marketing organization (DMO) that markets the destination itself. Social-as-search allows brands and organizations to actually influence the discovery phase, not just the decision phase, of the consumer’s purchase journey.

According to a a recent study from TikTok, 49% of its users use the platform to discover something new and are 1.5 times more likely to immediately go out and buy what they discover compared to other platforms. The opportunity to rank for high-intent keywords, especially around experiential and food/beverage activities, with consumer evidence on places like TikTok, is a virtually untapped opportunity for brands across the board.

For many travel brands, these opportunities simply did not exist in the pre-pandemic world. However, many of the largest companies still refrain from adopting them. If you want to stay competitive and attract customers in the US and abroad, now is the time to take advantage of these opportunities before everyone else.

Leveraging existing marketing channels to convert

At this point, we should all know that marketing channels work best when we think of them as complementary rather than silos. “Always-on” marketing means that customers have access to brands 24/7, every day of the year. As a result, they interact with brand content across multiple platforms – from ads to social media, search results to email.

Travel consumers have always been a multi-platform, multi-level audience. But the lengthening of the sales process means that it has become even more difficult for this industry to convert across multiple touchpoints. If your travel or tourism brand hasn’t tried to leverage multiple channels at the same time, now is the time.

Search is certainly still a long game when it comes to digital marketing, but it’s also one of the most trusted avenues. When you’re working on new content that can benefit you in six to twelve months, go back to thinking about your customers’ fears and needs first. How can you answer these questions and concerns better than your competitors?

From there, replicate that content on other platforms. While you wait for the SERPs to catch up, get in front of your audience with additional messaging, proof points and content that explains why to buy, why to visit and why to trust your brand (user generated content is a great way to do this) . Search is undoubtedly important, but it’s not the only channel your consumer base will interact with on their journey to purchase. Think of each channel as a unique opportunity to engage your audience and where they might be in the buying and consideration cycle when they come across it.

For example, if a consumer is searching for content related to “best things to do in Costa Rica” and your brand is well-positioned to answer that question through search, it might just as well be worth trying to get that user to sign up for your Costa Rica travel tips newsletter, follow you on social media for local restaurant recommendations, and retarget with ads to re-engage them later in the buying cycle. Treat search as the entry point—not the only point—of opportunity, and build your other channels as amplifiers.

This social-as-search concept is also a great way to introduce consumers to your brand. Almost no space on TikTok is as saturated as travel, yet one airline manages to stand out with terms like “airline rating” and “European travel”: Air Baltic.

@airbaltic so be it 🥲 #airline #cabin crew #airBaltic #fine ♬ Okaaay let’s go – Sarah Vilard

It’s not hard to see why. Their personality-based content is relatable, humorous and engages viewers while educating consumers in the crowded low-cost carrier space about their crew, destinations and aircraft.

Embracing change within the travel industry as a whole

Instead of burying your head in the sand and thinking about the negative impacts, incorporate the changes in the travel industry into your marketing campaigns. For example, with non-refundable travel becoming a thing of the past, be more flexible with customers after their book won’t get you any more business. Letting them know your options upfront can help you stand out.

Hotels.com is a great example of this. Theirs 2021 “Revenge Trip” Campaign perfectly highlighted her understanding of customer concerns regarding bookings: this may need to be changed or canceled at the last minute. Instead of assuming that they can return to the point of no return, their marketing fully acknowledged these customer pain points and explained their point of view (with obvious dramatic humor) and favorably for consumers who want to travel with flexibility.

Customers are ready to travel, and brands that embrace that “moment” and make it memorable are set to win. Brands that are willing to go the extra mile will win the favor of eager consumers, while brands that simply meet expectations will be seen as those who do the least. The opportunity is in “unforgettable”.

“Experience sells much more than [traditional] products. Even more so in the catering industry. There are hundreds of hotels selling the same plans and accommodations as we do. So what makes us so special? Added value. The feeling. Belonging. Unique experiences. The most loyal customers buy that ‘something special’ that the product does for them to feel rather than the product itself,” says Ella Bencosme, sales and marketing coordinator for Holiday Inn Aruba Resort.

This is also a good time to make your reviews work as a marketing tactic. Many of your prospective customers will look for reviews that mention some of these widespread changes in the industry, such as flexible change policies, hygiene standards, general safety, linens and laundry, contact with other guests and the option of “privacy”.

Whether you like it or not, what matters is how you react and how your audience views it. Customer reviews have always been a fundamental part of the travel and hospitality industry, and in recent years it has become even more important. Be on the lookout for reading and responding to your reviews, especially those who may not have had a good experience. If you need just one more reason to put effort into user experience, consider the visibility that Google Reviews and OTAs like Expedia and Trip Advisor have in SERPs.

Brand guarantees are not enough to satisfy consumers. Instead, hearing and reading recent accounts of first-hand travel experiences from customers like themselves will continue to be an important deciding factor for many people.

In conclusion

Tourism and hospitality have changed — probably forever. Travel expectations that the introduced pandemic will not be easily met. In a post-pandemic world, travel brands must adapt their marketing strategies to align with new consumer needs, expectations and fears. The only way to succeed is to embrace and capitalize on new forms of search marketing while continuing to build a reputable and consistent brand in the eyes of travel-conscious consumers.