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6 ideas for travel and tourism advertising campaigns (with examples)

Want to create eye-catching travel ads like Expedia, Southwest Airlines, and KAYAK?

As travel starts to pick up again, it’s time to get serious about your advertising. Tour operators can hugely benefit from paid ads — but with so many forms of advertising available across different platforms, you may be wondering where to start.

In this post, we’re sharing actionable strategies to build better ad campaigns that appeal to your target audience, plus top-level examples from the brands who do it best.

Top factors to consider for travel advertising campaigns

Want to see more positive results from ads? Keep these strategies in mind when crafting your future marketing campaigns .

1. Define your target customer

Do you know who your customers are? Before you begin crafting an ad campaign, you need to know more about your guests.

Building a buyer persona is a strategic way for tour businesses to get to know their customers. A buyer persona is a visual representation of your ideal customer: Dig into their demographics, study their behaviors on your website, and send surveys to your email list to find out more.

The takeaway? You’ll find a much higher ROI with ad campaigns that specifically appeal to your target audience.

2. Understand the travel customer journey

It’s difficult to sell a tour to someone who hasn’t decided on a destination yet. Ideally, you want to show your ads to people when they’re most likely to book.

Understanding the travel customer journey can help you pinpoint when that is. Google defines the travel search process in four stages:

• Dreaming: Guests are looking for destination inspiration.
• Planning: Guests are researching potential travel dates, hotels, and activities.
• Booking: Guests are booking flights, hotels, etc.
• Experiencing: Guests have arrived and are searching for activities and attractions to experience.

Tour operators are likely to see more conversions in the “booking” and “experiencing” stages. For example, if you’re investing in Google Ads, it’s better to target narrow search terms like “best hiking tours in Colorado,” which is what someone in the booking or experiencing stage would search for.

People in the dreaming stage, on the other hand, would likely be searching overly broad terms like “best summer destinations.”

3. Choose the right platform

There are several different platforms to launch your advertising campaigns, and choosing the right one matters. Where is your audience most likely to see your ad? Where are they already hanging out?

Here are five popular travel advertising outlets:

• Google Ads: Show up at the top of Google search results for relevant keywords.
• Social media ads: Target specific demographics on Facebook and Instagram.
• Yelp ads: Appear to people searching for similar experiences on Yelp.
• Tripadvisor ads: Target people planning a trip to your destination.
• Email marketing: Offer discounts to your email list, one of the more cost-effective ways to advertise.

4. Pay attention to seasonality

Timing is one of the most important factors in travel advertising. Keep seasonality in mind when crafting your campaigns, and remember to edit previously launched campaigns as needed.

A skiing ad won’t make sense at the beginning of summer, so make sure to pause seasonally irrelevant campaigns.

5. Stay true to your brand

Your ad campaigns should reflect your brand identity. People who click on your advertisements are expecting to find the same tone of voice, visuals, and customer experience on your website.

6. Use geographic targeting 

Rather than making your ad visible everywhere on the planet, you can target specific locations your guests are likely to be in. For example, you can target other tourism websites in your state to lure in tourists who are already visiting.

By narrowing down your ad’s geographic reach, you can maximize your budget and focus on the areas that’ll bring you the most return.

7. Promote your sales and special offers

What better way to entice someone to click on your ad than to present them with an unbeatable offer? Advertisements are an effective way to promote your sales, especially seasonal offers. You can send out an ad offering a great discount during the low season to help replenish your bookings, for example.

Pro Tip: One of the simplest ways to do this is by creating coupon codes. Here is how easy it is to create a new coupon code in Xola.

8. Leverage user-generated content 

Sometimes you can generate an ad campaign with user-generated content alone. It’s another cost-effective way to bring more eyes to your tour company.

You can start by encouraging guests to use your brand’s hashtags, share their photos with their own followers, or even submit photos on your website. Apps, like Fotaflo , which integrates natively with Xola, make the process of curating UGC photos and videos easier. Tour operators can also offer incentives for anyone who posts on social media about your tours, such as hosting a giveaway for everyone who uses a hashtag related to your brand.

Tour operator Intrepid Travel asks guests to share their experiences on Instagram with the hashtag #BeIntrepid , for example, which has garnered over 50,000 posts.

Guests typically love seeing their content reposted on other accounts. Still, make sure to always credit the original owner. To avoid serious copyright issues, many brands ask followers to agree to a disclaimer about how and where the images will be used before re-posting them.

Reviews can also be considered user-generated content — but tour operators need to be very careful when it comes to encouraging guests to leave positive reviews. Tripadvisor prohibits brands from offering incentives in exchange for testimonials “because they can hinder the validity and accuracy of reviews.”

9. Use images and videos

Images and videos are the most powerful form of advertising in the travel industry. High-quality images of your destination and scenes from your tours can entice hundreds of clicks. An expertly crafted video can drive even more engagement.

Instagram and Facebook are great places to start experimenting with image and video ads; see a couple of great examples below.

6 examples of great travel advertising examples 

Ready to see these strategies in action? Here are six travel brands that have nailed their travel marketing — including examples of general ad campaigns, paid search ads, and social media ads.

Expedia’s campaign: “It matters who you travel with.” 

This Expedia campaign wants travelers to feel confident booking with the platform in a post-pandemic travel world. The tagline “It matters who you travel with” frames the company as a trusted travel partner rather than just a booking platform.

The company created a playful and very relatable video of a solo traveler who runs into several hiccups on her trip. That is until actress Rashida Jones steps in, embodying Expedia, and makes the trip more memorable.

The company chose a video to expertly convey its marketing message to travelers: Expedia promises a seamless trip and memorable experiences you can’t find on your own.

Southwest’s Transfarency campaign

Southwest Air Lines’ new campaign targets the controversial topic of ticket prices. The company has always billed itself as a transparent brand that cares about employees and customers alike. The new campaign called Trans fare ncy , a play on the words transparency and airfare, builds on that reputation.

The campaign promises customers no unexpected bag fees, change fees, or hidden fees. It’s a great advertisement because it fits perfectly within Southwest’s brand identity, and the airline delivers on the promise.

TourRadar’s travel and destination Facebook ads

Vienna-based TourRadar launched a Facebook campaign to increase bookings from people who had visited its website. The company used visually stunning travel ads to promote relevant tours to people who had browsed the same tours online.

The company also promoted relevant destination offers and tours to people who hadn’t visited their website yet but had shown interest in the destination. The campaign focused on the company’s core markets, including the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

It was a success: TourRadar doubled its conversion rate over a year.

KAYAK’s video ads on Instagram

KAYAK ran video ads on Instagram to bring more people to its website, including one that shows how simple it is to filter flights by airline, price, number of stops, and destination.  

The company played around with ad placement in both Stories and the News Feed, and each ad had a “book now” or “learn more” call-to-action button that linked back to the KAYAK website.

The ads were shown to a lookalike audience based on the travel search engine’s existing audience, which increased the likelihood of clicks. As a result, KAYAK saw a 5x increase in incremental sales conversions.

Airbnb Experiences search ad

Airbnb is targeting people who search for outdoor activities in Colorado to promote its local-led tours. In this example specifically, Airbnb’s paid search ad for a hiking tour shows up under the search for “best hiking in Colorado.”

The title “Hiking in the Rockies – Year Round” quickly answers the questions of “where” and “when,” two details that directly impact the customer’s trip. The wording of the title narrows down the search for the searcher. The description focuses on Airbnb’s unique offerings — “hosted by expert locals,” “experiences vetted for quality,” and “small group sizes — further enticing readers to click.

It’s a great example of Airbnb using a feature other than its main accommodation services to bring people into its website.

Viator’s Brooklyn food tours search ad

Here’s another effective Google Ad example. Viator is promoting its food and wine tours in Brooklyn under the search term “Brooklyn food tours.” 

Unlike the other search ads that pop up, Viator specifically mentions the keywords that the customer will be skimming the page for and includes another enticing offer.

Viator includes “Book & Save Money” in its title, directly appealing to money-conscious travelers visiting a destination known for being very expensive. Therefore, this ad specifically speaks to budget or mid-range travelers who appreciate a good deal.

As you can tell from these examples, an effective ad campaign is crafted around your ideal audience. Top travel companies like Viator and Southwest use words, images, and videos to appeal to their target customers, and your campaigns should follow suit.

Now it’s time to implement these strategies into your own campaigns. Then sit back, relax, and watch those bookings soar.

Writer Carla Vianna

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Effective Travel Advertising Strategy for 2022 + 16 Ad Examples

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.

We’ll also look at 16 travel ad examples from big names in the industry that will surely inspire your future campaign creatives.

If you’re more interested in the ad examples rather than the strategy, use the summary below to jump to that part.

A. Steps for the perfect advertising strategy 

1. Identify your target audience

2. know the traveler’s customer journey.

3. Set campaign goals

4. Create ads with seasonality in mind

5. Choose the right advertising platform

6. measure your ads’ effectiveness.

B. Inspiring travel advertising examples and templates

A. Steps for The Perfect Advertising Strategy

Advertising takes time, money, as well as other resources, so needless to say, the end goal is to maximize ROI.

The surest way to achieve this is by devising a strategy beforehand, meaning a step-by-step plan to reach the right audience and persuade prospects to choose your travel services over those of your competitors.

On top of giving you a precise course of action, having a strategy also provides a reference to assess your results along the way and re-evaluate the plan if need be.

Here are the key steps you must check to build a strong tourism advertising strategy:

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.

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. Create travel ads with seasonality in mind

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain . 

Well, not really. It falls along Spain’s northern coast and mountains. But the country has its meteorological particularities, as do all travel destinations .

Tourism is highly dependent on weather conditions. As a general rule, there are three seasons in the travel industry: peak season, shoulder season, and off-season.

Demand usually hits an all-year high in summertime (mid-June through August), known as the peak season or high season.

From April to mid-June and from September to October is the shoulder season, during which people still travel, but not as much as they do during peak season.

All travel businesses experience a decline in sales from November to March during what is known as the off-season.

However, seasonality isn’t necessarily a negative thing for travel marketing as it allows you to have a clear perspective over the following months.

Try to stay mindful of seasonal patterns and trends as you will understand when prospects want to purchase plane tickets, accommodation, or all-inclusive offers to specific destinations. Timing your creative ads and tailoring your messaging according to these seasons might help you influence purchase decisions.

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

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.

B. Inspiring Travel Advertising Examples and Templates

On to the part everyone has been waiting for, here are 17 travel ad examples that succeed in capturing audiences’ attention in one way or another:

Expedia: Chase new experiences

Let’s kick things off with an industry giant—Expedia. These two creative ads from the same campaign work so well because they promote experiences tourists can have in Marocco rather than the destination itself.

The font pairing is a match made in heaven, and the copy conveys a powerful message when teamed up with the beautiful scenery photos.

Kayak: Group trip without the drama

This Kayak display ad gets the struggle of planning a trip with a large group of friends. No matter how tight the relationships are, it’s bound to be a bumpy road.

While design-wise, the ad might not be too impressive, the copy makes audiences feel understood, which is why I think it deserves a place on this travel ad examples list.

JetBlue: Stretch your legs, not your wallet

Moving on to a different traveling pain point, we have this witty JetBlue Facebook ad that promotes the airline’s extra option to have up to 7″ more legroom in coach class.

The simple illustrated design is elevated by the ad copy that manages to capture viewers’ attention and say so much with so few words.

As this is one of my favorite travel ads on this list, I couldn’t resist including a second Facebook ad from the same campaign, a video one this time.

Once again, the funny ad copy is the star, suggesting you don’t have to be a billionaire such as the likes of Jeff Bezos to get to space, which is a clever way of saying JetBlue travelers can get more legroom at an affordable price.

Carta Travel: Tailor made travel experiences

Edit this template

Pictures have the power to transport viewers to different locations, so many travel ads use them to do just that. This template is no exception, using a photograph of a beautiful sunset as its main focus.

If you’d like to create similar designs for your business, open this template in Creatopy and customize it with different elements from our extensive library.

Lufthansa: The joy of flying

The view from an airplane window has become representative of traveling. Many people pay extra money to sit in the window seat when flying or rejoice when randomly assigned to it.

The German company Lufthansa chose this specific image to evoke the joy of flying and invite viewers to click this half-page display ad promoting the over 200 worldwide destinations in their portfolio.

Air France: Le Rendez-Vous

This animated Air France display ad compares a trip in business class to an anticipated first date, embodying the french elegance and romantic spirit. Of course, we’d expect nothing less from France’s flag carrier.

The ad is also a lesson in consistency, as the brand’s distinctive personality is instantly recognizable thanks to the blue, white, and red color palette, as well as the emblematic logo.

Tripadvisor & Visit Orlando: Explore Unexpected

The Tripadvisor Facebook ad above encourages users to take a different kind of trip from the comfort of their own home—an interactive voice tour of Orlando.

The different shades of teal used for the ad’s design help it stand out on the Facebook feed, while the choice to use a single font ensures the text’s high readability.

Delta Air Lines: Your ticket to more travels

Delta Air Lines uses footage of an idyllic destination to catch the eye right before inviting users to learn more about the miles reward program through the CTA of this Facebook video ad.

The copy aims to persuade by linking the reward card to states of wonder, serenity, and inspiration, all of which can be achieved through traveling.

Hilton: Where the pets stay

Now, this ad will make a lot of pet owners go aww . I mean, it can’t be just me swooning at the idea of traveling with my cat.

It’s true Hilton is targeting a niche audience with this adorable Facebook ad that announces pets are welcome in their hotels. Still, even travelers outside the ad’s target audience are likely to smile at the cute animal photos and the pet-away wordplay in the copy.

Traveloom: A great stay is a happy memory

Is there a more effective way to advertise for hotels and resorts than by using actual pictures from the location? I don’t think so, as all travelers want to see where they will stay before booking accommodation.

This fully customizable Facebook template can be adjusted for any use case by adding and replacing design elements in Creatopy’s drag and drop editor. 

Hotels.com: Find your perfect somewhere

Hotel.com knows how important compatibility between a tourist and its booked hotel is. So much so that they compare it to that between lovers, stressing the importance of choosing the right hotel.

The hotel description narrated in the first person by the personified boutique hotel immediately draws viewers into this upbeat ad. It is reminiscent of about me sections on match-making websites, further supported by the tagline Find your perfect somewhere , which sounds similar to Find your perfect someone . Overall, a great example of video storytelling.

Airbnb: Turn the world into a field trip

This colorful newsletter ad promotes Airbnb’s Field Trips, a collection of online experiences from around the world targeted at kids. 

This time around, the visual part outshines the ad copy, as the bright-colored background catches the eye instantly, and the exciting collage image prompts viewers to click the CTA button that invites them to Explore Field Trips .

Vacasa: Make check-in a breeze

The vacation rental company Vacasa aims to increase app installs with this clean and sharp-looking newsletter ad that promises a stress-free trip experience where travelers needn’t worry about aspects like hotel check-in, home entry codes, or wi-fi connection.

Viewers get a glimpse of how the app looks thanks to two mobile phone screens placed on a color block backdrop, which is a great selling point.

Visit Greece: All you want is Greece

The classic problem and solution approach works here because the ad’s characters are so relatable that viewers can easily identify with them. 

Wrapping It Up

As seen from the strategy tips and ad examples 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.

Let us know what you found most helpful, and feel free to share your own travel advertising tips in the comment section below.

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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.

Here is the feedback we got after working on destination marketing for National Tourism Department of Seychelles:

Content Marketing Manager at Promodo

Immersing myself fully in any topic I explore and my appreciation for simplicity are the driving forces behind my work.

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MediaRadar Blog

22 Categories to Watch in ‘22: Top Travel Advertising Trends

• 22 Categories to Watch in '22

As we approach the end of the year, we’ll be covering trends from 22 key markets. We’ll recap what each industry has experienced over the past year and what to watch for in 2022. Learn who are the top advertisers from each category and how they spend across formats.

Of all things missed during the pandemic, travel was at the top of the list for many people. 

“[Travel] is a necessity, for lives and livelihoods, for families, as well as for economic and mental health,” said Gavin Tollman , CEO of the global guided tour company Trafalgar. “Never again should we forget that travel is truly one of the greatest gifts for so many reasons beyond just a vacation.”

As more people received their vaccinations, they eagerly began boarding planes and cruises . 

Families felt urgency to give children fun and exploratory experiences they had missed out on for more than a year and a half. Engaging in “ revenge travel ,” parents made up for lost time by going on big trips to Disney World or international destinations. 

By the end of second quarter , Disney reported that parks were at or “near” reduced capacity levels. 

At the same time, businesses realized they could cut costs and reduce their carbon footprint by not sending professionals to far-away meetings or events. Business travel recovery isn’t expected until at least 2023, if not later. In response, airlines have changed their loyalty programs , often reducing the amount of miles needed to achieve a higher status tier. 

The travel industry isn’t out of the woods yet. In the same month that the Biden Administration lifted the pandemic-era ban on international travel, the World Health Organization declared Omicron a “very high” global health risk. 

Will the risk of a new covid variant be enough to deter travelers from exploring new places or visiting family members more frequently? It’s far too soon to tell, but the pent-up demand is still real. 

Top travel companies are investing heavily to reach consumers who’ve shifted their priorities and feel the itch to experience the world. 

MediaRadar Insights

Overall spending and breakdown across formats.

Homebound consumers and the travel industry both needed some rejuvenation in 2021. Travel marketing teams jumped on the opportunity. Overall, travel companies spent $2.31 billion in 2021.

More than $1 billion of this spending was across digital. The second largest format advertisers spend on was print, in which they spent $659 million this year. They also spent $580 million on TV this year.

Number of Advertisers

20 thousand advertisers spent $2.3 billion in 2021 compared to 20 thousand advertisers spending $1.7 billion in 2020.

Advertiser Retention 

In the overall category, travel advertisers had a 48% retention rate between 2020 and 2021 (January – October).

5 Top Advertisers – Which Advertisers Spent the Most in 2021?

1. the walt disney company .

The Walt Disney Company is the top advertiser in this category, dedicating 16% of their overall budget to ads promoting their travel brands. 

The Walt Disney Company’s ad spend is up 73% in comparison to last year with their investment in digital advertising up 89% YOY. They have made significant investments in OTT advertising, which saw increased spending by over 1000% since last year. 

This year, The Walt Disney Company spent over $694 million on digital advertising, with over $44 million going towards online video ads, $152 million going towards Facebook ads, and $44 million going towards Snapchat ads. They also spent over $666 million on TV advertisements, with nearly $341 million allocated for broadcast ads and $325mm for cable ads. 

Below is a breakdown of The Walt Disney Company’s spend thus far in 2021. We predict they will likely have an upcoming RFP issued. MediaRadar can help you connect with 172 key contacts at The Walt Disney Company. 

2. Expedia Group, Inc. 

Expedia Group, Inc. is also top advertiser in this category, dedicating 52% of their overall budget to ads promoting their travel brands. Expedia Group, Inc ad spend is up 138%  in comparison to last year with their investment in digital advertising up 322% year-over-year. 

They have made significant investments in Facebook, OTT, Native, and Newspaper advertising, all of which saw spending increased by over 1000% since last year. 

This year, Expedia Group, Inc spent nearly $180 million on digital advertising, with nearly $132 million going towards online video ads, $27 million going towards Facebook ads, and $10 million going to display advertising. 

Expedia spent over $153mm on TV advertisements, with $98 million allocated for cable ads and $55 million allocated for broadcasting ads. 

Below is a breakdown of Expedia Group’s spend thus far in 2021. We predict they will likely have 2 upcoming RFPs issued. MediaRadar can help you connect with 43 key contacts at Expedia Group, Inc.

3. Airbnb, Inc. 

Airbnb, Inc. is another top advertiser in this category, dedicating 100% of their overall budget to ads promoting their travel brands. 

Airbnb, Inc. ad spend is up 560%  in comparison to last year, with their investment in TV advertising up over 1000% year-over-year. They have made significant investments in online video, broadcast, cable, OTT, podcast, and mobile advertising, all of which saw increased spending by over 1000% since last year. 

Spending on advertisements on Facebook went down, as did display ads and native advertisements.

This year, Airbnb, Inc. spent nearly $54 million on digital advertising, with nearly $44 million going towards online video ads, $6 million going towards Facebook ads, and $3 million going to OTT ads.

Airbnb spent over $51.5 million on TV advertisements, with $39 million allocated for cable ads and $11 million allocated for broadcasting ads. 

Below is a breakdown of Airbnb, Inc. spend thus far in 2021. MediaRadar can help you connect with 16 key contacts at Airbnb, Inc.

4. Royal Caribbean Group 

Royal Caribbean Group is another big advertiser in this category, dedicating 95% of their overall budget to ads promoting their travel brands. Royal Caribbean Group ad spend is up 9% in comparison to last year, with their spend in digital advertising up 245% year-over-year. 

Most of their spending was allocated for TV advertisements, with nearly $34 million spent on broadcasting ads and $7 million on cable ads.

This year, Royal Caribbean Group spent nearly $11 million on digital advertising, with over $7 million going towards online video ads and $27 thousand on mobile ads, a 926% and over 1000% increase in spending respectively.  They also invested in advertising campaigns with Snapchat and OTT .

Will this trend towards increasing digital advertising continue? Below is a breakdown of Royal Caribbean Group’s spend thus far in 2021. We predict they will likely have 3 upcoming RFPs issued. MediaRadar can help you connect with 22 key contacts Royal Caribbean Group.

5. Southwest Airlines Co. 

Southwest Airlines Co. is also one of the top advertisers in this category, dedicating 100% of their overall budget to ads promoting their travel brand. 

Southwest Airlines Co. ad spend is up 34%  in comparison to last year, with their spend in digital advertising up 103% YOY.  Most of their spending was allocated for digital advertisements, with a 405% increase in spending on online video ads.

This year, Southwest Airlines Co. spent over $28 million on digital advertising, with over $16 million going towards online video ads and $9 million on Facebook ads. 

They also spent $19 million in TV advertisements, with $11 million towards cable ads and $7 million towards broadcast ads. Southwest Airlines Co. also began investing in newspaper ads and increased their spending in OTT ads by over 1000%. 

Below is a breakdown of Southwest Airlines Co’s spend thus far in 2021. We predict they will likely have an upcoming RFP issued. MediaRadar can help you connect with 21 key contacts at Southwest Airlines Co.

For more updates like this, stay tuned. Subscribe to our blog for more updates on coronavirus and its mark on the economy. 

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Best Travel and Tourism Ads of the Month : Jun 17, 2022

Expedia.com - lemons anomaly.

Expedia promotes savings on travel for members with a very lemony story! Creative from Anomaly in the US.

Anomaly New York, United States

• Brand: Expedia.com
• Country: United States
• Advertiser: Expedia, Inc.

Office National Marocain du Tourisme - Terre de lumière (Land of Light) BETC Paris

A stunning campaign from BETC for the Morocco Tourist Board. This hero video promotes Morocco with the tag "Land of Light", also across OOH with equally stunning imagery.

BETC Paris Pantin, France

• Brand: Office National Marocain du Tourisme
• Country: France
• Advertiser: Office National Marocain du Tourisme

City of Chicago - Chicago Not In Chicago Energy BBDO

Innovative campaign promoting Chicago, that actually takes place in NYC! Interesting background here is that many of NYC's iconic landmarks where designed in Chicago. In fact, if you didn't already know, the US's first skyscraper was built in Chicago :)

Energy BBDO Chicago, United States

• Brand: City of Chicago
• Advertiser: City of Chicago

United Airlines - Anthem 72andSunny

A major, integrated campaign launch for United Airlines from 72&Sunny, promoting United's altruistic promise as a force for food. The 'Good Leads the Way' campaign includes this hero video, multiple print ads and OOH installations, with a mission to protect planet and people.

72andSunny Los Angeles, United States

• Brand: United Airlines
• Advertiser: United Airlines

United Airlines - Trash to Jet Fuel 72andSunny

This second video in United's Good Leads the Way campaign talks about the airlines commitment to sustainable fuel production.

Visit USA - Discovering the soul of the South Beautiful Destinations

For our +1 this week, we return to the US. Two Korean chaps discover that Koreans and Americans are not that dissimilar in this wonderful story of their trip to America's south and their discovery of blues music. Creative from Beautiful Destinations.

Beautiful Destinations New York, United States

• Brand: Visit USA
• Advertiser: Brand USA

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The Ultimate Playbook for Travel Advertising: Taboola’s Data-Backed Creative Strategies and Recommendations

The  global tourism industry grew by over 40%  in 2022 after steep drops in 2020 and 2021. And it’s expected to rise another 14% in 2023, reaching nearly $2.29 trillion.

Now, how can advertisers take advantage of this travel boom and increase revenue? By reaching consumers with optimized campaigns that speak to their needs and wanderlust.

That’s where the  Taboola Creative Playbook: Travel  comes in — built just for advertisers of booking sites, airlines, hotels, tourism boards, and travel products.

The Taboola Creative Shop  — a global team of experts and strategists — pulled readership trends, insights, and engagement data from our network of over 9,000 premium publisher properties and 5.6 billion travel pageviews. And they compiled it all into the ultimate creative guide for travel marketers.

Download Taboola's Travel Creative Playbook

Here’s just some of what they found:

• Convey ease and inspiration for travel.  Use your ads to share how your product or services can make the travel experience easier and more convenient, and share tips and offers for specific trips.
• Write first-person headlines.  Craft ad titles written from the perspective of a real traveler, often in the form of a review.
• Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) to increase clicks.  DKI automatically customizes ad copy  to each user based on specifics like their location or device. For example, you can use DKI to personalize headlines like “People in [Los Angeles] Love These Weekend Travel Tips.”
• Include suggested calls to action (CTAs).  Taboola recommends travel advertisers use CTAs like “Book Now,” “Get Offer,” and “Read More” to drive ad clicks.
• Make it all-inclusive.  Put pricing and saving opportunities front-and-center by highlighting actual travel costs, savings opportunities, and added benefits. For example: “These Affordable All-Inclusives Are Under $400 Plus Bonus Perks.”
• Add visuals and social proof to your landing pages.  Improve on-page engagement with moving images, GIFs, and videos. Also, add testimonials and featured press snippets to build trust and credibility.

Ready to help your travel ad campaigns take flight with data-backed strategies for enhanced performance? Download the  Taboola Creative Playbook: Travel to learn more.

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10 best travel ads that will make you book your next vacation in seconds

November 10, 2023

As the world recovers from the pandemic, travelers are keener than ever to find their next vacation spot. And the companies’ and countries’ tourist offices are wasting no time trying to attract as many visitors as possible to their destinations. 

To show you some of the true gems in travel advertising, we’ve put together a list of the 10 best travel marketing campaigns that will make you want to book your next holiday ASAP. Plus, a little background on tourism marketing.

So let’s dig in!

What is tourism marketing?

Tourism marketing refers to strategically promoting travel destinations, attractions, and services to potential visitors. As part of tourism marketing, companies from the various aspects of the tourism industry develop targeted marketing campaigns on various channels to spread compelling messages to attract tourists.

Each tourism campaign aims to increase awareness, generate interest, and ultimately drive visits from local and international visitors.

10 best tourism marketing campaigns

Here are the ten best tourism campaigns and ads:

1. Switzerland – Yodel Ay Hee Hoo

Is there a better way to promote the countryside than by inviting various people from a train station to spontaneously take a day off from work and enjoy the beautiful and peaceful Alps?

That’s exactly what the Switzerland tourist office did in one of their endearing tourism campaigns and sent the important message of how often we forget to take a step back to relax from our busy daily schedules. 

The creators made the travel ad even more authentic by live streaming from the Alps, with an elderly man inviting everyone from the Zurich train station to come join him. 

Intending to inspire travelers, this innovative approach caught daily commuters off guard and made them question whether to take a free daily ticket to the Alps or to continue their regular trip to work. 

2. Travel Oregon – Only Slightly Exaggerated 

Whether you’re watching an ad for the latest toothpaste or a fantastic new trip destination, they all have one thing in common – they exaggerate how great they are. 

Travel Oregon used this common motive in their “Only Slightly Exaggerated” tourism campaign to paint Oregon as a unique, dreamy, cartoon-like destination. 

The ad shows that Oregon mountains are more magical than anywhere else, rivers hide secrets never seen, and the streets offer entertainment like nowhere else. Just like in your childhood dreams! 

3. Iceland – OutHorse Your Emails

Being able to disconnect from work when on vacation is something that many of us struggle with these days. Luckily, Iceland found a perfect solution for the problem – outsourcing your emails to Icelandic horses. All you have to do for that is come to Iceland, and the rest will be taken care of.

This quirky ad is an amazing example of how creative and funny countries can get in attracting new tourists. 

4. Sweden – Spellbound

Have you heard of Dark Tourism? If you’re a fan of horror stories and mystic movies, then you certainly did! And you’ll absolutely love what Visit Sweden released this year as an attempt to attract a specific target audience with their unique tourist marketing campaign.

Their Spellbound campaign invites mystique lovers to Sweden to explore beautiful nature while enjoying the unique experience of listening to a chilling audio story. The campaign was set up so that a Spotify playlist would only become available to visitors once they came to a specific location. 

This way, they had to visit the location to get the unforgettable and scary experience. Who would’ve thought that horror stories could be such a great way to advertise a country?

5. Tourism Ireland – What Fills Your Heart?

You can never go wrong with a heartwarming tourist marketing campaign that celebrates good spirits, brings nostalgia, and connects people to the nature and the culture of one place. Tourism Ireland managed to do all that in one of their recent campaigns titled “What Fills Your Heart?”

In a series of ads with famous Irish actresses in the main roles, including Derry Girls and Sharon Horgan , the Irish tourist board told the story of Irish history, culture, and customs. 

Source: youtube.com

6. Vienna – What Does A Belly Do In Vienna?

There is no better place for a hungry and heartbroken belly to indulge in life’s beauties than Vienna. That’s the story Vienna’s tourist board told in their highly creative and surrealistic short film. 

As the belly walks through the streets of Vienna, trying to forget his dear human who didn’t treat him well, we get a glimpse of what tourists can see and enjoy during their next visit to the city. 

The creator’s unique approach to promoting Austria’s capital wins the creativity award and is an excellent magnet for new tourists. 

7. Only in Scotland – Why Scotland Needs You

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries struggled to attract tourists. People were concerned about their safety and if the location could provide memorable experiences despite numerous restrictions. 

At that time, Scotland released a beautiful ad showing why Scotland needs people while showing tourists why they’re the ones who actually need a holiday in this astonishing place. The ad is in the spirit of hope, serenity, and relaxation – everything people needed during the pandemic. 

8. KLM – Live Hologram Bar

Imagine spending hours at the airport talking to almost anyone in the world. You could learn about different cultures, what to visit in your next destination, or chat to make the time go by faster. 

In their 2019 marketing campaign, KLM placed hologram bars in airports around the world and allowed travelers from different parts of the world to connect and exchange their stories. Not a bad way to spend your time waiting for your next plane. 

9. Croatia Full of Life – Ode To Joy

What is a summer vacation in Croatia other than your own yearly ode to joy? 

This famous symbolic motif is what Croatian Tourist Board chose for the promotional campaign in 2012, and earned a prestigious travel industry ‘Oscars’ award, ‘Das Goldene Stadttor,’ at the International Tourism Film Festival. 

Beethoven’s inspiring music narrative, led by cellist Ana Rucner carries the video highlighting the rich cultural, historical, and natural heritage of Croatia as well as many Croatian beauties. 

10. Chicago Not in Chicago

In 2022, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced the launch of the “Chicago Not in Chicago” campaign to show how Chicago has inspired many other iconic cities worldwide. 

This creative campaign featured city tour buses across major US cities where people got a tour of Chicago instead of the city they were visiting. And by first confusing and then entertaining the visitors, the campaign sent a powerful message that every city has a story – a Chicago story. 

Final thoughts

When it comes to travel marketing campaigns, the sky’s the limit. Countries and companies can use many different sources of inspiration to tell unique stories about a location or a travel service. 

And these travel marketing campaigns are a great example of how creativity combined with emotional appeal is a recipe for success. The only question remains: “In which of these locations did you book your next vacation?”

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Top 10 Travel Marketing Campaigns & Innovations

Traveling is more than just a leisure activity; it's a massive global industry that contributes over $9 trillion to the world's economy. The competition among travel companies, airlines, and destinations is fierce, and standing out in the crowded market requires innovation and creativity. In this landscape, marketing campaigns have become vital tools for capturing attention and driving consumer behavior. From social media strategies to television commercials, successful campaigns have not only influenced travel decisions but also shaped travel trends and culture.

According to a recent study by the World Travel & Tourism Council, the right marketing campaign can increase destination visits by up to 20%. This has led to a surge in investment in creative and engaging campaigns that resonate with potential travelers. Some of the most iconic campaigns have transcended traditional marketing, turning into cultural phenomena, and inspiring a new wave of wanderlust. This article highlights the top 10 travel marketing campaigns that have done just that, analyzing the strategies and impact that put them ahead of the pack.

Top 10 Travel Marketing Campaigns

Campaign 10: "get out there" - kayak.

Kayak's "Get Out There" campaign aimed to inspire wanderlust among its audience. Through vibrant visuals, the ads showcased breathtaking destinations, from serene beaches to bustling cityscapes. Each advertisement carried a clear message – the world is vast, and every place holds a new experience waiting to be uncovered. The digital-first campaign was embedded with interactive tools: a user could click on an ad and immediately be led to flight and hotel options for the showcased destination.

Kayak's "Get Out There" campaign was a bold statement in the increasingly digital world of travel planning. By implementing an aggressive multi-channel strategy that reached over 20 million users, Kayak achieved a 12% increase in app downloads within the first quarter of the campaign's launch.

• Social Media Blitz: With targeted ads across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, they reached the millennial demographic, seeing a 30% growth in social media engagement.
• Influencer Partnerships: Collaboration with travel influencers provided authentic voices that resonated with potential travelers, resulting in a 15% increase in user-generated content tagged with their campaign hashtag.
• Interactive Website Features: A special landing page offered personalized travel suggestions, driving an 18% increase in site visits.

Campaign 9: "Travel Yourself Interesting" - Expedia

Expedia’s campaign took a playful and humorous angle. The core message was simple: Traveling makes you a more interesting person. Ads featured individuals recounting bland, everyday experiences, juxtaposed with their far more intriguing travel tales. One memorable ad showed a man boring his friends with tales of his lawn maintenance, only to later captivate them with stories of his trek in the Amazon Rainforest.

Expedia's "Travel Yourself Interesting" campaign became a sensation for its humorous take on self-improvement, leading to a 10% growth in global bookings during the campaign period.

• Television Commercials: The humorous ads were broadcasted in key markets, reaching an estimated audience of 50 million, with a 20% increase in brand recall.
• Digital Engagement: Interactive online quizzes and social media challenges contributed to a 25% spike in website traffic.
• Partnership with Travel Bloggers: Engaging bloggers added credibility and a personal touch, resulting in a wider reach and deeper connection with the target audience.

Campaign 8: "The Airbnb Concerts" - Airbnb

Airbnb wanted to emphasize that travel isn’t just about where you stay, but what you experience. This campaign married unique Airbnb accommodations with intimate live music performances. Think of a jazz concert in a historic New Orleans mansion or an indie rock performance in a sleek Tokyo loft. The campaign was about moments and memories, providing travelers not just a place to sleep but an experience to cherish.

Airbnb's "The Airbnb Concerts" was a revolutionary campaign that bridged the gap between travel, music, and community. Over 100 unique concerts were held in various Airbnb locations around the world, leading to a 40% increase in bookings among the participating properties.

• Live Concert Experiences: Hosting concerts in unusual Airbnb venues, such as treehouses and lofts, created unforgettable experiences, selling out 95% of the events.
• Social Media Engagement: Videos and photos from the concerts were shared widely, generating over 5 million views on YouTube and trending hashtags on Twitter.
• Influencer Participation: Collaboration with famous musicians and influencers added prestige and drew substantial media attention, reaching an estimated 60 million people through various channels.  

Campaign 7: "Do it for Denmark" - Spies Travels

With Denmark experiencing a declining birth rate, Spies Travels crafted a cheeky and bold campaign suggesting that Danes should travel more to romantic destinations to boost their chances of conceiving. The campaign videos humorously implied that being in a relaxed vacation mode away from the daily grind might lead to increased intimacy among couples, and thus, increase the country's birth rate.

Spies Travels' bold and unconventional "Do it for Denmark" campaign focused on Denmark's low birth rate, cleverly encouraging couples to travel and procreate. This campaign's success was reflected in:

• Media Coverage: Featured in over 300 international media outlets, generating buzz worth millions in free advertising.
• Sales Growth: A 10% increase in holiday bookings within the campaign period, especially in romantic travel packages.
• Viral Video: The campaign video was viewed over 10 million times on YouTube in the first month alone.
• Awards and Recognition: The campaign won several marketing awards, establishing Spies Travels as a creative leader in the industry.

Campaign 6: "Unborder" - Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)

The "Unborder" campaign showcased the power of travel to transcend boundaries, be they physical, cultural, or psychological. Using visually stunning videos and images, SAS celebrated the global citizen's mindset. Scenes showcased diverse landscapes and cultures, intertwined with travelers from various backgrounds meeting, sharing moments, and understanding one another's worlds.  

SAS's "Unborder" campaign celebrated cultural diversity and connectivity, aiming to break down borders in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

• Emotional Resonance: Surveys showed a 25% increase in positive brand perception among those exposed to the campaign.
• Global Reach: Multi-language content ensured an international reach, connecting with audiences in over 30 countries.
• Influence on Travel Patterns: The campaign contributed to a 7% growth in international flight bookings through SAS.
• Social Media Engagement: User-generated content and shared stories reached over 5 million social media users, strengthening community engagement.

Campaign 5: "Spend Your Days Off" - Project: Time Off

Addressing the widespread issue of burnout and the tendency of many individuals, especially in high-pressure jobs, to skip vacations, this campaign was a clarion call to prioritize well-being. Using a mix of stark statistics about unused vacation days and heartwarming content showing families and individuals rejuvenating through travel, the campaign's central message was clear: Time off is essential, not just a luxury.

The "Spend Your Days Off" campaign from Project: Time Off tackled a significant societal issue, encouraging people to value their vacation time and prioritize well-being.

• Impact on Public Opinion: The campaign reached over 100 million people, contributing to a shift in public opinion about the importance of taking time off.
• Partnerships with Major Brands: Collaboration with several travel and lifestyle brands increased the campaign’s visibility, contributing to a 15% increase in associated travel package sales.
• Social Media Activism: Through hashtags and viral challenges, the campaign mobilized social media users, generating over 1 million shares and comments.
• Research Integration: By incorporating research data on work-life balance, the campaign positioned itself as an authoritative voice, leading to numerous mentions in major media outlets.

Campaign 4: "You’re Not You When You're Hungry" - Snickers Australia

A delightful twist on Snickers' global campaign message, the Australian edition juxtaposed the idea of being 'hungry and irritable' with the fatigue of long travels. Strategically placed in airports and travel hubs, ads humorously showcased how hunger could transform a calm traveler into a frantic, disoriented mess, suggesting that a Snickers bar could save the day.

Travelers, already familiar with the global "You're Not You When You're Hungry" slogan, appreciated the localized twist and situational humor. The relatability of being hungry and irritable during travels struck a chord. 

• Location-specific Advertising: By targeting travelers at airports, Snickers saw a 15% increase in sales within these locations during the campaign.
• Social Media Impact: Shareable content reached 2 million online engagements within the first two weeks.
• Brand Alignment: Maintained Snickers' global campaign message, resulting in a 10% rise in brand recognition among the travel audience.

Campaign 3: "Live There" - Airbnb

Instead of being a mere tourist, Airbnb's "Live There" campaign invited travelers to live like locals. It showcased real Airbnb hosts sharing genuine experiences with guests — from cooking together to exploring hidden neighborhood gems. The campaign was a departure from cliched travel ads, focusing on authentic local interactions over touristy hotspots.

Airbnb's "Live There" encouraged travelers to immerse in local cultures, shifting focus from accommodations to experiences.

• User Engagement: The campaign’s app features increased user interaction by 20%, enabling travelers to customize their experiences.
• Global Reach: Spanned 18 different markets, contributing to a 12% increase in international bookings.
• Media Partnerships: Collaborations with travel magazines and influencers created a 25% uplift in media coverage and online discussions about Airbnb's experiential travel offerings.

Campaign 2: "Shot on iPhone 6" - Apple

Apple showcased the powerful camera of its iPhone 6, not through technical jargon, but by spotlighting stunning user-generated travel photos taken on the device. Billboards, print ads, and digital campaigns proudly displayed these images with the caption "Shot on iPhone 6," turning everyday users into celebrated photographers.

Apple's "Shot on iPhone 6" brilliantly transformed travel photography, showcasing breathtaking landscapes captured on the iPhone.

• User-generated Content: Over 10,000 user submissions in the first month, creating a vast community of iPhone photographers.
• Sales Impact: A 9% increase in iPhone 6 sales was attributed directly to the campaign during its running period.
• Awards and Recognition: Several accolades for marketing excellence affirm Apple's position as an innovator in both technology and marketing.
• Influence on Industry: The campaign set a trend in mobile photography, with other brands following suit.

Campaign 1: "It's More Fun in the Philippines" - Department of Tourism Philippines

This vibrant campaign used catchy slogans, colorful visuals, and infectious local music to promote the Philippines as a top travel destination. It showcased everything from the country's pristine beaches and natural wonders to its rich cultural festivities and the warmth of its people.

The slogan "It's More Fun in the Philippines" became an anthem for both locals and travelers. It captured the heart of what the Philippines offers — an unparalleled blend of beauty, culture, and hospitality. The country saw a significant surge in tourist arrivals, rejuvenating local businesses and attractions. The slogan found its way onto merchandise, social media trends, and even local parlance, truly marking the campaign's success in engraining itself into the global traveler's psyche.

• Tourism Growth: A staggering 20% increase in international tourist arrivals in the year following the campaign's launch.
• Economic Impact: An estimated $1 billion boost to the local economy, benefiting various sectors tied to tourism.
• Social Media Virality: The hashtag #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines trended worldwide, with over 5 million uses on various platforms.
• Cultural Promotion: The campaign promoted local culture and natural beauty, creating a sustainable and responsible tourism model.

Break away from the common marketing tactics: Try Stories

One look at the top travel campaigns we've explored showcases a truth that cannot be ignored: individuality is a cornerstone of successful marketing. From Airbnb emphasizing local experiences to the vibrant charm of Philippine adventures, brands that present a unique, authentic message are the ones that resonate most powerfully with audiences.

As a brand, how do you craft a message that stands out in a saturated market? It's about making it personal. And in the digital age, personalization comes from interactive, engaging, and relatable content.

Try Mobile App Stories from InAppStories!   We take your user engagement and essential mobile metrics under control with our digital toolkit. But why does this matter for travel marketing?

• Immersive Experiences : Showcase your destinations with full-screen visuals and engaging narratives. Let your potential travelers experience a 'sneak peek' of their journey right from their mobile devices.
• Real-Time Engagement : With features like polls, sliders, and quizzes, you can gauge traveler preferences instantly. Want to know if they prefer beach holidays over mountain trekking? Just ask!
• Tailored Recommendations : Using the engagement data, offer personalized travel packages or deals that cater to individual preferences. If a user frequently interacts with beach holiday stories, send them a special offer on a seaside resort package!
• User-Generated Content : Encourage travelers to share their experiences through Stories within your app. There’s nothing more convincing than real travelers sharing authentic experiences.
• Stay Updated : Travel advisories, new destination launches, or special discounts – share time-sensitive information instantly through Stories.

InAppStory doesn’t just allow you to share content; it empowers you to create a dialogue, making your marketing efforts a two-way street. By leveraging this powerful tool, your travel brand can achieve a unique voice, one that listens as much as it speaks. Try them now and see how your mobile or web app will change.

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Category: Travel

Date: August 18, 2023

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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Facebook Advertising Optimization Tool

We’ve Analyzed 100 Ads in the Travel industry and here’s what we’ve found

January 26, 2017 13 Comments Guest Post

Based on the previous case study where I analyzed my newsfeed, we learned that the majority of ads are retargeting.

Facebook ads are becoming so popular that to keep performance high we need to dive deep into just one industry and learn the ins and outs.

I’m obsessed with travel, had my first Facebook training in the travel industry so what better industry to dive into than that?

Social media and particularly Facebook is popular and well fitting for the industry so if you’re working for a travel/tourism related business, you’re going to like this.

I’ve used Adespresso’s brilliant ad gallery for the research.

I would have liked to feature dark posts (unpublished ads) as there a lot more campaigns being run but unfortunately, the gallery doesn’t capture those and as far as I know, there isn’t any way to collect dark post ads from Facebook except manually.

Dark posts are the best way to split test ads, so in this case study, I won’t expect a lot of split tests from the data – who would publish several almost identical ads on their brand’s page?

The best practices are to first test different ad versions using dark posts before publishing the best performing one, and I’m sure the majority of the social media teams are aware of that.

Let’s dive in!

Lat’s start from the end: The Results

The ads were based on the following companies. The majority was by far airlines which I imagine is because they have a significantly higher budget.

I divided travel agents and tour agents into two different groups: one specifically for tours and experiences:

and the other more focused on flight/hotel aggregators (e.g. Kayak.com):

Since previous studies show that many hotel bookers look for a place to stay last minute it logically makes more sense for hotels to be active on search as it’s intent based.

It surprised me that they are as active as the tour- and travel agencies, as I’d expect those to be much more active on social media. In my experience, the bookings can take up to 3-6 months and are a bit less price sensitive.

Content and topics

Most ads had a very general message, which is the opposite of what I usually recommend.

More often than not I see better results from a very specific message delivered to highly targeted customers. The more personalized it is, the better the response.

I divided the ads into destination specific, those that focus on a particular experience (e.g. a particular safari trip or spa) and more generalized ads such as branding.

I’m not surprised that the majority is generalized ads as there are plenty of bigger brands involved in this study which focuses on branding. It’s a shame for the target audiences though as they are getting a worse experience which is almost always shown in the performance.

By sub-segmenting and personalizing the ads to specific target audiences, the brands will usually get more bang for their buck and the audience will be more interested in the ads.

Of course, the bigger brands might not be as serious about social media as smaller companies that heavily rely on return on ad budget to grow.

Next, I looked at whether the ads used images, carousel images or video.

I’m not surprised that most use images as they are a lot cheaper, faster, easier and requires less commitment to produce than video. However, video appears to be performing a lot better and fits perfectly with displaying destinations and experiences.

Just look at travel video blogger Lost Leblanc , who skyrocketed his Youtube channel through posting videos every day for about 9 months in 2016.

As mentioned before most ads are general branding related but as I looked deeper into what they were offering, it turns out that almost half of those were specific promotion campaigns, sales or special deals.

I have no way of knowing how they targeted the audiences but based on the generic ad copy it’s fair to assume that the targeting was broad which is fine if you are doing branded campaigns but by targeting more specific they would be able to improve performance quite a bit.

Almost ⅔ of the ads were offering a discount which gives the impression that they were just looking to boost the reach of an existing campaign – it wasn’t a Facebook or social media-native campaign.

Similarities across the different travel businesses

Not surprisingly hotels are focusing a lot more on destinations and experiences rather than branding compared to airlines.

What’s interesting is that hotels are using sales and special deals with discounts a lot more in their facebook ads compared to airlines that focus more on branding.

Ironically since they are using a lot less video to show their experiences compared to airlines but that is most likely because their budget is a lower.

One of the findings that surprise me the most is that tour agents focus mostly on general ads rather than selling the experience.

I find it odd as they are using more video and articles which are suitable for what they do. In fact, they use articles a lot more than the rest of the companies.

Compared, travel agents push mostly sales with discounts to destinations.

They are the only type of company really using carousels of images.

Another thing that I noticed is that the vast majority of the images used were stock photos. Previous tests I’ve been part of internally has shown that stock photos generally still perform better than more authentic ones.

Something else that I didn’t notice other companies do is sell both their home base both as a tourist destination but also as a great place to live and work for the company as it’s the case with Emirates in some of their ads.

One thing to keep in mind is that many ads contain text. It might be because a bit older, the marketers didn’t know about the updated policy or they felt/tested it was worth the penalty (limited reach).

Analysis of results

What I’m particularly missing is using ads as part of a longer funnel or specific lead generation as we see it from other industries.

The cost of most of the bookings made is a significant amount of money to the guests, so generally, they take more convincing and longer time to book – hence the need for travel consultants at tour agencies.

Most if not all of these ads take you to either a great piece of content that doesn’t take the buyer any further (just click, read and close), or directly to the booking page which is too fast (that’s great for the buying intent you get through Google), or simply straight to the website frontpage as general branding.

It’s unfortunate because there is so much opportunity to drive bookings through Facebook – and with a number of users they have it’s highly scalable – but with a different strategy which is a topic for another blog post.

Methodology

I divided the data into the following categories based on my previous experience with advertising in the field:

#1 – Copy

I didn’t look for trends in the copy. It’s too different and impossible to compare properly. Instead, I looked at the offer as an indication of the purpose of the ad.

• Destination or route (e.g. from London to New York)
• General (e.g. branding)
• Experience (e.g. a spa or a safari experience)

#3 Creative

• Sale or particular deal

#5 Discount

#6 industry.

• Hotel/resort
• Travel agent

I wasn’t able to dig up an equal amount of ads for all type of company, so the results could be slightly skewed in some cases. I only looked at ads that were placed in the desktop newsfeed as that was 99% of the database. Also, ads had to be in English or directly translated.

This is not a scientific study so don’t take it as such. It is an experiment – a deep dive into ads from the travel industry to get an idea of what’s going on there.

My aim was to study how different travel businesses handle their advertising on Facebook. I’m looking for similarities and ways to improve the experience for both advertisers and consumers at the same time.

Closing thoughts and conclusion

I do see an opportunity for improvement for most of the travel companies in this study. Based on the content, it looks like they are treating Facebook as a way to boost generic campaigns rather than utilizing the power of targeting that Facebook ads have to offer.

By using Facebook’s targeting options further and tailoring the ads to fit, it should be a lot easier to capture the interest of you target audiences.

Hey! I’m Aske Christiansen and I write about how online coaches and teachers can grow their email list with Facebook ads at Scaling Your Business . I’ll show you how getting cheap email subscribers with Facebook ads can be uncomplicated, easy to use and even fun! It’s all about focusing on the big wins”. 

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May 19, 2017 at 12:14 pm

Great article .i was thinking of using the videos for face book ads since I think it’s more relevant as a travel marketer

October 9, 2017 at 8:31 am

Great analysis! Yes, travel sector is underutilizing Facebook advertising and can go a lot deeper on specific offers and targeting. Thank you.

April 25, 2018 at 7:42 pm

I would love to see that post about driving bookings through facebook.

May 23, 2018 at 7:52 am

Hi Nikita, to drive bookings through Facebook use Dynamic Ads

July 5, 2018 at 5:23 pm

great for the info! as always

September 2, 2018 at 10:36 am

Great article. I have been doing the Facebook Advertising since last 3 years . I have run many campaigns for such niche like Tour & Travel and Ticket Booking and I can say surely that Facebook ads are doing better for these niche.

Thank you for bringing these things into my mind.

November 20, 2018 at 8:53 pm

Hey Really a great article. It help me a lot to start my Tourism campaign

January 3, 2019 at 10:03 pm

Thanks, omtravelonline

March 14, 2019 at 4:48 am

Really great article and analysis…..

May 4, 2019 at 4:32 am

These are very interesting insights. What is more interesting is that more than 33% of the brands were promoting their discounts.

July 21, 2019 at 8:24 pm

great information. thanks

September 11, 2019 at 4:31 am

very informative article. I am searching for making campaigns for generating leads for travel agency and your article has helped me a lot. Thanks a lot. Regards

September 18, 2019 at 9:50 pm

Excellent post which has good information structure.

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Table of Content

Why youtube ads are an amazing opportunity for travel brands, the incredible targeting available with youtube ads, what targeting to use and when, the different ad formats on offer with youtube ads, how to setup your first youtube ads campaign, the “secret sauce” to running profitable youtube ads campaigns.

Whilst many Travel Brands are flocking to Facebook Ads and Google Ads (with good reason, as they do work), there’s a huge, under-rated and ripe opportunity happening over on YouTube with YouTube Video Advertising  – or YouTube Ads  as I’ll refer to it in this Ultimate Guide.

So why aren’t we seeing many Travel Brands using YouTube Ads?

Well, the main reason we’ve come across is “…because video is too complicated/too expensive”

And, yes, there is a cost (or an investment) into producing YouTube Ads, but in order to ‘win’ in today’s crowded marketplace, Travel Brands need to “…speculate to accumulate.”

In other words, you need to invest in order to grow.

And with the competitive online marketing world and the fight for attention from travelers, diversification  is the name of the game.

“88% of YouTube travel-related searches focus on destinations, attractions, points of interest or general travel ideas” (Google)

But advertising needs to be profitable too and you need to see an ROI as quickly as possible. Well, with the right strategy, approach and foundations, with YouTube Ads you can see huge ROI in as little as 1-3 months.

With so many travelers using mobile devices to research and plan their holidays and travels, and with attention spans becoming shorter, video is one, if not, the most engaging and powerful way to inspire your potential customers, turning them from ‘lookers into bookers’  in the moments that matter to them, on the devices that they’re using; desktop, mobile or tablet.

If you’re not using video as part of your advertising strategy, you’re missing out.

According to Cisco,   in 2019, video will account for 80% of internet traffic throughout the year .

So, with all that being said, here’s What We’re Going To Cover In This YouTube Ads Ultimate Guide:

• Why YouTube Ads are an amazing opportunity for Travel Brands
• The incredible targeting options available with YouTube Ads and how to use them to reach travelers at the different ‘Micro-Moments’ along their ‘Path To Purchase’
• The different YouTube Ads formats, when to use them, specs and requirement
• The ‘Secret Sauce’ to running profitable YouTube Ads Campaigns

About the author

This is a guest contribution by Matt Holmes. Based in the UK, Matt is the founder of Visual8 Digital , a specialist YouTube Ads Agency for Travel Brands, producing and managing profitable, ROI-Focused YouTube Ads Campaigns, that tell inspirational stories and drive direct online bookings.

When he’s not filming, editing, running YouTube Ads Campaigns, you can find him in the gym, out walking with his wife and 2 whippets (dogs), or traveling around the UK, Europe or further afield – and yes, the camera goes with him on his travels!

With a huge audience of travelers and holidaymakers using YouTube, and  88% of travel-related searches on the platform relating to destinations, attractions, points of interest and general travel ideas , the opportunity to position your Travel Brand in front of your ideal customers, has never been more exciting.

There are also over 2 billion monthly active users  on YouTube, which is right on the heels of Facebook’s 2.3 billion. But the biggest difference between these 2 online giants, is that the average user stays on YouTube for over 40 minutes at a time (this is known as ‘session time’), compared to Facebook’s average of 20 minutes per day.

And with so many Travel Brands using Facebook Ads and Google Ads to advertise, why should you, as a Travel Brand, use YouTube Ads? Well, here’s 3 reasons (but trust me, there’s plenty more where these came from!):

• Reach your ideal customers based on their intent
• Incredible targeting opportunities
• Unsaturated, cost-effective advertising platform

When people go to Facebook, they go there to catch up with friends and family, perhaps post a few pictures of their day and generally, just kill a bit of time. They don’t really go to Facebook for a specific purpose.

But with YouTube, it’s a whole different ball game.

The reason being, that people go to YouTube with an INTENT. They generally go to YouTube to:

• Learn Something
• Do Something
• Buy Something

And when you advertise on YouTube with YouTube Ads, you can target people based on their INTENT.

Google owns YouTube, so as an advertiser, you have access to the data that Google knows about its users.

Now, when I say Google has got data on its users, I don’t mean personal details like name and address (although they do know that sort of information for people who have a Google account of some sort; but this information isn’t accessible to advertisers).

No, what I mean about the data that Google has on its users that is available to us as advertisers, are details such as:

• Websites they’ve visited
• What they’ve searched for on Google and YouTube (keywords/search terms)
• Videos they’ve watched and engaged with on YouTube
• What they’re ‘in the market’ for – in other words, Google knows when someone is seriously considering making a purchase
• What sort of topics they’re interested in – for example, ‘hotels in Paris’, ‘car hire in Rome’, ‘holidays in Australia’
• Places they’ve visited (using Google Maps data)
• Apps they have installed on their Smartphones

And, as we’ll cover next in this Ultimate Guide, you can actually choose to show your YouTube Ads on specific YouTube videos and Channels, which is something unheard of in the realm of online advertising, to be able to be that granular with your targeting.

YouTube have really taken their advertising targeting to the extreme; particularly when combined with the data that Google (YouTube’s owners!) have on its users. This gives advertisers a huge advantage when creating YouTube Ads Campaigns, as we can pinpoint exactly who we want to show our YouTube Ads to and reduce our wasted ad spend by not showing our ads to people who are never going to become customers.

So let’s now take a look at some of these incredible targeting opportunities:

Target People Based on Their Location

Location can be a critical targeting option for Travel Brands, especially if you offer experiences or activities to people who are in or around your destination.

With YouTube Ads, there are 3 high-level location targeting options available to you:

• All Countries and Territories (targets every country on Earth!)
• The Country You’re Based (I’m in the UK, so it’s showing ‘United Kingdom)
• Enter Another Location

However, we can drill down much further than this…

If you click on ‘ Advanced Search ’ next to the ‘Enter a location to target or exclude’ box, you’ll see more options become available.

The first one is Location , which allows you to add multiple locations of where you want your YouTube Ads to show, for example, ‘London’.

But the option I love is Radius . As this allows you to add 1 or more locations (as a place name, address, postcode, or coordinates) and choose a radius around that specific point on the map.

So if you only want to target people in or around a 20-mile radius of your location, you can do that with the location targeting of YouTube Ads!

And you can Exclude people in certain locations from seeing your YouTube Ads if you need to, by just typing the location into the ‘Enter a location to target or exclude’ box and clicking ‘Exclude’ .

Target Individual YouTube Videos and YouTube Channels

Yep, you can actually copy and paste the URL of specific YouTube videos or channels into your YouTube Ads Campaign, that you want to show your ads on. This is known as ‘Placement Targeting’.

Just make sure that the channels and videos you’re selecting for placements are ‘monetized’, which simply means that the YouTube Channel owner has agreed to allow ads to play before their videos. You can see which YouTube Channels are ‘monetized’ by looking for the little yellow spots in the play-bar on YouTube Videos, as shown in the image below.

Target People With Keywords

Another targeting option, which is similar to Placement targeting (above), is using Keywords.

These are the keywords that relate to particular content someone is watching on YouTube. When a YouTube Creator uploads a video to their Channel, they write a Title, Description and Tags, which essentially helps their videos be discovered organically on YouTube and Google.

So when you target your YouTube Ads using keywords, YouTube is looking at words within the Title, Description and Tags that the YouTube Creator has added to their video.

Now you might be thinking that this is almost exactly the same as placement targeting! And it is very similar!

But the difference with keyword targeting is that you add say 50 keywords, and the YouTube algorithm will go and find all the videos that have those keywords associated with them, rather than you individually copying and pasting individual video URLs, which can take a lot of time.

One thing to be aware of, however, with using Keywords targeting, is that you’re relying on the YouTube Creators to use words within their Title, Description and Tags, that are actually relevant to their video content. If they’re adding keywords that are completely irrelevant to their videos but are relevant to your YouTube Ads, then your ads could show on videos that don’t align with your brand or message.

Target People With Topics

Similar to Keyword Targeting, Topic Targeting uses topics that YouTube Creators have selected when they’re uploading their videos. But as with Keyword Targeting, Topic Targeting relies heavily on YouTube Creators selecting the right topics, from a predetermined list of topics for their Channel. But it’s definitely an option to test, even with just a small budget behind it initially.

Target People Based on Their Google Search History

This is unique in the online advertising space! Using Google’s data, you can show your YouTube Ads to people based on what they’ve searched for on Google’s Search Engine that we know and love. This is known as a ‘Custom Intent’ audience.

For example, if you own an activity center in the Lake District, you could show your YouTube Ad to people when they’re on YouTube who have recently searched for keywords such as “kids activities in the lake district” on Google! I’m sure you’ll agree, that that’s pretty powerful!

To create a Custom Intent audience, the best place to start is by looking at your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts to see the keywords that have been typed into Google that bring up your website in the Google Search Results.

And if you run Google Search Ads, you could even use the same keywords you use in these campaigns in your YouTube Ads Custom Intent Audiences.

For best results, try and build a list of at least 50 keywords for your Custom Intent Audiences. You might think this sounds like a lot, but with tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console and Google Ads Keyword Planner, you’ll soon blast past 50 keywords!

Target People Based on Their Purchase Intent (According to Google)

Google has an amazing targeting option known as ‘In-Market’. Using the incredible amount of data that Google knows about its users, based on an individual’s online behavior (Google search history, the intent behind the keywords they’ve searched for on Google and YouTube, websites they’ve visited, etc.) Google makes a great prediction as to whether someone is actively looking to make a purchase. And you as a Travel Brand can use these audiences to show your YouTube Ads to.

In-Market Audiences are similar to Custom-Intent Audiences (described above) but are grouped into predefined groups. For example, some of the In-Market Audiences available to you are:

• Trips By Destination
• Hotels and Accommodation

These are just a few of the many In-Market Audiences available; overtime, Google are constantly adding more and more to this list.

When thinking about whether to run Custom-Intent Targeting Campaigns or In-Market Targeting Campaigns, we always run both!

You don’t know what works unless you test! So by testing In-Market against Custom Intent, you’ll be able to see if one outperforms the other dramatically. And you can always turn the worse-performing targeting option off and scale the winning targeting option.

This is one of the many advantages of YouTube Ads! You can quickly and easily scrap the losers and scale the winners.

Target People Based on Their Demographics

Demographics is something that is common across all online advertising platforms; but it’s good to know that you’ve got access to demographic targeting with YouTube Ads, which includes:

• Parental Status
• Household Income (only available in certain countries)

You can also target people using ‘Detailed Demographics’, which includes options such as:

• More detailed Parental Status  (e.g. parents of infants, parents of toddlers, parents of teens, etc.)
• Marital Status  (single, in a relationship, status)
• Education (e.g. current University students)
• Home Ownership Status  (homeowners or renters)

Target People Based on Their Interests and Habits

Over time, Google builds up an accurate profile of its users. So from the websites that they visit, the keywords they search for and their overall online behavior, they often know more about their users than the users themselves do!

And you can show your YouTube Ads to people based on the data that Google knows about the interests and habits of its users.

This audience type is known as an ‘Affinity Audience’.

Typically, targeting interests and habits is more of an upper funnel strategy, than a lower funnel, because they aren’t currently showing signs of being in a position to make a booking.

The predefined Affinity Audiences available with YouTube Ads specifically for Travel Brands are pretty limited, as you can see from the screenshot below.

But all is not lost with Affinity Audiences…

We tend to use ‘Custom Affinity’ audiences, which allow for much more granular targeting, as you can target people based on:

• Interests (e.g. hobbies, products, activities, etc.)
• URL’s (the websites people visit)
• Places (using Google Maps data)
• Apps (installed on an individual’s phone)

For best results with Custom Affinity Audiences, try and add at least 5 items total. You don’t need to enter something for each of the 4 options (Interests, URL’s, Places, Apps).

For example, if you’re running YouTube Ads for a cruise line, you could create a Custom Affinity Audience if you know that your ideal customers look online for subjects such as:

• Different locations for cruises
• Reviews of different cruise lines
• Cruising holiday deals

Custom Affinity Audiences can perform really well, but they take some time to refine and get them delivering great results for you.

So we tend to create Custom Affinity Audiences once we’ve gathered some data from other types of targeting options about the type of websites, interests, etc. that are relevant to people who are resonating with our other YouTube Ads have.

Target People Who Are Already Aware of Your Travel Brand

As with other online advertising platforms, with YouTube Ads, you can create Ad Campaigns that only target a warm audience; meaning that they are already aware of your brand.

So, perhaps they’ve visited your website, made an inquiry, watched one or more of your YouTube videos, or they may have even been a customer of yours in the past.

This type of targeting is known as ‘Remarketing’. And it tends to be less expensive to run Remarketing Campaigns, because you’re not going after a cold audience.

Another powerful type of Remarketing Audience is ‘Similar Audiences’. These are audiences that Google build for you based on other Remarketing Audiences of yours.

For example, let’s say you had a Website Visitors Remarketing Audience, Google would create a Similar Audience of thousands, even tens of thousands or more, of people who have similar interests, online behavior, etc.

As you can see, these are very powerful audiences and can produce amazing results!

Google says that you need a minimum Remarketing Audience list size of 100 people to create a Similar Audience list from.

However, we find that a Remarketing Audience list size of 1000 people produces much better results. So, if you can build a Website Visitors Remarketing Audience list of 1000 people, for example, Google will be able to build a strong Similar Audience list from this. But the bigger the better!

Just bear in mind that it can take 48-72 hours for Google to create your Similar Audience list.

So that’s an overview of the incredible targeting options available with YouTube Ads. But how and when should you use each of them to target travelers along their ‘Path To Purchase’? That’s what we’ll cover right now!

Rarely do we use one type of targeting for a client. To get the most out of YouTube Ads, I highly, highly recommend that you use multiple targeting strategies and test which ones deliver the best results for your Travel Brand.

Travelers go through their own ‘Path To Purchase’ when thinking about, booking and experiencing their holiday or trip. And within this journey, there are 4 main ‘Micro-Moments’:

So based on these Micro-Moments, let’s see how we would use the targeting available to us with YouTube Ads to reach travelers at each one.

Bear in mind that although we use some of the same targeting options at different Micro Moments, the YouTube Ads themselves (i.e. the video content within the ads) will be different.

To put some context into this, let’s use an example of a guided tours company in the Lake District who are running a YouTube Ads Campaign.

Micro-Moment 1 – I Want to Get Away – Dreaming Moments

YouTube Videos and Channels (Placements)

If travelers are in Micro Moment 1, they’re dreaming about getting away on holiday. So by showing your YouTube Ads on specific videos related to your destination is a great way to introduce travelers to your Travel Brand

Similar to Placements targeting, now we’re giving YouTube a list of keywords related to the content that we want our YouTube Ads to show on. But rather than finding the videos manually ourselves, we’re letting YouTube do the hard work and go and find the videos that have specific keywords in the Titles, Descriptions and Tags of videos across YouTube.

Interests (Custom-Affinity)

As I mentioned earlier in this guide, we tend not to use Affinity Audiences because the options are pretty limited for Travel Brands. Instead, we use Custom Affinity Audiences. So, we create a Custom Affinity Audience with a collection of Interests, URLs and Places typically. We tend to leave the ‘Apps’ option alone – but we’re always testing!

Remarketing

If people have previously visited your website it’s worth keeping your Travel Brand front-of-mind as early as possible in their Path To Purchase.

It’s also a good idea to remind previous customers of your brand, so if you have a database of email addresses that you have permission to use, you can upload these email addresses to create a Remarketing Audience of past customers to show specific YouTube Ads to.

Lake District Guided Tours Example I don’t want to make this guide too long, so I won’t list every single specific targeting option below! But I’ll show you a selection of where we’d start our targeting. Over time, we would, of course, refine this targeting as we start to see the winners and the losers.

YouTube Video and Channels (Placements)

3 Days in the Lake District | London to the Lake District Vlog!

Lake District, The Complete Tour, England

Living in a Converted Sprinter Van! The Lake District

• Lake District
• North England
• Things To Do In Lake District
• Dog Walking
• NationalTrust.org.uk
• Lakedistrict.gov.uk
• GoLakes.co.uk
• VisitCumbria.com
• Travel Accommodations

With this Custom Affinity Campaign, we would also use Location Targeting, as we don’t want to show our Guided Tours YouTube Ad to people outside of the UK who have an interest in ‘Walking, for example, as they may never have any intention to visit the UK!

• Visited website in past 7 days
• Visited website in past 14 days
• Visited website in past 30 days
• Visited website in past 60 days
• Visited website in past 90 days
• Customer List (previous customers)

Micro-Moment 2 – I Want This Trip To Be Perfect – Planning Moments

Custom Intent Audience

When travelers are planning their holiday, they tend to search for particular things on Google relating to planning. So create a list of keywords that are relevant for the planning stages of a holiday that relate to your Travel Brand in some way, such as things to do in your local area, local landmarks, etc.

Affinity Audience

As I mentioned earlier, we don’t tend to use Affinity Audiences, but we do like to test it now and again just to see if their audiences have improved – we won’t know unless we test it out!

It’s always worth reminding travelers of your brand throughout their Path To Purchase, which why we include Remarketing Audiences in every Micro Moment. But we would show these audiences an alternative YouTube Ad.

Lake District Guided Tours Example

Custom Intent Audience Keywords

• Places to stay in Lake District
• Hotels in Lake District
• Things to do in Lake District
• Places to visit in Cumbria

The reason I’ve included keywords about hotels, is that people looking for hotels in the Lake District will at some point be looking for things to do whilst on holiday. So even though they might not necessarily be looking for things to do on holiday right now, introducing people to your Travel Brand this early on in the Path To Purchase can work really well.

• Lifestyles & Hobbies > Outdoor Enthusiasts

Micro-Moment 3 – I’m Ready To Book It – Booking Moments

As in Micro Moment 2, we’ll use Custom Intent Audiences again, but this time using keywords that show someone is looking to book their holiday.

In-Market Audience

As I mentioned earlier in this guide, it’s worth testing Custom Intent Audiences against Google’s In-Market Audiences, choosing predefined audiences that relate to your Travel Brand.

Similar to remarketing in Micro Moment 1, we would show a different YouTube Ad to people who have previously visited our website, perhaps with a special offer, as well as another ad to previous customers.

• Lake District Guided Tours Offers
• Lake District Guide Tours Prices
• Lake District Tours Special Offers
• Lake District Tours Deals
• Trips To The UK

Again, I’ve selected In-Market Audiences relating to Hotels, because these people are ready to book and will be looking for things to do on holiday very soon after booking.

Micro-Moment 4 – I Want To Make The Most Of It – Experiencing Moments

Micro Moment 4 tends to be for Travel Brands who offer activities or experiences, such as whitewater rafting , helicopter rides, kayaking , restaurants, etc.

As people are actually on holiday in this Micro Moment, we only want to target people who are within a reasonable distance from your location; people aren’t going to want to drive for hours for a day out! So, it’s best to use location targeting with a specific radius from your Travel Brands postcode.

Custom Intent

If there’s something specific that people search for whilst they’re on holiday that relates to your offering, then creating a Custom Intent Audience is a great way to target these travelers.

And as always, a Remarketing Campaign is always a good idea to run in Micro Moment 4, providing you offer an activity or experience. I wouldn’t recommend using Remarketing in this Micro Moment if your main offering is Accommodation such as hotels or self catering cottages for example.

• People within a 30-mile radius of the area(s) that the Guided Tours company cover

Custom Intent Keywords

• Guided Tours Lake District
• Lake District Tours
• [TOWN NAME] Guided Tours (e.g. Keswick Guided Tours)
• People who have seen previous YouTube Ads from this Guided Tours Company

Keeping up?!?! Great stuff, well done! Let’s keep moving and move onto the next section of this YouTube Ads Ultimate Guide, which is…

So with YouTube Ads, you have 4 main Ad Formats to choose from:

Skippable In-Stream Ads

Unskippable in-stream ads, video discovery ads.

Each Ad Format has its own characteristics, benefits, strengths and weaknesses. So each come into their own at the different Micro Moments along the Path To Purchase.

So, let’s go through each of these 4 YouTube Ads Formats…

These are the ads that play before monetized videos on YouTube that, as a viewer, you can skip after 5 seconds. These ads are also known as ‘TrueView’ Ads, because you, as the advertiser, only get charged when some watches the Ad for at least 30 seconds, or the full duration of the ad, if it’s shorter than 30 seconds.

This is very different than Facebook Ads, where you’re charged for every impression. Or Facebook Video Ads, when you’re charged when somebody watches just 3 seconds of your Ad.

And you can also add 1 or more ‘Calls-To-Action’ (CTA) to your ad, as highlighted in the image below.

As people can ‘skip’ these In-Stream Ads after the first 5 seconds, you really need to make these first 5 seconds of your ad extremely engaging and captivating, to encourage them to keep watching.

However, you also want to repel the wrong people from watching your ad, as you only want to pay for views of your ad by people who have got a good chance of becoming a customer further down the line.

But if you know your ideal customer well, you’ll be able to reduce wasted ad spend considerably when you set up your targeting.

Skippable In-Stream Ad Requirements

• Duration : 12secs (minimum) – 3 minutes (maximum)
• Where They Appear : Before, during and after ‘monetized’ YouTube videos
• Call-To-Action Button : 10 Characters (maximum)
• Companion Banner (displayed on right-hand side of video): Auto-Generated from video or Custom Design 300 x 60 (pixels)
• When You’re Charged:  At 30 seconds (full duration if shorter than 30 seconds), or when Call-To-Action is clicked

Again, these are the ads that play before monetized videos on YouTube, but the difference is that they can’t be skipped after 5 seconds. Viewers have to watch the entire ad before they can watch the video that they came to watch in the first place.

So, understandably, these ads are the least liked by YouTube users. You also can’t add a Call-To-Action button. The only way that people can actually take action from the ad and visit your website, is to click on the small website address text in the bottom left hand corner of the video (shown in the image below), or through a Companion Banner, as with the ‘Skippable In-Stream Ads’.

Unskippable In-Stream Ad Requirements

• Duration : 7 secs (minimum) – 15secs (maximum)
• Call-To-Action Button : None (apart from website URL in the bottom left of the video)
• Companion Banner (displayed on right hand side of video): Auto Generated from video or Custom Design 300 x 60 (pixels)
• When You’re Charged:  Per 1000 impressions (CPM)

Best used for brand awareness, Bumper Ads are 6 second (maximum) video ads that play before monetized videos on YouTube. They don’t have any Call-To-Action aside from a Companion Banner and the on-screen website URL of the advertiser.

As I mentioned above, Bumper Ads perform best when used for Brand Awareness and keeping your Travel Brand front-of-mind for your potential customers. So we tend to use Bumper Ads as part of a larger YouTube Ads campaign strategy.

Bumper Ads Requirements

• Duration : Up to 6 secs (maximum)

Video Discovery Ads are slightly different to all the other ad formats we’ve been through so far, because typically, these are more ‘Content’ videos (videos with titles such as, “how to market my tours company”, “how to generate more direct bookings”, etc.), that you put some money behind to ‘push’ them in front of your ideal customers, rather than wait for the YouTube algorithm to rank your videos based on various different factors, such as title, description, tags, engagement, etc., which is the route that the majority of YouTube Creators take.

When setting up a Video Discovery Ads campaign, you still have access to all the targeting tools that we’ve discussed in this guide.

So Video Discovery Ads can appear in a number of different places across the YouTube platform:

• YouTube App Feed (Mobile Only)
• YouTube Search Results (as highlighted in the image below)
• Suggested Videos (videos down the right hand side on a video watch page)

There are a few things to bear in mind with Video Discovery Ads, that make them slightly different from all the other Ad Formats that we’ve discussed in this guide so far, the main one being that you are charged when someone actually clicks on your Video Discovery Ad from any of the places listed above. You are NOT  charged for impressions.

Video Discovery Ads Requirements:

• Duration : Minimum of 12 seconds (no maximum)
• Where They Appear : YouTube App Feed, Search Results and Suggested Videos
• Call-To-Action Button : None
• Companion Banner: None
• When You’re Charged:  Per Click (CPC)

Wow! Got all that? Still here? Great! Let’s move onto actually setting up your first YouTube Ads Campaign. Exciting!

The first thing you’ll need to do to set up a YouTube Ads Campaign is to create a Google Ads Account if you don’t already have one.

If you do have one, cool, move on. If not, head on over to https://ads.google.com  and just follow the on-screen instructions to get everything in place.

You’ll also need a YouTube Channel setup in order to run YouTube Ads. If you already have a Youtube Channel for your business, just double check that it’s setup as a ‘ Brand Account ‘, rather than a personal account, as this will allow you a few more options than a personal account, such as multiple managers, but you’ll still be able to access a Brand Account through your personal account/channel.

If you don’t have a YouTube Channel, just head on over to YouTube.com  and because you’ve already setup a Google Ads Account, you’ll be able to use the same login details to create your new Youtube Channel.

All sorted? Great, let’s move on…

Linking Your Google Ads Account and Your YouTube Channel

This is a crucial step to really get the most out of YouTube Ads, as you’ll be able to access so many more targeting, measurement and analytics tools, than if you don’t link your Google Ads Account and YouTube Channel together.

To do this, once you’re inside your Google Ads Account, head on up to the spanner/wrench icon in the menu bar at the top right of your screen and click ‘ Linked Accounts ‘ (as shown in the image below).

On the next screen, scroll down till you see the ‘YouTube’ section and click on ‘Details’ (as shown below)

Now click on the ‘Add Channel’ button.

Then either type your YouTube Channel name into the box that pops up (as shown below), or copy and paste your Youtube Channel URL.

Once you’ve searched for your Channel or copy and pasted the URL, select from the appropriate channel ownership options and then click ‘Go To YouTube’, to finish off the linking process.

To finish the linking process between your Google Ads Account and YouTube Channel, you’ll need to be logged into the required YouTube Channel on the same internet browser.

When you see the box below, just give the link a name, make sure all 3 options are ticked from the selection of ‘View Counts’, ‘Remarketing’ and ‘Engagement’ and then click the ‘Link’ button.

And you’re all set; ready to launch your first YouTube Ads Campaign, which we’ll dive into right now!

Campaign Structure

Before we jump into the Google Ads platform again to build out your first YouTube Ads Campaign, I wanted to briefly cover the ‘Account Structure’ of your campaign. The diagram below gives you a high level, 30,000-foot view of how everything works and links together.

Based on the above diagram, the best advice I can give you when you’re thinking about your YouTube Ads Campaigns is this…

Use 1 Targeting Option Per Campaign

Don’t ‘layer’ lots of different targeting options on top of one another in one Campaign; especially when you’re just starting out.

When you set your YouTube Ads Account up this way, you’ll also be able to control the amount of budget per Campaign and therefore, per Targeting option, giving you a huge amount of control over how much you spend on your YouTube Ads, as you can see from the diagram below.

It can be tempting to add lots of targeting options into one Campaign. But if you do, then it’s very difficult to determine which targeting worked and which didn’t. Whereas, if you have just 1 targeting option per Campaign, you can quickly and easily see which targeting is working and which isn’t

Here’s a great quote/motto to remember when running YouTube Ads:

What gets measured, gets managed

Building Your Campaign in Google Ads

So, back on your Google Ads dashboard, to get started, click on the ‘Campaign’ option in the left hand menu, then click on the blue + button and choose ‘New Campaign’ from the menu that pops up.

Now choose an objective for your campaign by asking yourself, what do you want your campaign to achieve? You can choose from:

• Website Traffic
• Product and Brand Consideration
• Brand Awareness and Reach
• App Promotion
• Create a Campaign Without a Goal’s Guidance

Once you’ve chosen your goal, you’ll need to choose a ‘Campaign Type’, which, for YouTube Ads, will need to be ‘Video’.

After choosing your goal and campaign type, you’ll need to select a ‘Campaign Sub-Type’, which will differ depending on the overall goal that you select. I’ve chosen ‘Brand Awareness and Reach’ for this example, which gives the option of the following:

• Skippable In-Stream
• Non-Skippable In-Stream
• Ad Sequence

You’ll most likely recognize some of the sub-goals from the Ad Formats section earlier in this guide! So for now, I’ll go ahead and choose ‘Skippable In-Stream’ and then click the blue ‘Continue’ button at the bottom of the screen.

Campaign Name

The next screen you arrive on might seem a bit daunting, but don’t worry, I’m going to walk you through everything you need to know about setting up your YouTube Ads Campaign the right way.

So, the first thing you’ll want to do is name your Campaign. There are many different naming conventions you could use to name your campaign, but I typically use something along the lines of the following:

[PLATFORM] | [GOAL] | [DEVICE]

In practice, to add some context to this with an example, the above naming convention could be:

YT | Enquiries | Desktop

With ‘YT’ standing for ‘YouTube’, because within the Google Ads platform, you may also be running Google Search Ads and/or Google Display Ads. So by adding ‘YT’ to the beginning of the Campaign Name, easily differentiates between the different Campaigns you may have running at any one time.

There’s no right or wrong way to name your Campaigns; just make sure that it’s something that is recognizable to you and that you can quickly and easily determine the purpose, context and goal of each campaign.

As with any paid advertising, there is a certain amount of testing and optimization required, so once you have more than 10 campaigns on the go, it’s going to be hard to see the wood for the trees if all your campaigns are named something irrelevant or complicated!

Once you’ve decided on your Campaign Name, the next section to work on is ‘Budget’.

You can choose between:

• Campaign Total
• Daily Budget

So how do you know which option is right for you?

Here’s how we like to choose:

If you’re running a ‘burst campaign’ (a short term campaign that typically lasts no more than 4 weeks), then we always recommend using a ‘ Campaign Total ‘ budget.

If, however, you’re going to be running a campaign for the foreseeable future, almost like an evergreen campaign, then we recommend choosing the ‘ Daily Budget ‘ option.

You’ll also see a section just below the budget options, where you can select a start and end date.

Again, what you choose here will depend on the type of campaign that you’re running:

• Burst Campaign  – set a start and end date
• Ongoing/Evergreen Campaign  – DON’T  select a start and end date

Bidding Strategy

I could go very deep on this topic! But for the purposes of this guide, a bidding strategy is essentially how you want Google/YouTube to optimize your ads for maximum impact and how you pay.

I’ve chosen to run a Brand Awareness and Reach  Campaign, so the only Bidding Strategy available to me in this example is Target CPM , which means that I’ll set a target cost for Google/YouTube to optimize my campaign for, in order to receive 1000 impressions of my ad.

If, however, you chose a different campaign goal, you’d have access to different bidding strategies, such as Maximum CPV  (Cost Per View), where you decide how much you’re prepared to pay for 1 person to watch your ad.

Now it’s time to decide where you want your ads to show on the YouTube platform.

Depending on the objective of your campaign and your campaign subtype, some of these options may be unavailable to you. So, typically, here’s how to choose which Networks to show your YouTube Ads on:

• YouTube Search Results  – Video Discovery Ads
• YouTube Videos  – In-Stream Ads (Skippable and Unskippable), Bumper Ads
• Video Partners on the Display Network  – NEVER USE!  (Selecting this option will use up the majority of your budget very quickly!)

This is pretty straightforward! Just choose the language that your ideal customers speak! Yep, it’s that simple!

Content Exclusions

Now you need to choose an Inventory Type, which is essentially a filter that lets your ads show on certain types of video content that YouTube Creators upload. The option you choose here is going to depend on how you want your brand to be perceived, as you might be ok with your ads showing on videos of an ‘evocative nature’, in which case, choose ‘ Expanded Inventory ‘.

Typically though, we choose ‘ Standard Inventory ‘, just to be on the safe side. And, to give credit to YouTube, they are getting much better at blocking ‘risque’ content on the platform.

But if you want to be really safe, just choose ‘ Limited Inventory ‘ from the options. Just bear in mind that the more you limit your inventory, the slightly more expensive it’s going to be to run your ads.

The next 2 options to define are ‘ Excluded Content ‘ and ‘ Excluded Types and Labels ‘.

The ‘ Inventory Type ‘ in the previous section tends to cover a lot of this. So we tend to leave ‘ Excluded Content ‘ as default. Also bear in mind that, at the time of writing this guide, the ‘Excluded Content’ options will soon be removed.

With the ‘ Excluded Types and Labels ‘ options, we tend to just tick the following options where we don’t want our ads to show:

• Embedded Videos
• Live Streaming Videos

Additional Settings

There are some additional settings you can play around with, but when just starting a campaign, it’s best to cast a wide net, so we tend to leave these options alone with a first campaign.

Once we have some data after running campaigns for a few weeks, then we’ll come back into these additional settings and make some changes. But for now, you can leave these settings as default, unless you really feel that you need to male some adjustments to them.

Ad Group Name

Now it’s time to set up your Ad Group. So, as we covered a little earlier in this guide, the Ad Group is where you define your targeting. And when you’re naming your Ad Group’s, it’s best to include the targeting within the Ad Group name, to make things easier to manage; which is particularly important once you’ve got a good number of Ad Groups up and running.

Again, there’s no right or wrong Ad Group naming conventions, but here’s the format we like to use:

[OFFER] | [TARGETING TYPE] | [TARGETING DETAIL]

For example:

2 For 1 Offer Nov 2019 | In-Market | Hotels & Accommodation

Whatever naming convention you use, just make sure you name your Ad Groups in a way that means something to you.

People Targeting – Who You Want To Reach With Your Ads

The next step is to set up your ‘People’ targeting, which includes:

• Demographics

The Audiences targeting allows you to choose from a number of different audience types, based on Google’s data of its users. We covered this a little earlier in this guide, but to give you a refresher, here’s what you’re able to define with Audience targeting:

• Detailed Demographics  (such as marital status, home ownership status and education)
• Affinity  (interests and habits)
• In-Market and Life Events (people who are ready to make a purchase and life events such as graduation, marriage, etc.)
• Remarketing  (people who have interacted with your business)

As I mentioned earlier in this guide, I’d recommend NOT  ‘layering’ People targeting (Demographics and Audiences) when you’re first getting started, because it’s really going to limit the potential of your YouTube Ads, as well as the data that you’re able to pull in, if you were to cast a wider net.

So, if you’re using People Targeting , you’re defining the people who you want to see your ads, no matter what content they’re watching.

But, with Content Targeting  (the next targeting option), you’re actually targeting the content where your ads will show, no matter who the people are that are watching.

This does make it sound a bit like the Content Targeting is a waste of time! But, if you think about it, the people who are watching, for example, a video about ‘best places to visit in the Lake District’, you can be pretty sure that they’re going on holiday to the Lake District at some point in the near future. People who are going to China are unlikely going to be watching a video about places to visit in the Lake District!

So let’s now take another look at the Content Targeting options quickly, as we covered these earlier on in this guide. Content Targeting allows you to define where your ads show based on:

If you do decide to use Content Targeting , then we recommend just choosing ONE of these options per Campaign (Keywords, Topics or Placements), so as to give your ads the best possible chance of success. You can then refine the targeting later on once you’ve got some data.

Setting the bid for your Ad Group will differ depending on the goal of your Campaign, as well as the Campaign subtype that you’ve selected. For the example in this guide, I’m using a Brand Awareness and Reach Campaign, so the only bidding option I’m able to use is Target CPM  (Cost Per Thousand Impressions).

Regarding how much you should set your bids for, whichever type of Campaign you’re running, will very much depend on several factors, such as your ACV (Average Cart Value), your LTV (Lifetime Value), CR (Conversion Rate – how many people you convert from a lead/enquirer into a paying customer).

If you’re running a different Campaign Type and Subtype, you might be able to set your bidding based on how much you’re prepared to pay for a single view of your YouTube Ad.

Once you know these sorts of metrics, and you know how much you’re able to pay to acquire a new customer/booking (and still be profitable), then you can input this data into your Campaign and the algorithm will optimize your Campaign to meet these figures so that you stay profitable.

To give you some figures to get you started though, if you’re running a Campaign that allows you to set a Maximum CPV, then I’d recommend setting this CPV bid to somewhere between £0.10 – £0.20 to begin with. Then once you have some data and analytics after the Campaign has been running for a few days, you can adjust this CPV bid down to better match the results you’re getting. We tend to see CPV’s of between £0.02 and £0.10.

Create Your Video Ad

Here comes the exciting part – creating your YouTube Ad itself!

So the first thing you want to do is make sure your video ad is uploaded onto your YouTube Channel as ‘Unlisted’. Then simply copy and paste the URL of the video into the search bar under the ‘Create Your Ad’ section.

The options you see when you’re setting up your Campaign may differ to screenshot above, because, again, it will depend on your Campaign and Campaign Subtype settings.

But let’s go through the options in the above screenshot, which are available for most Campaigns and Campaign Subtypes, to give you a better idea of how to set your first YouTube Ad up:

• Video Ad Format  – the options you see here will depend on the type of Campaign you’re setting up
• Final URL  – this is the actual URL people will arrive on when they click on a CTA (Call-To-Action) in your YouTube Ad
• Display URL  – this is the URL that viewers of your YouTube Ad will actually see, so make your Display URL look as pretty as you can!
• Call-To-Action – this is optional on some campaigns. You have 10 characters to use, such as BOOK NOW or LEARN MORE
• Headline  – this should promote your offer; it appears below your YouTube Ad on mobiles and within the ad itself on desktop computers
• Companion Banner  – this is a graphic with a CTA and again, promotes your offer, but stays visible to the viewers even if they skip your ad. You can choose to have an auto-generated Companion Banner, or if there’s something specific that you want to show in your banner, then you can create your own; just make sure that its dimensions are 300 x 60 pixels.

As you build out your YouTube Ad, you’ll see a preview of what it’s looking like on the right hand side of your screen, both on mobile and desktop devices, so you can be confident that you’re happy with how your ad looks before you launch it.

The final thing you need to do is name your Ad. As with all the naming conventions we’ve gone through in this guide, there are no hard and fast rules; just make it clear to you, so that you understand the content of the Campaign, Ad Group and Ad.

For your Ads, I recommend using the following naming convention, but feel free to name it in a way that works for you:

[OFFER IN AD] | [VERSION] | [ANGLE/DESCRIPTION]

So, for example:

2 For 1 Nov 2019 Offer | Ver1 | With Voiceover

And you’re done! Just give all the settings of your Campaign a check over to make sure you’re happy with everything. Then click on the blue ‘ Save and Continue ‘ button at the bottom of the screen.

Phew! So, you’ve got your first YouTube Ad up and running. Now for something super important about running profitable YouTube Ads Campaigns…

I call this the Secret Sauce…

When you’re running YouTube Ads, the ‘Secret Sauce’ to success isn’t some fancy targeting strategy, or campaign objective, although, as you’ve witnessed throughout this Ultimate Guide, these things do make a massive difference to your results.

The ‘Secret Sauce’ to successful running profitable YouTube Ads is actually MINDSET.

I call it the ‘Always Win, Never Lose Mindset’.

Whenever you run YouTube Ads, you either SUCCEED by reaching your ideal customers with a message that resonates with them and turns them into either a lead or a customer…

You gain AD INTELLIGENCE, which will help you WIN more going forwards.

You need to ‘miss the mark’ a few times to see what works and what doesn’t work. If you win, GREAT. if you lose, GREAT – you’ve still won, because you’ve gained AD INTELLIGENCE.

And once you can see what’s working, you can dial in on this targeting, creative, messaging, etc. and start to scale up your Campaigns.

To really drive this Secret Sauce home for you, let’s use an analogy of firing arrows at a target.

The reason some YouTube Ads don’t work is because they throw one huge, gigantic arrow at a target. And unfortunately, 9 times out of 10, this doesn’t produce profitable or meaningful results. And definitely no ROI.

Instead, if you want to win with YouTube Ads, you need to use the ‘Always Win, Never Lose Mindset’, throw lots of precision arrows at the target and not be afraid of missing a few times. When you have this mindset, you know that you’ll hit the bullseye.

As Thomas Jefferson once said:

“ Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. “  – Thomas Jefferson

And there you have it! That’s complete the YouTube Ads Ultimate Guide For Travel Marketers.

As with any paid advertising campaign, you can very easily waste a lot of money if you don’t know what you’re doing, targeting the wrong audience, setting the wrong objectives and most importantly, not knowing your metrics and your numbers.

You’ll also need to bear in mind that YouTube Ads requires on-going testing and optimization. You can’t just create one YouTube Ad, launch it and expect to hit a home run right out of the gate.

When you launch your first YouTube Ads Campaign, let it run for at least 7-14 days before you make any amendments to it. Allow your Campaign to collect some data, then analyze the data, and optimize targeting, bidding, etc. based on your results.

You might also like:

• How to Market a Tour Company for Free: 7 Big Platforms You Should be on
• 10 Ways to Promote Your Tours for Maximum Sales
• 8 Underestimated Tactics for Successful Tour Marketing
• Marketing Mix for Tour and Activity Operators

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8 Best Travel Video Ads

Nothing sells travel better than amazing video footage. If you’re in the travel business and aren’t making video ads for social media, what are you waiting for?

We’ve created this list of eight popular travel video ads that tackle advertising in diverse, but equally effective ways. They have all racked up mass quantities of views, and probably a good number of leads . 1. A travel agency specializing in trips to Walt Disney World decided to get specific in this TikTok video ad . Rather than focusing on the variety of accommodations in the area, the video zeroes in on the Margaritaville Resort, using a green screen to simultaneously display the speaker as well as images of the resort and nearby attractions. It’s effective because it gives the casual viewer a concrete idea of what a vacation to the area would look like. A simple call to action with contact information ends the ad, which has been viewed 115,000 times.

2. Our next example also has a narrow focus. This video ad by a Ukrainian travel agent showcases hotels with the best food in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. The video starts casually, with selfie footage of the speaker standing before a stunning aquamarine sea. Then it segues into video footage of mouthwatering resort buffets and glamorous restaurants, as the speaker gives voiceover reviews. This ad has been viewed more than 300,000 times. 3. While the last two ads were pretty targeted, the next one wins the prize for specificity. In this TikTok ad by @aubreepaigetravels , Aubree actually invites viewers to join herself and her husband at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico during a particular weekend. The ad features a view of a luxurious bubble bath in a bathroom with a floor-to-ceiling view of the ocean. No word on whether anyone accepted the invitation, but the ad was viewed more than 20,000 times. 4. Though this list focuses mostly on small businesses, we wanted to include this YouTube ad by travel giant Expedia. It’s creative and doable even on a smaller advertising budget. The ad features a birds’-eye view of a living room with sped-up footage of people rearranging the furniture to look like a car on a road trip, or a pool perfect for lounging in. If this compelling ad had been made by a mom-and-pop travel agency, you can be sure viewers would take the time to browse the agency’s other videos—it’s that interesting. The short clip ends with Expedia’s brand logo and has been viewed 75 million times.

5. Awarding Travels has done a bang-up job of catering to viewers trying to choose a hotel in Cancun, Mexico. This top-10 video list of all-inclusive Cancun resorts features reviews of each resort over a backdrop of official footage of each destination. The video description includes a convenient website link for viewers who would like to learn more. It has been viewed nearly a quarter of a million times, and you can bet some of those viewers have clicked through and booked a vacation. 6. While the last ad assumed viewers were interested in an all-inclusive vacation, the next one takes a slightly different approach. Geared more for the research-minded, skeptical traveler, this video by Costa Rican Vacations focuses on the pros and cons of an all-inclusive trip to Costa Rica. It’s not click bait or a marketing gimmick—the ad really does discuss actual, legitimate reasons not to book an all-inclusive. This approach casts this travel agency as a straight-shooting operation that won’t  try to sell you on a vacation package that isn’t what you want. 7. While most of the ads we’ve discussed so far are short and to-the-point, Harr Travel goes a different way in this video . The ad is actually a full walkthrough of Beaches Turks and Caicos resort, clocking in at over an hour in length. The agency’s logo and phone number appear on the screen throughout. This review is super-comprehensive, and has no doubt been very helpful to some of the 40,000 people who have viewed it.

8. Our last example is fun and casual , and very effective. This super-short ad by @shannonkittner starts with a caption stating, “I need professional help with planning a trip to Disney World for my family and I don’t know where to start.” Shannon dances to music and pretends to dial a phone, after which captions pop up on the screen advertising her business and emphasizing the fact that clients won’t pay anymore for her services than they would booking directly with Disney. The ad grabs attention with the music and dance, then seals the deal with a value proposition that’s hard to beat.

More Social Media Tips

9 mistakes small businesses are making on tiktok (and how to avoid them), 11 instagram content ideas for service-based businesses, interview: how entrepreneurs can be more successful with social media marketing, subscribe to our social media tips and get a free instagram checklist for your business., sign up for free to create your first video.

Tools and partnerships to help travel recover and thrive

Jul 14, 2021

[[read-time]] min read

The travel industry is beginning to show promising signs of recovery as parts of the world reopen and vaccinations continue. We see from Google searches that people want to travel, provided they feel safe to do so: Global searches for “ where to travel ,” “ can I travel ” and “ covid travel restrictions ” are near all-time highs. Google is working hard to listen to customer feedback and ensure travel businesses and tourism officials have the information needed to continue recovery.

That’s why last December, we began testing Travel Insights with Google in the Asia Pacific region; it’s a set of tools providing powerful insights into real-time travel demand based on global Google Search data. Today we’re launching Travel Insights with Google in the United States, in partnership with Destinations International and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) . Together, we’ll bring these tools to the travel industry in the U.S. and around the world with training materials customized specifically for destination organizations and hospitality marketing professionals.

Consumer insights to help accelerate recovery

There are two free tools available within Travel Insights with Google that provide rich data and actionable insights. 

Destination Insights gives travel businesses, governments, and tourism boards a clear picture of top sources of demand per destination. This can help users understand where potential travelers may be coming from and adjust marketing campaigns accordingly. The second tool, Hotel Insights , helps hoteliers analyze search trends so they can understand where interest is coming from and attract new guests by creating a stronger digital presence.

Travel Insights tool landing page

Since we began piloting these tools last year, they’ve helped government tourism officials in places like Singapore and Indonesia answer critical questions as they make decisions about border reopenings. As part of our ongoing global expansion, we recently launched localized versions of Travel Insights with Google in countries across Asia and Europe, including Spain, Greece, France, Italy, Croatia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

“As we enter into the recovery phase after the pandemic, relevant and timely data will be essential for destination organizations around the world as they will be required to respond intelligently and proactively on behalf of their communities. We are thrilled to partner with Google for this type of information that will help make our members successful.” —Don Welsh, President and CEO of Destinations International.

“Partnering with Google on this initiative reinforces that what industry professionals need are insights, not just information. HSMAI members that are inspiring marketing will benefit greatly by having access to the exclusive expertise that Google provides on what today’s traveler is searching for as the recovery picks up across travel and tourism.”  —Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, President and CEO of HSMAI

More actionable features 

Based on feedback we’ve heard from our pilot partners, today we’re also introducing new, helpful features within the Destination Insights tool. 

Focusing Facts will allow users who visit Destination Insights to view a set of quick insights such as “Fastest growing destination globally,” “Country with the most inbound interest” and “Top city in demand.” Focusing Facts are based on the previous 84 days of data which provides a well-rounded vantage point. 

Focusing Facts tool within Destination Insights

The Demand Sizing Tool is a new section with distinct filters to compare inbound and outbound interest between one primary country and up to ten comparison countries.

Demand Sizing tool within Destination Insights

Responsibly reinvigorating the tourism sector will take ingenuity and effort across the industry. We want to support travel and tourism professionals with the tools and insights they need to connect with people searching for travel. As we make progress toward recovery, we’ll continue to seek to find new ways to support the global travel and tourism sector by sharing data and insights that can help the industry rebound.

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Google Ads for Travel Agency: Best Google Ads Strategy for You

So, you’re a travel agency. You know all there is to know about destination vacations and creating the perfect packages for your customers. However, you aren’t getting much traffic, and as a result, you are only getting a few bookings.

This is despite your best efforts to do SEO for travel agencies , which does bring success, but it’s hard to beat more established agencies organically. That is where Google Ads, formerly Google Adwords, comes in.

Google Ads is a powerful advertising platform that can help travel agencies reach new customers. It’s a form of paid advertising using Google, which has access to billions of users, as well as websites on its partner networks. ( Xanax )

In this blog post, we’ll answer “how does Google Ads work?” as well as how you can create an effective Google Ads campaign for your travel agency.

The Benefits of Google Ads for Travel Agencies

Travel agencies have a lot to gain from creating travel ads using Google Ads. This includes the following:

Reach a Wide Variety of People

When planning a trip, most people turn to the internet for help. As the world’s largest search engine, Google gets a lot of traffic from people looking for travel information. In fact, there are at least 9 billion searches on the search giant.

So, tourism ads with Google can help you appear in front of billions of people every day.

Furthermore, your ads won’t be limited to just Google. In addition to showing up on the Google Search Network for text ads, your visual ads can show up on the Google Display Network. This includes both services owned by Google, as well as mobile apps and other partner websites.

Get Targeted Traffic

With Google Ads, you can reach a specific target audience who are searching for travel-related keywords on Google. You can also use location targeting to zero in further on these people.

For example, you can target people in specific locations or who speak specific languages. Additionally, you can use negative keywords to ensure that your ads are not being shown to people who are not interested in what you have to offer.

By using Google Ads, you can reach a large audience of potential customers and significantly increase the targeted traffic coming to your website.

Control Your Costs

One of the better benefits of Google Ads is that there are no limits to how much you pay for the ads. You can spend as much or as little as you want daily, weekly, or monthly.

Best of all, you will only pay when someone clicks on your ad, which can be great for increasing brand awareness via display campaigns.

Instant Results

Unlike other forms of travel content marketing , paid Google advertising for tourism can deliver instant results. You can create and publish well-optimised ads and start getting traffic and conversions the very same day.

Google Adwords Advertising Networks

Before devising a strategy or creating Google Ads campaigns for your travel agency, you must choose where you want to place your ads.

Ideally, you want to place your ads on both the search and display network. But, this is not possible for everyone, mostly due to budget constraints.

Here’s what differentiates the two Google Ads networks, as well as how they can work together.

Google Search Network

As the world’s leading search engine, Google handles billions of searches per day. But, the search giant’s reach isn’t limited to just Google searches; they also have the Google Search Network. It’s what handles travel search engine marketing from a paid ads perspective.

The Google Search Network consists of a network of websites that are search partners with Google, enabling them to show ads. When someone uses one of these websites to search for something, they might see an ad from a business that is relevant to their query.

For travel agencies, the Search Network can be an effective way to reach potential customers who are actively looking for your services. And because the Search Network includes such a wide range of websites, businesses can reach a large audience with their ads.

Search ads are perfect for capturing potential customers nearing the end of the sales funnel as they’re actively looking for an agency like yours. However, they do tend to be the more expensive of the two.

Google Display Network

The Google Display Network is a huge network of websites that showcase both visual and textual ads. This includes major news sites, popular blogs, and smaller niche sites. When you create a text and image ad on Google, you have the option to target the Display Network.

This means your ad will appear on any of the millions of websites in the network that are relevant to your business. For example, as a travel agency, your ad might appear on a travel blog. The Display Network is a great way to reach a large audience and generate brand awareness for your business.

Display ads are great for brand awareness, and they can also visualise your packages. And since images can instantly catch someone’s attention, they’re particularly powerful for travel agencies. Furthermore, they’re generally cheaper than search ads and are adaptive to whichever platform they appear on.

Search ads are perfect for lead generation for travel agents, as you’ll reach people who’re ready to convert. If the goal of your travel agency ad is to boost your visibility, display ads are perfect. But you can create separate campaigns in each format to get the most out of your ads.

Creating a Google Ads Campaign

So, now that you’ve set up your Google Ads account and know about the types of Google Ads networks, it’s time to start creating your ad. Here are the steps to follow when creating an ad for both search and display advertisements.

Do Research

The first part of doing any travel agency advertisement is to ensure you understand your audience. If you’ve been in business for a while, this information should already exist.

If not, you can create personas for the different segments you want to target. You can target these people based on demographics, their interests, and whether they’re in-market (actively researching travel information) or not.

You’ll also need to do keyword research at this point to figure out what keywords you would like your ads to be triggered by. Just like they’re an important ranking factor for SEO , they’re also crucial for Google Ads. A good rule of thumb is to cast a wide net at first, then narrow down your keywords by keeping those that show a positive trend and discarding the ones that are now promising.

Both target audience and keyword research should help dictate what your copy should be like.

Next up, choose the location you’ll be targeting, and you can use Google Trends to find potential traffic in different locations for your destination packages. You also have the choice of using paid tools like Ahrefs.

Create Destination-Specific Landing Pages

Everyone knows Google Ads are great at getting your travel agency in front of potential customers. But, if you’re not using landing pages, you’re not getting the most out of your campaign.

Landing pages are single web pages that are designed specifically for a given campaign or offer. They typically have a unique URL that’s different from your website’s home page. And they’re often optimised for conversion by featuring compelling headlines, clear calls to action (CTA), and focused content.

Focused on a specific goal, landing pages are more effective than your website’s home page at converting visitors into leads or customers. Plus, they help with the ad score (more on this later).

Set Your Budget

Afterwards, you’ll need to set your budget, i.e. the maximum you’re willing to spend on the ads. At the start, it’s difficult to set a budget as you have no figures to go off, even if your keyword bidding prices can help. So, you’ll need to just throw a decent amount of money into the ads and then adjust for performance.

A good beginning monthly budget is $850 per month, and you can then go higher or lower as you wish or as the data dictates. Keep in mind that display ads are generally cheaper than search ads.

Choose Your Campaign Objective

Google Ads has several campaign objectives, but travel agencies really need to choose one of three. This includes leads, website traffic, and brand awareness and reach.

Leads are perfect for lead generation as they are shown to searchers that are most likely to convert. Website traffic will bring you qualified visitors based on the keywords you’re bidding on, and brand awareness and reach will put the word out there that you exist.

Choose a Campaign Type

Likewise, you’ll find several campaign types you can run. However, you should first start with either/or both search and display campaigns for the reasons explained above.

Further down the line, you can try using video ads to showcase your travel agency’s capabilities on Youtube.

Pick a Bid Strategy

As Google Ads are an auction, everything is done through bidding. So, you’ll need to pick a bid strategy that best fits your plans.

You can choose between maximising clicks, maximising conversions, maximising impressions, or setting a target conversion value. After getting a good number of conversions, you’ll be able to pick more bid strategies like return on ad spend, target cost per action, and the like.

This is also where the keywords for travel and tourism you found earlier come in. As you slot in your preferred keywords, Google will show an estimate of what you can expect to spend.

Ad Copy or Visuals

Text ads give you a chance to share unique information through headlines and descriptions. Headlines should grab the searcher’s attention, and descriptions should add valuable information that entices the reader to click.

For display advertising, you’ll need to create attention-grabbing images for visually captivating ads — which shouldn’t be too difficult for a travel agency with a gallery of destinations. You can also use text to give context to each image.

Try to make these as distinct as possible, focusing on what makes your company unique — there are already dozens of travel agencies advertising what you offer at the basic level.

Optimising Your Campaign

Tracking the results of your efforts is crucial for a successful, continuous Google Ads experience. The best way to do this with Google Ads is by looking at the ad quality score, which can give you suggestions for what to improve.

Firstly, you can adjust your keywords by adding new keywords and adding negative keywords to not appear on irrelevant searches.

Secondly, observe your Google Analytics data to see how long people spend on your landing pages before abandoning the page. A long time spent on landing pages without converting may point to the booking process being too long and needing some steps removed.

More Tips for Doing Google Ads for Travel Agencies

In addition to the above, there are a few more things you’ll need to consider doing to ensure you have the best travel ads possible. Those include the following tips:

Adjust Your Ads for Seasonality Changes

Seasonal changes can have a big impact on your business, and that includes your Google Ads. As the seasons change, so do consumer habits, and that means you need to adjust your Google Ads accordingly.

For your paid search campaign, take a look at your keywords and make sure they’re still relevant. Next, take a look at your search ads’ copy and make sure it’s still accurate. For display ad campaigns, you’ll want to rotate images if activities change drastically with the weather in certain destinations.

Finally, keep an eye on your budget to ensure you don’t overspend with seasonal changes.

By making these simple adjustments, you can make sure your Google Ads are always in step with the seasons.

Social Proof Your Landing Pages

As a travel agency, you’re likely asking people to trust you with thousands of dollars. So, a large number of people would be understandably apprehensive about using your services if they have nothing to back up that you do your job well.

That’s why having customer testimonials and reviews on your landing page is crucial, as they’re valuable trust signals. Furthermore, you can insert logos of major companies that have worked with and endorsed your agency.

Don’t Forget About Bing

Sure, Google is a search giant with no equal, but there are still some search engines out there worth advertising on too. There are no better alternatives than Bing, which is the second biggest search engine  in the world.

The process of advertising on Bing is similar to Google, and you won’t be throwing money away, either. After all, Bing gets over a billion searches monthly and given that people rarely flip-flop between the two, that’s one billion searches you could use to grow profits.

Travel Tractions Can Help You Create Travel Agency Ads with Google

If you’re a travel agency, there’s no reason not to be using Google Ads. Not only does it give you a chance to get your travel agency in front of billions of potential customers, but it also allows you to laser target your audience so that you’re only paying for ads that are being seen by people who are interested in what you have to offer.

Creating Google Ads campaigns may seem daunting, but we can help. Our team of experts will work with you to create a campaign that gets results.

So what are you waiting for? Get started on your Google Ads journey or get in touch with us today and let us help you.

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