Marketing tips

Expedia Group has 10 consumer brands, but its marketing strategy shifted starting in late 2021 to emphasize three core brands above all others: Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.

Travel metasearch sites such as Trivago and Tripadvisor fell considerably short of pre-pandemic 2019 revenue levels in 2022 while travel companies in other sectors, such as Airbnb in short-term rentals, and tours and activities provider Viator greatly exceeded their marks from three years ago.

Puerto Rico has seen tourism boom coming out of the pandemic, and the island’s authorities believe it’s poised for another surge in visitor numbers — thanks to a new marketing campaign showcasing its culture.

Sales and marketing has been a long established role in the core teams of hotels around the world. There’s a lot to it, but the role generally entails driving demand for a property, liaising with trade partners, and strategically positioning the hotel in the market and with press.

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Hotels.com is turning to celebrities to provide sales pitches in a campaign appearing on its own digital channels instead of TV.

The Four Seasons wants to convey how its staff goes above and beyond the call of duty to entertain guests in its Based on a True Stay campaign.

In the perennial quest to turn bargaining-hunting travelers with little brand loyalty into customers making bookings and generating revenue through paid advertising, Airbnb widened its already substantial advantage in 2022 over rivals Booking Holdings and Expedia Group.

Despegar is increasing its product and geographic diversification but its net loss widened a tad in the fourth quarter because of weak travel demand and higher expenses.

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Booking.com, which has marketing relationships with the International Cricket Council and the Union of European Football Associations, is playing ball with Major League Baseball.

Choice Hotels recently launched a new marketing campaign featuring actress Zooey Deschanel as part of its efforts to increase direct bookings.

New York launched a marketing campaign last week that plays on Milton Glaser’s iconic “I Love New York” tourism slogan and logo to drive local civic engagement. It’s operating in an environment where it’s harder than ever to sell a tourism slogan to a skeptical public.

Marketers that believe the photo sharing app BeReal is a fad might need to take a second look. The platform, which was launched to promote authenticity on social media and combat its negative effects, has grown in popularity with travel brands looking to make inroads with Generation Z travelers.

Two startups involved in the travel industry raised nearly $15 million this week.

It may seem that it took one purportedly “stereotypical” tourism campaign for Fiji to realize that happiness, a brand truth that the destination continues to highlight in all its campaigns, isn’t something that is switched on for tourists — it’s how the country lives.

Vrbo released the first of three new ads this week focusing on customer service guarantees instead of the homes themselves.

Marriott International has long relied on its array of 30 brands to appeal to diverse mix of travelers. But the hotel giant increasingly would like consumers to believe its loyalty program gives them access to a surprising mix of lodging. Its marketers appear to hope that travelers will make Marriott’s mobile app their default place to book hotels.

When Ad Age announced its “2023 Creativity Awards” on Monday, it handed one to Hilton for having the year’s “best rebrand.” The hotel giant’s brand platform, “It Matters Where You Stay,” helped the U.S.-based hotel giant differentiate itself from competitors, the trade publication said.

Hong Kong’s March retail sales rose 40.9 percent from a year earlier, the second biggest percentage rise on record, as consumer and visitor spending continued to improve, though the low base of comparison also contributed, government data showed on Thursday.

Lindblad Expeditions’ occupancy soared in the first months of the year thanks to marketing investments paying off with more first-time guests, executives said during a Wednesday earnings call.