Why long form content is key to influencing travellers

2019 has been turbulent for the travel industry. 17 airlines have gone bust so far this year including heritage brand (and high street travel agent) Thomas Cook. As a parliamentary enquiry examines the reasons behind the company’s collapse, it’s clear there were multiple factors – from a botched merger to a pile of debt.

However, one reason that can’t be overlooked is changing consumer habits. According to trade body ABTA, only one in seven of us booked our holiday with a high street travel agent last year, and of those people it tended to be older and less wealthy consumers.

For most of us, both the starting and end points of planning and booking a holiday is now online, with many of us choosing to be our own travel agent, purchasing our flights and accommodation separately. But this user journey is far from simple – research from Expedia shows that in the 45 days before making a purchase, British travel consumers visit travel sites an average of 121 times!

Decisions, decisions!

Perhaps the most surprising finding from the same report is that:

“More than half of British online travel shoppers begin their research with multiple destinations in mind — 54% are still considering multiple destinations when they begin their travel booking journey”

So, with nearly half of all consumers open minded regarding destinations, the opportunity for tourist boards, hotels, airlines and OTE’s (Online travel agents) has never been greater – with three quarters of the 50 million of us online in the UK engaging specifically with travel content.

January blues

As we approach peak booking period in the UK, when around 5 million brits secure their getaway each January, now is the time to inspire potential bookers and get front of mind. The way to do that? Inspirational long form content. Indeed, 65% of us are influenced by brand content while planning their trip according to travelagentcentral.com

So, what works?

We’ve run hundreds of travel campaigns over the past few years for hotels, airlines, train operators, cruise lines, OTE’s and tourist boards. Here’s three reoccurring content ideas that I’ve noticed driving the best engagement for our clients:

Think ahead – as summer draws to a close, minds turn towards Christmas markets. As the cold dark nights of January hit us hard, thoughts turn towards sunshine and beaches. There’s a good reason the BBC schedule Caribbean detective drama Death in Paradise each January! Use these themes in both article copy and headlines to connect with your audience.

Specialist Themes. Run multiple articles aimed at different interest groups. Think foodies, adventure travellers, solo travellers and even train geeks. Some of the best performing content we’ve run has targeted specialist interest groups, rather than just a broad-brush approach to a destination or country. You genuinely wouldn’t believe how many people love trains…

Build an itinerary. Successful brand content usually includes one of two things – useful or interesting information (and hopefully both!). It’s what we call the value exchange between advertiser and audience. City breaks are now the nation’s favourite getaway, and by their very nature, tend to be for a long weekend. “48 hours in the city of your choice” is a fantastic format that hooks the reader and provides useful information.

For more insights into native travel campaigns or to book a campaign, please contact us