How video can influence travel-spend decisions

90 Seconds
6 years ago・6 min read

Few things are as video-ready as exotic overseas locales featuring sandy beaches, clear blue waters and sweeping city skylines – and marketers understand this well. The travel and hospitality sectors have been quick to woo wide-eyed travel bugs with strategically crafted scenes of bustling cities, idyllic countrysides and mouth-watering local cuisines.

And lo and behold – it works. The proof is in the figures: according to YouTube, there has been a 600% increase in the time spent in watching travel videos which portrayed people’s experiences traveling abroad.

Indeed, creating enticing videos is definitely the way to go when it comes to winning the hearts of globetrotters. But due to the sheer volume of travel-related content being regularly churned out, consumers are unlikely to be able to watch each and every single video.

So, how can you make yours stand out? Here’s how:

Seek out your customers in their usual habitat

Thanks to social media, there are so many ways you can interact with travel enthusiasts. From smartphones and other handheld devices to social media platforms, travel lovers are constantly sharing the stories of their transcontinental sojourns – be it in the form of a montage of stunning images or easily-digestible video clips. People looking to undertake exploratory voyages usually turn to social media (with YouTube as a major channel) to do their research on places they are curious about visiting, but lack any real knowledge of. So, to woo your audience with great visual content, you must have a presence on these platforms, channels and devices that they use.

TripAdvisor – Saipan Tourism

Skyscanner – Visit Seoul, Korea

We made social media-friendly video content for travel booking and consumer review brand TripAdvisor, highlighting five popular beach destinations in Saipan with a 1-minute review video. Complete with actual reviews from Tripadvisor users, the video featured beautiful visuals and short descriptions to educate consumers via Facebook, also making the content easily shareable. We also did a quick-cut “bucket-list” 15-second video for travel search brand Skyscanner, listing must-see places in Seoul shot entirely on location for unique content featured on their website and social media channels.

Leverage content marketing in its most immersive form

Content is king when it comes to travel marketing. People enjoy consuming beautiful images and videos of tourist destinations, reading up more about interesting places, and discovering lesser-known travel spots. Video content is the most immersive form of travel marketing, as people have an urge to visualize themselves in new places, and make travel decisions accordingly.

TripAdvisor – Hiroshima Sakura Season

Singapore Airlines – Food

In a TripAdvisor video, we put together a comprehensive cherry-blossom season guide of Hiroshima with sightseeing spots, local must-try food, and cultural activities not to be missed, made to look irresistible with our local creators on call to catch the limited window of time to film the Japanese cherry blossoms.
Our Singapore Airlines video showcasing the wellness menu for their new ultra long-haul flight was all about enticing potential passengers with close-ups of sumptuous food being thoughtfully prepared and served.

Make people want to engage with your content

Remember that people with an interest in travel are always on the lookout for content which can help convince them that their travel-related choices are indeed correct. A compelling video can do just that – and if they happen to enjoy your content, people will be more likely to like, share or undertake any other form of action you want.

Relevant and high-quality travel videos with a strong accompanying call-to-action statement can be leveraged as a brand-building tool and drive viewers to take action – share the content, make bookings or sign up for new promotions.

IHG – Rewards Club Bumper Video (4:5)

We encouraged people to “escape now” in an IHG video which featured breathtaking visuals of gorgeous beachside resorts, inviting them to make their holiday fantasy into reality with offers of discounts on hotel stays.

Want to take your travel marketing to the next level?

We have creators activated across the world in more than 900 cities in 160 countries ready to help create well-crafted videos that inspire your audience to take action. Learn how to activate them for your project now.

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