With both industry and mainstream media widely reporting on revenge travel, DMOs, CVBs, accommodations providers and tour operators across the country and around the globe are looking to tap into this mindset. Keep reading for our insights on how to leverage the revenge travel trend and boost your bottom line.
Vacationing with a vengeance
While the term sounds a little aggressive, revenge travel is just the latest buzzword to define the release of pent up demand for travel. Now that Covid-19 vaccinations are on the rise—and optimism along with it—frustrated wanderlusters can finally move from the dreaming stage to planning and experiencing.
Dana insight: If you’ve been marketing uninterrupted over the last year-plus (as we have advised our own clients to do), your brand commands coveted top-of-mind status with travelers ready and raring to go on a long-awaited trip.
Bigger budgets
Travel restrictions, coupled with concerns for personal safety during the pandemic, kept many at home throughout 2020 and into 2021—so money set aside for vacations wasn’t spent and those with an eye on revenge travel feel they are “owed” a grand vacation.
Dana insight: This is your opportunity to upsell! At the point of reservation or in pre-arrival communications, resorts should promote extended stays or enhanced guest experiences with dining, spa and recreational offerings. Destinations can make recommendations for itinerary add-ons through a customizable trip planner on their website and tour operators should ensure they have private and small group options for travelers that aren’t ready to join a crowd full of strangers.
Domestic dominance
Various countries and states have adopted complex and often-evolving policies when it comes to visitors. This uncertainty has left many would-be travelers wary of planning an international—or even out-of-state—vacation (not to mention those who will continue to avoid air travel until we have recaptured a greater sense of normalcy).
Dana insight: In the foreseeable future, drivable getaways will continue to reign supreme. That said, research indicates vacationers are willing to travel distances by car that were unheard of before the pandemic. A May 2020 Coronavirus Travel Sentiment Index Report by Destination Analysts determined the average to be 423 miles with other studies reporting a distance surpassing 500 miles. We recommend using this driving radius as a primary geographic target.
Aspirations…achieved
A “life’s too short” philosophy is very likely to go hand-in-hand with a revenge travel mindset. That means 2021 could be the year that travelers decide to finally make their dream vacation a reality.
Dana insight: This is good news for aspirational destinations, luxury accommodations and tour operators offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences, as you now have a larger pool of prospects—thanks in part to travelers’ desires to check off bucket lists as well as having more money to spend on vacation (remember: bigger budgets).
Wellness wishes
Unsurprisingly, the ongoing global pandemic has inspired a renewed focus on health and well-being. Wellness travel—which had already been rapidly expanding prior to March 2020—is now poised to explode. Traveler priorities have also shifted away from wellness as an ancillary activity toward wellness as the primary purpose of a getaway.
Dana insight: An investment in your wellness offerings is positioned to yield strong returns, but doesn’t require vast amounts of capital. Tactics can be as simple as better communicating your existing wellness experiences to augmenting spa treatments and recreational/fitness activities with more wellness-centric offerings.
At Dana, our 360-degree approach to the tourism and hospitality industry has earned our team a unique perspective on travelers’ motivations. If you’re seeking guidance on how to leverage the revenge travel trend to increase visitation or bookings, contact Lynn Kaniper at 609.466.9187 ext. 117 or drop her an email at lkaniper@danacommunications.com.
