Is travel heading for its most important peaks ever?
Rob GillFlexibility and agility have been two of the qualities that have helped the travel industry through the worst crisis in its history, and they will be needed again as we prepare to enter the peaks selling period.
Operators are finalising their turn-of-year campaigns, hoping to keep recent booking momentum going into what is traditionally the most important sales period.
Consumer confidence has improved markedly since the summer, as the UK government’s restrictions on international travel have eased and created a relative “surge” in bookings.
But there are still plenty of customers yet to book for summer 2022 who are likely to need that extra bit of reassurance from the trade, especially with the arrival of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
So, what will peaks look like this year after the washout a year ago when the UK headed into another long lockdown? Predicting anything is tempting fate, but most in the trade are expecting it to be “more normal” this time.
Several commentators think the key selling period could extend beyond January into the spring, with the pandemic still likely to loom large during winter.
Many operators are planning to spend a similar amount on marketing for peaks as they did before the pandemic – a TTG/PwC survey of the trade found 40% of operators were expecting to spend the same on marketing as they did pre-Covid, with 75% saying they would advertise during the same period as usual.
“Peaks will be a very important selling period; we are anticipating consumers will still want to book their summer holiday post- Christmas,” said Chris Rand, sales and marketing manager at Balkan Holidays. “We think people will want to visit Bulgaria again in summer 2022, so we are going ahead with a similar spend to pre-pandemic campaigns.”
Gold Medal sales director Nick Hughes told TTG the operator was also approaching it “like a normal peaks”. “We’ll be looking at it as we would any other peaks with a lot of activity going on,” he said. “We see it as an opportunity to re-engage with agents.”
Working with agents will be crucial, agreed Erin Johnson, marketing director for Travelopia brands Sovereign and Citalia, which will repeat and extend its What Santa Left Behind campaign to reward the trade in January and February. “Throughout the past 18 months, we have remained agile and flexible, and are geared up for changes in activity,” she said.
“While consumer confidence is better, there is still uncertainty in the market. With our robust book with confidence promise, our agent partners should know booking with us is safe and secure.”
EasyJet holidays said it would be launching “special activity” for agents, including trade exclusives and incentives for peaks, which will still be a “key booking period”.
“We’ve been able to maintain an agile approach when it comes to our marketing plans and we’re able to move quickly to react to the landscape around us,” said head of distribution Brad Bennetts.
“We’ll be reiterating the flexibility we offer, as well as the great value of our holidays and wide range of choice – we’re now offering holidays up to October 2023.”
’Rekindling wanderlust’
The UK’s largest operator, Tui, will be spending more on its peaks marketing this year, partly due to its reduced high street presence after closing more than 200 stores since the start of the pandemic. Katie McAlister, chief marketing officer for Tui’s northern region, said the campaign – now running – is designed to “rekindle the wanderlust in people”.
Jet2holidays, meanwhile, is urging agents to start marketing as early as possible to be ready for a rush of bookings after Christmas. The operator will be running a Travel Made Simple by Jet2holidays campaign spanning social media, email and web marketing, and will launch new "brozine" brochures with more magazine-style content.
With some consumers still likely to be wary of booking a summer 2022 holiday, one message that may persuade them to commit could be around limited availability, with so many early bookings already in the bag, as well as Covid-deferred holidays.
Hughes added he thought this could be a compelling message for holidaymakers. “Creating a bit of urgency with the message about not leaving it too late,” he said. “To get what you want, it’s a case of the earlier you book, the better.”
'Everything should be geared around holidays being back'
The way travel brands engage with their customers in the coming weeks and months is going to be key to rebuilding confidence. While feelings towards travel from consumers in the UK are beginning to improve, there’s still work to be done to ensure brands are inspiring consumers and delivering the confidence boost they need to book their next trip after a long pause.
Offering travellers dynamic, adaptable, reliable, personalised and timely answers to their questions has always been a good strategy for success, regardless of the cause of travel disruption. In this sense, at least, Covid-19 is just like any other crisis: the industry succeeds when all stakeholders communicate effectively and share knowledge.
Everything should be geared around holidays being back. It's not about PCR tests and traffic lights - it's about making memories. Look at the recent feel good examples like Transport for London's Welcome Back London campaign or BA's You Make Us Fly - they remind us of the excitement of travel.
However you choose to communicate, it’s important to use positive prompts. In behavioural science, there's a term – confirmation bias. In general, people look for an outcome that supports their beliefs. Certain people are not ready to travel, and there’s little you can do about it. Your communications should target those who, with a nudge, will be convinced to book.
As travellers demand a higher level of personalisation, reassurance and empathy, travel agents will be key to building confidence to help their customers explore the world. The guidance, information and support agents can provide during these times will have a lasting impact on travellers' trust and loyalty. This provides the perfect environment for stronger collaboration with stakeholders who can leverage the personal relationships agents have with their clients.
Agents, meanwhile, should be looking for clever ways to piggyback on existing campaigns by industry partners. Piggyback marketing uses the popularity of another brand or trend to give your own marketing efforts a boost, and could be vital in these uncertain times.
Jamie-Lee Abtar is a marketing and brand strategist for travel and lifestyle brands.
Rob Gill
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