Niki Pembroke, Head of Travel solutions at Inspire, reflects on recent travel incentives trends used in sales promotion.

Travel inspires sales

Whether for Marketing, Business Development or Product Management, it is important to choose the right incentive for your campaign. Travel can be used as an incentive for new product launches, re-brands and re-launches, driving brand loyalty, increasing social media followers or even highlighting a cause for corporate social responsibility.

Travel has always been a tempting incentive; the lure of a refreshing holiday is irresistible. Due to the range of travel options, and audiences sharing and documenting their lives on social media, travel has enjoyed a surge in popularity as a sales promotion incentive.

So how do you know what is the right travel product to offer in your marketing campaign? Here at Inspire we have seen some recent travel trends emerging, which you can consider for your next sales promotion campaign.

We’re ditching the beaches

One of the biggest trends is experiential travel. Yes, the beach is still popular and always will be, but travellers are now seeking out experiences.  It is important to choose the right travel experience for your target audience and campaign objectives. Here are five of the on-trend travel options for sales promotion which Inspire suggest:

Glamping in the UK

Getting back to nature and enjoying a few days of serenity under the stars now means spacious yurts with log burning stoves, cosy wooden pods and even lodges with hot tubs. The UK offers an amazing array of destinations with no need to step on a plane, from forests to beaches, mountains to pretty chocolate box villages.

Ideal for – the young or the young at heart who are interested in their carbon footprint. A great incentive for campaigns promoting environmental causes or for corporate social responsibility.

Family get togethers

Theme parks are fantastic destinations for family time or adrenaline seeking and the UK has some world-renowned roller coasters to test the most ardent thrill seeker. Make an event of it and add in a stay too. Some of the larger theme parks have hotels with spa facilities and even water parks.

Ideal for – families, cash savvy parents, pester power through children; for promoting household products and children’s products.

Instagram worthy city breaks

Instagram has had a huge impact on the travel industry. Some of the most photogenic cities are in Europe and happen to be served regularly by budget airlines: Paris, Venice, Paris, Rome. This can therefore be a cost-effective campaign with high perceived value.

Ideal for – Millennials, particularly for consumer goods and fashion they want to show off on their travel photos.

Fitness retreats

Wellbeing is a huge trend now. Gym memberships are booming and activities such as yoga, mindfulness and meditation have become popular ways of relaxing and disconnecting from the frenetic pace of modern life. A fitness break can be anything from a boot camp to a yoga retreat, in the UK or further afield. There truly is a fitness break for all wellbeing goals.

Ideal for – Singles and single travellers, couples and those interested in health and wellbeing. Sports, fitness and wellbeing products and services are a fantastic fit.

River cruising and iconic rail tours

Whiling away time watching the scenery pass on a river cruise or rail tour is a wonderful experience for those who prefer to relax in style. Iconic rail journeys such as the Orient Express for old school glamour, to an intimate Rhine river cruise, help you visit a lot of destinations effortlessly. These experiences are certainly on a lot of people’s bucket lists!

Ideal for – older couples, empty nesters and retirees with high disposable income, for higher value product purchases.

Travel incentives deliver results

Inspire worked with Wuntu, the rewards app for Three, to drive more traffic to their rewards app. App visitors were offered £50 off a holiday booked through Inspire and this led to 30,000 app visits.

It is important to choose the right travel experience for your target audience and campaign objectives as Wuntu did. Have a chat with Niki Pembroke on 0161 440 6600 or niki.pembroke@inspireemail.co.uk today about the best travel incentive option for your strategic business objectives.

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Eleanor Morris, Creative and Digital Executive at BAM UK, shares how global travel markets can adapt to target conscious Gen Z travellers.

With a passion for exploration and a thirst to find life’s meaningful experiences, the 2020 youth traveler is seeking responsible travel that will show them the world and with a readiness to spend on such eye-opening adventures, the youth consumer has never looked more attractive to the global travel market.

But what exactly are the priorities for today’s Generation Z, that are helping shape the future trends in youth travel?

PEACE OF MIND

Gone are the days when travel was simply an experience for just the body. In 2020, travel for the mind will always come out on top. Traveling with a conscience is now fundamentally important for today’s youth consumer, more so than any generation before them.

Generation Z is fueled with a desire to make a difference, help the world and change it for the better, therefore authentic experiences are a top priority. Getting hands-on with locals and knee-deep in culture is no longer a turn-off, but a welcome invitation. Local guides offering cultural experiences will continue to be in high demand and as Airbnb’s prices continue to rise, staying with a family in a homestay is the accommodation alternative Gen Z have been looking for. As beach club lounging turns into clay bowl making, Gen Z’s desire to help with worthwhile causes continues to grow stronger year on year, with some companies already taking note.

With this increased demand for voluntary projects and crowd-funded missions, many travel brands are already offering the rewarding summer of a lifetime the youth market are after. Offering free flights and a working holiday to Darwin, Student Universe’s most recent youth campaign offered students the chance to do some good while heading north of Australia’s beachy border.

FLEXIBILITY

Having the room to adapt is only ever going to be a positive, with this being no exception for the youth market. Offering tailor-made flexi plans, open returns, and last-minute travel changes, companies today are making it easier than ever before to see the world on gen Z’s terms, and times (Dunsby, 2019).

Although the appeal of bespoke and unique activities continues to appeal to the youth market, the ability to alter and amend bookings up to the final hour is a tempting bonus to any Gen Z. However, with flexibility also comes inclusivity. Giving everyone and anyone the opportunity to give back will continue to be in high demand. You can still market these experiences as exclusive, but offering it out for everyone ensures inclusivity is also achieved.

LIVING UP TO EXPECTATIONS

A passion to leave no rock unturned combined with growing up alongside the world of pin-drop Social Media has lead Gen Z to have a far greater awareness of just where they want to go and what they want to do there.

Constant bombardment both online and offline of the latest travel deals and undiscovered hotspots has burnt an image on the minds of today’s youth consumer and they expect to be met with the picture-perfect view of what they’ve seen on screen. When booking a grueling 2-day jungle trek, they expect it to be just that. A 20-minute riverside stroll will no longer cut the mustard. Hot on the heels of false ads, photoshopped imagery and the 8th man-made ‘wonder’ of the world, Gen Z are willing to pay for what they want, but it better be the real deal.

Dunsby, A. (2019). THE TRAVEL TRENDS INFLUENCING GEN Z.Available: https://www.ttgmedia.com/features/features/the-travel-trends-influencing-gen-z-19195. Last accessed 19th Sept 2019.

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