With the festive season fast approaching, there’s no better time for airports and cruise ports to ramp up their destination marketing for Christmas market travel. From iconic markets across Europe to emerging holiday hubs in North America, the allure of twinkling lights, unique gifts, and cultural traditions is drawing visitors worldwide. To help you capture this seasonal demand, we’ve put together an expert guide filled with actionable marketing tips designed to position your airport or cruise port as the ultimate gateway to these enchanting Christmas markets.
Start your Christmas marketing early and create a buzz with engaging campaigns
When it comes to Christmas marketing campaigns, it’s never too early to start planning. Begin by identifying the festive market destinations your airport or cruise port serves, and create fresh content that makes these particular spots shine. Focus on the unique elements of each Christmas market destination—think iconic food, notable events, or local traditions. Develop a content calendar with themes and formats, such as travel guides, destination blogs, and behind-the-scenes ‘sneak peeks’ that highlight these distinctive features.
Ensure you outline clear goals for each piece of content, for example:
- Driving website traffic
- Increasing social media engagement
- Boosting newsletter sign-ups
These goals will support your ultimate aim of increasing bookings for Christmas market flights and cruises. Craft engaging, shareable content across your airport or cruise port website, social media, and email campaigns, adjusting the message to align with each platform. With 46% of consumers planning a trip this holiday season, capturing early interest will help build lasting momentum.
Create a Christmas Market advent calendar
An effective way to create a buzz about Christmas market destinations and engage customers early on is to create an advent calendar full of festive surprises. This interactive digital calendar can unveil a new piece of content each day, showcasing highlights from various Christmas markets, travel tips, or exclusive offers. Consider including a small reward such as a discount on airport parking or exclusive lounge access for customers who book their journey with you.
This fun and festive approach encourages visitors to return to your website or app daily, enhancing engagement while building anticipation for their upcoming holiday adventures. By intertwining excitement with valuable information, you not only promote your Christmas market travel options but also create a memorable experience that customers will associate with your airport or cruise port.
Weave unique stories into your campaigns
Focus on narratives that bring your Christmas market destinations to life. Highlight personal stories from local vendors showcasing unique offerings, or share insights from local residents about their festive traditions. This approach not only engages potential passengers but also builds a deeper emotional connection to the destinations.
Additionally, promoting exclusive events, such as night-time illuminations, artisan workshops, or local holiday performances, can enhance the appeal of these markets. By illustrating the magic of these experiences through compelling storytelling, airports and cruise ports can inspire wanderlust and foster a desire for memorable adventures, encouraging customers to book their festive journeys through your travel hub’s website.
Craft special offers & deals for Christmas market trips
Sprinkle some festive magic into your Christmas market travel promotions with enticing limited-time offers. Consider exclusive discounts on flights or cruises to popular destinations, and enhance the experience with luxury perks like Fast Track or Lounge access. The thrill of these limited-time deals taps into the festive fear of missing out, motivating customers to lock in their holiday travel plans before it’s too late.
Promote your offers effectively
To spread your holiday offers far and wide, think creatively about targeting your special deals. A Christmas advent calendar-style campaign on social media or your website can generate buzz and drive traffic, while engaging emails featuring personalised offers help build a loyal customer base. Consider offering special rewards for members of your airport or cruise port loyalty program to enhance the appeal even further.
Design festive-themed emails & landing pages
Email marketing is still one of the most effective channels for driving conversions, boasting a 2.8% conversion rate for B2C brands. During the festive season, create a series of captivating, holiday-themed emails that transport your subscribers to the enchanting world of Christmas markets. Launch with a countdown to Christmas campaign, sharing delightful snippets about each destination’s unique holiday attractions and inviting subscribers to envision themselves wandering through twinkling market stalls or sipping mulled wine in charming winter settings.
Segment your email campaigns to boost revenue
To maximise the effectiveness of your email campaigns, consider segmenting your subscribers based on their preferences, past behaviours, or demographics. This approach enables you to tailor your messaging, ensuring that each group receives content that truly resonates with their interests. For example, a customer who has previously booked a family getaway, may value child-friendly activities at the markets, while a solo traveller might be more drawn to unique crafts or vibrant nightlife options. By personalising your campaigns, you can significantly enhance engagement – research shows that effective segmentation can lead to an astonishing 760% increase in revenue.
Create landing pages for each Christmas market destination
Boost the effectiveness of your airport or cruise port’s emails with dedicated landing pages for each destination, featuring eye-catching festive visuals, user-friendly SEO content, and inviting calls-to-action. Incorporate interactive elements such as personalised itineraries, exclusive tips, and heartfelt customer reviews, adding an extra layer of warmth and inspiration. This carefully curated journey from email to landing page not only engages customers but also nurtures them smoothly through the booking experience, increasing conversion rates while spreading a touch of holiday cheer.
Leverage social media and user-generated content to elevate your Christmas market promotions
Social media is a vital platform for promoting your Christmas market trips. Create engaging short videos that highlight the magical experiences at your destinations, showcasing everything from twinkling lights to bustling market stalls. Encourage user-generated content (UGC) by launching a campaign with a branded hashtag, inviting passengers to share their holiday market photos for a chance to win exclusive perks like a dining experience at one of your travel hub’s restaurants or VIP concierge services. UGC not only expands your reach but also builds trust – people are more likely to connect with content created by fellow users.
Partner with travel influencers
To further enhance your campaign, consider collaborating with travel influencers on TikTok and Instagram. With 90% of destination marketing organisations believing that influencer marketing will continue to have a significant impact, this strategy is more relevant than ever, with brands often spending about $500 per post for content creation.
Influencers can share authentic stories, images, and videos from their Christmas market visits, providing a unique perspective that resonates with potential passengers. This partnership helps you tap into new audiences actively seeking travel inspiration on social media. Influencer posts, particularly when paired with stunning visuals, can significantly boost engagement and create excitement around your Christmas market offerings.
Boost Christmas market trip bookings with strategic paid advertising
Maximise reach and bookings this festive season with strategic paid advertising tailored to promote Christmas market destinations. Use these tips to engage customers effectively:
PPC ads: Target holiday-related keywords such as ‘Christmas market trips’ to attract active searchers. Regularly monitor and adjust keywords to optimise your return on investment by reaching high-intent audiences eager for festive experiences.
Social media ads: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok offer valuable targeting options. Use carousel ads to showcase multiple Christmas market destinations, short videos with festive visuals, or interactive polls to spark engagement and excitement.
Remarketing: Re-engage past visitors who showed interest in your flights or cruises but didn’t complete their bookings. Use ads featuring uplifting and engaging messaging that encourages them to revisit their holiday travel plans, reminding them of the magic awaiting at the markets.
Urgency-driven offers: Highlight seasonal promotions, early-bird discounts, or limited-time deals. Countdown ads are particularly effective for creating urgency, compelling customers to book their Christmas market trips before it’s too late.
By implementing these paid advertising tactics, you’ll not only boost visibility but also drive targeted visitors to your website and position your airport or cruise port as the go-to choice for unforgettable Christmas market experiences.
Track your campaign metrics & optimise as you go
To maximise the effectiveness of your Christmas market campaigns, monitor performance closely throughout the season. Focus on these key metrics:
- Click-through rates (CTR): Measure the effectiveness of your messaging.
- Conversions: Track bookings and sales to assess campaign success.
- Social media engagement: Evaluate how users are interacting with your content.
- Website traffic sources: Identify where your visitors are coming from.
Utilise real-time analytics to spot trends and adjust your strategy accordingly. If a specific destination or ad performs well, consider boosting its budget, while underperforming elements may need to be replaced or paused.
Additionally, employ A/B testing to refine your content, such as email subject lines and social media posts. This approach allows for ongoing optimisation of your campaigns.
Finally, document your findings to inform next year’s holiday strategy, building on successful tactics and enhancing engagement for future campaigns. By prioritising metrics tracking, airports and cruise ports can make smart data-driven decisions that drive bookings for Christmas market destinations.
Spark your Christmas marketing magic with Rezcomm
This festive season, let Rezcomm’s suite of state-of-the-art marketing modules breathe life into your Christmas market campaigns. From our Email Marketing module for crafting engaging holiday emails to the Landing Page Builder for creating eye-catching, conversion-focused pages, our platform simplifies engagement and amplifies impact at every stage of the buyer journey. With tools like Marketing BI and Exit Intent technology, you’ll gain the insights needed to transform visitor interest into revenue-boosting bookings. Explore the full suite of tools designed to elevate your travel hub’s Christmas marketing—download our Marketing brochure and book a meeting with our team to get started.
Orchestrating digital strategy, Victoria Wallace is Rezcomm’s Chief Digital Officer. With specialisations ranging from digital marketing and CRM to UX design and ecommerce, she is an expert in integrating innovation and technology to deliver outstanding results in sectors like travel, parking, and airports.
