With peak booking season in full swing, eager holidaymakers are already planning their summer escapes. For airports and cruise ports, this is a golden opportunity to capture attention, drive bookings, and position your ecommerce platform as the ultimate gateway to unforgettable getaways. But standing out in a competitive market during peak booking season requires more than just an enticing offer – it demands strategy, creativity, and precision.
In this article, we’ll explore six tips to elevate your marketing efforts, from crafting campaigns that resonate with families to leveraging user-generated content (UGC) and using email marketing powered by business intelligence for personalised recommendations. We’ll also show you how to plan content around key marketing dates to ensure maximum impact. With data-driven strategies at your core, you’ll create campaigns that attract clicks and foster lasting customer loyalty.
Ready to supercharge your travel marketing this peak season? Let’s dive in.
1. Be family-oriented in your travel marketing
Families are at the heart of travel in 2025, with 47% of travellers choosing family holidays – up 17% from 2024. Furthermore, 63% of people list spending time with family and friends as their top reason for travel. With 40% of travellers planning bucket-list adventures this year, family-focused marketing is crucial during peak booking season.
For airports and cruise ports, this is a prime opportunity to position your services as the go-to solution for families seeking memorable, value-packed vacations. Create promotions and family-friendly deals designed to appeal to budget-conscious customers. Collaborate with family-friendly attractions to offer discounts or bundle packages that enhance perceived value.
Highlight services that simplify family travel, such as priority parking, fast track security, family lounges, and pre-ordered food and beverages. Emphasising these stress-reducing options can enhance the overall travel experience.
Leverage your customer data for targeted campaigns. Use business intelligence tools to identify customers who’ve previously booked family trips and create segmented email campaigns tailored to their preferences, such as all-inclusive cruises or child-friendly destinations.
Social media can also amplify your reach. Encourage user-generated content by sharing photos and videos from families who’ve had positive experiences with your airport or cruise port. These authentic testimonials build trust and resonate emotionally with your audience.
By centring your marketing on family needs and experiences, you’ll not only drive bookings but also foster long-term loyalty with customers who prioritise meaningful, value-driven experiences.
2. Offer reassurance to build trust
In a highly competitive travel market, where consumers are overwhelmed with options, offering reassurance is a powerful way to stand out and build trust. Travellers want to feel confident that their booking experience will be seamless, their money is well-spent, and their plans are secure. Your airport’s marketing can address these concerns directly, cutting through the noise and turning hesitant shoppers into loyal customers.
Start by identifying pain points in the booking journey. Use marketing intelligence tools to analyse customer data and uncover common obstacles, such as confusion about cancellation policies, concerns over hidden fees, or doubts about travel safety. Address these issues proactively with clear messaging on your travel hub’s website, social channels, and in your advertising campaigns. For example, highlight money-back guarantees, flexible booking options, or endorsements from satisfied customers.
When customers abandon their carts, don’t let them slip away. Create targeted email campaigns designed to win them back, offering personalised reassurance and incentives to complete their booking. A subject line like, “Still dreaming of your getaway? Let us make it worry-free,” paired with a discount or upgrade offer, can make all the difference.
The words you use matter, so craft copy that instils confidence. Phrases like “Book with peace of mind,” “Trusted by families for 20+ years,” or “Flexible travel, no surprises” go a long way in easing fears. Adding value-driven extras, such as free travel insurance, can also help build trust and strengthen conversion rates.
By addressing concerns head-on and demonstrating reliability at every touchpoint, your marketing can become a beacon of reassurance, ensuring customers feel secure and valued from their very first interaction.
3. Make your travel marketing authentic
In an age of polished ads and generic offers, authenticity is crucial for building meaningful connections. Research shows 92% of consumers trust UGC more than other forms of traditional brand advertising. For airports and cruise ports, integrating real voices and experiences into marketing is a proven way to inspire trust and engagement.
UGC is invaluable for authentic marketing. Encourage customers to share travel moments, tagging your airport or cruise port. Highlight these posts, showcasing families in lounges, couples embarking on cruises, or holidaymakers exploring destinations. Real-life experiences resonate more than staged images, sparking emotional connections.
A standout example is Visit Iceland’s “Looks Like You Need Iceland” campaign. Launched in 2022, the campaign invited stressed individuals to record their screams online and have them “released” into Iceland’s stunning open landscapes. The concept encouraged people to visit Iceland in person to experience the therapeutic release in real life. By blending creative UGC, emotional messaging, and a unique experiential twist, the campaign became a powerful example of authentic marketing in action.
To gather UGC, run social media contests or ask customers to share stories and photos for a chance to be featured. Incorporate testimonials into email campaigns, ads, and your website for added credibility.
Enhance authenticity with experiential marketing – host pop-up travel experiences or airport family days to immerse customers in what you offer, building emotional connections that drive conversions.
Authentic marketing is about building relationships, understanding needs, and proving value through genuine experiences. When done right, it fosters loyalty beyond a single booking.
4. Tap into key emotions
Holiday decisions are often driven by emotion first and logic second, making it crucial for your peak-time marketing campaigns to evoke powerful feelings. Summer holidays are synonymous with relaxation, joy, and indulgence – the excitement of fun in the sun, the luxury of pampering, and the promise of unforgettable memories. Capturing this in your marketing can inspire action and set your airport or cruise port apart.
Consider TUI’s “Live Happy” campaign (2021), which focused on the joy of creating special moments with loved ones. Using uplifting visuals and music, TUI showcased real-life holiday experiences—from a family playing in the sea to a solo adventurer in the mountains and a couple exploring the city by moped – evoking happiness, relatability and connection. Similarly, MSC Cruises’ “Discover the Future of Cruising” campaign (2023) tapped into eco-conscious emotions by highlighting the line’s sustainable innovations, like LNG-powered ships, appealing to travellers who value environmentally responsible choices.
To create emotionally engaging campaigns, focus on storytelling. Use imagery and language that transport customers to their dream holiday. Highlight sensory experiences: the warmth of the sun, the sound of waves, or the taste of a poolside cocktail. Consider creating video ads or immersive social media content that showcase these moments.
Emotion is the bridge between inspiration and action, making it the cornerstone of successful peak-time marketing.
5. Harness the power of email marketing
Email remains one of the most effective ways to nurture relationships, especially during peak booking season. With inboxes brimming with competing offers, personalisation is the secret to making your airport or cruise port emails stand out. By using marketing business intelligence, you can deliver tailored recommendations that feel like they were made just for the recipient, helping you cut through the noise and build genuine connections.
Start by leveraging customer data to create segmented email lists. For instance, identify passengers who’ve previously booked first-class flights, and send them emails spotlighting premium lounge access, VIP concierge or exclusive cruise upgrades. Personal touches like addressing the customer by name and referencing their travel preferences can increase engagement significantly.
Craft compelling subject lines and preview text that spark curiosity or emotion – think “Your next adventure awaits…” or “Relaxation starts here.” Include dynamic visuals and clear calls to action that guide readers to take the next step, whether it’s exploring deals or completing a booking.
Don’t stop when you’ve sent the email. Track success metrics like open rates, click-throughs, and conversions. Use this data to refine future campaigns, ensuring continuous improvement.
Finally, stand out by offering value beyond promotions. Consider sending travel tips, destination guides, or packing checklists to position your airport as a helpful, trusted partner in their journey. With a focus on personalisation, relevance, and quality, your emails can drive results even in the busiest inboxes.
6. Use data to plan your travel marketing content effectively
Even the most brilliant marketing campaign can miss the mark if it’s launched at the wrong time or targets the wrong audience. That’s why using your marketing business intelligence to plan content is non-negotiable for airports and cruise ports during peak booking season.
Your data holds the key to understanding when your customers are most likely to book, what type of holidays they prefer, and how they make their decisions. For example, if your insights show a surge in family holiday bookings in early January or an uptick in luxury cruise searches by mid-February, you can align your campaigns to meet these trends.
Analyse historical booking patterns and customer behaviours to establish clear timelines. Create a content calendar tailored to these insights, ensuring your marketing delivers the right message at the right time.
Focus on timely, targeted campaigns. If your data reveals interest in all-inclusive deals, schedule content featuring these offers when demand peaks. Use social media ads and email campaigns to amplify your reach during these critical windows.
Planning content based on data-driven insights not only improves campaign performance but also maximises ROI. By aligning your strategy with your audience’s behaviours, you can ensure your marketing lands exactly where it’s needed, and delivers results.
Want to see how data can transform your campaigns? Watch our marketing video for an inside look at Rezcomm’s solutions.
Unlock the power of data-driven marketing for your travel hub
Supercharge your travel hub’s marketing with Rezcomm. We drive bookings, skyrocket customer loyalty, and help you stay ahead in a competitive market using industry-leading tools powered by data-driven insights. Backed by years of expertise, our tailored solutions are designed to meet your unique needs. Download our marketing brochure today to get started.
Cultivating Rezcomm’s brand presence, Sarah Marks is our Director of Communications. A T-shaped marketer at heart, she has a broad skill set, with a particular passion for SEO and email marketing. While her core focus is on strengthening Rezcomm’s brand, she also provides strategic advice to clients.
