4 Proven Destination Marketing Content Ideas for Your Airport to Attract Travelers

When it comes to creating content for destination marketing, your approach can be as diverse as the destinations themselves.

Effective content relies on tuning into what your customers seek from the destinations you promote and aligning this with the goals of your airport’s destination marketing campaign.

Content, when done right, can spark the urge to travel, guide customer preferences, and shape decisions.

We look at some destination marketing content ideas that highlight the allure of locations near and far, bringing them to life.

1. High-quality local area guides

Think of guides as brochures that shine a spotlight on what makes each destination unique, from the landmarks that are on everyone’s bucket list to the details that give a place its character.

Some things to include to make your guide stand out could be:

Experiential travel opportunities: Today’s travellers crave immersive experiences that allow them to live like locals. This could be participating in a local cooking class, engaging in traditional workshops, or taking part in guided historical tours. Such experiences offer a deeper connection with the destination and a more meaningful travel experience.

Practical information: Interactive maps and itineraries tailored to different types of travellers — families, solo adventurers, couples, etc. — provide a sense of direction and help travellers maximize their time. Equally important is including practical information such as details on local transport, weather conditions, currency, and language tips to help travellers plan and enjoy a hassle-free experience.

Work with local historians, tour guides, or cultural experts who can provide in-depth insights into the history and culture of the area, and with tourism boards that can offer up-to-date information, event schedules, and recommendations. These collaborations ensure that the guides are not only informative but also rich in local flavour and expertise.

Use data analytics tools on your airport’s website to track user engagement with these guides and search preferences. By understanding what travellers are looking for and how they interact with content, you can tailor the guides to be not only informative but also resonate with your target audience.

Creative ideas for destination guides

Interactive scavenger hunts: Create guides that double as interactive scavenger hunts. Visitors can explore landmarks, hidden gems, and cultural spots through a gamified experience, possibly using an app that guides and educates them about each point of interest.

Neighbourhood spotlight guides: Develop guides focusing on specific neighbourhoods within a destination, highlighting what makes each area unique. This can include local eateries, shops, parks, and cultural sites, providing a more intimate and detailed look at the destination.

Sustainable travel guides: Create guides that emphasize eco-friendly and sustainable travel options within a destination. These can include information on green accommodations, local eco-tours, public transportation options, and tips for responsible tourism, appealing to environmentally conscious travellers.

2. Video content

The statistics for video marketing speak for themselves. Video accounted for 82% of all internet traffic in 2022, and YouTube Shorts reached 50 billion daily views in February 2023, less than two years since its launch.

That’s just one slice of one platform. From YouTube videos (longer, not Shorts) to TikTok to Instagram reels, your airport has multiple avenues to serve a visual feast that captures the essence of a location. These can range from sweeping aerial views of scenic landscapes to intimate street-level shots of local life, offering potential travellers a glimpse into what awaits them.

Video content doesn’t always need to be professionally produced. Post user-generated video content from travellers’ Instagram stories or TikTok videos (with their permission, of course) into your content mix. This approach not only showcases the destination through various perspectives but also resonates with a wider audience.

Video content ideas that hit the spot

Discover [destination] series: Create a series of short videos that highlight different aspects of the destination, such as its culture, cuisine, outdoor activities, and historical sites. Each video can focus on a specific theme, providing viewers with a well-rounded view of the location’s offerings.

Local cuisine adventures: Food is a powerful way to connect with travellers. Partner with local chefs and restaurants to create behind-the-scenes looks at the preparation of iconic dishes or take travellers on a market tour to buy ingredients to make the culinary delights of the destination.

“Guess the Destination” challenge: Create a series of short, engaging mystery videos where viewers are given visual and auditory clues to guess the destination. These clues could be snippets of local music, quick flashes of iconic landmarks, local street scenes, or traditional foods. Have a big reveal at the end of video challenge, which you can use as the gateway for sharing more content and even turn into a competition. This format can be highly effective on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, where short, engaging content thrives.

3. User-generated content

People influence people, and 86% base their destination choices on user-generated content (UGC) — everything from photos and videos to personal reviews.

Potential customers can gain insights and inspiration from travellers’ real experiences, often finding this more relatable and trustworthy compared to traditional marketing materials.

Some ways to encourage travellers to share their experiences with your airport are:

• Organizing contests where travellers can submit their photos, videos, or stories, with incentives like discounts on future travels or free lounge access.
• Providing content ideas with specific prompts or themes like “Your Best Sunset Photo” or “Local Music Scene”, which guide users in what to capture and share, keeping them engaged.
• Creating a unique and memorable hashtag for each destination, which categorizes the content for easy discovery and enhances the visibility of the destination across social platforms.
• Promoting contests and hashtags through various channels, including social media and email newsletters for a wider reach.
• Placing QR codes in strategic airport locations linking to a contest platform or page to make it easy for travellers to share their photos or videos with your airport while they’re still fresh from their travels.

Creative ways to get user-generated content

Destination-specific photo challenges: Organize monthly photo challenges where travellers are encouraged to capture and share specific aspects or themes unique to a particular destination. For example, one month could focus on capturing Paris with themes like cafés, street markets, and crêpes, while the next can feature galleries and museums, encouraging travellers to share their favourite works of art.

“Local Flavours” foodie campaign: Ask travellers to share their culinary experiences, capturing photos or videos of local dishes, food markets, or dining settings. This campaign focuses on the gastronomic delights of the destination, offering a taste of local cuisine through travellers’ eyes.

“Architectural Wonders” campaign: Encourage users share photos and videos of unique architectural elements of the destination, from the landmarks to everyday buildings that catch their eye. This could highlight the diversity in architectural styles and the story they tell about the destination’s history and culture.

“Adventure Stories” campaign: Get travellers to inspire others with jaw-dropping scenes from their adventure holidays. Whether it’s a tree-top adventure in the jungle, or a jet ski racing across the water, selfies and video shorts could generate a desire to create their own amazing memories.

4. Influencer partnerships

Forging partnerships with influencers is like unlocking a treasure trove of potential for destination marketing.
When you collaborate with influencers who have carved out niches in food, adventure, culture, or any area that aligns with your destination’s strengths, you’re tapping into an audience that trusts their opinions.

It can be so impactful that tourism boards are dropping big bucks to work with influencers. Over the course of two years, the Irish tourism authority spent €300,000 on influencer campaigns for social media platforms.

Some tried-and-tested ways to work with influencers include:

• Sponsored visits, where influencers travel to the destination and create content based on specific experiences you want to promote.
• Contests and giveaways on the influencers’ channels to increase the destination’s visibility and create a buzz.
• Co-creating content like travel guides or vlogs that can be shared on both your platforms and theirs.
• Including influencers in promotional campaigns and advertisements that they cross-promote on their platforms.

Influencer marketing campaign ideas for travel

Influencer takeover weekends: Have influencers take over your social media accounts for a weekend. They can share live updates, stories, and posts directly from the destination, giving followers an authentic, real-time look at what the destination has to offer.

Outdoor expeditions: Collaborate with outdoor sports and travel influencers to share videos focusing on activities available in different destinations, like desert safaris in Dubai, diving in the Andaman Islands, or hiking in the U.S. National Parks.

Family-friendly getaway: Partner with a family or parenting influencer to create content focused on family-friendly activities and accommodations in the destination.

Create captivating destination marketing campaigns with Rezcomm

With the right data and strategy, your airport can create content that speaks to what travellers want and shows them how to (literally) get there.

To discover how Rezcomm can enhance your destination marketing content, we invite you to download our brochure or watch our informative video. Get in touch with us to learn more about harnessing our tools and expertise for creating destination marketing campaigns that truly connect with travellers.