Top 5 Passenger Travel Trends for Your Airport’s Destination Marketing Campaigns

There’s one travel trend that’s setting the stage for all the others in 2024 — travellers are choosing to spend more on unforgettable experiences rather than just buying things.

The Mastercard Travel Industry Trends 2023 survey reported a 65% increase in spending on experiences since 2019, while spending on goods ticked up by just 12%. And according to the American Express 2024 Global Travel Trends Report, 77% of travellers now prioritise finding the perfect travel experience over worrying about how much it costs.

So what experiences are trending in 2024? We look at the top passenger travel trends and how your airport can incorporate them into compelling destination marketing campaigns.

1. Sustainable travel

An increasing number of travellers want to make their journeys more eco-friendly — 75% of travellers are looking to make more sustainable travel choices, and 43% are even willing to spend extra on greener travel options. But they’re not getting answers on how they can do so. Despite the large interest in travelling sustainably, the Skift State of Travel 2023 report found that only 27% of tourism industry-related websites offer information on sustainable travel options. This gap presents a prime opportunity for airports to step up and fill the void.

2. Sports tourism

2024 is shaping up to be an exciting year for sports fans with major events on the calendar, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the UEFA European Championship and CONMEBOL Copa America football tournaments, Formula 1 racing season, and Grand Slam tennis tournaments.

Sports fans are getting ready to experience their favourites in person — the American Express Report showed that 37% people are planning to travel specifically for a sporting event this year. There’s a strong interest from younger demographics, with one in three Millennials and Gen Z travellers expressing a keen desire to travel for sports in 2024.

3. Northern Lights

Expect to see some of the most spectacular northern lights displays in two decades this year, as the sun’s eleven-year activity cycle peaks. This natural phenomenon promises enhanced auroral activity, making it a prime time for viewing the breath-taking northern lights. Destinations known for these views are set to become even more appealing to travellers looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

4. Last-minute getaways

The thrill of spontaneous travel is gaining momentum, especially among younger travellers. In fact, 77% of Millennial and Gen Z travellers have grabbed a last-minute travel deal before. This trend has picked up even more steam with what’s being called ”revenge travel” — the surge of travel plans made as people eagerly make up for lost time due to COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions. As these restrictions lift and spontaneity returns to travel planning, last-minute getaways are becoming a popular choice for those looking to break free from the routine and embrace the freedom to explore new places on a whim.

5. Off-the-beaten-path destinations

Exploring unfamiliar and unique destinations is becoming a top priority for many travellers, with 89% of travellers expressing a desire to visit places they’ve never been to before. There’s a growing appetite for adventure and authentic experiences, and many travel publications are even promoting “destination dupes” or alternative spots that offer experiences similar to well-known tourist destinations but without the crowds. This trend has double the benefit — it not only satisfies the curiosity of adventurous souls but also eases the strain on popular destinations and promotes sustainable tourism practices.

Destination marketing with Rezcomm

Your airport has a fantastic opportunity to tap into the latest travel trends by creating targeted destination marketing campaigns. With Rezcomm’s comprehensive features, you can create campaigns that capture the interest of travellers and meet their evolving preferences.

Here’s how you can effectively use Rezcomm to design and execute impactful marketing strategies:

Build dedicated landing pages

Create landing pages that effectively showcase the destination’s or event’s highlights. With Rezcomm’s drag-and-drop landing page builder, assembling your page becomes a straightforward process.

Design it to be user-friendly and visually appealing on both desktop and mobile devices, and include compelling elements such as high-quality images, videos, testimonials, and clear calls-to-action (CTA).

Incorporate target keywords throughout your page’s content to attract visitors actively searching for what your destination offers. To further enhance your page’s visibility, consider running pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns on platforms like Google, Bing, or social media. Choose your keywords carefully, craft engaging ad copy, and regularly monitor your campaigns to optimise bids and improve return on investment.

You can build landing pages:

• For destinations your airport serves that fulfil one or more of these travel trends.
• For specific experiences that may combine destinations, e.g. a page for the Northern Lights that includes Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.
• For sporting events, which provides comprehensive travel information, including airlines and flight options, accommodation near event venues, and related local attractions.
• That highlight your airport’s sustainability efforts; you can also share green travel tips and create go-to resource for travellers looking to make sustainable travel choices
• That highlight last-minute deals from your airport

Send email campaigns

Set up a series of targeted email campaigns that reach out to your database, segmenting your audience to personalise messages based on their interests, purchase history, and previous interactions. Grab their attention right from the inbox with engaging subject lines, and tempt them further with exclusive offers or sneak peeks at destination highlights.

Encourage recipients to click through to your website by linking directly to your landing pages and flight search module to make it easier for them to book their next adventure directly with you.

With Rezcomm’s email marketing tools, you can handle these tasks more effectively, keep tabs on your campaigns, and see better results in terms of traffic and bookings.

Promote your campaigns on social media

Kick off your social media strategy by focusing on platforms where your audience spends most of their time — Instagram and TikTok are great for sharing compelling visuals, Twitter for quick updates, and Facebook for more in-depth posts. Keep your content fresh with regular posts and clever use of relevant hashtags to boost your visibility. To further expand your reach, consider investing in paid ads tailored to your audience.

Interaction with your target audience is key, so make sure to respond to comments and messages and help build a community. You can also team up with influencers and bloggers who align with your brand. Their endorsement can introduce your destination to a broader audience and lend extra credibility to your promotions, making it easier to attract interested travellers.

Rezcomm’s social media scheduler makes it easy to publish your posts, so you never fall behind on your content calendar.

Analyse and optimise

Rezcomm’s robust analytics tools help you keep a close eye on how your landing page and promotional activities are performing. By monitoring key metrics such as where your visitors are coming from, how they interact with your site, whether they’re converting to buyers, and how engaged they are on social media, you can gain a clear picture of what’s working and what’s not.

The marketing campaign dashboards can show you which strategies are reaching the most people and getting the best response, helping you decide where to focus your efforts. The search analytics dashboard provides a window into what travellers are searching for and what words they use to arrive on your website. This information, including popular search queries and peak search times, is invaluable for shaping your content and promotional strategies.

Use customer behaviour insights tools to dive deeper into customers’ preferences and habits, such when they book and what destinations or trends are catching their interest.

With this wealth of data, experiment with different elements of your marketing campaigns to find what resonates best with your audience. Adjusting your strategies based on real feedback and results ensures your marketing efforts are as effective as possible.

Retargeting campaigns

Implement retargeting ads to reconnect with visitors who checked out your landing page but didn’t book on their first visit. These ads are a smart way to remind them of what caught their interest initially, helping to keep your airport and its offerings at the forefront of their minds. By strategically placing these reminders, you increase the likelihood that these potential customers will return to complete their booking, effectively boosting your conversion rates. This targeted approach ensures that your marketing efforts are not only seen but are also more likely to convert interest into action.

Build stronger travel trend campaigns with Rezcomm

Partnering with Rezcomm enables you to create focused destination marketing campaigns that resonate with passengers and the experiences they’re craving. Download our brochure, watch our video, or get in touch to learn how Rezcomm can help you tap into travel trends and turn your airport into the go-to destination for travellers.