Crafting Promotional Content for Travel Packages

Eco lodges. Community-led tours. Flight-free packages. These are experiences that you may want to promote and sell, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁. Not really. Hear me out 👇 Back in the '60s, Harvard Business School professor Theodore Levitt said, "𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘆 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲." The same applies to responsible tourism. Travellers don’t want to book an eco lodge—they want what staying at an eco lodge 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 🌿 A nature-based experience? Yes, but that’s not the full story. 🏕️ An escape from city life? Closer, but we need to go deeper. 💭 A way to align their values with their actions? Now we’re getting somewhere. ❤️ 𝗔 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁? Bingo. The decision to book isn’t just about 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 they’ll stay—it’s about 𝘄𝗵𝘆 they’re staying there. They’re not booking a lodge; they’re booking: ✅ 𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻—the chance to unplug and reconnect with nature. ✅ 𝗔 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁—knowing their stay contributes to conservation and local communities. ✅ 𝗔 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻—a travel experience that leaves them feeling different, even changed. Many responsible tourism brands market 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 (solar panels, certifications, carbon offsets) rather than 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. Don’t get me wrong, those features are still important, but travellers don’t choose a destination based on sustainability checklists alone—𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽. So, instead of just saying "We’re an eco-lodge," tell them: 👉 "𝗪𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀." Instead of "Our tours support local communities," say: 👉 "𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀-𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱." Sustainability is the how—but 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆. Sustainable travel brands that connect on this level will attract the right travellers, build loyalty, and inspire word-of-mouth marketing. For more tips, join my mailing list and download 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 here: https://lnkd.in/eWJSXmu2 And, if you need help 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, book in a friendly chat with me here: https://lnkd.in/efn22GnY #SustainableTourism #TourismMarketing

🚀 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝘀 (𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁) Most travel marketing stops at the pretty pictures. Landmarks. Big attractions. The must-see spots. Itineraries - 1 night here, 3 days there. Inclusions - a tour here, a breakfast there. But after years of qualitative research and listening to what travellers really want, I can tell you with certainty: That’s not what gets them to book or keeps them coming back. Travellers don’t become loyal because of the photo they took at the famous lookout. They become loyal because of how a place made them feel. Who they met. What they learned. How it changed them. This is exactly why I developed Bron’s Hierarchy of Travel Needs—a framework designed to help travel businesses and marketers build deeper, more meaningful experiences that lead to raving fans, repeat clients, and referrals. Here’s the core of it: 🧩 At the base: Human connections, learning, transformational and local experiences This is where the magic happens. The moments travellers remember forever. 🧩 In the middle: Environment—physical and natural The landscapes, the local vibe, the feeling of place, the vessel (e.g. ship). 🧩 At the top: Physical attractions The icons and bucket-list spots (important, but not enough on their own). If your marketing focuses only on the top, you’re missing the layers that matter most. ✅ Tell the stories of the locals. ✅ Share the transformative moments. ✅ Showcase the hidden, everyday experiences that make people fall in love with a place. When you lead with connection, the rest follows. Travellers are evolving. Is your marketing? If you’re ready to move beyond the surface and start creating content that truly resonates (and keeps them coming back), this framework is your starting point. 💬 I'd love to hear from fellow travel professionals—how are you weaving human connection into your content? What’s working for you? #TravelMarketing #ContentStrategy #TravelIndustry #TourismMarketing

How I helped a luxury travel brand tell a better digital story Great experiences deserve great storytelling. But many bespoke travel brands still rely on brochures, word-of-mouth, and static websites. Their offers are world-class, but their digital presence? Barely there. I saw this firsthand when working with a high-end travel experience brand. Their journeys were unforgettable, but their story wasn’t reaching the right travelers online. No emotional hooks. No personalized messaging. No reason for travelers to engage before booking. We flipped the script with a simple system: ✅ Crafted digital stories that connected emotions to destinations ✅ Used AI tools to personalize content across web, email, and social ✅ Built a streamlined content strategy that saved time and boosted visibility The result? ➝ Stronger engagement from high-value travelers ➝ More inquiries directly from digital channels ➝ A brand presence that finally matched the quality of the experience The world is digital, and your storytelling should be too. If you want to attract travelers today, you must first make them feel something online. Is your travel brand telling a story, or just selling trips?

China is teaching Western brands the secret to travel content: show your audience, don’t tell them. In China, they’re booking trips directly from the videos they watch. When people are planning their next venture, they don’t open a search engine. They open Little Red Book, Xiaohongshu. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a social platform that’s a cross between Instagram, Pinterest, and Amazon, and is one of the most influential apps in China when it comes to consumer travel behavior. Audiences scroll, save and imagine themselves in the places they’re discovering. It’s a completely emotional, visual and experience-led journey. Brands are building their content like creators, not institutions. And it’s why platforms like Xiaohongshu are reshaping how the next generation of travellers make decisions, long before they ever look at a booking site. Meanwhile, in the West, a lot of brands are still publishing like it's 2013, focusing on static ads, stock content and campaigns built around conversions, not culture. They’re leading with messaging, rarely focusing on experience and using platforms to sell when really they should be using them to give audiences an insight into the world they experience when they travel. But what I’ve learned is that travel content isn’t about volume anymore. It’s about resonance. Travellers, and especially younger travellers, are looking for identity and relatability. They want to feel seen and want content that isn’t an ad. And that’s what China’s travel content is getting right. It shows rather than tells. Western travel brands need to stop seeing TikTok and Reels as purely distribution channels and treat them as inspiration-booking engines instead. That’s how the next generation is planning to travel and it’s the only long-term way you’re going to get them to book with you.