It’s no small feat to keep up with the industry, take care of clients and make sure your own marketing is up to snuff. This week, we’ve compiled the top headlines and resources so you can stay up to date without staying up late. This week, we have resources that will guide your messaging to value-based tourists, inform you on a big trend in wellness travel and get you up to speed on the top travel booking apps to consider for your marketing strategy. Keep reading to keep up on what’s most important to stay a step ahead in your industry.

Travelers around the world are planning vacations focused on their wellness. 68% of wellness travelers reported that they are likely to base their next trip around improving their mental health, according to Skift. Seventy-six percent of these travelers are willing to spend more on trips they believe will contribute to their wellness and 41% say they are interested in booking hotels that offer wellness activities. It’s important for DMOs and heritage areas to start noting this trend when communicating with stakeholders and creating campaign messaging. Travelers are looking for trips that are good for their souls and help them rejuvenate. Take stock of what your destination has to offer travelers seeking this type of travel and be sure to include them in your messaging.

Value-based and sustainable tourism is a post-pandemic trend that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. With so many people considering sustainability when making their travel decisions, you might be wondering how to reach this increasing demographic. Well, we’ve put together a list of five tactics to include in your marketing strategy if you want to better attract visitors to your destination.

1. Understand their preferred activities
2. Speak the language of your tourists
3. Focus on inclusivity
4. Highlight your sustainability efforts
5. Feature the local culture and heritage

It’s vital to consider these tactics when strategizing and planning your campaigns. Value-based tourists are a key demographic. When creating strategies to attract these types of travelers, be sure you’re listening to their preferences to win over loyal travelers that will visit your destination time and time again.

Booking.com has been dethroned from its top spot as the most popular travel booking app. Around 1.3 million U.S. consumers downloaded the travel booking app Hopper in July 2021, making Hopper the new top travel booking app in the United States.
“There will be a Western global superapp for travel – it may be owned by Google, Facebook or Alibaba, but it will be a superapp and we’re trying to become that,” Hopper CEO Frederic Lalonde at Skift Global Forum.
Both Hopper and Booking.com make up for 27% of travel booking app downloads, but Hopper’s popularity is unmistakable— it grew its market share by eight percentage points while Booking.com dropped by three.
Around 80% of travel bookings take place via mobile app or website, so DMOs and heritage areas need to ensure their destination is highly visible on these platforms. Pay attention to how your visitors are booking their stays. If they’re booking through these apps, make sure you are building your presence on this platform through special offerings or compelling messaging.

Your potential clients have a LOT of organizations knocking at their proverbial front door. With so many offers at their fingertips, you might only have one opportunity to stand out to them. With a good marketing foundation, you can craft messages that will resonate with potential clients. Here are five building blocks to keep in mind:

1. Know your audience by understanding their goals, motivations and pain points.
2. Understand what you offer and what competitors are offering… then create a unique offer that is irresistible to your audience.
3. Create a marketing message that shows your client where they will be when they leverage your business’s solution.
4. Pick a platform and tailor your message to fit accordingly.
5. Evaluate and adjust your message constantly.

Follow these essential steps to create effective and compelling messages to draw visitors to your destination.