Travel demand can vary significantly from one market to another. Local economic conditions, transportation options, seasonality, events and traveller preferences can all affect when and why people travel.
For travel marketers, understanding those regional differences can help identify where opportunities exist and how media strategy should respond. At Plain Language, we use regional context, audience insights and campaign performance to make more informed decisions about where and how to invest.
Regional Travel Demand Varies by Market
Travel demand is shaped by a combination of factors that can differ considerably between cities, routes and regions. Transportation access, economic conditions, seasonality, major events and changing traveller preferences can all influence whether people choose to travel and where they go.
Searches, website activity, inquiries and bookings can provide signals about how that demand is changing. Looking at those signals by market can help marketers identify differences that may not be visible when campaign performance is viewed only at a national or overall level.
Two destinations may appear similar on paper but perform very differently. Understanding the regional context behind those differences can help travel brands make better decisions about audiences, media investment and messaging.
Key Factors That Shape Regional Travel Demand
Several factors can influence travel demand within a particular market.
- Economic conditions: Changes in household finances, business activity and broader economic conditions can affect whether people travel, how frequently they travel and how much they are prepared to spend.
- Transportation and access: Flight availability, driving distance, public transportation and other travel options can affect how easy or practical it is to visit a destination.
- Seasonality and weather: Travel patterns can change significantly throughout the year. Weather, holidays and seasonal activities can create different periods of opportunity from one region to another.
- Events and local activity: Conferences, festivals, sporting events and other major activities can affect when people travel and which destinations receive increased attention.
- Traveller preferences: Different audiences may have different priorities when choosing destinations, accommodations or transportation. Those preferences can also change depending on the type of trip.
- Market awareness: Travellers are more likely to consider destinations and travel options they know about. Media can help build awareness and consideration, particularly when a destination, route or service is unfamiliar to the audience.
These factors do not operate independently. A new transportation option, for example, may make a destination easier to reach at the same time that an event or seasonal opportunity gives people a reason to visit.
For marketers, the important question is how those conditions affect the audiences and markets the campaign is trying to reach.
Understand the Audience Within Each Market
Regional differences do not end with geography. The audiences within each market may also respond differently based on their needs, travel patterns and reasons for considering a trip.
Audience planning can draw from first-party data where available, market research, platform signals and previous campaign performance. These inputs can help marketers identify meaningful differences between markets and refine targeting, messaging and media investment accordingly.
For example, campaign data may show that one region generates a greater volume of searches while another produces fewer inquiries but higher-value bookings. Those differences can influence how budgets are allocated and how each market is approached.
The goal is not to assume why someone travels based on a demographic profile. It is to use available evidence to understand which audiences and markets are responding and what that means for the campaign.
Build Media Around Regional Opportunities
Once regional opportunities and audiences are understood, media planning can connect those insights to execution.
Our media strategy work starts by defining who matters, when to reach them and what success looks like. From there, the channel mix can reflect differences between markets rather than applying the same plan everywhere.
We also coordinate media buying across channels so investment can respond to audience behaviour, campaign objectives and regional performance.
Search, social, programmatic media, video, connected TV, out-of-home, radio and other channels can all contribute to travel campaigns. Their roles depend on the audience, market and objective.
Search may help capture existing demand in one situation, for example, while video, social or out-of-home may help build awareness or consideration in another. The same channel may also play different roles in different markets.
The important part is not assigning every channel a permanent place in the customer journey. It is understanding what each channel needs to accomplish for a particular audience and market.
Regional performance should also inform investment over time. If one market is generating stronger demand or higher-value bookings, that may create an opportunity to adjust budgets. If another is underperforming, the response may involve changing the audience, message, channel mix or level of investment.
Tailwind: Reaching Travellers Across Multiple Markets
Our work with Tailwind, a seaplane service connecting New York City, Boston and the Hamptons, provides an example of how audience and media strategy can work across multiple travel markets.
Tailwind wanted to reach high-net-worth and business travellers while competing with other transportation options, including services such as BLADE.
Using LinkedIn, programmatic media and paid search, we built an audience and channel strategy around people with a greater likelihood of booking. Social helped build relevant audience pools, while paid search captured demand as travellers considered their options.
The campaign reduced booking costs by 74 per cent while increasing average order value. It also contributed to repeat bookings and increased customer lifetime value.
The results show why regional travel campaigns need to consider both where demand exists and how media can reach audiences effectively within those markets.
How Marketers Can Respond to Regional Demand
Travel marketers cannot control all the conditions that affect demand, but they can use regional information to make better decisions about where and how to invest.
A practical approach includes four areas:
- Understand the market: Look at the local conditions that could affect travel, including seasonality, transportation, major events and changes within the destination or region.
- Understand the audience: Define who the campaign needs to reach and use available audience and performance data to understand how different markets are responding.
- Build media around the opportunity: Select channels, budgets and messaging based on the campaign objective and what is happening within each market.
- Measure and adjust: Monitor searches, inquiries, bookings and other relevant campaign metrics to understand where opportunities are developing and where the strategy may need to change.
The objective is not to chase every short-term change. It is to identify meaningful patterns that can improve decisions about audiences, markets and media investment.
Bringing It Together
Regional travel demand is shaped by factors that marketers can influence and others they cannot. Economic conditions, transportation, seasonality, events and traveller preferences can all affect the opportunities available in a particular market.
Marketing can then help a brand respond to those conditions by building awareness, reaching relevant audiences and capturing demand when people are considering their options.
Travel marketers cannot control every factor that shapes regional demand. They can understand those factors, identify where opportunities are developing and build media strategies that respond more effectively.
Connecting regional context with audience insight, thoughtful media planning and ongoing measurement helps brands make better decisions about where to invest and how to reach travellers.
FAQ
Why does travel demand vary between regions?
Travel demand can be affected by economic conditions, transportation access, seasonality, weather, events and traveller preferences. Because those factors vary by market, similar destinations or routes can experience very different levels of demand.
What factors have the greatest effect on regional travel demand?
The most relevant factors depend on the market, but transportation, economic conditions, seasonality, major events and audience preferences can all influence travel decisions. Marketers should consider these factors together rather than relying on a single indicator.
How can marketers identify travel demand in different markets?
Search activity, website behaviour, inquiries, bookings and campaign performance can provide useful signals about demand. Looking at those indicators by region can help marketers identify where interest or booking activity is changing.
How should media strategy respond to regional travel demand?
Media strategy should reflect the audience, campaign objective and conditions within each market. That may mean changing budgets, channel selection, targeting or messaging as meaningful differences in regional performance emerge.
How can travel brands measure regional campaign performance?
Start with metrics that reflect the campaign objective, then compare performance across relevant markets. Search activity, inquiries, bookings, conversion rates, booking value and other campaign data can help identify where media is performing well and where adjustments may be needed.
