It may be the month where we can start thinking about traveling again. Destinations are [slowly] opening up and people are starting to think ‘travel’. We have been keeping an eye out for places opening and how to plan on the reopening. So here is what’s on our radar to watch out for in June 2020.
Safety First
It’s all about safety first. The most important thing that destination marketers need to make sure that they are doing is to communicate safety to the consumer. If you’re running campaigns you need to position safety messaging prominently above-the-
fold so that we can reassure audiences that things are opening responsibly. DMOs should consider adding a feature to the top of any landing pages utilized in upcoming campaigns that will allow users to “learn how we’re opening responsibly”. This could go a long way in helping to quell fear and anxiety when it comes to travel experiences. Check out the latest Sentiment Index from Destination Analysts for more info.
How to Tell What’s Open
While destinations are beginning to open up, each area has its own rules. There’s a lot of confusion. It’s vital that CVBs have clear information on their website.
What categories of businesses and attractions are open? What will be opening? What safety measures are there? Most importantly, what do visitors have to do in order to visit and what they should know? These are the questions you’ll need to answer.
Try making a chart for business categories, like the state of Indiana does. The visual aspect really helps convey the information in a way that’s easy to understand. Or, go the extra mile, like Visit Hamilton County, and provide information for each attraction, experience, or business (and don’t forget those hyperlinks).
Isolated Travel
As states begin to reopen and people begin emerging from their homes, the urge to get out and travel will be as strong as ever. Unfortunately, so will the apprehension and unease felt while making travel plans. One clear trend that can be seen around the country is the desire for more isolated travel experiences where social distancing comes naturally.
According to AdWeek, “Travel surveys conducted by the industry show that people who are comfortable traveling will do so by car, and are far more likely to visit parks and beaches that are regionally close to their homes.” These sentiments are even clearer in Google Search trends, where terms like ‘camping’, ‘hiking trails’ and ‘state parks’ are seeing more traffic this month than at any time during the last two years (see chart).
It’s important that CVBs use this as an opportunity to showcase outdoor recreation opportunities, as well as highlight the steps hotels and lodging are taking to ensure customer safety.
Comeback Page
As we re-emerge and re-open our businesses, each partner organization and DMO should have statements to provide visitors with information on what is open, what is closed, what has changed in terms of operating procedures and what you are doing to make their visit as safe and enjoyable as possible. This will help manage expectations and create a better experience for each visitor.
We would recommend a landing page that is located on your site and is also linked within any website content pages that you are using for promotional purposes. And, it should also be placed periodically on your social channels.
Facebook ‘Shops’
Online sales have increased substantially in the last few months. While large stores are thriving during this pandemic due to the easy ability to online-shop — small businesses are not having the same amount of success. Facebook recently announced they have made it easy for businesses to set up an online store for their customers to shop on their favorite social media platform.
Users will easily be able to communicate with sellers via chat. Which can ensure a positive customer service experience. Especially in this time when we’re not able to go out and businesses have closed down — it enables small businesses to easily communicate and sell to their customers. It leads to the question; how will small businesses generate most revenue post-pandemic? Will Facebook ‘Shops’ be the answer? We can’t know now but its something to definitely watch out for.
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