In the ever-competitive travel industry, it’s easy for small brands to feel lost in the shuffle of larger companies with bigger budgets. While major players in the market dominate the advertising and public relations space, small brands can still carve out a distinct identity through innovative PR campaigns. The key lies in authenticity, creative thinking, and niche targeting. Travel PR campaigns that have worked for small brands have focused on building genuine relationships with customers, offering unique experiences, and leveraging digital platforms to reach the right audience.
The following op-ed explores some of the most successful travel PR campaigns executed by smaller, lesser-known brands. These campaigns demonstrate how thoughtful PR strategies, when executed effectively, can elevate a small travel brand to greater heights.
1. The Power of Experiential Marketing: “Staycation” Campaign by a Boutique Hotel Group
Small brands in the travel industry can benefit tremendously from experiential marketing. One travel brand that got it right is a small boutique hotel chain that launched a “Staycation” campaign targeting local residents rather than international travelers. This campaign promoted the idea of exploring one’s own city or region and rediscovering the hidden gems close to home. The brand aimed to appeal to individuals and families who might be hesitant to travel due to uncertainty, economic constraints, or the post-pandemic shift toward staying local.
The Campaign: The hotel group’s campaign was a masterstroke in local PR. It emphasized a sense of community, offering enticing packages for local residents to experience the luxury of a vacation without leaving their city. The brand worked closely with local influencers and micro-influencers to create content about their staycation experiences. These influencers, ranging from lifestyle bloggers to food critics, shared their stay through Instagram stories, blog posts, and videos.
What Worked:
- Local Connections: By emphasizing local travel, the brand aligned itself with an emerging trend that grew during the pandemic, where people sought new experiences in their own backyards. Instead of competing with global giants for international tourists, the small hotel chain focused on cultivating relationships with local consumers, building a sense of belonging and community.
- Influencer Partnerships: Collaborating with local influencers proved highly successful. These influencers, who had a loyal following of locals, made the campaign feel more authentic and relatable. Their personal endorsements felt more trustworthy than traditional advertisements.
- Tailored Packages: The hotel’s offerings were highly tailored to their local clientele. For example, packages included free tickets to local attractions, discounted meals at nearby restaurants, or special deals with local spas and fitness centers. This strategy created a more integrated experience that showcased what was best about the destination, adding value to the stay.
What Can Be Learned: For small travel brands, finding your niche and catering to it can be far more effective than trying to target a global audience. Local PR campaigns can resonate more deeply, especially when there’s an emotional connection to the place. Additionally, micro-influencers and local partnerships are often more valuable than celebrities with national reach, as their followers tend to trust them more.
2. Crowdsourcing a Destination: How a Remote Island Won Hearts with User-Generated Content
One of the most innovative PR campaigns executed by a small travel brand was conducted by a remote island in the Caribbean. The island’s tourism board was struggling with low visibility and few resources to compete with larger tourist destinations. Instead of investing heavily in traditional advertising or a major celebrity endorsement, the island chose to crowdsource its destination marketing through user-generated content.
The Campaign: The campaign was called #MyIslandStory and invited travelers to share their personal stories, photos, and videos from their visits to the island. The tourism board created a simple website and encouraged tourists to upload their content using the campaign hashtag. These user-generated materials were then featured on the island’s official social media channels, website, and even in print materials. To incentivize participation, the tourism board offered a chance for content creators to win a free week-long stay on the island or exclusive experiences.
The idea was that by empowering visitors to become part of the island’s story, the destination would feel more authentic and personalized. It was a move away from generic stock photos and flashy promotional videos, and instead, focused on real experiences from real people.
What Worked:
- Authenticity: This campaign resonated deeply with travelers because it felt personal. The content was not polished or overly commercialized, but instead showcased raw, genuine experiences. The success of the campaign relied heavily on the idea that other potential travelers would trust the recommendations of their peers over traditional advertising.
- Community Building: By asking people to share their stories, the campaign fostered a sense of community among travelers. Visitors felt connected to the destination before they even set foot on the island, which encouraged stronger emotional ties to the brand.
- Cost-Effectiveness: For a small island with a limited marketing budget, this crowdsourced approach was extremely cost-effective. The tourism board didn’t need to invest in high-end production or expensive celebrity endorsements. Instead, the campaign relied on organic growth, powered by the enthusiasm of its visitors.
What Can Be Learned: User-generated content (UGC) is an invaluable asset for small brands. When implemented correctly, it can significantly reduce marketing costs while also enhancing brand trust and engagement. Small travel brands should look for opportunities to involve their customers in their storytelling, as it helps build long-term loyalty and increases credibility. Additionally, small brands can benefit from fostering a community spirit, which often leads to more organic word-of-mouth promotion.
3. Niche Marketing: The Rise of Eco-Tourism with Small Travel Agencies
Sustainability and eco-tourism have become significant trends in the travel industry over the past few years. Small travel agencies that specialize in eco-friendly and sustainable travel have been able to tap into a growing market of environmentally conscious travelers. One such brand successfully executed a PR campaign centered around eco-tourism that not only highlighted their commitment to sustainable travel but also empowered customers to make a real impact.
The Campaign: A small travel agency specializing in eco-friendly tours to remote areas of South America launched a campaign called “Impact Travel.” The idea was to offer travelers the opportunity to visit pristine ecosystems, such as the Amazon Rainforest or the Galápagos Islands, while also contributing to local conservation efforts. The company worked with environmental NGOs and local communities to ensure that every trip taken helped protect the area in some way—whether through reforestation programs, beach clean-ups, or educational workshops for travelers about sustainability.
To promote this campaign, the agency created a series of videos documenting travelers’ journeys, showcasing the breathtaking landscapes and the impact they were making. The agency’s PR team sent these videos to travel publications and pitched them to influencers within the eco-tourism and sustainability spaces. It also worked with journalists who had a focus on environmental issues to cover the story in national and international media.
What Worked:
- Tapping into Growing Trends: Eco-tourism is a booming sector, with travelers increasingly looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. The agency capitalized on this trend by creating a product that appealed to a niche market and aligned with consumers’ values.
- Strong Brand Identity: The PR campaign wasn’t just about selling travel packages—it was about telling a story of positive impact. The agency positioned itself as a responsible brand that made a difference, rather than just another travel agency. This helped it build a reputation as a leader in eco-tourism.
- Partnerships and Press Coverage: The agency strategically partnered with like-minded organizations, which not only helped the campaign gain credibility but also expanded its reach. The media coverage it received from environmental journalists and eco-focused influencers added to the campaign’s success.
What Can Be Learned: For small travel brands, niche marketing is incredibly powerful. Identifying a specific area of focus, such as eco-tourism or luxury adventure travel, allows a brand to differentiate itself from larger, generalized competitors. By tapping into growing trends and aligning with customers’ values, small brands can build a loyal following and generate buzz without needing a massive marketing budget. Moreover, partnerships with like-minded organizations can help build credibility and expand brand visibility.
4. Leveraging Local Knowledge: The Success of a Culinary Tour PR Campaign
Food-focused travel is an emerging niche that small travel brands can successfully tap into, and one such campaign that worked remarkably well involved a small company offering culinary tours through Southeast Asia. The company had previously struggled to stand out in a crowded marketplace but found success by focusing on the region’s rich culinary heritage and using local chefs as guides.
The Campaign: The campaign, titled “Taste of Tradition,” invited travelers to explore the food culture of Southeast Asia, from street food in Bangkok to cooking classes in the back alleys of Ho Chi Minh City. What set this campaign apart was the emphasis on local expertise. Instead of offering generic food tours, the company worked with local chefs, street food vendors, and small businesses, allowing travelers to experience authentic, off-the-beaten-path food experiences.
The PR strategy was built around creating compelling stories about the chefs and food artisans, highlighting their personal histories, their connection to local communities, and the sustainable practices they employed in their cooking. The company partnered with food bloggers, culinary influencers, and travel writers to tell these stories in the media, and the campaign garnered significant press coverage across food and travel publications.
What Worked:
- Local Expertise: By focusing on the authentic food experiences and working with local chefs, the company differentiated itself from larger travel operators offering generic tours. This allowed the brand to appeal to foodies and travelers seeking genuine, immersive experiences.
- Storytelling: The company’s PR team successfully highlighted the human aspect of the culinary tours by telling the stories of the chefs and local food vendors. This added emotional depth to the campaign and helped build a connection between potential travelers and the destination.
- Influencer Partnerships: The company’s collaborations with food bloggers and culinary influencers helped it reach a broader audience. These influencers, who were passionate about food, created content that felt both informative and personal, which resonated with their followers.
What Can Be Learned: Small travel brands can benefit from leveraging local knowledge and expertise to create unique, niche offerings. By partnering with local experts, brands can offer authentic experiences that larger competitors cannot match. Additionally, storytelling plays a significant role in creating emotional connections with potential customers. Finally, working with influencers who are passionate about a specific niche (like food) can be a great way to increase visibility and reach a highly engaged audience.
Successful PR campaigns in the travel industry are often characterized by authenticity, creativity, and a willingness to take risks. Small travel brands can leverage these qualities to build strong relationships with their customers and create campaigns that cut through the noise. By focusing on niche markets, fostering local partnerships, and emphasizing unique, memorable experiences, small brands can stand out in a crowded marketplace and generate lasting impact.
These campaigns demonstrate that, with a strategic travel PR approach, small travel companies can punch above their weight and create campaigns that resonate with their target audience. Whether through user-generated content, eco-tourism, or culinary tourism, small brands have the power to build strong, authentic brands that compete with the giants in the industry.
