5 Offseason Marketing Strategies for Travel Brands

If you work in the realm of tourism and hospitality, you are probably aware that most attractions are seasonal. Peak season is when there are the most visitors, and your attraction’s usually congested. There is typically another season that follows closely in visitor numbers that is considered to be the 2nd best time to visit said attraction, and lower prices than peak season usually characterize this period. Lastly, there are offseasons which are usually when the weather is either extreme or undesirable, and as a result, business is slow. In this blog, we discuss what offseason marketing strategies are available to business owners and tourism and hospitality managers to increase revenues during this time.

The Easiest of All Offseason Marketing Strategies: Slash Prices

When the weather is too extreme, rarely would anyone want to spend much money to come to your attraction. Your prospects already have one hurdle ahead of them (climate), and you should aim to remove as many obstacles from the way as possible to move them closer to making the purchase decision. A steep price is the biggest of those obstacles. 

It would be wise to clearly highlight on promotion materials any mechanisms your attraction may have to alleviate the harsh weather conditions, whether it be outdoor air conditioners for hot areas or warm lounges for cold ones.

Offer Early Payment Discounts

To generate revenue during a time you are sure very little traffic will be present, plan ahead and start selling peak season tickets at a discounted price. This promotion usually goes well once patrons are informed that they can have their cash back within a certain period of time should they change their mind. The bigger the discount, the smaller the refund window should be.

Hold Contests

Giveaways are hard to resist. Hold a competition where applicants must submit their contact details to apply. The prize can be free entry or free patronage of your service. A 50% discount for second place is also a good idea. After announcing the winners, you will have compiled a sizeable list of leads that you can use for future marketing campaigns.

Start a Referals Program

For this strategy to work, you will first need to have a robust customer relationship management (CRM) system in place. From this system, compile a list of previous customers that have been highly satisfied with your service and are close to becoming advocates of your brand. Then, offer them a discount or a special offer should they refer your services to a friend that eventually converts and buys from you. This way, you will have a team of remote salespeople pushing your service to people that trust them highly.

Focus on Brand Awareness Campaigns

When it comes down to it, expecting as much traffic as you receive in peak season during an offseason is unrealistic. While generating above-average sales during this season is an admirable goal to have, your efforts may be more worthwhile elsewhere. 

Generating good brand awareness and focusing on PR initiatives is a good idea during the offseason. Generally, your content generation should be sped up during this time. The goal should be for your brand to be firmly lodged at the back of your customer’s minds in preparation for peak season or other more desirable seasons. This can be done through a mix of educational or entertaining content mixed with clear messages about your brand, what sets you apart from the competition, and what services you provide. 

Generally speaking, the educational/entertaining content to branding content ratio should be about 3:1, respectively. Refer to Gary Vaynerchuks’s book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook for more on this content strategy.

Your audience will tire from continuously hearing about your services, but when you approach them with content that they can benefit from or simply something they can watch when they are bored, you train their brain to associate your brand with a source of either value or entertainment, so that when it is time to showcase your services, you truly have their attention.

Offseason Marketing Strategies and Gulf Reps

At Gulf Reps we understand the importance of delivering marketing solutions to different traveller types. Starting with market research and ending with execution and reporting, we build campaigns that make an impact. 

Gulf Reps is the leading travel and tourism representation company in the Middle East, with over 60 years of regional and industry experience. We have served clients on six continents, delivering transformative results to everyone from hoteliers to tourism boards. Our mix of world-class marketing expertise, PR specialists, unparalleled connections and relationships, and an eclectic mix of marketing channels makes working with Gulf Reps the only sure way to drive Middle Eastern tourists to your destination.

To find out more about our services, you can call us at +971 (0)4 703 6333 or write to us at sammy@gulfreps.com