How to Beat Competition and Become the Top Travel Destination in your State

How to Beat Competition and Become the Top Travel Destination in your State

In the travel industry, when one type of tourism business wins, everyone operating a travel industry business in the region wins. For example, you might offer white water rafting experiences in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but many people also know that they can enjoy this same adventure in other parts of the country. Inch yourself ahead of the competition in outlying states by using destination marketing as your guide.

Tips for Using Destination Marketing to Promote Your Travel Locale

  • Work with other travel industry businesses and professionals in your region to create a destination marketing organization, or DMO. The sole purpose of the DMO is to promote the entire region and to increase the notoriety of your local tourism industry. With pooled resources, the DMO is able to raise awareness of what the region has to offer, which brings in more visitors who will utilize the individual travel businesses in the area.
  • Design a marketing campaign that identifies what makes your corner of the world unique. The identity of your destination should be based on the atmosphere of the region, what people enjoy once they arrive and what makes it different from other places around the country. For example, in Wyoming, you can promote the fact that this destination offers wildlife immersion experiences, arts and culture as well as adventure activities.
  • Create packages that encourage travelers to book quickly. The DMO can work with individual proprietors to design packages that will entice travelers to plan a vacation to that destination. Today’s travelers love when they can book an all-inclusive package, that includes accommodations, transportation and even tours and activities. Get creative when designing packages so that potential visitors will be excited about the opportunity to score a great deal.
  • Develop a distribution strategy for your DMO. You need to promote your destination not only to individual travelers who may be doing research online, but also to agents who give advice and recommendations to their clients. Your distribution strategy should include OTAs, retail travel agents, visitor information centers and more. Make sure that your DMO is ready to offer online booking capability for all of your packages, as this is the only way to generate bookings through the various agents in your distribution network. A reliable channel manager is also a necessary tool for implementing your distribution strategy.

When you think of Wyoming, you think of long stretches of wide open prairies and gorgeous mountain ranges in the back drop. You know it’s a place where time runs a little bit slower, and people are able to savor the beauty of the great outdoors. It seems remote — which can make travelers think that it’s hard to get there. Don’t let your destination become forgotten or cast aside. Use these tourism destination marketing tips to launch an effective campaign to drive more travelers to your area, and ultimately boost your bookings. In addition, you can download the Rezdy distribution ebook to use as a resource for getting started.
distribution ready