What: A Luxury-Based Experience

According to the National Travel Association and Virtuoso’s 2024 Luxe Report, the top reasons behind high-end travel include:

• Exploring new, off-the-beaten path destinations
• Rest and relaxation
• Seeking authentic experiences in new destinations
• Rediscovering previously visited destinations
• Personal enrichment

“Travel & hospitality is going beyond the experience economy to the ‘transformation economy,’ where an experience changes us in some way during a particular moment in time. When travel brands can design the experience to be so significant for a particular person and provide the exact experience that they need at a particular moment in time, it becomes easier to deliver a life transforming experience. That aspiration can range anywhere from desiring to be a more creative person to being a better parent, so travel brands have an opportunity to support that evolution.”

The Evolution of Luxury Hospitality Whitepaper VERB, 2017

With this travel trend, it’s all about what the destination can offer to travelers. A smaller, lesser-known destination can be as highly successful as a luxury destination if they offer consumers unique and high-end experiences. There are a few different ways you can emphasize the high-end experiences your destination offers:

• Personalization: nothing says high-end like an experience that has been tailored for you and only you.
• Exclusivity: an exclusive experience can make a consumer feel special which is what justifies the price of luxury. 
• Authenticity: consumers are looking for authenticity from the brand selling their experience.
• Sustainability: the pandemic has inspired travelers to seek destinations that prioritize climate-conscious options in their accommodations and attractions. 

How Consumers are Finding Luxury Travel

In the niche market of luxury travel it’s important to know how consumers are finding this product.

Digital & Social Media. The most common place for consumers to research luxury experiences is through digital and social media. Luxury travelers are highly influenced by authentic brands and experiences they see on social media.

Travel influencers are a great way to pique the interest of consumers. People love consuming content that is extravagant, expensive, and unique.

Word of Mouth. Consumers also love posting that extravagant content. It is important to take into consideration how “Instagram-able” an experience is. A consumer is more willing to book a luxury experience based on how it will make them look on social media.

Find more ways to tap into a niche travel market.

Who are Luxury Travelers?

There are many different types of luxury travelers, so it’s important to first understand how luxury your target audience is. For example, one person could see a private jet as their everyday type of travel, while another could see it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

With so many differences, we look to similarities between luxury travelers and who is booking the most luxury travel to define the market.

Middle class. The emerging middle class is a huge market for luxury travel. This group has disposable income and wants to spend it on exclusive experiences.

Older Millennials are the most willing to spend their money on luxury travel.

Personal vs Business. There is a difference between the personal luxury traveler and the business luxury traveler, although this distinction is beginning to overlap.

By better understanding your audience’s spending habits, consuming habits, types of cars they drive and so forth, you can narrow in on how and where they spend their money or how they spend their time. Then, you can advertise on the most relevant websites, pitch stories to specific publications, and target their interests in digital advertising. For example, if they are more likely to own a Porsche, you can target publications that focus on Porsches.

Line up with the customer’s journey.

The post Luxury Travel Trends appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

How to find local influencers

Identifying influencers in your community can feel like the biggest hurdle to overcome. First, define what an influencer means to your organization- is it 2,500 followers? 5,000? 10,000? Is it important for them to be on multiple channels, or is Instagram enough? Once you’ve figured this out, the search begins.

• Search by top posts on Instagram. Look under “places” to find geotagged locations, or “tags” to search by your own hashtags or similar/relevant hashtags.
• Google them. There’s a good chance your local news has covered one or more influencers in your area. The search results for “Rochester NY influencers” yields lists of influencers in the area from aggregating websites and local news channels, reddit threads and more.
• Use influence.co to filter by location, number of followers, platforms, reach and more.
• Ask around! Who do your coworkers, neighbors, friends, and family follow in the area? What do they like about them?
• Look at your own followers. As a destination or attraction, local influencers may already be following you!

Also consider local groups or individuals that may be part of your target market and have influence or clout in the community. A networking group of executives? Maybe a foodie group exists or craft beer club. Keep the search going on Facebook, LinkedIn and Meetup – all popular sites for getting together.

Starting the conversation

Cultivating a relationship is key to any partnership and influencers are no different. Start the conversation by supporting their work or letting them know how much you appreciate what they’re doing for the destination.

• Engage with their work. Like or comment on their posts to show support for what they’re doing. Make sure that your comments are genuine and valuable- not repetitive or canned. This added engagement is good for their metrics, so it’s win-win.
• Repost their photos (with permission!). Comment or DM them and ask to share their work. Most influencers are happy to share and show their work to a new audience. These photos, videos, or blogs are great user-generated content (UGM) for your channels.
• Send them a message. A short and sweet note that says how much you love the work they’re doing in the area is all it takes. Everyone likes to be recognized!
• Send them destination swag. A branded pen, notebook, or reusable bag is a great way to show your appreciation. You might even get a post out of it!

Collaboration opportunities

Once you’ve initiated a conversation, the next step is showing them how you can add value to their content and audience. An influencer’s brand is themself, so authenticity is key above all else. They want to provide value to their audience in the same way you do. Offering them something exclusive or special is a great way to do this. For groups and other individuals in the community, it’s still about value and often about content, too.

• Ask them to do a takeover of your blog or social channels. A guest post or day-in-the-life creates variety for your content and pulls in a new audience.
• Invite them to an event as a special guest. If you’re attending a festival, celebration, or exclusive event, consider adding them to your invite list. Any kind of special showing or behind-the-scenes peek is great content for their channels. Maybe it’s a soft opening of a new restaurant, backstage tour at a concert, or VIP area at a festival.
• Take them on a mini-FAM. They already do a great job promoting the area, but you know it better than just about anyone else. What hidden treasures can you show them they may not be aware of?
• Cultivate a partnership. What opportunities for an ongoing partnership can you offer? You can offer value to them through the platform you provide, payment, or whatever works best for you. They can offer authentic reviews, a different perspective and a fresh audience. Examples include:
  • Speaking at a local event
  • Producing a video series highlighting things to do around your city
  • Partnering with a stakeholder to host a VIP event

Curious to learn more about working with influencers? Check out our Influencer Marketing eBook, with 30 pages of tips, tricks and advice based on our experience.

The post Identifying Local Influencers appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

Read our blog for a quick refresher on what a social media influencer is and how destinations can successfully work with them.

Influencers may reach out to your destination directly, come through a PR agency or state organization like I Love NY, be part of a FAM following a conference or show, or you may be interested in reaching out to them directly. No matter how an influencer comes across your desk, it is important to figure out whether it is worth spending your time and resources (or your partners’ resources) on hosting them. Here are 12 tips for vetting a social media influencer.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. Are they asking to be paid? This isn’t a deal breaker, but could be a red flag. First of all, many influencers are satisfied with trading an experience for their posts. Provide the monetary value of the trip you are offering: overnight accommodations, activities and experiences, food, and travel expenses. If they’re interested in negotiating payment, discuss the expectations and deliverables (see question 2). Make sure there’s something in it for your destination – such as rights to all of their photos and videos, or getting exclusivity on travel posts for six months. Whenever money is involved, write up a quick agreement to cover both parties.
2. What are their deliverables?  An influencer should have a general idea of what they will produce before, during and after the trip. During early discussions, find out what social media platforms they plan to post on and how often they will post (once a day, at every stop, etc.). Will they write a blog post on the destination, or pick out a few places they visited? Keep in mind, this may differ once they’re in your destination, but it’s important to know they’ve thought it through. Flexibility is important, as what they were thinking may change once they arrive.
3. How did you meet this influencer?  Did they come from a reputable source, such as a media event or through a media organization? Do you know other destinations or brands that have worked with them? For example, I Love NY does a good job of vetting influencers and bloggers that attend their media marketplaces. While you should still do your own research, it’s good to know others have checked them out as well.

Consider their Followers:

1. Quantity of followers. This is the first indication whether you want to spend your time and resources. However, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – a large audience is not automatically better than a small audience. There are a couple reasons why it’s actually a great idea to work with an influencer with a smaller audience:
   • Start developing relationships with influencers before they become popular, and they’ll continue to engage with your destination as their following grows.
   • If you have a specific product and they have a niche following, it’s like you’re talking directly to your target audience.
2. Quality of followers. The point of working with an influencer is to get to their following, so make sure they are reaching your target audience. Scroll through their followers to see who they are. If you’re hosting them for a family-friendly FAM or showing off your beautiful waterfalls, you will want their audience to consist of moms or outdoor-lovers, respectively. How many of their followers are brands, destinations or other travel influencers? (Common phrases in their handles may be: travel, traveler, nomad, wander, etc.) Do any seem like follower bots or fake accounts? These can be red flags. Don’t be afraid to ask where their followers come from. As Dalene Heck said, “…we can see they’ve got 20,000 Facebook fans, but 10,000 of them are from a third-world country, and unless that brand wants to market to that third-world country, those numbers are really kind of useless to that brand or destination.”
3. Engagement. It doesn’t matter the size of their audience if no one is engaging with their posts. Look at how many likes, comments, shares, retweets, etc. their posts get. The engagement should be proportional to the number of followers. For example, it’s not a good sign if they have 50,000 followers but their posts receive under 100 likes.

Consider their Posts:

1. Frequency of posts. How often do they post on their platforms? You want to host someone whose blog or social channel has momentum, not one that has been stagnant. Instagram influencers should post every couple of days, if not every day. Bloggers should post an article every couple of weeks (and share them across their platforms!).
2. Content of posts. What do they typically post about and does it align with your destination? If most of their Instagram posts are of beaches and your destination has no water, it’s probably not a good fit. When it comes to blog posts, what do they write about? Are they digging into a destination’s hidden gems such as the best biking trail to catch a sunset? Or do they simply share listicles of things to do or collages of photos with no context?
3. Quality of posts. Make sure their website or blog looks professional and well-maintained. Would you want these posts representing your destination? Spelling errors, incorrect grammar or poor photography are all turn-offs. Click on their social icons to make sure they are linked properly to their accounts. Although Instagram influencers are prevalent, not everyone has an eye for photography. Look for photos that are well-lit, well-balanced, in focus, and tell a story. How do they show off a destination? Do they take beautiful landscapes of state parks, up-close details of a farmer’s market, or is it always in the background of their selfie?

Red Flags to Avoid:

1. Spike in followers. Sadly, it’s common for some influencers to falsify their reach and following. A quick way to check is by searching their handle on Socialblade. A large jump in followers over a short period of time means they probably purchased them. Below, this Instagram influencer gained 20,000 followers in a six-month period. Take it from someone who runs Instagram accounts, it’s pretty hard to grow a large following that quickly.
2. Falsified engagement. You have to look beyond the number of likes or comments on a post to who is liking or commenting. Some Instagram influencers are part of “pods” – a group of Instagrammer friends that are obligated to engage with each other’s posts to make them look more popular. One quick way of telling- do all of the comments essentially say the same thing, with different emojis? Are the same seven people commenting on every photo? Does the person posting not interact with any comments? They’re most likely part of a pod.
3. Clickbait. Clickbait is still roaming rapid around the internet, so you can’t take photos or posts at face value. Pay attention to blogs with titles that over-promise, or captivating Instagram photos with captions that promote an influencer’s contest or referral code.

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