Admittedly, the headline for this blog might come across a little highfalutin. As a marketer who knows the personal transformations that can happen during travel, I am on a mission to introduce and encourage people to visit new places and experience new things. The important word here is “new.” I am perplexed that many people tend to travel to the same place year after year. There is an explorer in all of us. Find him or her.
Perhaps it’s time to redefine travel.
One of the definitions I came across said travel was “going from one place to another, as in a trip.” By this definition, going to the grocery store for a carton of milk is travel. Travel is -- and should be -- much more than that. I think it should be defined as “a journey from one place to another where you are constantly showered with all things new to the point where it changes you as a person and alters your outlook on humanity and the world.” Clearly my attempt at penning definitions will not threaten Merriam-Webster in anyway, but here is my point:
Life is short. It’s a big world out there. And, most of our lives are spent in the “familiar”. Same commute. Same local store for the aforementioned carton of milk. Same office building. Same computer. Same. Same. Same.
And guess what? Travel marketing is chocked full of the same, same, same. One more time for effect: “SAME.” How many times have we seen an ad featuring a sandy white beach, palm tree and a couple in matching white bathing suits? Or, a shot of a generic hotel room? I could go on and on. It’s no wonder that many people go to the same place year after year. If you want new visitors to your destination, hotel or attraction, you must know what makes them tick. Connect with them emotionally. Find ways to fuel their wanderlust. Help them find that explorer within. Show them that travel can-- and will-- transform their lives for the better.
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