As smartphones have become ubiquitous, so has mobile advertising within the travel industry. The mobile device has become the perfect place to reach travelers.
The smartphone and the travel industry
Today, 76% of travelers say their smartphone is the most important travel companion. They’re also using their phones more often for travel related transactions. Some 79% of travelers with smartphones have done travel research on their smartphone and 70% of last minute hotel bookings are made on mobile devices. We know that travelers use their phones.
The question is, how can businesses in the travel industry leverage mobile devices for more effective advertising. One of the most effective ways is through location-based mobile advertising. Let’s look at some places where you can use geofencing to serve mobile advertising to travelers.
Airports
Not everyone that travels flies, but everyone that flies travels. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, nearly 1.1 billion passengers flew in the United States. That number, which includes both domestic and international flights, is an all-time high. Although air travel has slowed during the pandemic, it’s expected to make a gradual recovery and could reach pre-pandemic levels as soon as 2024. With that volume of travelers moving through one place, the airport may have more potential customers for travel industry businesses than anywhere else.
Hotels
When you travel, you have to stay somewhere and hotels are the perennial go-to. Even with the growth of alternative accommodations like AirBnb, hotels still see a large concentration of traffic from travelers. Experts at IBISWorld reported that there were over 91,000 hotels and motels in the U.S. in 2019, generating more than $194 billion per year. Businesses looking to advertise to travelers can geofence hotels across the country to reach their target market. You can pick the best or most popular hotels, the ones with the most rooms, those that fit a particular niche, or hotels at locations that fit your brand.
Tourist Destinations
Once they’ve finished at the airport and left the hotel, travelers will be headed to the tourist destinations that brought them there. These locations are gathering places for known travelers and the perfect areas to target for travel industry related advertising. Disney World and other theme parks, major beaches in the summer, mountains in the winter, campgrounds, and national parks are loaded with travelers that you can advertise too. You can also try landmarks like the hollywood sign or instagram famous murals around popular tourist cities.
Travelers love gear.
Oftentimes, their travels require gear by nature. This makes the stores that sell that gear great places to geofence. Travelers that go hiking, biking, surfing, or skiing can be easily targeted this way. Even business travelers or families that travel look for things like neck pillows, headphones, and luggage. No matter how your product or service fits into the travel industry, odds are that your potential customers shop for some sort of gear. Find them there and serve them compelling advertising to win their business.