Expenses Aren’t Everything — Marketing to Luxury Travelers

We are living in the age of triple checking the prices for the best and cheapest deals on the internet. So, what does that mean for luxury travel brands?

Luxury destinations don’t draw travelers in because of the price factor, they draw them in for the experience and exclusivity. Marketing these top dollar destinations becomes challenging when competing with more budget-friendly stays, but hope is not lost. Prices may create a plateau of consumers, but targeted techniques will spike up those numbers if used effectively.

Create the Aspiration Vacation

Make your luxury brand look and feel like the ideal vacation to land on travelers’ bucket lists through complete online immersion. Post those unforgettable Instagram pictures, assemble aesthetically perfect Pinterest boards, and produce unreal looking videos that express the true beauty and charisma of your destination. If you have a person reposting your content with #Goals, you’ve succeeded. Showing what makes your location upscale and worth the expense creates a reliable marketing strategy.

Take this resort in Finland, showing off their “glass igloo” stay. Seeing this beautifully put together video alludes to a unique, must see destination. Yes, you can probably see the Northern Lights from your average hotel room anywhere in the Nordic countries, but here you can see it inside your own Arctic glass igloo. It’s the one-of-a-kind experience travelers feed on and should be your main marketing tactic.

Strategies for Sales

Luxury branding and discounts don’t typically go together. Your brand is too important and sales are only for off-season travel, right? Twenty-two percent of luxury consumers agree that if a luxury product goes on sale, it lessens its perception of luxury. But the reality? Over 80% admit their last luxury purchase was on sale and this influenced their decision to buy.

What does this mean for luxury travel brands? Your potential visitors are attracted to exclusivity, but they also love a discount. Contradicting statements for sure, but money rules the mind in any situation. Whether you do a Groupon deal for one weekend or give points per stay, find a way to provide a bang for their buck and consumers will find their way to your destination.

Money talks, but so do people. Your consumers want to boast over the amazing stay, not tell their friends how expensive it was. Travelers value a good time and your company can provide that to them.

Want to find out more about marketing to different groups of potential travelers? Read up on our blogs on Millennial or Baby Boomer travel trends.