How to attract high-profit, sustainable travelers

Photo by Nattu Adnan

As many destinations begin to poke their heads out from under the COVID-19 blanket, they’re welcomed back into an industry whose consumers are all too eager to restart. So much so, that we now have a new term for post-covid travel plans made as an antidote to the extended bout of cabin fever we’ve all experienced: revenge travel. 

If the popularity of social media geotagging hadn’t already caused us to “love nature to death,” surely revenge travel would be the nail in the proverbial coffin. Some destinations have emerged from the pandemic only to find themselves with such a bad case of overtourism that they’re actually asking tourists to not come and spend their travel dollars. As a result, more and more destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are beginning to pivot away from destination marketing and lean into destination management instead. 

Destination management involves coordinated actions aimed to control the economic, socio-cultural, and environmental dimensions of a specific tourism destination (hint, hint: these are also the three pillars of sustainability). Put plainly, it aims to optimize the travel experience (for communities, for the environment, for local economies, and for the traveler), rather than just grow it. 

When we begin to look at tourism marketing strategy through the lens of destination management, we realize that what destinations really need is to market to the right type of travelers for them, rather than just marketing to provide a high volume of inbound travelers. Through a low volume, high-yield approach backed by a targeted marketing strategy — that includes micro-influencers with niche audiences comprised of the appropriate traveler demographics — destinations can curate their tourist demographics to meet a high-profit, more sustainable model of tourism. It’s important to note that this cannot be the only solution to sustainable destination management as it does cut out an entire segment of lower-budget sustainable travelers, however, this is an important facet of the equation.

Photo by Filip Mroz

What is so great about micro-influencers?

Micro-influencers have a smaller following, but their audience is more engaged and targeted. This smaller group of followers aligns with the micro-influencer's values and interests and tends to trust the influencer’s opinion on experiences. Therefore, micro-influencers are more likely to sway specific consumer behavior.

For sustainable destination management, the ideal target audience is high-profit travelers — those who spend more and stay longer when they travel. Work with a select group of micro-influencers who have that audience on tap, and your destination or tour wins tenfold.

Who is the high-profit, sustainable traveler? 

The best micro-influencer to work with is one that reaches and engages high-profit, sustainably-minded travelers. Two key travel consumer segments we will focus on are adventure and sustainable travelers. According to the Adventure Travel Trade Association, adventure travelers are not only high-profit travelers, but they tend to respect and support the nature and culture of the places they visit.

According to a report by Sustainable Travel International and Mandala Research, sustainable travelers "spend more (on average $600 per trip), stay longer (seven days compared to four days) and bring higher benefits to local communities including job creation, giving back and volunteering.

Photo by GLP Films

High-yield, low-volume tourism strategy in practice

Destinations are already targeting their marketing to the high-profit adventurer willing to pay a premium for unspoiled nature, immersive cultural experiences, and a comfortable home base to explore novel and unique locales. Destination planning along with smart marketing strategies can result in a high-yield, low-volume tourism economy.

1. Botswana

Photo by Matt Artz

Botswana wants to maximize tourism dollars, but instead of focusing their marketing on attracting as many “camera-toting tourists” as possible, they took a different approach. Botswana targeted travelers with money to spare that are willing to pay a premium for an uncrowded, private, and luxurious African safari experience. Although only a select few within the travel niche have the funds to meet the high price tag, those that do are willing to pay it. This destination marketing strategy has resulted in a thriving tourism-driven economy with fewer tourists trekking through places like Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta.

2. Rwanda

Photo by GLP Films

Rwanda made an impressively quick recovery from years of civil war and emerged as one of Africa’s premiere destinations. As a result, tour operators like Wilderness Safaris recognize the appeal of a high-end experience that combines sustainability initiatives. For example, when Wilderness Safaris was scouting a location near Volcanoes National Park for their Bisate Lodge, they worked in collaboration with the community to hire locals to help build the property and staff the facilities. The result: an immersive and luxurious experience for travelers that supports the local community.

In summary

Targeting the high-profit, sustainable traveler is the way forward for many destinations suffering from or looking to prevent overtourism, and a micro-influencer-forward marketing strategy is a way to reach them. Micro-influencers have an engaged and entrusted following that will more likely be inspired to travel to destinations that offer a high-value product at a premium price. Let your marketing strategy amplify the hard work you’ve done on the ground to protect and enhance your destination’s communities, economy and environment.

If you’re curious about integrating influencer marketing or destination managment into your overall marketing strategy but don’t know where to begin, reach out to us!