Travellers are booking directly because of clearer cancellation or refund policies, coupled with their frustrating experiences navigating online travel agency (OTA) reimbursements for cancelled trips. Thus, the current environment is ideal for direct response campaigns.

This was revealed in new report titled, “How Travel Marketers Are Activating Digital Advertising in 2021” by Sojern, a leading provider of digital travel marketing solutions.

The 300 travel marketers surveyed shared key challenges faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led them to test new solutions, innovate with new messaging, and generally do more with less.

“The last 18-months have been quite the rollercoaster for travel marketers navigating the global pandemic, but one thing is clear: travel marketers are more focused than ever before on effectively and efficiently spending precious resources to drive a business return,” said Noreen Henry, chief revenue officer in Sojern. “In this environment you need to be agile, data-driven and optimistic—travel is coming back and it’s a great time to take part in that recovery.”

Key findings of travel marketers surveyed include:

• 56% agree that the current environment is ideal for direct response campaigns. Travellers are booking directly because of clearer cancelation or refund policies, coupled with their frustrating experiences navigating online travel agency (OTA) reimbursements for cancelled trips.
• 88% have increased or kept their digital advertising strategy budget the same since COVID-19.
• 87% tightened spending on brand campaigns and increased spending on performance campaigns in 2020.
• 84% rated machine learning and artificial intelligence as top priority for personalisation across channels.

Consumers are eager to travel, and with the increasingly widespread administration of COVID-19 vaccines, the hard-hit travel, media, and entertainment industries are all expected to rebound in 2021. The upward swing is already under way, with a surge in domestic and regional tourism, as newly vaccinated consumers exercise the option to travel within their own borders.