As the year is coming to an end, many publications as well public relations firms take the time to look back on the past 12 months. 2010 was the year of the BP oil spill, the Icelandic ash cloud – and finally – for the travel industry, the long-awaited recovery.
As travel in Europe got heavily disrupted in the earlier part of the year due to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland, the oil spill was the number one topic in the US over the summer.
- Iceland was one of 2010 winners in the travel industry – You can become a winner in 2011 with a well-designed Travel PR campaign
But it was not all bad for the travel industry in 2010. In contrast, it is regarded by many as the first year after the crisis and it brought the much needed recovery for the heavily bruised travel industry.
The Travel Industry is Back on Track
Airlines were the first to report profits again. Travel agency sales increased 22% over 2009 according to ARC, and tour operators and lodging businesses also report they are back in the black.
Further, Iceland actually seems to have profited from the arguably most famous volcano in the world. TravelMole reports a 16% increase in North American visitor to the island in the first 11 months of the year. An example for the sometimes positive effects of negative publicity!
Another big event in the industry was the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The championships that had caused much controversy in the run-up to the event successfully finished with the ‘coronation’ of the new and first ever champion Spain. Hopefully, like Iceland, they will benefit from the spectacle in terms of visitor numbers in the future.
But the overall message for the travel industry in 2010 should be: People are traveling again. While spending on luxury items including high-end travel saw a smaller decline than mainstream travels over the last two years, both seem to be securely back on track for 2011, giving travel businesses a much needed push.
While marketing dollars are still tight for many, investing in a travel PR campaign is now vital to make the most of the resurge in travel bookings. Many of those consumers looking to revisit their travel plans for 2011 will take their inspiration from glossy magazines, renowned newspapers and trusted online sources – and travel PR provides a great way to reach your target markets through those outlets with a great return-on-investment rate.
So dedicate 2011 to promoting your travel business with the PR services of a specialized NYC boutique PR firm and reap the results over the next 12 months!
