Travelers’ Journey, Personas, and the 4Ps of Tourism Marketing Mix (2024)

Research has shown that the tourism sector will become increasingly hypercompetitive after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, consistent promotion with a marketing mix is a realistic and fresh approach to achieve tourism goals.

Understanding audience personas and processes through their mindset is necessary, using a precise method that employs the concepts of attention, inspiration, desire, action, and loyalty. These personas and processes are essential for tourism and travel companies.

Only 27% of the companies in the tourism sector have documented their content strategy at every stage of the traveler’s journey. Thus, the “attention–inspire–desire–action–loyalty (A-I-D-A-L)” method may help inform your travel and tourism content planning with purpose and later promote your content on various channels and networks.

The top three advanced personas are enthusiasts, planners, and adventurers. These three personas (or imaginary individuals) correspond to the essential segments that we aim to attract, including luxury travel, leisure, and business travel. They will help us visualize the targeted travelers and develop brand messages and digital marketing tactics that will resonate with them.

How can you connect with enthusiasts?
Enthusiasts are always open to destination discovery and exploration. They are thrill-seekers and want to get away from it all. To reach out to this cohort, you need to take the time to document your content by using the attention–inspire–desire–action–loyalty method.

You can enhance the awareness that an enthusiast has of your travel and tourism brand through all the types of content that you are producing. Create content based on their demographic profile to gain their interest in your tourism campaign. Appeal to them with vivid stories through your persuasive messaging, thereby motivating their purchase desire. Showcase your content on every digital platform so that they can take action and envision their vacation to a bespoke destination. Gain their loyalty by offering reward programs, travel passes, and memberships and, most importantly, by communicating with them regularly through email newsletters.

Enthusiasts may not have a particular destination in mind and could consider your expert suggestion.

Digital Marketing Mix to Engage Enthusiasts

• SEO-based posts that inspire the discovery of new destinations, brands, and activities
• Social media photos showcasing properties, suites, and adventure options
• Branded PPC campaigns to increase demand around the destination or property

How can you connect with planners?
Planners are always prepared for activities, and their travel experience begins online. They may create entire itineraries, find deals, and choose the package options to shop from based on their interests and comfort levels. Moreover, for planners, a similar A-I-D-A-L method would be used to document their content strategies.

Enhance planners’ awareness of your travel and tourism brand. Drill down content based on their demographic profile to gain their interest in your tourism campaign. Appeal to them with vivid stories through your drive, creating a desire in them to purchase your product. Use your most compelling content on every digital platform so that they can take action and envision their vacation to a bespoke destination. Obtain their loyalty by offering reward programs, travel passes, and memberships.

As a result, planners’ expectations will increase, and they will plan their trips from the outset.

Digital Marketing Mix to Engage Planners

• Create “checklist posts” to help them prepare for a specific trip
• Showcase advanced photographic ideas on social media channels to inspire them
• Customize a campaign to show safety protocols and comfort levels to help them prepare in advance

How can you connect with adventurers?
Adventurers have a powerful travel persona and can be great advocates of tourism and prolific sharers of knowledge. They have an overpowering lust for the outdoors and a burning desire for adventure travel. They always have a list of adventures to embark upon for their next trip. Further, for adventurers, a similar A-I-D-A-L method would be used to document their content strategies.

You can make adventurers aware of your travel and tourism brand. Produce content based on their demographic profile to pique their interest in your tourism campaign. Appeal to their purchase desire with vivid stories. Use your content on every digital platform so that they can take action and envision their vacation to a bespoke destination. Obtain their loyalty by offering reward programs, travel passes, and memberships and, most importantly, by communicating with them regularly through email newsletters.

Adventurers are in love with adventure travel. They chase it around the globe and plan on having a good time experiencing the best adventures on the planet.

Digital Marketing Mix to Engage Adventurers

• SEO-based posts highlighting the best adventure destinations
• Photo collateral in HD showcasing physical activities and adventure options on social media channels
• Creative YouTube video ads with experiments and sequencing showcasing adventure moments

Use the 4Ps model in travel and tourism to connect with each individual
The 4Ps in tourism are “product,” “price,” “place,” and “promotion.” They are intangible factors for enthusiasts, planners, and adventurers and are categorically streamlined as follows.

Product: Tourism involves components ranging from the niche to mass appeals, such as accommodation, food, beverages, transportation, scenic beauty, the historical significance of places, geographical state, and concerts like Coachella, Woodstock, and Sunburn. These attractions can appeal to travelers in each segment of the tourism market. However, the packaging of your offering is also essential, and every element is intangible and must heighten the tourist’s experience.

Price: Price is a significant factor in the 4Ps of travel and tourism. All tourism products are unique. The tourism business is seasonal in many countries. Thus, price setting based on market competition is a critical component of the experience that travelers require. Their expectations must be met irrespective of whether they are paying modest, standard, or expensive.

Place: Distribution in tourism is a tricky process, whether it takes place online or at shop fronts. Technology has played a pivotal role in the growth of the travel industry, especially with the COVID-19 situation, in terms of sustainability, design, and security.

The real value of innovative marketing is obtaining suitable packages at the right time in the right place. Thus, the location from where you conduct your travel and tourism business requires a proper evaluation. For example, consider your audience—are they offline or online shoppers? Therefore, research is the key to finding the correct place; consider your competitors’ actions in specific locations.

Promotion: In tourism, the promotional activity consists of inspiring, educating, persuading, and reminding the travelers about the brand or product. It refers to the marketing tactics employed to spread brand or product awareness. Various digital channels, including traditional, OTT, and CTV devices, are used in the tourism industry. The attention–inspire–desire–action–loyalty method will help you find your target audience and promotional strategy and campaigns. Different demographic segments may have varying responses to your marketing efforts. Therefore, consistent promotion must be realistic throughout the traveler’s journey.

These 4Ps can be mixed and merged beyond imagination in any marketing mix strategy.

This article presents a comprehensive overview of the types of audiences searching for travel and tourism information that can help you plan your campaign accordingly and promote it on various channels and networks.

If you are looking for help in developing a content strategy and campaign that furthers your travel and tourism business goals, feel free to contact me today at [emailprotected], and let’s discuss your project. For more information, visit TravelAddictHack.com or get social on Instagram and Linkedin.

The author is an analytical thinker and blogger.