Niche Travel Marketing: Six Creative Storytelling Solutions

Newsflash. When you send out pitches to travel journalists and you say your destination “has something for everyone,” it gives them more than a chuckle. It gives them a headache.

Even if it’s true that anyone can appreciate your destination, it’s not useful to attract the interest of journalists who are increasingly writing content for specific niches. It’s important to take a niche travel marketing approach these days. Writers are looking for specific stories to tailor to their audiences, not an overarching look at every single facet of a destination that they can condense into 500 words or less.

So help them. Whether it’s through pitches or social media content, or a dedicated tab on your DMO’s website, drill down into the niches for which specific journalists and influencers curate content. Even if you think you have something to offer everyone, make it clear what specific offers you have for the target audiences that you also want to attract, whether it’s family travelers, LGBTQ travelers, millennials, seniors, adventure seekers, or any other possible group that frequents – or should frequent – your destination.

Being inclusive is imperative these days, even if norms change all the time in niche travel marketing. These six suggestions are surefire ways to make sure your destination doesn’t give writers and content creators a headache by delivering exactly what they are seeking.

1. Sample itineraries

An easy way to show niche segments that they will appreciate your destination is by generating sample itineraries that highlight what interests them most. That means a family itinerary full of playgrounds and children’s museum for family travelers, or a sample day in a district that has a queer bookstore or coffee shop for LGBTQ travelers. 

Every single item need not speak to the group in question, but speaking to them at all through a sample itinerary that seems interesting and engaging is a way to make them feel seen and welcomed. It also helps to bring the experience to life for journalists.

2. Social media takeovers

Take it to the next level and transfer your social handles for a day to an influencer in the niche you want to attract. It could be anyone from Black travelers to luxury travelers, but partnering with an influencer who speaks directly to these groups will be an innovative way to showcase what your destination offers them. 

Let the influencer experience your destination firsthand and then give him or her the opportunity to showcase what’s inspiring through a filter that will generate interest among the niche in question. Influencers, after all, know best how to engage their communities.

3. Website spaces

It may seem old-school, but having a dedicated tab on your DMO’s website for different types of travelers is an easy way to acknowledge these groups. It also offers a place to link any itineraries or properties that are worth noting. 

The content can be simple, with short lists of things to do for families or adventure travelers, but creating a space to address them in the first place is a key way to get them interested. This will also provide your publicity team with the content they need to target journalists with tailored pitches.

4. Video content

When Visit Florida showcased handicap locals all over the state engaged in activities, the DMO did more than just say, “You’re welcomed in Florida.” They showed. It. This sort of video content is a powerful way to reach out to different types of travelers and show them that you’re not all talk. 

Consider all of the ways you can showcase your destination to visitors and create the video content that will live on your site and on social media. It’s an upfront investment that will pay back in dividends when you literally sit back and just let visitors click play. 

And of course, this content can then be used to pitch travel and lifestyle media on your destination’s stories.

5. Sample spokespeople

Building on the video content and itineraries, engage spokespeople from your destination to share their itineraries or thoughts on being an adventure enthusiast, or queer, or vegan in your destination. Let them be a friendly face for travelers to meet through blog posts or social media, as a first point of contact to your destinations. 

With a few solid testimonials, travelers from all walks of life will more readily see themselves in your city or country, meaning they will be more likely to book a trip. These spokespersons can also be made available for media interviews as sources – providing the local vibe that inspires the media to want to write the story.

6. Engage the Community

Finally, if there seems to be a roadblock to attracting a certain niche group of travelers in your destination, it may be time to reach out to the community and see what resources you have overlooked. Find that unknown lesbian book club, that underground jazz group, or that wellness retreat that no one has yet talked about and start learning how to make your destination more appealing to people, and journalists, who share similar values and interests. 

You will be surprised how far a little outreach can go into helping brand your destination for a variety of niche travelers.

In the end, your niche travel marketing messaging will be more targeted to a variety of travelers, but the result will be the same. You’ll be proving that there’s something for everyone, but you just won’t have to say it anymore!

Looking to reach out to specific groups of travelers with creative solutions and rebranding efforts? DCI has more than 60 years of experience developing niche travel marketing tactics. Get in touch with Tania Kedikian at tania.kedikian@aboutdci.com to learn more about positioning your destination to more markets and travelers.