Six Easy Ways to Tap Into “National Plan for Vacation Day 2025”

National Plan For Vacation Day 2025 is coming up January 28, a day to remind Americans to use the precious vacation days that often go unused. One Pew report showed that 46% of people don’t use all their time off each year. That’s nearly half of all working Americans!

That’s where National Plan for Vacation Day hopes to change things, to inspire and motivate Americans to plan a trip in 2025. And travelers aren’t the only ones who should be planning.

Destinations need to think outside the box leading up to this day, to draw attention to their experiences and offers. During the lull between the end of the holiday season and the peak of winter blues, Americans dreaming of an escape will be particularly receptive by January 28.

1. Plan a Market Activation

In the next few weeks, it’s time to organize a market activation, if possible, to head to a key city or region and bring your destination to potential visitors. Finding inspiration for what works is as simple as looking at what other destinations have done and adapting to your destination. 

Go where audiences need you most and let them see, hear, and experience your destination firsthand through a creative activation. 

2. Plan Deals with Partners and Flash Sales

With many people keeping spending in check following the holidays, National Plan for Vacation Day 2025 is a chance to tempt them with deals and flash sales. Treat it like a sort of “Travel Black Friday” (even though it’s Tuesday…) and collaborate with local partners to slash prices and promote deals.

Start promoting these deals now and share them across all newsletters and social media outlets connected to your destination brand.

3. Plan a Social Media Takeover

Engage in some social marketing while you’re at it, attracting travelers but also building relations with influencers through a social media takeover. If you want to attract more family travelers, invite a family influencer to bring their partner or kids along to share content about your destination for National Plan for Vacation Day. 

A takeover is one of the most engaging ways to do this. Hand them the reins to your DMO’s Instagram or TikTok and see what sort of positive attention they can rack up for you.

4. Plan Webinars with Travel Trade

It’s not all about consumers. Destinations need to think about travel advisors and tour operators, too. Host a webinar to introduce them to your newest deals or experiences ahead of National Plan for Vacation Day, offering them benefits or incentives where possible. 

By making their life easier when selling your product, your destination will remain top of mind well into 2025.

5. Plan Innovative Itineraries

Sometimes big events or marketing pushes just aren’t in the cards, or the budget. But you can still insert your destination into the conversation. Preparing fresh, bespoke itineraries for different types of travelers—adventurers, LGBTQ+ travelers, vegans, etc.—you can still inspire bookings on National Plan for Vacation Day 2025. The more niche you can get, the more likely they’ll catch some attention from travelers or even from the media.

6. Plan a Virtual Trip

Use National Plan for Vacation Day 2025 as a chance to bring travelers behind the scenes on a virtual trip. Maybe you’ll visit a new hotel or walk through a new museum—the possibilities are limitless. Pair a short virtual visit with a live Q&A afterwards with destination representatives to engage a smaller group of travelers more deeply rather than trying to reach a broader spectrum less impactfully. It’s a quality vs quantity thing, and both have their advantages when it comes to motivating travelers to choose your destination.

Thinking about leveraging National Plan for Vacation Day 2025? We support it entirely. Get in touch with Laura Cyrille at laura.cyrille@aboutdci.com to learn more about working with DCI to create marketing campaigns and strategies that get travelers thinking about—and booking with—your destination.