COVID-19: A View from Media
Engaging Travel Journalists During COVID-19
As tourism comes to a standstill, it’s not just hoteliers and cruise crews feeling the impact.
The media, including editors and staff writers, freelance travel journalists and digital/self-publishers, are also facing a crisis as readership drops and coverage pivots towards COVID-19 related stories.
SATW (Society of American Travel Writers), in partnership with Development Counsellors International (DCI), joined forces to understand better how travel journalists are faring during this global pandemic. As we move forward during the COVID-19 crisis, knowing when to pitch and what types of topics to promote will be invaluable to destinations’ public relations efforts. The travel media are important partners in recovery initiatives once commercial tourism becomes acceptable and safe. Therefore we wanted to get ahead of the curve to make sure we are working with travel journalists and journalists as efficiently as possible.
These findings are indicative of a moment in time. They provide valuable insight into the professional habits of travel journalists during an unprecedented global crisis. This pandemic will end. When it does, travel public relations professionals and the travel journalists they work with will want to be prepared. This research is an early step towards a much-anticipated recovery phase.
Key findings well help inspire and guide recovery efforts as we look to the end of the COVID-19 crisis and a return to a new wave of traveling again. The full report is available below.
