• by Stephen Taylor , Columnist, October 28, 2016

Though we may not want to admit it, Christmas is right around the corner, and with it comes one of the busiest seasons for travel marketers. It’s not a secret that during the holiday season everyone amps up their advertising for one last push before the end of the year, and it can be a challenge to stand out in all the advertising noise.

Thankfully, if you’re a travel marketer already losing sleep over your holiday campaigns, there are some tools out there that can help you plan effectively, like our recent report that takes an early look at December planning for North America. Here are the top three tips: 

1. Changes in Christmas planning mean your campaigns need recalibrating.

The most popular days searched for December departures in 2015 were, in order, December 23, 19, and 18.This year, the most popular searched dates are later in December: the 23, 22, and 26. 

Knowing this shift means you can’t repeat the same timing for your campaigns as last year and expect the same results. For example, hotel marketers can expect a different peak in occupancy and may need to offer packages that entice people to book earlier if you want a repeat of last year. If people are searching for flights later in December, there’s also likely to be a shift in car rental peaks as well—again, prepare for this shift in later interest by offering specials earlier in December to maintain the same level of business as last year. 

2. Understand what kind of trip travelers are looking to take this holiday season.

The same report reveals the top 10 destinations for North American travelers in 2016 as including Miami, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Cancun. Knowing the top destinations paints a picture of North America travel preferences, namely lots of sand and sun. Knowing this, other sunny and warm destinations can entice travelers to their shores with video and images of their similar offerings. Especially as we move into the heart of winter, the summer dreaming really ramps up and travel marketers need to be there, advertising their warm getaways. 

But, breaking the top destinations by category—beach, recreation, urban—reveals a more nuanced story. For example, Reykjavik takes spot number four in the Recreation category—and this upswing and people’s interest in a new kind of getaway could be responsible for the change in rankings for destinations. If your destination or offering doesn’t include fun in the sun, you can still capture traveler’s attention and imagination, you just need to get creative about your ad campaigns, like Iceland’s Stopover Campaigns. 

3. Mobile is on the rise—match customers’ mobility. 

A recent Google report showed that, while the majority of booking is done on desktop, mobile searches are on the rise–and primarily on the weekend. As people leave their computers behind and venture out on errands or for some relaxation, they’re still dreaming of travel plans and searching on their smartphones.

In order to capture their attention, you need to be advertising on mobile platforms and ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly. If, after, seeing your mobile ad, they go to your website for more information or inspiration and have to awkwardly pinch and drag to learn more about your offering or brand, they’ll quickly abandon your page and find someone who offers a mobile-friendly experience. Creating a holistic mobile experience is the most strategic way to capture weekend dreamers. 

The biggest lesson to learn this year is that travel marketers cannot expect that last year’s lessons will hold over, unequivocally. Rather, now, before the snow falls and the decorations go up, is the time to adapt to this year’s planning patterns. Start gearing up for later departures, more mobile searches, and get ready for the travel and Christmas season.