This sponsored content in collaboration with a Skift partner discusses the impact of high-profile events such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour on travel revenue. Cities hosting these events have seen a significant increase in hotel room revenues. Travel marketers are looking for ways to maximize the potential of such events to increase visibility and capture demand. SkiftX spoke with Jennifer Andre from Expedia Group Media Solutions to gain insight into the latest event tourism trends and how travel marketers can take advantage of them.
Expedia Group offers targeted advertising solutions for lodging through TravelAds and Flight Sponsored Listings. These tools are designed for performance marketing, capturing travelers’ attention at the moment of booking. By leveraging real-time search data, hotels and airlines can target the right travelers based on their search behaviors. Properties running TravelAds campaigns see higher visibility and bookings compared to non-enrolled properties. Expedia Group’s focus on first-party data allows for highly targeted advertising that leads to effective conversions.
The content highlights successful examples of event tourism moments in 2023, such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Nashville, Wimbledon in London, and the Super Bowl in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Hotels running TravelAds campaigns during these events saw significant boosts in revenue and bookings compared to those that didn’t use the tool. Expedia Group’s tools can help travel marketers capitalize on high-profile events by targeting the right travelers at the right time. In a cookieless world, first-party data ensures partners can effectively reach their target audience without the need to overhaul ad campaigns.
Expedia Group’s Flight Sponsored Listings have also been successful in helping airlines increase bookings on specific routes during important seasonal moments. Partners like Etihad Airways have seen a boost in gross bookings by utilizing this tool to target American tourists for winter getaways. Expedia Group’s data-driven approach helps partners optimize their spend for maximum market exposure without the risk of over- or under-investing. The company is committed to working with partners during major cultural events in 2024 to offer a full suite of advertising options.
The future of event tourism looks promising, with travel searches increasing significantly for upcoming cultural moments such as world music tours and global sporting events in 2024. Expedia Group is dedicated to working with its partners to provide advertising solutions for hotels, airlines, destination marketing organizations, car rentals, cruise, and more. By offering targeted advertising options and leveraging first-party data, Expedia Group aims to elevate its partners’ visibility during important events. The collaboration between Expedia Group and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX, underscores the importance of leveraging advertising solutions for travel marketers.
