As lockdown continues most of us would give an arm and a leg to eat out at a restaurant around the corner, get down to our local pub for a drink or take the kids to a nearby adventure playground. As for weekends away and holidays, they’re just the stuff of wistful thinking and daydreams.
Boris Johnson jettisoned his usual dissembling to make it crystal clear during prime minister’s questions: “It is illegal to go on holiday in this country”.
Despite the efforts of a few moronic influencers on Instagram to convince us otherwise, travelling to more exotic climes is even more of a no-no.
The government will publish details of how lockdown will ease on February 22, although any announcement will lack “specific detail” on relaxing international travel restrictions, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has said. The sentiment was echoed by a Whitehall source who told The Sunday Times that easing of restrictions would be based on “lessons learnt last May”. International holidays, they said, will have to wait.
That reality can only exacerbate fears of problems rearranging dates for foreign holidays or bureaucratic headaches getting refunds for overseas cancellations. That, in turn, is likely to mean more people will choose to holiday in the UK this year.
Even though demand for staycations will be high, the competition will still be fierce as travel companies vie to grab their share of the tourism pie.
There may be a temptation to resist spending on branding and design after months of little or no income but fortune will favour the brave. It is no good having great holidays to sell but being invisible in the race to attract a share of the pent-up demand.
The companies that will do best after the lockdown will be the ones with not only a great product, but the ones with a great product that is high on brand recognition and high on visibility.
Jazzbones has years of experience helping businesses in the UK travel sector to launch their brand, strengthen their position and reach new audiences. We have worked with established brands and start-ups, big companies and small companies alike.
Among the companies we have built successful relationships with are Imagine Cruising, Anglo Welsh The Narrowboat Holiday Company, Hendon Hotels, Gretna Hall Hotel, Blunsdon House Hotel, Orion Holidays and Holidays in the Cotswolds.
In maximising exposure for these clients we have worked across the whole gamut of traditional and digital marketing from high-end catalogues, brochures and POS to websites, social media and video – all on time and with bespoke budgets. If we believe one thing, it’s that one size does NOT fit all.
To find out how Jazzbones can propel your travel business when the lockdown eases, please get in touch. We love to talk holidays and holiday marketing!
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