Display advertising plays a pivotal role in capturing travelers’ attention and creating lasting brand awareness to ensure your brand resonates at every stage of their purchasing journey.
The ways people engage with travel content online are always evolving, and we’re here to help you stay informed about travelers’ behavior and motivations.
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Being strategic in your campaigns requires that you tap into data, insights, travel trends, and creative best practices. Here are eight tips to improve your display ad performance and engage with motivated travelers who are planning, comparing, and booking their next trip.
1. Stay true to your brand
In this example for the Westin Hapuna Beach luxury resort in Hawaii, the brand uses language that suggests being pampered, while the imagery captures an exclusive oceanfront view.
2. Leverage the precision of targeted marketing
Every traveler is different, so it can be challenging to effectively reach them. As the leading travel media network, we have the data and expertise needed for effective targeting.
You can connect with travelers based on how they’ve searched, their trip details, travel geography like origin or destination, and more, thanks to our first-party traveler intent and booking data. Our team of digital media experts can work with you to build unique customer profiles, whether you’re targeting luxury travelers, families with young children, or anyone else.
3. Feature inspiring imagery
Your photos should work with your copy to tell an irresistible story. Our research shows that stunning photos work — 52% of travelers find beautiful imagery in ads persuasive. You can also highlight interesting experiences, which 41% of travelers find influential.1 This example from Travel Nevada shows off interesting outdoor experiences to help travelers picture themselves enjoying a trip.
You can capture increased demand if you stay tuned in to what travelers want and reflect that in your ad images. According to our Unpack ’25 report, all-inclusive getaways and the ability to relax are growing in popularity, so you could try leveraging those experiences.2 Your photos could show off your luxe spa-services at your hotel or highlight all-inclusive stays at your destination.
4. Prioritize inclusivity in your ads
After examining the travel experiences of Black, Latino, LGBTQIA+, and travelers with disabilities, — we’ve identified challenges and pain points. By addressing them in every facet of your businesses, including your advertising, you can make travel more accessible for everyone.
Embracing inclusion in travel is the right thing to do, but inclusivity in travel can also be good for your business. According to our Journeys for All: Inclusion in Travel Study, 76% of underserved travelers said it’s important for travel ads to represent people like them. That number can be as high as 82% for Black travelers and 81% for Latino travelers.3 By creating ads that authentically represent a diverse range of travelers, you can help more travelers feel welcome to visit your destination or stay at your property.
5. Use compelling and concise copy
We all experience information overload. Your audience does too, so your message must fight for their attention without being too intrusive. When it comes to text in your ad, less can be more. Writing succinctly forces you to get to the point faster, which means your audience can too.
If you’re trying to get your message across in a few words, avoid generic messaging and choose language that has an impact by evoking your audience’s imagination, highlighting your unique offerings, and speaking to their needs. In this example from Visit Phoenix, “room to wander” is short and to the point, using just three words to convey that Phoenix offers wide open landscapes for travelers to explore.
6. Incorporate deals and incentives
When it comes to booking a trip, 5 in 10 travelers said getting the best price is an important factor when deciding where to shop and book their trip.4 When developing your display advertising strategy, consider ad copy that features a promotional discount or offering supported by content that spotlights the uniqueness of your location or interesting activities to appeal to travelers on multiple fronts.
7. Combine ad solutions
You could boost your ad performance and visibility by taking advantage of our full-funnel suite of solutions. You can run native ads to build awareness early in travelers’ booking journeys, like VisitScotland, who combined native ads and standard IAB display to draw more travelers in by appearing in a non-disruptive way throughout their booking journey.
Whether you want travelers to consider your destination and start planning their trip, like the Banff & Lake Louise Tourism ad, or you want them to book now, it’s important to ensure your ads reach travelers throughout their purchasing journey for the most impact.
8. Show up wherever travelers book
Our research shows that travelers book across a variety of devices, so you need to be able to reach them where they purchase. Of travelers surveyed, 59% book on desktop, 32% on mobile, and 23% on a mobile app.5
Our display advertising solutions are available in various mobile ad types and formats — from standard display to native ads to off-site display opportunities like YouTube — so you can surface your content and effectively reach travelers wherever they are looking to book.
Applying these tips can help make your display ads more effective. Want personalized assistance in selecting what type of display ads and formats best suit your goals? Our team of digital media experts can help with media planning, assist with your creative strategy, monitor your ads’ performance, optimize your ads, and help you apply learnings to other campaigns.
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1. The Path to Purchase: Uncovering How Travelers Plan and Book Online, Luth Research and Expedia Group, 2023. 2. Unpack ’25, Expedia Group, 2024.3. Journeys for All: Inclusion in Travel Study, Expedia Group, 2024.4,5. The Path to Purchase
About Expedia Group Media Solutions
Expedia Group Media Solutions is the world’s leading travel media network. We connect advertisers with hundreds of millions of travelers across the globe. Our exclusive first-party data on traveler trends, search behavior, and booking data provides travel marketers with unique insights to inform their strategies. We offer a full-funnel suite of solutions to help you convert travelers, and our digital experts can help you create advertising campaigns that deliver.
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