Rolling Out the Red Carpet for So-Called "Revenge Travelers"
For the past two years, they’ve been waiting … biding their time in quarantine … saving money … and anxiously awaiting the opportunity to safely take that next big vacation. Now, it appears that time has finally arrived, and people are taking advantage by booking bigger, better vacations more than ever before.
The trend is so pronounced that the industry coined the term “revenge travel” to describe it. But it’s certainly not as ominous as the term implies. As a matter of fact, it might be the sweetest kind of revenge for both travelers and destinations – everyone stands to win.
It remains to be seen how long it might last, but for now the up-sized travel trend is playing out on all fronts. From Hawaiian beaches and European cruises to Antarctic adventures and safari tours, travel agents are reporting nearly overwhelming demand for the most exotic locations and the most luxurious experiences. As a whole, one recent poll found 28% of travelers reporting 2022 vacation budgets that are “a lot” or “slightly” higher than prior to the pandemic.
Attractions are no exception, thankfully. PGAV’s Voice of the Visitor 2022 found that more and more attraction visitors are keenly focused on new experiences, and they’re also planning to spend more as they do so.
With most attractions already focused on delivering the best possible experiences for visitors, how can we possibly amp things up another notch?
Diving Experience at Georgia Aquarium. Credit: @soapartist
The motivating power of exclusivity
Experiences are seen to be more valuable when they are not available to everyone. Applying that concept could be dramatically different for varying types of attractions.
High-end restaurants - a private tasting opportunity.
Natural wonders - partner with a helicopter company to offer a tour of your site from above.
Zoos and aquariums - behind-the-scenes tours and animal feeding opportunities.
And don’t forget the gift shop; consumers are looking for unique and exclusive mementos there as well, as the Metropolitan Museum of Art recently saw with a $185 bracelet turning into a top seller during a recent special exhibit.
The promise of personalization
When a visitor feels as if he/she/they is personally recognized and appreciated by an attraction, they are that much more likely to respond in turn. How can your attraction surprise and delight visitors by making them feel as if they stand apart from the crowd? Strategies could range from select opportunities to skip a line to concierge offerings for families traveling with a neurodivergent family member.
The fun of sharing in person
Desserts! Drinks! Shirts! Shared indulgences can make a day feel special.
The trend of sharing on-line
If we dig deep, we could even discover options that combine these motivators. What about an exclusive, personalized photo op or a Snapchat lens catered to specific audiences? After all, the bigger, better travel trend may be new, but travelers have long enjoyed sharing their adventures on social media. In 2018 (which seems like forever ago), Hotels.com published research that showed 87% of millennials report turning to social media for travel inspiration and 66% admit they’d prefer to post a vacation selfie over a picture with friends. That same year, CheapCaribbean.com offered a package called Vacation Envy in which a top travel social media influencer helped travelers style, shoot, edit, and post Insta-perfect shots.
It will require some individualized brainstorming to determine the best ways for various attractions to bring these concepts to life, but this much is certain: the more attractions can position themselves as the ideal accomplice for those seeking “revenge travel,” the more they stand to gain from the effort.
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