Back in the day, before I fell in love with travel and tourism, I worked in retail public relations. Clients were designers, jewelers, boutiques, and shopping centers. Fashion shows, collection launches, special events/receptions, and strategic partnerships were part of our strategic efforts to reach consumers. These events were in addition to, or in alignment with, media relations. Looking back, I realize we were doing activations before activations were cool!
Somewhere along the way, public relations became synonymous with media relations and securing earned media coverage became the primary (only??) measure of success. While earned media remains one of the most powerful tools in PR toolkits, public relations was never meant to be limited to media coverage alone.
At its core, PR is about building relationships with the public.
Today, travelers discover destinations through a wide range of touchpoints, and a solid PR campaign is ready to meet them where they are. They read articles, scroll social media, watch creator content, attend events, seek recommendations from trusted voices, and turn to AI-powered search tools for inspiration. All of this means marketers must think beyond traditional publicity and embrace a broader communications strategy that puts the public back in public relations.
Today’s Marketing Currency Is Trust
In a marketplace overwhelmed by noise, attention is increasingly difficult to earn and trust even harder to build. The destinations that rise above the clutter aren’t necessarily the loudest. They’re the ones that create authentic connections to earn credibility.
Earning trust through third-party endorsement and validation is the hallmark of media relations. Whether it’s a journalist covering a destination, an influencer sharing an authentic experience, a community event or experience creating a personal connection, or useful content answering a traveler’s questions, each touchpoint helps build credibility and a stronger relationship with potential and repeat visitors.
The objective remains simple:
- The right story
- The right audience
- The right place
- The right time
What has changed is the number of ways we can connect those stories with travelers.
Modern, full-circle PR extends beyond media outreach, utilizing an integrated approach to engage audiences throughout the travel decision-making journey.
Earned Media: Building Credibility
Media coverage remains a cornerstone. The independent validation along with its impressive reach make earned media one of the most cost-effective “top of funnel” tactics in the PR toolbox. News articles, blogs, and podcast and broadcast coverage introduce destinations to new audiences through stories that highlight unique experiences, cultural connections, seasonal opportunities, and emerging travel trends. Along with this, earned media brings the third-party endorsement that resonates with both today’s travelers and AI making it an indispensable marketing component. Earned media also provides you with top-performing social, newsletter and digital content that (again) builds credibility with your target audience. In fact, one of our clients sees some of their highest engagement on social media with posts that feature earned media wins. Bottom line, make sure you are leveraging the power of earned media by sharing it across all your marketing channels and in sales efforts for the biggest bang for your buck.
Social Partnerships: Building Influence
One thing we know, travelers are scrolling before booking. Influencers and content creators help destinations reach highly targeted audiences through authentic storytelling that, when done right, feels more like a recommendation from a friend than a paid endorsement. They can be as niche as you want to get…..hikers in the southern Appalachian? Culinary explorers in Northeastern cities? Romantic Getaways? Check. Check. And check. Prioritize quality engagement over straight numbers, look at the long-term play, not a one-off post, and set specific goals in advance for a building a relationship that can deliver substantive metrics. If the fit is right and the content resonates strongly with their followers, influencers will be motivated to post about their visit or to support a future promotion long after the trip is over because they know it will bring high engagement from their audience.
Community Engagement & Activations: Creating Real Connections
Public relations has always been about connecting with people and those face-to-face meetings and conversations deliver real impact. Events, activations, trade missions, and consumer engagements allow destinations to meet audiences directly to create memorable interactions that build the lasting impressions and trust to deliver strong KPIs. A recent case in point was an activation we did for a client around the launch of a new direct air route. A creative display and interactive experience showcased the destination in a high-traffic in-market venue. Initially, we were very pleased with a substantial increase in website traffic. With continued monitoring, we saw that this new destination moved from 98th to 8th in this destination’s top 100 markets. Now that is impact!
Owned Content: Building Visibility and Authority
As AI increasingly influences travel discovery, destination websites, blogs, itineraries, FAQs, and digital content play a growing role in helping travelers find trusted information. As the original marketing storyteller, PR is perfectly poised to take on this task. Strong content, written in an AI-friendly structure, positions destinations as authoritative resources while supporting visibility across search and AI platforms. Leverage this content for media pitches, social and newsletters for message consistency.
Working in concert, earned media, creator partnerships, community engagement, activations, and owned content can move audiences to action.
One given – the communications landscape will continue to evolve. New platforms will emerge, consumer behaviors will shift, and technology will change how travelers discover destinations. It is our role as communicators to continuously monitor and understand these changes and the impact they have on how and where we tell our stories.