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The Travel Action Network is a nationwide network of grassroots advocates amplifying our industry’s voice to strengthen the U.S. travel industry.

By leveraging our industry’s collective voice and national footprint, the Travel Action Network can effectively move forward policy changes that will ensure both our industry’s long-term growth and global competitiveness and bolster our economy.

Who we are: Travel Action Network advocates represent all sectors of our industry— including transportation, lodging, retail, recreation and entertainment and foodservice—and span across all travel segments: meetings, leisure, business, incentive and trade shows.

U.S. Travel’s Travel Action Network is your go-to platform to stay updated on the latest travel policy news and take action on legislative issues impacting our industry. Follow us on Twitter and join our growing community of advocates in making your voice heard.

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Nicole Porter

Vice President, Political Affairs - PAC and Grassroots

202-408-2194

Manager, Grassroots and PAC

202.218.3649

@USTravelAction

Travel with Dayvee

Creating An Effective Travel Emergency Action Plan

Travel Safety

• post updated December 25, 2023
• published October 13, 2023

Travel with Dayvee independently researches, tests, reviews, and recommends the items listed on this page, which contains some affiliate links. If you buy something through my links, Travel with Dayvee may receive a commission.

Traveling is thrilling, yet unpredicted emergencies can turn the excitement into a nightmare. Consider that just taking the time to be a little prepared by making an effective Travel Emergency Action Plan can make all the difference during a travel emergency. This step-by-step guide will empower you with strategies for preparation, from financial readiness to evacuation plans.

So let’s dive into making your own travel safety net!

What You Will Learn

• A good travel emergency plan guides you through all possible risks you could experience.
• Make copies of important papers and have a list of key contacts ready. 
• Always have extra cash on hand.
• Plan ahead for health and safety risks. 
• Get the right travel insurance for your needs.
• Use online tools offered by the U.S. Department of State.

Importance of Having a Travel Emergency Plan

Creating a Travel Emergency Plan is a proactive approach to handling the uncertainties of travel. While we can’t predict every challenge we might face, we can equip ourselves with the tools and knowledge to navigate them effectively.

Keep your travel emergency action plan on your phone, save it to a document in your cloud, or write it down on paper and tuck it in your luggage when you go on a trip, especially if you’re old school. The plan should include steps to deal with the different scenarios of bad things that can happen on your journey. The hope is that you will never need to use it, but if you do you will be grateful to have it if you find yourself in an emergency situation. 

The Most Common Travel Emergency Situations

Steps for creating an effective travel emergency action plan.

Assessment and Research

During the planning process of your trip, you’ll want to research everything from the weather to the social atmosphere of the destination you will travel to. This includes researching potential risks in the activities you will doing, food and drink you will consume, and areas you will visit. 

It may seem like a downer to do this, especially when you likely are planning a relaxing or fun getaway, but taking just a little more time and this extra step to ensure your travel safety can help you avoid some simple pitfalls that others will have to suffer through. For example, by looking up the weather forecast, and understanding the season you will be traveling in (i.e. if it is a rainy or dry season) could help you prepare the activities you will do and gear you pack (i.e. a travel fan or poncho ), while other travelers are left out in the rain or suffering through heat.

You should also look at things like health threats, cultural customs, and local laws.

Creating a good travel emergency action plan needs this step. Don’t skip it! You want to know about all dangers before they happen, not after! Knowing these things will help keep your trip safe and fun.

Documentation Backup

Keep important papers safe when you travel. It’s simple enough to scan into your smartphone your passport, driver’s license, and visa. Also send a copy to your email or cloud so that you can access it from any computer. Some people still also like to make physical copies. Also keep the names, contact info, and addresses for your tickets, transfer, and accommodations. These backups will help if the real ones get lost or stolen.

Emergency Contacts Compilation

Take the time to have a couple of emergency contacts. This part of your travel safety plan helps you reach out fast to people who can help you during an issue.

You can also store this in your phone’s note area and pin it to the top or go old school and create an index card and keep it in your carry-on or wallet.

• List the phone numbers of close family or friends who are your emergency contacts. 
• Add the contact details for your country’s embassy or consulate in your travel location.
• Put the local police, fire department, and hospital numbers on your list.
• If you have a medical condition, do write down your doctor’s contact number.
• Write down the hotline numbers for lost credit cards or passports.
• Get a contact at your travel insurance firm. You may need to call them if an issue crops up.

Financial Preparedness

Having cash on hand, in particular local currency, is also part of your travel emergency action plan . Take steps to keep your money safe. Also, have bank cards or credit cards handy but secure.

Visa and Mastercard are the most commonly accepted cards. So I recommend that you have at least one debit card and one credit card with one of these brands. For your debit card, you can withdraw money from an ATM, and in case of emergency, friends back home can send you money if needed, and you can withdraw from your bank without having to do an expensive wire transfer.

For your credit card, I recommend getting a card like the card_name which comes with emergency evacuation and transportation coverage. This protection is worth up to $100,000, and it pays for eligible transportation expenses, medical services and medical supplies that are necessary during evacuation.

Between the 10x total points on hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, access to the latest chain of airport lounges — the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club — and plenty more bonus points opportunities, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best credit cards to have in your wallet if you’re a traveler.

Health and Safety Measures

You also need to think about health and safety as a key part of your travel emergency action plan. Start by looking for possible dangers on your trip.

A good first step is making a list of all the risks you might face. These could be as simple as bad weather or food that makes you sick. It could be more serious things like natural disasters, too.

Next, come up with plans to keep yourself safe from these risks. It could be as simple as ensuring that you never get dehydrated while traveling. Travel dehydration is a cause for so many ailments that you get while traveling so  by bringing a Lifestraw or using a UV water bottle so that you can drink (most) tap water is a way to prevent travel dehydration on your own terms.

By assessing the overall risks you may potentially face on your journey, you can map out what steps to take if something bad happens healthwise on your trip. Then share this plan with everyone involved in your trip.

Using a service like Medjet   can also help with this process. They can give you advice and even help you predict risks from the journeys you will take so you don’t have to think about how to stay safe while traveling with your own limited knowledge.

Communication Strategy

Having a clear chat plan for emergencies is key. You need to know how you will reach your friends and family if there’s trouble. Think about different ways to get in touch –  use of phone calls, emails, or text messages. But, also think about how you would reach people if wifi and cell towers are down. Social media can also help with this. Also, knowing where the U.S. Embassy or consulate is located is smart. 

Evacuation and Shelter Plan

So many of us don’t think about this (and honestly, who really wants to think of this worst-case scenario when you are on vacation). But, you need an evacuation and shelter plan for your trips. This plan keeps you safe in times of danger. It can be really simple, just take a few moments to map out the main route to leave a bad area quickly. Then pick a meeting spot outside this area for everyone in your group.

Think about what types of disasters could happen where you’re going. Know the local plans for each disaster kind too. These steps are key parts of any good travel emergency action plan.

For example, if you get invited to a big party or festival. Before you jump in the fun of it all, scan the room or event space, and know where you could run, hide, or escape should something tragic happen.

Recommended Travel Insurance

So, you’ve got your bags packed, itinerary set, and you’re buzzing with excitement for your next adventure. But wait, did you remember to sort out your travel insurance? I know, I know, it sounds like just another boring adulting task, but trust me on this one—it’s a game-changer. Think of travel insurance as that trusty umbrella you pack “just in case” it rains. Whether it’s a lost suitcase, a surprise bout of Bali belly, or a cancelled flight that leaves you stranded, travel insurance has got your back. It’s that peace of mind that lets you fully dive into your travels, knowing that if things go sideways, you’re covered. So, before you jet off, take a few minutes to get that safety net in place. 

Here’s my recommendations for different travel scenarios.

World Nomads: Best for adventure and remote travel

World Nomads is a top choice for travel insurance. It gives you peace of mind when you are far from home. This service helps those who love exploring new places and taking part in exciting activities.

World Nomads covers over 200 adventure sports, so it’s great if you’re the type to go hiking or bungee jumping on your trips. If you’re a frequent travel you can get an annual plan.

Being hurt overseas can cost a lot of money. But with World Nomads, your medical bills can be covered. You don’t have to worry about paying out of pocket for any surprise illness or injury while abroad.

The best part? People like us made this plan! It understands what we need when we step outside our comfort zone and venture into the unknown.

Safety Wing : Ideal for digital nomads and long-term travelers

SafetyWing Insurance  is a top choice for digital nomads and long-term travelers. It gives global coverage when you are far from home. The plan even covers COVID-19, which makes it fit for today’s health needs.

This insurance is made just for those who work while they travel. Even if you have a full time job that is based in the U.S. that offers medical insurance, it likely will not cover you abroad. So this is the top choice for Digital Nomads. It has both travel and health help. It also offers personal liability coverage to protect you.

Medjet : Suitable for high-risk or specialized trips

Medjet is a top choice for high-risk or specialized trips. You can buy it just for the time you travel or opt for an annual plan according to your travel risks and lifestyle.

A stolen passport. A broken leg on a remote mountain. Civil unrest. Natural disasters. A positive COVID-19 test. Whatever the emergency, wherever you are, this service offers help that is unique to all other insurance.  They have a team of medical and security experts — staffed by veteran Navy Seals, Army Rangers, Air Force Pararescue, Defense Intelligence Agency Analysts, paramedics and physicians — come through for you when it matters most. 

Traditional insurance won’t rescue you, and a medical evacuation can cost up to $300,000. Without Medjet, your travel emergency could take longer, cost more — and make a dangerous situation a lot worse. That’s the value of a travel protection membership.

With Medjet, you get the peace of mind that the finest medical, security evacuation, field rescue, intelligence and telehealth personnel always have your back.

Utilizing the Government’s Resources

For Americans traveling abroad, the U.S. State Department has easy-to-use and read resources on what to do in case of a travel emergency.

Inlcuding if you find yourself in the following scenarios.

What the Department of State Can and Can’t Do in a Crisis

How to Prepare for a Crisis Abroad

Lost or Stolen Passports Abroad

Help for U.S. Citizen Victims of Crime

U.S. Citizens Missing Abroad

Ways to Locate your Loved One in a Crisis Abroad

Arrest or Detention of a U.S. Citizen Abroad

Emergency Financial Assistance for U.S. Citizens Abroad

International Financial Scams

International Maritime Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea

Forced Marriage

Information for U.S. Citizens about a U.S. Government-Assisted Evacuation

Additionally, when you travel abroad, especially to countries and regions that have a history or may be going through civil and political unrest, it is recommended that register your trip with U.S. State Department’s STEP program. 

U.S. State Department’s STEP program

The STEP program is free for U.S. travelers. It is run by the U.S. State Department to keep people safe on their trips. You can join this service online from your home before you start your journey.

This service has a lot of good things to offer. It sends you updates about safety and other important stuff straight from our government. If there’s an emergency, it helps them find and talk to you faster too!

It’s simple and quick to register your trip, and with all its resources, STEP even guides you in making a solid travel emergency action plan.

Travel Emergency Quick List

The key is to plan ahead for the worst case scenarios., be informed.

Learn about the country, including visa requirements, local laws, customs, and medical care in the countries where you will be. 

Check the destination’s website for required visas for your passport.

Check the U.S. Department of State for any Travel Advisories

Consider enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive important safety and security messages and make it easier for us to locate and assist you in an emergency.

Know the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate with you. They are available for emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, overseas and in Washington, D.C. 

888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444

Be prepared

Travel insurance will help to protect you by giving you resources and save you thousands during emergency situations. 

Always have an exit stratgy. If something were to go down, know how you can escape harm’s way.

Be connected

When looking for good travel insurance plans, you want to find coverage that suits your particular trip needs.

World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance policies for more than 150 activities, emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

World Nomads is a good place to start your research, because their quote process is easy and quick.

World Nomads  travel insurance offers:

• Single-trip travel insurance plans
• Multi-trip plans
• Annual travel insurance plans

If you travel more than 4 times a year, it’s well worth the investment getting an annual insurance plan. 

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is essential in my book. It can help protect your budget and your travel experience during travel emergencies. If you have travel insurance, you can be compensated for losses from canceled and delayed flights, if you need to cancel or stop your trip, in addition to covering needed accommodation if you need to stay overnight. It can also help with medical emergencies.

It’s recommended to purchase travel insurance from a travel insurance company – instead of what is offered at the bottom of your ticket purchases for flights, hotels and car rentals.

Travel insurance is more affordable than you think. 

A comprehensive travel insurance plan should be 4-10% of your total trip cost and you can buy travel insurance anytime before your depart for your trip. 

If you’re on the fence, consider how much you can be out of pocket in an emergency situation. 

Most of the time you will not need to use your travel insurance but you will be glad to have it when you need it! 

Travel Emergency Checklist

Emergency contact template.

Having a travel emergency action plan is crucial. This step-by-step guide makes it easy. With this plan, you can face any danger that pops up on your trip. Your trips will be safer and more fun with good planning. Check out my other travel resources on “ Dayvee’s Ultimate Travel Resources Guide “.

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Dayvee Sutton is a national TV correspondent, host, and top expert who covers travel experiences, local cultures, and the environement.

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Original text

With social distancing, self-quarantines, stay-at-home orders, and travel bans around the globe, virtually no one is going anywhere. As this unprecedented crisis continues to evolve, many travel and tourism industry professionals are wondering how to minimize losses, and what steps they can take to protect their businesses.

This Small Business Action Plan, created by our partner Constant Contact, can help you manage your business through difficult times and keep you moving forward.

Download the Action Plan for Travel and Tourism Businesses for step-by-step solutions to protect your business during the coronavirus crisis, such as:

• Protecting yourself, employees, customers and community
• Assessing the current situation and generating both short and long-term solutions
• Adapting your normal operations to keep business going
• Updating your communication channels
• Marketing your business appropriately and sensitively during this time
• Thinking ahead and planning for the future

Constant Contact

Constant Contact, an Endurance International Group company, is a leader in online marketing with a mission to provide people with a smarter way to market an idea, small business or cause online. Our platform has all the right tools, all in one place—from a logo maker and intelligent website builder to establish your brand; to email, social and search marketing tools to help you find new customers and keep them coming back. Paired with award-winning marketing advisors who know marketing across industries inside and out—and provide practical advice at every step of the way—we offer the right approach to online marketing to achieve the results you want.

3 Tips for Properly Pivoting Your Business Model If your small business is ready to pivot its business model during this coronavirus crisis, here’s what you need to note before getting started.

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

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Nature Positive Travel & Tourism in Action

A vital collection of practical guidance and illuminating examples to support businesses and national authorities in implementing the Nature Positive Tourism approach.

Following on from the 2022 report Nature Positive Travel & Tourism – Travelling in Harmony with Nature and the accompanying Toolbox of Nature Positive Tourism Resources , this publication directly addresses priorities identified by experts from across the Travel & Tourism sector.

Over 30 case studies show how the principles of Nature Positive Tourism can be applied in a wide range of ways, from developing business strategies to supporting wildlife law enforcement.

An indispensable guide for organisations of all types and sizes that want to ensure Travel & Tourism fulfils its potential as a Guardian of Nature.

“This report is not merely a publication but a movement towards integrating environmental stewardship into the core of travel experiences.” - Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO

Create an account for free or login to download

This report is FREE for you as a WTTC member

Report details

The first publication from the Nature Positive Tourism Partnership – the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), UN Tourism and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – provides insights and guidance to inspire and empower the Travel & Tourism sector to reduce negative impacts on nature throughout its operations and value chains while also undertaking actions to protect and restore biodiversity.

It adds to the previous WTTC publications on the topic – the 2022 “ Nature Positive Travel & Tourism ” report and accompanying “ Toolbox of Nature Positive Resources ” – with a review of recent research and specific advice for both public and private sectors. Prepared by specialist travel consultancy ANIMONDIAL, it draws on an extensive consultation with experts from business, government, academia and civil society.  

The report provides insights, guidance and a wide range of case studies to encourage the Travel & Tourism sector to adopt a Nature Positive Tourism approach, providing:

• The business case for why the tourism sector must act now to put biodiversity concerns at the forefront of business decision-making.
• Insight into attitudes to the Nature Positive agenda among governments, businesses, local communities, and consumers.
• Step-by-step guidance on how a business should regularly assess their nature-related risks and impacts, recognising that each business and each tourism industry may have different impacts and require a customised approach.
• The nature positive principles which ensure that measures to protect and enhance biodiversity in destinations flow through the tourism value chain.
• Support for communications campaigns to highlight the role of nature and biodiversity in Travel & Tourism and ensure all stakeholders, especially travellers, are informed and involved in the transformative process.
• Examples of how partnerships between government, businesses and communities can help strengthen national tourism policies, help Travel & Tourism halt biodiversity loss, and apply its influence to emerge as a force for good.  
• Suggestions on how governments can speed up the transition to a nature positive future.

The guidance helps businesses plot a Nature Positive Tourism strategy, uniting work around plastics and pollution, water use, animal welfare, carbon emissions and positive impacts under a single plan. Through its nature-positive initiative, businesses are being asked to commit to a Nature Positive Tourism vision .

Sponsored by

Research support partners.

Non-Members

Other reports you may like.

The Environmental Impact of Global Tourism Report

This report from WTTC and the Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC), in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and supported by Oxford Economics, analyses the environmental footprint of Travel & Tourism. It provides the data crucial to steering the sector towards its sustainable goals.

Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) : Overview of AI Risks, Safety & Governance

Learn how to unlock the power of responsible AI with insights into AI risks, AI safety, ethical AI practices and AI governance strategies.

Destinations 2030: Global Cities’ Readiness For Sustainable Tourism Growth

This report provides cities worldwide with insights, a framework and recommendations to grow their Travel & Tourism sector resiliently, and with sustainable, inclusive, destination management policies.

UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

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A United Vision for Nature - 'Nature Positive' Report Marks New Collaborative Era in Travel & Tourism

• All Regions
• 22 Apr 2024

WTTC, UN Tourism and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance join forces to support Nature Positive Tourism

The leading players of Travel & Tourism globally have published a landmark joint report setting out their joint plan to help halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Launched on Earth Day 2024, "Nature Positive Travel & Tourism in Action" is the creation of the high-level 'Nature Positive Tourism Partnership, made up of the World Travel & Tourism Council ( WTTC ), the World Tourism Organization ( UN Tourism ) and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance ( the Alliance ).

For years, UN Tourism has been at the forefront of integrating tourism into the broader UN biodiversity agenda, including supporting the work of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Developed in collaboration with specialist consultancy ANIMONDIAL, the report is the sector's pledge to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the UN's Biodiversity Plan.

It presents more than 30 case studies of inspiring and progressive actions from around the world involving large and small businesses, national and local government agencies, civil society groups, and inter-sectoral partnerships.

By offering actionable guidance and insights, this report not only highlights the intrinsic link between biodiversity and tourism's resilience, but also empowers businesses to become stewards of nature.

Historic partnership for nature

Ms. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO , said: "This historic partnership with Travel & Tourism heavyweights is a significant step in our collective journey towards a more sustainable and responsible sector. This report is not merely a publication but a movement towards integrating environmental stewardship into the core of travel experiences. As we celebrate Earth Day, let us heed the call to nurture and protect our destinations. Our sector's reliance on nature, coupled with our expertise in creating inspiring and memorable experiences, means we are ideally placed to be guardians of nature."

Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UN Tourism , said: "For years, UN Tourism has been at the forefront of integrating tourism into the broader UN biodiversity agenda, including supporting the work of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This pivotal new collaboration among key global players sets a robust framework for sustainable practices that not only drive significant impact but also exemplify the power of united efforts in conserving biodiversity. This report is a testimony to what we can achieve together for nature's preservation, inspiring a global movement towards more sustainable and resilient tourism."

Mr. Glenn Mandziuk, Sustainable Hotel Alliance CEO , said: "This report is a milestone for Travel and Tourism, representing our commitment as an industry to protect and conserve nature. The Alliance is proud to contribute to and collaborate on this insightful and action-orientated report which will bring tangible change to destinations around the world, supporting biodiversity.  Nature underpins our society, economies and indeed our very existence. The hospitality industry is today a leader amongst industries in its Nature Positive approach and this report signifies how much our industry understands the true value of nature."  

Expert-led coalition

Recognising that the sector has a critical role to play in protecting and conserving biodiversity, the Nature Positive Tourism approach is designed to be a touchstone for actionable change. It focuses on equipping the sector with the tools and insights needed to nurture and protect destinations upon which it depends.

The commitment of the Partnership to work towards "net positive for nature" draws on extensive consultation with experts from business, government, academia and civil society, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).

The report, which follows the 2022 WTTC report "Nature Positive Travel & Tourism", includes practical frameworks and real-world examples that encourage both travel providers and travellers to embark on journeys that contribute to the conservation of our natural treasures.

Related links

• Download News Release on PDF
• Report “Nature Positive Travel & Tourism”
• UN Tourism Biodiversity
• Sustainable Hospitality Alliance

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Russia Travel Advisory

Travel advisory june 27, 2024, russia - level 4: do not travel.

Reissued after periodic review with minor edits.

Do not travel to Russia due to the consequences of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces. U.S. citizens may face harassment or detention by Russian security officials, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, limited flights into and out of Russia, and the possibility of terrorism. The U.S. Embassy has limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia. The Department has determined that there is a continued risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals by Russian authorities. U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia should leave immediately.

The U.S. government has limited ability to help U.S. citizens in Russia, especially outside of Moscow. The U.S. Embassy is operating with reduced staffing, and the Russian government has restricted travel for embassy personnel. Furthermore, all U.S. consulates in Russia have suspended operations, including consular services.

There have been reports of drone attacks and explosions near the border with Ukraine as well as in Moscow, Kazan, and St. Petersburg. In an emergency, you should follow instructions from local authorities and seek shelter.

Russia may refuse to recognize your U.S. citizenship if you are a dual U.S.-Russian citizen or have a claim to Russian citizenship. Russia has denied consular officers visits to detained dual U.S.-Russian citizens. The Russian government has forced citizens with dual nationality to join the Russian military and prevented them from leaving the country. In 2022, the Russian government mobilized citizens for its invasion of Ukraine. Military conscription continues.

In Russia, the rights to peaceful assembly and free speech are not always protected. U.S. citizens should avoid protests and taking photos of security staff at these events. Russian authorities have arrested U.S. citizens who joined protests. Moreover, there are many reports of Russians being detained for social media posts.

U.S. citizens should know that U.S. credit and debit cards no longer work in Russia. Due to sanctions, sending electronic money transfers from the U.S. to Russia is nearly impossible.

Commercial flight options are minimal and are often unavailable on short notice. If you wish to depart Russia, you should make independent arrangements. The U.S. Embassy has limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in leaving the country, and transportation options may suddenly become even more restricted.

Click  here  for Information for U.S. Citizens Seeking to Depart Russia.

U.S. Embassy staff generally are not allowed to fly on Russian airlines due to safety concerns. Recently, the FAA downgraded Russia's air safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2. Additionally, the FAA banned U.S. flights in some Russian areas, including the Moscow Flight Information Region (FIR), the Samara FIR (UWWW), and the Rostov-na-Donu (URRV) FIR within 160NM of the boundaries of the Dnipro (UKDV) Flight Information Regions. Check the FAA's Prohibitions, Restrictions, and Notices for more information.

Country Summary: 

Russian officials have interrogated and threatened U.S. citizens without cause. This includes former and current U.S. government and military personnel and private U.S. citizens engaged in business. U.S. citizens may become victims of harassment, mistreatment, and extortion.

Russian authorities may not notify the U.S. Embassy about the detention of a U.S. citizen and may delay U.S. consular assistance. Russian security services also target foreign and international organizations they consider “undesirable.”

Russian security services have arrested U.S. citizens on false charges, denied them fair treatment, and convicted them without credible evidence. Furthermore, Russian authorities have opened questionable investigations against U.S. citizens engaged in religious activity. U.S. citizens should avoid travel to Russia.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has destabilized security in southwestern Russia. In October 2022, the Russian government declared martial law in the following border areas with Ukraine: Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Rostov, and Krasnodar. Under martial law, authorities can set curfews, seize property, and restrict movement. The Russian government may detain foreigners, forcibly relocate residents, and limit public gatherings. U.S. citizens should avoid all travel to these areas.

Russian authorities have questioned, detained, and arrested people for “acting against Russia's interests.” Local authorities have targeted people for posting on social media or supporting "anti-Russian" groups and punished individuals for criticizing the government or military. The Russian government's current "LGBT propaganda" law bans discussion of LGBTQI+ related topics. In November 2023, the Supreme Court labeled the so-called "international LGBT movement" as extremist. This decision effectively made it a crime to support the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons in Russia.

Terrorists continue to plan attacks in Russia. The March 2024 Crocus City Hall incident proved they can strike suddenly. Terrorists may target tourist areas, transport hubs, and markets. They may also target government buildings, hotels, clubs, restaurants, and places of worship. Parks, events, schools, and airports are also potential targets.  U.S. government employees under Embassy (Chief of Mission) security responsibility are not permitted to travel to the North Caucasus, including Chechnya and Mt. Elbrus. U.S. citizens should avoid travel to those areas.

The international community does not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea and does not acknowledge Russia’s purported annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya. Russia staged its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in part, from occupied Crimea and there is a heavy Russian military presence in these areas. There is intense fighting across these regions and Russian authorities there have abused both foreigners and locals. Authorities have specifically targeted individuals who are seen as challenging Russia’s authority.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv administers consular services to U.S. citizens in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya. However, the conflict limits the Embassy's ability to help U.S. citizens in these areas.

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Russia.

If you decide to travel to Russia:

• Read the information on what the U.S. government can and cannot do to assist you in an emergency overseas .
• Consider the risks involved in having dual U.S.- Russian nationality.
• Have a contingency plan in place that does not rely on U.S. government help. Review the Traveler’s Checklist .
• Follow news for any important events and update your plans based on the new information.
• Ensure travel documents are valid and easily accessible.
• Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas .
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). This will allow you to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter .
• Review the Country Security Report for Russia.
• Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.

Travel Advisory Levels

Assistance for u.s. citizens, russian federation map, search for travel advisories, external link.

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American Airlines CEO: ‘We fell short’ in removal of Black passengers

Robert Isom promises changes after racial discrimination lawsuit

American Airlines will take new measures — including new training for staff, creating an advisory group and evaluating policies over removing people from flights — after Black passengers filed a lawsuit alleging they were forced off a plane after a complaint about body odor.

Chief executive Robert Isom wrote in a note to employees on Tuesday that the incident was “unacceptable.” Employees involved were being held accountable, according to the airline, with some removed from service.

“I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures,” Isom wrote. “We fell short of our commitments and failed our customers in this incident.”

Letter from American Airlines CEO Robert Isom 6.18.2024

In the lawsuit, filed last month in federal court, three passengers said American Airlines employees removed them and five other Black men from their seats on a January flight before it was scheduled to take off from Phoenix. Eventually, an employee told them that someone on the flight had complained about body odor, even though no one had accused the plaintiffs themselves.

The men eventually were allowed back on the flight to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, but the lawsuit called the experience “traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading.” The three men who ultimately filed the suit shared contact information after the flight but did not see the other five again.

American Airlines declined to comment on the lawsuit Thursday. A recent court filing said the plaintiffs and the airline “have agreed to engage in settlement discussions.”

The allegations placed American back under scrutiny, several years after the NAACP issued a travel advisory in 2017 warning that Black passengers could encounter “disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe conditions” when flying on the airline.

Derrick Johnson, the NAACP’s president and CEO, said that advisory was lifted the following year, after American committed to moves — including creating a diversity, equity and inclusion council — to prevent discrimination. He warned in a statement earlier this month that the NAACP would need to reinstate an advisory if the airline did not deliver a “swift and decisive response” to the situation. The statement said American disbanded the DEI council in 2023 and urged the airline to revive it.

Isom wrote in his letter to employees that he had spoken with Johnson about the NAACP’s concerns. American is creating a new “oversight and excellence advisory group” that will focus on improving travel for Black passengers, Isom said. The airline also is updating its process for handling customer allegations of discrimination or bias; reviewing operational manuals, with a focus on scenarios where passengers could be removed; and introducing new training to help staff “recognize and address bias and discrimination.”

In an emailed statement Thursday, the NAACP said it had made the return of that advisory council one of its conditions for not issuing a new advisory.

“The NAACP is pleased to see American Airlines has taken initial steps to forge a path toward a more inclusive experience for all,” the organization said. “While it is unfortunately common for Black consumers to experience racism and discrimination at the hands of corporations, it is not common to see such swift, and decisive action. It is our hope that this approach will serve as a model for other corporations who may find themselves in similar situations.”

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Increased Risk of Dengue Virus Infections in the United States

Distributed via the CDC Health Alert Network June 25, 2024, 2:30 PM ET CDCHAN-00511

Summary The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to notify healthcare providers, public health authorities and the public of an increased risk of dengue virus (DENV) infections in the United States in 2024. Global incidence of dengue in 2024 has been the highest on record for this calendar year; many countries are reporting higher-than-usual dengue case numbers . In 2024, countries in the Americas have reported a record-breaking number of dengue cases, exceeding the highest number ever recorded in a single year. From January 1 – June 24, 2024, countries in the Americas reported more than 9.7 million dengue cases, twice as many as in all of 2023 (4.6 million cases). In the United States, Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency (1,498 cases) and a higher-than-expected number of dengue cases have been identified among U.S. travelers (745 cases) from January 1 – June 24, 2024. In the setting of increased global and domestic incidence of dengue, healthcare providers should take steps including:

• Have increased suspicion of dengue among people with fever who have been in areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission within 14 days before illness onset,
• Order appropriate diagnostic tests for acute DENV infection: reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] and IgM antibody tests, or non-structural protein 1 [NS1] antigen tests and IgM antibody tests,
• Ensure timely reporting of dengue cases to public health authorities, and
• Promote mosquito bite prevention measures among people living in or visiting areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission.

Background Dengue is the most common arboviral disease globally. It is caused by four distinct but closely related dengue viruses (DENV-1, -2, -3, and -4). DENVs are transmitted through bites of infected Aedes species mosquito vectors. Infection with one DENV generally induces life-long protection against infection from that specific DENV but only protects against other DENVs for several months to years. Dengue is a nationally notifiable disease in the United States. Six U.S. territories and freely associated states are classified as areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission : Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. In the rest of the United States, local transmission of DENV has been limited, with sporadic cases or small outbreaks in Florida, Hawaii, and Texas. However, confirmed local DENV transmission has also been reported by Arizona and California over the past two years.

Approximately one in four DENV infections are symptomatic and can be mild or severe. Symptoms begin after an incubation period of 5–7 days (range 3–10 days) and present as fever accompanied by non-specific signs and symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, rash, muscle aches, joint pain, bone pain, pain behind the eyes, headache, or low white blood cell counts. Warning signs are specific clinical findings that predict progression to severe disease. Warning signs include abdominal pain or tenderness, persistent vomiting, clinical fluid accumulation (e.g., ascites, pleural effusion), mucosal bleeding, lethargy or restlessness, progressive increase of hematocrit, or liver enlargement >2cm. Severe disease, with associated severe bleeding, shock or respiratory distress caused by plasma leakage, or end-organ impairment, develops in 1 in 20 people with symptomatic dengue. Infants aged ≤1 year, pregnant people, adults aged ≥65 years, and people with certain medical conditions are at increased risk of severe dengue. Although a second DENV infection (i.e., with a different DENV from the first infection) carries a higher risk of severe disease than a first, third, or fourth infection, any infection can lead to severe disease.

Patients with symptoms compatible with dengue can be tested with both molecular and serologic diagnostic tests. All patients with suspected DENV infection should be tested with RT-PCR (i.e., a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)) or a NS1 antigen test, and also with IgM antibody test to confirm DENV infection. These tests can be considered regardless of the symptom onset date, although the test sensitivity of RT-PCR and NS1 antigen tests decrease after the first 7 days. IgG detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in a single serum sample should not be used to diagnose a patient with acute dengue because it does not distinguish between current and previous DENV infection. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved testing is available at public health laboratories and some commercial laboratories. State, tribal, territorial, and local health departments, and CDC can offer additional testing guidance.

There are no antiviral medications approved to treat dengue. Treatment is supportive and requires careful volume management. Appropriate triage, management, and follow-up remain the most effective interventions to reduce dengue morbidity and mortality. Expectant management of patients at high risk for severe disease and rapid initiation of a standardized fluid replacement strategy recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) can decrease mortality from 13% to <1%. In June 2021, the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices recommended a dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia , for children aged 9–16 years with laboratory confirmation of previous DENV infection and living in areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission such as Puerto Rico. While the vaccine is considered safe and effective, the manufacturer (Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., Paris France) has discontinued production citing a lack of demand. Vaccine administration will continue in Puerto Rico until available doses expire in 2026.There are no vaccines recommended for travelers, adults, or persons without a previous DENV infection.

Dengue cases resurged globally after the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, more than 4.6 million cases and 4000 deaths were reported in the Americas region. As of June 24, 2024, more than 9.7 million dengue cases have been reported in the Americas, twice as many as in all of 2023 (4.6 million cases). Dengue transmission peaks during the warmer and wetter months in many tropical and subtropical regions. Dengue cases are likely to increase as global temperatures increase. Higher temperatures can expand the range of the mosquitoes that spread dengue, as well as affect other factors that facilitate virus transmission like faster viral amplification in the mosquito, increased vector survival, and changes in reproduction and biting rates. U.S. summer travel often overlaps with the months of increased dengue activity in many countries. Epidemics in the Americas region increase travel-associated cases and limited local transmission in the continental United States. A higher-than-expected number of dengue cases (total of 2,241 cases, including 1,498 in Puerto Rico) were reported in the United States from January 1 – June 24, 2024. Public health authorities in Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency in March 2024 because of the high number of cases reported during the low dengue season. Healthcare providers should be prepared to recognize, diagnose, manage, and report dengue cases to public health authorities; public health partners should investigate cases and disseminate clear prevention messages to the public. The CDC is actively implementing several strategies to address the increase in cases of dengue in the United States, including:

• Launching a program-led emergency response, which was activated on April 8, 2024.
• Providing regularly scheduled monthly situational updates on dengue to partners, stakeholders, and jurisdictions.
• Expanding laboratory capacity to improve laboratory testing approaches.
• Collaborating with State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Health Departments to strengthen dengue surveillance and recommend prevention strategies.
• Educating the public on dengue prevention.

Recommendations for Healthcare Providers

• Maintain a high suspicion for dengue among patients with fever and recent travel (within 14 days before illness onset) to areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission .
• Consider locally acquired dengue among patients who have signs and symptoms highly compatible with dengue (e.g., fever, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, aches, pains, rash) in areas with competent mosquito vectors .
• Order appropriate FDA-approved dengue tests (RT-PCR and IgM antibody tests, or NS1 and IgM antibody tests), and do not delay treatment waiting for test results to confirm dengue.
• Know the warning signs for progression to severe dengue, which include abdominal pain or tenderness, persistent vomiting, clinical fluid accumulation, mucosal bleeding, lethargy or restlessness, and liver enlargement.
• For people with suspected dengue who do not have warning signs and are not part of a population at high risk for severe dengue, consider outpatient management with close follow-up.
• Teach patients about the warning signs that may appear as their fever starts to decline and instruct them to seek care urgently if they experience any warning signs.
• Recognize the critical phase of dengue. The critical phase begins when fever starts to decline and lasts for 24–48 hours. During this phase, some patients require close monitoring and may deteriorate within hours without appropriate intravenous (IV) fluid management.
• Hospitalize patients with severe dengue or any warning sign of progression to severe dengue and follow CDC/WHO protocols for IV fluid management .
• Follow local guidelines to report dengue cases to state, tribal, local, or territorial health departments.

Recommendations for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Health Departments

• Use FDA-approved dengue tests. Ensure access to dengue testing for all patients with suspected dengue.
• Remind clinicians of the high risk of dengue among patients with fever who have been in areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission .
• Remind clinicians that local transmission can occur in areas with competent vectors and to test patients with compatible illnesses even without a history of having been in an area with dengue.
• Inform healthcare providers and the public when locally acquired and travel-associated dengue cases are detected in the area.
• Report dengue cases to CDC via ArboNET , the national arboviral surveillance system managed by CDC and state health departments.
• Take the lead in investigating dengue cases and outbreaks.
• Consider targeted outreach about increasing dengue risk to healthcare providers more likely to identify dengue cases (i.e., travel medicine clinics, infectious disease physicians, or healthcare systems serving highly mobile populations such as migrant and border health clinics, and clinics with frequent travelers to areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission) and messaging to populations at higher risk for dengue.

Recommendations for the Public

• Use Environmental Protection Agency-approved repellents during travel to and after returning from areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission.
• Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved pants and shirts.
• Use air conditioning and window screens when possible, to lower risk for mosquito bites indoors.
• Dump and drain containers that hold water to reduce mosquito egg-laying sites in your home and neighborhood.
• Seek medical care if you have a fever or have dengue symptoms and live in or traveled to an area with dengue outbreaks .
• If you plan international travel to a an area with frequent or continuous dengue transmission , protect yourself from mosquito bites during and after your trip.

For More Information

Healthcare Providers

• Clinical Testing Guidance for Dengue | Dengue | CDC
• Guidelines for Classifying Dengue | Dengue | CDC
• Clinical Features of Dengue | Dengue | CDC
• Dengue Case Management Pocket Guide | CDC
• Dengue During Pregnancy | Dengue | CDC
• Dengue Vaccine | Dengue | CDC
• Dengvaxia: What Healthcare Professionals Need to Know | Dengue | CDC
• Dengue | CDC Yellow Book 2024
• Dengue Clinical Management Course | Dengue | CDC
• Webinar: What Clinicians Need to Know about Dengue in the United States | CDC

Health Departments and Public Health Professionals

• Data and Statistics on Dengue in the United States | Dengue | CDC
• What You Can Do to Control Mosquitoes During an Outbreak | Mosquitoes | CDC
• ArboNET | Mosquitoes | CDC
• Dengue case investigation report | CDC
• Dengue Print Resources | Dengue | CDC
• Communication Resources | Mosquitoes | CDC
• Submitting Specimens for Dengue Virus Tests | Vector-Borne Diseases | CDC
• Preventing Dengue | Dengue | CDC
• Caring for a Family Member with Dengue | CDC
• Mosquito Control at Home | Mosquitoes | CDC
• Get Rid of Mosquitos at Home | CDC
• Your Infant has Dengue | CDC
• Areas with Risk of Dengue | Dengue | CDC
• Travel Health Notices | Travelers’ Health | CDC
• Find a Clinic | Travelers’ Health | CDC
• Pan American Health Organization. Epidemiological Update Increase in dengue cases in the Region of the Americas. https://www.paho.org/en/documents/epidemiological-update-increase-dengue-cases-region-americas-18-june-2024
• Wong JM, Adams LE, Durbin AP, et al. Dengue: a growing problem with new interventions. Pediatrics . 2022;149(6):e2021055522. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-055522
• Paz-Bailey G, Adams L, Wong JM, et al. Dengue vaccine: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2021. MMWR Recommendations and Reports . 2021;70(6):1–16. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.rr7006a1 .
• World Health Organization. Disease Outbreak News; Dengue – Global situation. May 30, 2024.   https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON518

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects people’s health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national and international organizations.

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• Health Alert: Conveys the highest level of importance about a public health incident.
• Health Advisory: Provides important information about a public health incident.
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The Travel Copywriter

Tourism, Hospitality and Hotel Copywriting

Jun 27 2017

Travel Calls-to-Action (CTAs): 9 Best Practices and 6 Examples

Do your website and blog inspire travelers to trust , remember and interact with your brand?

If your answer is “I don’t know” (or worse, “no”), then Houston, we have a problem.

The good news: There’s an easy solution to that problem. And that solution is to deploy powerful, engaging travel calls-to-action throughout your website .

This post will walk you through the what, why, and how of the travel call-to-action, or travel CTA. Because, while they may sound like marketing-speak, in practice, calls-to-action are very straightforward: they simply guide travelers to whatever action they should take next . Think of a CTA as your final instruction to website visitors – an instruction you present in the form of a button or a link, such as Sign Up, Download Now, Leave a Comment, Contact Us, or Read More.

What is a Travel Call-to-Action?

Now that we have the basic definition down, let’s get a little more specific; let’s talk about tourism. In hospitality, a travel call-to-action provides direction to, well, travelers. (Shocking, right?)

But really, that’s as complicated as it gets. The sole purpose of a travel CTA is to help travelers do what they already want to mecidiyeköy escort do.

They’re already interested in your destination, your inn, your itinerary, your vacation rental, your fill-in-the-blank.  So, if they’re looking for more information about your bed & breakfast, then your CTA should direct them to more information about your bed & breakfast. If they’re hunting down great travel advice for your area, then your travel call-to-action should link to your downloadable travel guide. Etc. etc.

From there, it’s up to your messaging and travel bookings funnel  (aka “the buyer journey”) to do the rest: How does interest in your destination, become interest in your inn, become a confirmed booking? Your calls-to-action are an important part of the equation.

So, back to the topic at hand. Common travel industry CTAs include Book Now, Check Availability, Reserve, Inquire, and similar terminology. (More on that later.) For now, my point is simple: Strong, well-planned travel calls-to-action are your direct path to converting website visitors into booked travelers .

Want to get started?

Book a Free Consult

☝ Oh hey… what’s that? ☝

Why Do Travel Calls-to-Action Matter?

Pulling numbers out of the air here – your analytics will reveal your true stats – but I’d hazard a guess that 95% (or more) of visitors to your blog and/or website aren’t yet ready to book .

They came for the info you offer. They searched Google for the best restaurants in Orlando, or the most romantic wedding spots in the Turks and Caicos, or the best hiking trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The truth: They’re not here for you.

And that means, once they’ve absorbed the information you offer, they’re gone. They’ve clicked over to a new browser tab, or hit the back button, or returned to Google.

And they’ll probably never think of you again.

Whoosh! <– That the sound of a booking, disappearing into the Land of Lost Opportunity.

That is, unless you have effective calls-to-action in place. If you don’t, well, you’ve already missed your chance. You’ve failed to direct interest to other parts of your site, or to get a new Facebook Like, or to earn your way into a traveler’s email inbox.

Worse, you’ve lost your opportunity to convert this I-might-someday-be-interested-but-right-now-I’m-still-in-the-planning-phase traveler into an eventual okay-I’ve-made-my-decision-and-I’m-ready-to-book traveler.

All because you failed to implement strong, well thought-out travel calls-to-action. It could have been simple, if you had just asked:

Sign up for our newsletter for more Orlando travel tips.

Download our free guide to weddings in the Turks and Caicos.

Follow us on Facebook for more outdoor inspiration from the gaziantep escort bayan Blue Ridge Mountains.

Whatever feels right. Whatever your site visitors are most likely looking for, after they’ve finished reading your page or blog post.

Go on, get inside their heads. Know your personas.

You’ll quickly realize travelers aren’t after your Big Ask (aka the hard sell –the ultimate conversion-to-booking). They aren’t ready to book with you. And that means, your CTA should not be the “Book” button : At best, it’s simply not an effective travel call-to action; at worst, it feels snake-oily – a total turnoff.

So, instead of ending your blog post about Blue Ridge Mountains hiking trails with, “Start your all your hikes at my Blue Ridge View Vacation Rental – book today!”, try something along the lines of, “Planning a Blue Ridge getaway? Sign up for our free newsletter for more great tips, deals, and insider information on the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

And don’t stop with just the one CTA. In addition to your primary call-to-action, secondary travel CTAs should be peppered throughout your site : in your top menu, your sidebar, and your site footer.

This is about engagement and trust-building , not the ultimate conversion. That will happen naturally, once you’ve engaged those travelers and built that trust.

☞ Want More Bookings? ☜

Want to better engage the travelers on your website? Want more bookings? Want to differentiate yourself from the competition?

Sign up to receive free, actionable copywriting and marketing advice , tutorials and tips to boost your travel bookings:

(☝ Subtle, Erin, subtle. ☝)

Best Practices for Travel Calls-to-Action (Travel CTAs)

I know this looks like a long list – nine (NINE?!) best practices for something as small as a single button?

Yep, nine. And I’ll tell you why: Your travel call-to-action is the most important element on any given webpage. Yes, stellar copy and amazing photos do all the heavy lifting, but your CTA is what seals the deal. Without strong calls-to-action, it’s difficult (if not impossible) to convert interest into bookings. 

Now that you’re convinced, take a deep breath. This isn’t hard. We may be talking nine best practices, but they’re all simple and easy to implement. So let’s dive in:

• Use Action Language
• Think Benefits
• Reduce Risk
• Be Helpful (+ Persuasive)
• Keep Them Short & Sweet
• Make Them Clickable
• Location, Location, Location
• Test Regularly

1. Use Action Language (aka Tell Them What to Do Next)

Action language can mark the difference between a visitor clicking a CTA, and navigating away from your site. So,  begin your travel call-to-action  with action-oriented language: “ Book Your Trip”, “ Discover  Costa Rica”, “ Start Planning Your Vacation.”

2. Keep Them Short & Sweet

CTAs are most effective when they’re brief. Make your full offer as concise as possible. For your CTA buttons, shoot for no more than five words . Three and under is better.

3. Reduce Risk

No-obligation or low-obligation calls-to-action reduce risk . In other words, even if a traveler isn’t yet ready to “Book,” he is on your site so he’s probably interested in reading more about your area (CTA button: “Read More about Destination “) or poke around your hotel rooms (CTA button: “See the Suites”). These are both no-obligation calls-to-action.

👇 Oh, and here’s another no-risk CTA! 👇

Request a Free Consult

Once you’ve built a bit of rapport, this same traveler could be willing to exchange his email address for a free travel guide, or for your awesome newsletter, or for a free itinerary. These are low-obligation calls-to-action requiring only an email address (with option to unsubscribe anytime, of course), in exchange for your goods.

Bottom Line: Create low barrier-to-entry CTAs and offer high-quality offers in exchange , and you’ll build trust and ultimately give travelers the confidence they need to book with you.

4. Think Benefits

Copywriters and marketers are constantly harping on you to know the difference between features and benefits .

We have good reason, folks.

Travelers do not care about your features. No, they really don’t. They care about how your features benefit them . So, instead of highlighting the features of your offer (“free guide”), leverage your travel call-to-action – and by this, I mean the entire offer, and not just the button text – to highlight the full benefit of what you’re offering (“everything you need to plan your trip”).

One-word CTAs often fall into the feature pitfall: Book, Submit, Request, etc. Sure, those are all action verbs. And sure, they’re all short. But they don’t build any benefit into your offer. Instead, try  Download Your Free Guide ,  Reserve Your Getaway , or  Plan a Trip .

5. Be Helpful (Yet Also Persuasive)

Your website (blog, email newsletter, etc.) should appeal to every step in the booking journey .

By this, I mean that your website (for example) should have information for: 1) Travelers just starting to research a destination and its offerings; 2) Mid-stage planners who have decided on a destination, but haven’t yet settled on accommodations or activities; 3) Travelers who are ready to book; and 4) Guests who have already booked with you.

Once you’ve shown them where to go next, be persuasive! Make them an offer they can’t refuse. (Free is pretty hard to refuse, by the way, which is why the “free travel guide” is such a strong offer. Just be sure your free guide is AWESOME. It should be packed chock full of great information, use lots of sharp photography, and be designed well. Travelers should feel like they’ve received something of real value.) The offer of a discount, or of special offers, or of other value-adds can also be a strong pull.

Use a travel call-to-action to provide direction. Help. Engage. Lead travelers on a journey through your booking funnel. And use the right persuasive language along the way. (Ex. Don’t invite a first-stage planner to “Book Now!” if they haven’t even decided on a destination. Instead, invite them to “Download a Free Destination Guide.”)

Effective calls-to-action are visually striking. This means:

• They Use Contrast:  Your CTA button or link text should contrast with the rest of your page. The most common way to do this is with a contrasting color that still fits within your site’s overall color palette.
• They’re Big Enough:  A travel call-to-action should be large enough to stand out, but not so large that it looks like a circa 2001 banner advertisement. Your CTA should call attention but never distract.
• They’re Clear:  Now’s not the time to be wishy-washy. Back up your high-contrast, big-enough CTA with clear wording.

7. Make Them Clickable

No explanation necessary: Your CTA should be clickable, and it should click-through (link) to a highly relevant, laser-focused offer . (Ex. “Download Your Free Guide” should link to a free guide.)

8. Location, Location, Location

We all know how important location is to the travel industry. Your website (blog, newsletter, etc.) real estate is no different: Location is key.

Travel calls-to-action can live anywhere on your site – in the middle of your homepage, at the bottom of a blog post, in your sidebar, as a scroll-triggered pop-up or slide-in, etc. – but do  choose CTA location wisely . Place them organically and logically. Always ask yourself two questions:

• When would a traveler be interested in this offer? In other words, don’t serve your offer too soon. A vacation rental website guest probably isn’t ready to “Book Now” from your homepage, but she might be ready to “Explore the Villa.” (Note: A “Book Now” or similar hotel call-to-action button should be available on every page of a hotel, B&B, inn, vacation rental, etc. website. [ex. In the header.] It just might not be your  primary CTA for any given page.)
• What path would lead a traveler to this offer?  For lower-level pages – for example, a blog post about area hiking trails – think about how travelers arrive at your page. (Psst, check your analytics!) Then, serve up a fitting travel call-to-action. (Ex. On that hiking page, offer “Interested in more hiking trails, outdoor activities, and  Area advice? Download our FREE  Area travel guide!” [CTA Button: Start Planning].)

9. Test Regularly

CTAs are not a fix-it-and-forget-it kind of deal, unfortunately. Test them!

For example, if you’re wondering whether “Download the FREE Guide” or “Get Planning!” is the better travel call-to-action, then set up a simple A/B test. Send the exact same content to your entire email list – but with one difference: Half your list gets a “Download the FREE Guide” button, while the other half gets your “Get Planning!” button. See which gets the most clicks.

6 Examples of Effective CTAs for the Travel Industry

There are lots of great travel call-to-action examples out there. Here are a few.

Note: I’ve circled primary CTAs in green; secondary CTAs are in blue.

1. Costa Rican Vacations

(Full disclosure: A client of mine.)

I love Costa Rican Vacations’ approach to their homepage: They don’t go straight for the jugular. They don’t hit you with buttons to BOOK BOOK BOOK!

Instead, their primary CTA doesn’t ask you to buy anything. It doesn’t even try to snag your contact information. CRV knows that they have to build value before travelers will trust them. They also know that  most visitors to their homepage don’t have enough information to make a buying decision . Yet. And so, their primary homepage call-to-action gets you dreaming: What kind of traveler are you? They reel you in first, and then they go for the ask. And it works.

Bottom Line: Your CTAs should always align your goals with a traveler’s goals. And sometimes, that’s just to dig deeper into the information you offer.

2. Hotel Boutique at Grand Central

Let’s get this out of the way first: For most hotels, a Book (or similar) button is going to exist on every page. And that’s because hotels are in a slightly different category than many other travel businesses: Their presence is scattered across the web and guidebooks, so it’s conceivable that website visitors come to their site simply to book.

That said, “Book” should not be the only call-to-action on a hotel website. In fact, I’d argue it shouldn’t be the primary CTA on many sections of the site. And that’s why I like the Hotel Boutique at Grand Central: Their above-the-fold homepage real estate (and CTA) highlights their best deals , accompanied by illustrative photos.

Bottom Line: You may have planned to stay 5 or 6 nights, but this CTA makes you consider staying 7+. And that’s an effective call-to-action.

3. Luxury Villas Orlando

Luxury Villas Orlando is another site that does homepage CTAs right: They don’t ask you to book right away , because they know you’re not ready. You need more information first.

Instead, LVO invites you explore their vacation rentals. They match photography with copy, and then top it off with a logical, unintimidating travel call-to-action. Notice I said unintimidating: Again, there’s no barrier to entry here. They’re not asking for your email address. They’re not asking you to do anything but look a little deeper. And so, you’re likely to do just that. They’ll make the ask (“Check Availability”) later, after you’ve already fallen in love with their villas.

Bottom Line:  Your CTAs are somewhat location dependent. By this, I mean that someone who’s five levels-deep in your site, and has just finished reading your blog post on the 10 Best Hiking Trails in  Your Area , may be willing to exchange her email address for a travel guide, but someone who has come across your homepage and knows nothing about you isn’t ready yet.

4. Sun Cliff Casita

Hello, simplicity, oh how I love you. Above-the-fold, homepage real estate for Sun Cliff Casita has but one call-to-action: Discover.

“Discover” is a great word for a travel call-to-action , because it makes us all feel a little bit like explorers. And who doesn’t want to discover  something on our travels, be it a new food or a new place to do absolutely nothing? That’s why this works so well: Sun Cliff Casita has stunning photography that really does make you want to discover. If the view’s that good, what else does this vacation home have in store for me?

Bottom Line:  Simple can be more than good; it can be great. Don’t be afraid to test out clean, uncluttered homepage calls-to-action, to see if they work for you. Remember, your CTAs will get more targeted as a visitor digs deeper into your site.

5. The Outer Banks

The Outer Banks Official Tourism Authority website starts off with some great CTAs: buttons to Dream, Plan, or Discover. But we’re going to focus on what happens when you click one of those initial calls-to-action.

When you choose Dream, for example, you’re taken to a page that encourages you to dream about your upcoming trip. Scroll down, and the OBX will fuel that dream with videos, articles, and other information. And then, when you’ve scrolled all the way down and are now emotionally invested in your Outer Banks travel planning, only then do they hit you with the Big Ask : What’s your contact information?

Bottom Line:  If the OBX had asked for your address as soon as you had hit the homepage, you probably would have said no. Instead, they placed their offer at the bottom of a secondary page, effectively waiting until you have shown sufficient interest (via clicking + scrolling) and are more likely to take the requested action.

( Note:  “Next” as call-to-action is not the strongest choice. Better options: “Get My Guide” or “Start Planning”)

6. Visit Idaho

Like the Outer Banks, Visit Idaho has an inviting homepage CTA that doesn’t ask for anything more than a click: Plan Your Adventure.

Click through, and the excellent messaging – and Visit Idaho has truly  excellent messaging  – continues, with great photographs, lots of good planning info, and copy that really tugs at the heartstrings . Even better, every page of their site ends with a primary call-to-action: Order their free travel guide. (Or swap your email address for adventures in your inbox.)

Bottom Line:  I keep saying it because it’s true: Don’t place high barrier-to-entry calls-to-action (e.g. give us your money!) too early in your site journey; instead, wait until you’ve earned some trust and emotional investment.

( Note:  “Order” is a psychological stop-word, since it implies purchase. If you offer a free guide, choose action words like “Download Your Guide,” “Get It FREE,” or “Grab Your Guide.”)

5 Ways to Use This Information Right Now

• Do a website audit : Head over to your website (your email newsletter, your drip campaign, your everything) and identify your various calls-to-action. Compare them to the above list of best practices. If your travel CTAs don’t meet all nine points, tweak them.
• Ask around : Talk with your peers. Form a mini-mastermind group, and talk about your various calls-to-action (and their associated offers). What works best?
• Test your calls-to-action : One of the best and easiest ways to test new CTAs is to run an A/B test. This can be as simple as changing the action verb on a button, and tracking whether it yields better results.
• Ask questions (or comment) below : Comment below (or email me) with your questions. Share your findings. Let’s start a conversation about better, more powerful travel calls-to-action.
• Take the next step : Ready to take your copy and CTAs to the next level? Request a free consult and let’s chat.

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June 27, 2017 at 8:41 am

Hi Erin! Just discovered your site. Copywriting is not extended in Spain as much as in the USA, so everything sounds new for me. I’m building a tourism & gastronomy copy site and these advices are simply wonderful. Thanks!

June 27, 2017 at 8:46 am

Hi Joan, and welcome! I’m so glad to hear you’re finding some good info here. Happy writing and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. (Also, travel and gastronomy throughout Spain – yum! Nom nom, tapas. 🙂 )

June 27, 2017 at 9:09 am

Haha! I hope this to be just the beginning.

I will, be sure.

Tapas, tapas… Pitty I cannot create copy in English for spanish restaurants, job would be half-done before writing everything.

Looking forward your next post!

June 27, 2017 at 9:12 am

Haha, right? Spain and Spanish cuisine almost sell themselves! 9 a.m. and I’m hungry for tortilla…

July 4, 2017 at 7:35 am

Excellent article Erin! I’m tweeting it out to my followers as there is such great advice here for vacation rental owners.

July 4, 2017 at 8:49 am

Thanks so much, Heather! Much appreciated.

April 9, 2018 at 10:16 am

Excellent article, picked a few things for my travel website.

June 7, 2018 at 5:53 am

Wow Erin….I love this article..

I just started interning as a social media and digital manager for a travelling and tour company. I needed to know how to covert with my content and this was of great help… Thanks,

I hope i can reach out if i need more help?

June 8, 2018 at 6:42 am

Of course! Anytime.

November 30, 2018 at 12:23 pm

Thank you for your advices! They’re helping us a lot in designing our own CTA’s

December 2, 2018 at 1:00 pm

My pleasure, Ramiro! What kind of CTAs did you implement?

[…] The question is, whether you’re updating your hotel’s website, brainstorming your latest blog post, or penning a new itinerary for your travel agency, is your copywriting word choice as important as spelling out your amenities, getting in a few SEO keywords, and inserting your travel calls-to-action? […]

[…] you think that your simple travel calls-to-action – Contact Us, Book Now, Inquire – aren’t the hard stuff, then think again: taking that […]

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Discover the Benefits of Traveling the World

Welcome to a world of endless possibilities, where every journey is an opportunity for growth, discovery, and transformation. Embark on a voyage of exploration with us and unlock the countless benefits of traveling the world.

Travelling by theme

Expand your horizons, cultural immersion, personal growth, create lasting memories, forge connections, inspiration and creativity, wellness and relaxation, environmental awareness, embrace adventure, travelling by destination.

Here are some of the most beautiful tourist destinations that will make you immerse yourself in the unique culture and heritage of each destination.

Santorini, Greece

Known for its stunning sunsets, whitewashed buildings, and crystal-clear waters, Santorini continues to be a top destination for travelers seeking romance, relaxation, and breathtaking views.

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As one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu's ancient ruins, dramatic mountain scenery, and rich Incan history make it a bucket-list destination for adventure seekers and history buffs alike.

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In One Image Sunny Days In Moscow By Nanna Heitmann

The storm blew in with these Russian military students. They had come to take in their country’s victories.

Yes, that is a U.S. flag on the tank, which was seized on the battlefields of Ukraine.

The students were on a class trip to Victory Park in Moscow to see the captured NATO equipment.

The patches are from the Moscow Aviation Center. Its graduates can enter the armed forces as junior officers, not as low-level conscripts.

The statue honors World War I soldiers, but today, Russians are being bombarded with stories of a new generation of heroes.

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In One Image

Sunny Days in Moscow

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By Nanna Heitmann

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not gone as quickly as the Kremlin once predicted, but a recent visit by a group of military students to a park in Moscow was a much speedier affair.

Hit by a sudden blast of early May snow, their instructor moved his young charges quickly along, the sooner to get somewhere warm. But they did take the time to stop for photos in front of the captured enemy armaments on display.

Among the biggest trophies were M1 Abrams and Leopard tanks. Ukraine had hoped that the vaunted American- and German-made war machines would help turn its fortunes on the battlefield.

They have not.

Now, after two years of war, with the Kremlin’s early military stumbles in Ukraine receding in memory, the mood in Russia is increasingly upbeat.

“The word ‘victory’ is everywhere in Moscow these days,” a New York Times Russia correspondent, Valerie Hopkins, reported recently .

The students’ tour came just three days before Russia celebrated Victory Day, which commemorates the Nazi defeat in World War II. But they, like other Russians venturing out into the cold that day, were relishing their country’s more recent military successes.

Victory Park was originally built to commemorate the Russian defeat of Napoleon. It also displays military equipment from the Second World War.

The big draw when the students were visiting, however, were the NATO tanks captured in Ukraine. Many, including the Abrams, were seized in February, when Avdiivka, a longtime Ukrainian military stronghold, fell to the Russians .

“There has been so much talk about these Abrams, about these Leopards,” marveled one onlooker as he took in the neutered Western behemoths sitting idle in the Russian snow.

“They are all standing here,” he said. “We are looking at them.”

Written by Eric Nagourney.

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From browsing to booking: A travel agent's introduction to creating effective CTAs

Last updated November 29, 2023

As a travel agent, you know that getting customers to visit your website or social media profile is only half the battle.

To turn those curious travelers into leads and then into confirmed bookings, you need action - specifically, a call to action!

A travel call to action (or travel CTA for short) is simply a specific action that you want a website visitor to take, with a clear result. Something like “book now” or “schedule a consultation.”

So why are CTAs an important part of your travel agency marketing strategy?

Simply put, they’re an effective way to turn browsing into bookings. By creating a clear and compelling travel CTA, you’re telling your audience exactly what you want them to do next. This not only increases the likelihood of them taking action, but also helps to build trust and credibility with your brand.

Let’s take a look at exactly what it takes to create an effective CTA that helps turn your website and social media visitors into paying clients.

Types of calls-to-action

There are two types of calls to action you can include on your website or social media profile, and they each have a specific purpose.

Your primary CTA should be something that gets a website visitor into the booking or consultation process, like “book now” or “schedule a consultation”.

But there is a different CTA you can also include, specifically for those visitors who are browsing, but not quite ready to buy. It’s called a transitional call to action.

The purpose of the transitional CTA is to transition visitors from cold contacts, aka people who know nothing about you or your business, into potential customers who are open to learning more and considering working with you.

Most often that transitional CTA is some type of lead generator or opt-in. Something that allows someone who is interested in your services to take a simple step and get more information. A good lead generator is a way to collect email addresses so you can include a subscriber in your email marketing.

> Not sure what a lead generator is or how to create one? Check out this post.

Understand your audience

Before you start crafting your travel CTA, it's important to have a good understanding of your audience. Who are they? What are their needs and interests? What motivates them to take action?

You may have a general idea of the types of clients you work with, but unless you have clarity about who exactly your audience is, the language you use in your CTA probably won’t connect with them.

The best way to make sure you’re crystal clear on who your audience is, is by creating an Ideal Client Avatar, or ICA. Your ICA is simply a representation of the clients you serve best and most enjoy working with.

Your ICA can be based off of an actual client, a summary of a few clients you love working with, or they can be a made up person. If you haven’t already created your ICA, check out this post and worksheet to help you craft your Ideal Client Avatar.

Another way to gain insights into your audience is through market research. This can involve surveys, interviewing people who are similar to your ICA, or simply analyzing your website analytics to see what types of content and pages are most popular.

By understanding your audience's preferences and pain points, you can tailor your CTA to speak directly to them.

Ultimately, the key to crafting a successful CTA is to make it relevant and compelling to your audience. By speaking directly to their needs and interests, and using language that resonates with them, you can encourage more of them to take action and become loyal customers.

Create a compelling travel CTA

Now that you have a good understanding of your audience, it's time to craft a CTA that will stand out and get noticed. There are two things you need to keep in mind when you’re creating your travel CTA.

Keep it clear and concise

Your CTA should be easy to understand and quick to read. Use short, snappy phrases and avoid using jargon or complex language.

A call-to-action should tell a potential client exactly what to expect when they take action. “Book now” is clear because it tells them that they’ll be starting the process to book their next vacation, and it’s concise, with only two words.

But “get started,” while it’s concise, isn’t clear because it doesn’t tell them what getting started means. It may seem obvious to you, but it isn’t to them.

A call to action example that has room for improvement is “learn more”. While it's more clear than “get started”, “learn more” can have a variety of meanings. If they click the button will they learn more about you and your company? About the services you provide? About how to start booking their next vacation?

One place that "learn more" works well is as a button after a short introduction to a topic. For example, if you have a "Destinations" page on your site and you sell multiple destinations, a brief bit of text (and a great photo!) about each destianation followed by a "learn more" button allows people to go further into your site while exploring exactly the what interests them.

When you create your CTA text, view it through the eyes of someone who knows nothing about your business. Is it clear what they can expect when they click that button?

Use action-oriented language

Your CTA should encourage your audience to take action, so use strong action verbs. Good call to action examples are words like "book", "reserve", “get”, or "contact us". This creates a sense of urgency and makes it clear what you want your audience to do next.

The more concise, action-oriented and direct your travel CTA is, the more it will help people be crystal-clear about why they should take action now. This helps turn those website visitors into paid bookings.

Where to put your CTA

Now that you have a compelling CTA, it's important to place it in the right location so it gets noticed.

The one place I always tell travel advisors they should put their CTA, no questions asked, is the top right corner of their website. They need to have a call to action button there, which takes potential clients directly into the consultation and booking process.

Failure to put a CTA button in the top right corner is simply leaving money on the table, and who wants to do that?

It’s also important to continue placing your CTA in strategic places down the page. This is especially important if your website header vanishes as a visitor scrolls through your site.

It’s ok for each section to have a CTA button that gets people into your consultation and booking process.

What you’re aiming for is, no matter where a visitor is on your website, it’s easy for them to take action as soon as they decide they’re ready to do so. If, at that moment, there’s any difficulty or confusion about what they should do next, you could lose that potential client.

Once you’ve figured out where on your website to put your CTA, it’s time to make it stand out. Buttons always stand out more than linked text, and buttons that contrast with your site stand out even more.

If you have a main color that you use in your brand and on your website, use a complementary color to make that CTA button pop. If you’re not sure what exactly that means, try using Canva’s free color wheel to help you find colors that work for your site.

Your transitional CTA button color can be similar to your main website or brand color, but you want your main CTA button to contrast and be easy to find.

It's also important to put a CTA into each blog post and marketing campaign you create. A well-written blog post, optimized for search engines, could easily be the first exposure potential customers have to your brand.

Including a CTA at the bottom of your blog post, that immediately tells them how to start the booking process or takes them to other posts about similar topics, helps keep a visitor on your website and increases the chance they choose to engage with you.

Be careful about including multiple CTAs. You want it to be clear what single action you want a visitor to take, normally booking a consultation with you. However, where it's appropriate, multiple CTAs can be used.

For example, in this post I've linked other blog posts that go into a topic in more depth. Each of those is a CTA, but I also include the main CTA in the last paragraph of the post.

The bottom line

Now that you understand what a CTA is and why it’s important, it’s time to turn that knowledge into action!

Take a look through your website and do a self-audit. Do you have a clear, concise CTA? Is there a button in the top right corner? Have you repeated that CTA with buttons in other places on your website pages?

If so, congratulations! You have an effective travel CTA that will help turn those website visitors into paying customers.

If not, that’s ok! A great place to start improving your website is with an effective CTA. Create your CTA and get those buttons placed.

Don’t have a website? Need some help turning your website into something that you’re proud of, that clearly explains your value and services, and turns website visitors into customers? I can help you create the website you’ve been waiting for. Click here to get started by scheduling your free consultation.

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• Move beyond GenAI pilots to transformation.
• Build training muscle at scale.
• Emphasize how GenAI can increase value creation and employee joy.
• Anticipate the evolution of roles, skills, operating model, data, and governance.

Subscribe to our Artificial Intelligence E-Alert.

Artificial Intelligence

/ slideshow, ai at work 2024: friend and foe.

By  Vinciane Beauchene ,  Renee Laverdiere ,  Sylvain Duranton ,  Jeff Walters ,  Vladimir Lukic , and  Nicolas de Bellefonds

The rapid adoption of classic AI and GenAI in businesses is creating a split-screen effect:

• On one side, employees are reporting increasing confidence in these tools over the past year as they use the tools more frequently. About half of employees are saving at least five hours a week by using GenAI at work.
• On the other, employees who regularly use GenAI tools are more likely than others to worry about job loss. Overall, 49% of regular users believe that their job may disappear in the next ten years, compared with only 24% of employees who do not use GenAI.

These dueling and paradoxical views emerge from a global survey conducted by BCG X of 13,102 employees—from executive suite leaders to frontline employees—in 15 countries and regions. Most of the respondents work in office-based roles. The accompanying slideshow provides a more detailed picture of the survey results.

Reshaping the Organization

We conducted the survey at a critical phase in the maturation of GenAI, as companies move beyond pilots and start to integrate the technology into the fabric of their organizations. Nearly two-thirds of leaders, 64%, said that they are starting to use GenAI to reshape their organizations.

As companies transform their businesses to accommodate GenAI, they will need to manage this workplace tension between confidence and concern. One approach is to emphasize GenAI’s ability to reduce the drudgery of work, such as administrative tasks, while increasing the time available for tasks that employees enjoy, such as professional development and, for managers, mentoring and coaching.

How GenAI Saves Time

The productivity-enhancing benefits of GenAI are well known. But what do employees do with the five hours a week that the tool saves?

Respondents report devoting the additional time to such useful activities as performing more tasks (41%) or new tasks (39%), experimenting with GenAI (38%), and working on strategic tasks (38%). GenAI is allowing these employees to work smarter. It is not just removing toil from their work.

Training Can Unlock GenAI’s Potential

Leaders and frontline employees recognize the need for training to fully activate GenAI. It is central to the top three challenges that leaders identify today:

• Lack of AI and GenAI literacy in nontech roles
• Uncertainty about when to use GenAI
• Lack of AI and GenAI technology talent

Likewise, the top three challenges of frontline workers in using GenAI relate to training:

• Insufficient time to learn how to use the tool
• Ineffective training
• Users’ uncertainty about when to use GenAI

Although companies have made strides in training their employees since last year, when we conducted a similar survey, we found this year that only 30% of managers and 28% of frontline employees have been trained in how AI will change their jobs, compared with half of leaders.

The Global South Leads the Way

Respondents from Brazil, India, Nigeria, South Africa, and Middle East countries (these respondents were grouped together) were more consistently bullish than respondents in mature markets about GenAI. They expressed greater confidence in GenAI and lower anxiety about the technology. The Global South had a higher proportion of regular users of GenAI at work among its leaders, managers, and frontline employees than the Global North did.

In the time freed up by using GenAI, Global South respondents were more likely to experiment with the tool, engage in professional development, and focus on the quality of their work. Finally, managers and frontline employees from the Global South were more likely than their peers in the Global North to have received GenAI training.

Their positive views likely reflect the overall youth and optimism of their populations and the gathering strength of their economies.

Unleashing the Transformative Power of GenAI

The survey exposes the double-edged nature of GenAI. Familiarity correlates with both comfort and fear. GenAI is a revolutionary technology, so these opposing reactions should not be surprising.

But these human reactions do pose a challenge to organizations as they embark on a transformation built around GenAI. Fortunately, the rules of transformation are not revolutionary, and most companies have experience in transformation. The accompanying slideshow provides a more detailed view of the survey results and a set of five key recommendations:

• Establish a transformation-first mindset.
• Manage all your transformations.

As we wrote last year, “these are more management challenges than technology challenges.” By recognizing the complex ways in which humans understand and interact with GenAI, leaders can reshape their organizations to maximize the strengths and value of their human and machine workers.

Managing Director & Partner

Managing Director & Senior Partner; Global Leader, BCG X

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Managing Director & Senior Partner; Global Leader, Tech and Digital Advantage

ABOUT BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.

Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.

© Boston Consulting Group 2024. All rights reserved.

For information or permission to reprint, please contact BCG at [email protected] . To find the latest BCG content and register to receive e-alerts on this topic or others, please visit bcg.com . Follow Boston Consulting Group on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) .

Election latest: Elton John backs Labour and Starmer in general election; Sunak gives very personal speech at London temple

Sir Elton John endorsed the Labour Party and Sir Keir Starmer in a video message at a major Labour campaign rally in London. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak was mobbed by worshippers at a temple in London.

Saturday 29 June 2024 23:07, UK

• General Election 2024

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• Sir Elton John endorses the Labour Party
• Farage urged to 'get a grip' of Reform UK
• Reform canvasser in PM racism row says he was 'a total fool'
• Rob Powell:  With more coverage comes more scrutiny
• Faultlines:   Eight-hour school runs and kids too hungry to sleep - the families caught up in housing 'social cleansing'
• Politics at Jack and Sam's : The last weekend
• Live reporting by Ben Bloch and Jess Sharp

Election essentials

• Manifesto pledges: Conservatives | Greens | Labour | Lib Dems | Plaid | Reform | SNP
• Trackers:  Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
• Campaign Heritage:  Memorable moments from elections gone by
• Follow Sky's politics podcasts:  Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
• Read more:  Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency is changing | Guide to election lingo
• How to watch election on Sky News

Thank you for joining us on the Politics Hub for live coverage of events on the general election campaign trail today.

Polls open in 4 days and 8 hours - and the politicians will be spending every last moment fighting for your vote.

Scroll down for all of today's developments - and we'll be back from 7am with the very latest.

And join us tomorrow from 8.30am on Sky News for  Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips , where we will be hearing from:

• Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden ;
• Labour's national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden ;
• Reform UK leader Nigel Farage ;
• SNP leader and Scottish First Minister John Swinney .

Pledges and promises are coming thick and fast from every party as the general election approaches. 

Struggling to keep up with who is saying what?

Here is a summary of where the main parties stand on major issues.

For a more in-depth look at what each party has pledged, scour our  manifesto checker ...

TV presenter Rylan Clark has said he would "love" to become a politician - and replace the party system with a "Power Rangers of government" model.

The TV personality, 35, joined political editor Beth Rigby and former Scottish Conservative leader Baroness Ruth Davidson for this week's Sky News Electoral Dysfunction podcast.

Asked if he would ever consider the career change, he said: "If I wasn't in the job that I was in, I would love nothing more."

Rylan, who won Celebrity Big Brother and also appeared on the X Factor, appeared on the podcast in place of Labour candidate Jess Phillips after tweeting his praise for Rigby on the day Rishi Sunak announced the general election.

Sharing a clip of her and Sky presenter Sophy Ridge outside a rainy Downing Street waiting for Mr Sunak to appear at the lectern, he said: "Obsessed with the Rigby."

Speaking to her and Davidson, he said his "obsession" with politics began with Brexit - "as we've seen so many promises which weren't fulfilled" since then.

He added: "I lie there at night sometimes, and I think about [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. He hosted one of the same shows I've hosted in Ukraine."

The TV presenter also shared his idea of abandoning political parties altogether.

Read the full story here: 

A short while ago, Rishi Sunak gave a speech BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, also known as Neasden Temple, which is a traditional Hindu temple in London.

Rishi Sunak, who is of the Hindu faith, told attendees: "Like all of you, I draw inspiration and comfort from my faith.

"I was proud to be sworn in as a member of parliament on the Bhagavad Gita [one of Hinduism's most prominent sacred texts].

"Our faith teaches us to do our duty, and not fret about the outcome as long as one does it faithfully."

"My family also strengthen my commitment to service," the PM said.

He spoke about the philanthropic work that his mother-in-law does in India, and praises his wife as "the greatest support that any husband could ever have" and "someone committed to a life of service".

To the attendees, Mr Sunak said: "I want to start by thanking all of you for your support, your prayers, and your love. You have been with me every step of the way.

"On the hardest days in this job, I have felt your backing, and I know the pride that it is to have a British-Asian prime minister, and I am determined to never let you down."

The PM argued that so many Indians are Conservatives because "our values bind us together", citing education, hard work, and family.

Mr Sunak said: "One of my most memorable moments of the last few years came on Diwali, sixty years after my [grandmother] boarded a plane in East Africa - her first ever, all by herself - to come ahead and make a new life for her family here in this country.

"Sixty years after that moment, her great-granddaughters, my girls, they played in the street outside our home."

They "had fun like so many other families do on Diwali - except, the street that they were playing in was Downing Street".

In reference to the racial slur a Reform UK campaigner had used about him, he said that the "events of the last few days should not make us forget that the United Kingdom is the world's most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy, and we should all by uplifted by that".

In conclusion, the PM said: "Thank you for all your support. I can only hope that I can make you all proud every day."

Even by Reform's standards, the frequency and ferocity of attacks flying out from the party has stepped up today.

We've had complaints going into Ofcom, the Electoral Commission and Essex Police.

The BBC boycotted, Channel 4 reported, and a former campaigner cut adrift.

This tells you more about Nigel Farage's mindset than his decision to suspend three candidates over online posts.

So, five days from the election, will these seemingly rolling controversies shift many votes?

Much like the row over the Reform leader's comments on Russia and Putin, that probably depends on how fully signed up you are to the party’s agenda.

For the diehards, talk of an establishment stitch-up will find sympathetic and supportive ears.

But wavering Tories dabbling with Reform may be queasier about all this talk of racism and a big media conspiracy.

One final point.

A fortnight ago, Nigel Farage demanded to be treated as one of the big players in this election, citing a poll putting him ahead of the Tories.

But with more coverage comes more scrutiny.

You can construct a fair argument that that's exactly what Reform has been exposed to in the last week.

We've also had the results in from a poll carried out by Opinium for The Observer. 

Similarly to the Savanta poll we mentioned in our previous post, it found Labour was still in the lead and the Conservatives remain unchanged. 

However, it found support for Labour hadn't dipped and was still the same at 40%. 

Reform UK were up one point to 17%, the Greens fell three points to 6% and the Lib Dems and SNP remained unchanged. 

 Labour has fallen four points to 38% - the party's lowest share since Rishi Sunak became prime minister - in a Savanta poll for the Sunday Telegraph. 

But, it still holds a 17 point lead over the Conservatives, who were unchanged on 21%, indicating a landslide majority for Sir Keir Starmer. 

"This is our lowest Labour vote share since Rishi Sunak became prime minister, and the Conservatives for their part do appear to have slowed or stopped their downward spiral," said Savanta's political research director Chris Hopkins. 

"However, that's where the good news ends for the prime minister, as if this vote share was replicated on polling day, Labour would still likely have a majority of over 200." 

Here's how some of the other parties did in the poll: 

• Reform UK unchanged on 14%
• Liberal Democrats up one point on 11%
• Green Party up one point on 6% 
• SNP down one point on 2%
• Others up one on 7%

Mr Hopkins said the increase in vote share for the Greens and independent candidates is "notable".

"Not because it will have an impact on this election in any significant way, but could point towards trouble for the Labour Party in government and over the coming years," he added. 

Some 2,092 UK adults were polled from 26-28 June. The comparison is with an earlier poll conducted from 21-24 June. 

Thank you for watching tonight's edition of Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue .

We heard from:

• Mark Spencer , Conservative candidate and farming minister;
• Sir Anthony Seldon , educator and contemporary historian.

And on the panel were:

• Max Wilson , former Labour political adviser;
• Claire Pearsall , former Tory adviser.

Scroll down for all the key moments and highlights - and stick with us here in the digital Politics Hub for the latest political news throughout the evening.

Sir Anthony Seldon is our next guest on Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue .

He has penned a new book entitled '2010-2024: 14 wasted years?', and we ask for his reflections on the Tory years in power.

He says there were some good things, such as in education where standards rose, "aspects of pensions, aspects of science, aspects of the arts, Universal Credit".

But he goes on: "Overall, growth and productivity has been stagnant since the global financial crisis of 2007-8, and if we look at health, if we look at transport, if we look at housing, if we look at the state of defence, if we look at Britain's position in the world - we don't see the different historians and academics who wrote the book... there isn't the kind of significant change in the standard of all those various areas and other that we have tended to see in long periods of Tory government in the past."

He says there have been "some progressive, important, and incremental changes, but overall a disappointing performance, frankly".

"It's hard to think of any period of single-party domination by the Conservative Party that has achieved less than the party's achieved since 2010."

Infighting has been partly to blame, and it is also a party that is "unsure what it believes in" and is "confused", Sir Anthony says.

He also says "the flip flop" of policies and ideological direction has been a problem.

"There were so many opportunities that the Conservative government could have had for consistent and thoughtful policymaking, and it simply hasn't happened."

Despite the "stability" brought by Rishi Sunak and Lord Cameron, Labour is on track for "a very significant victory" on Thursday.

He notes that no party since 1832 have ever won five general elections in a row, and adds: "It is going to be a colossal Labour victory, akin to 1945."

Celebrities endorsing political parties is not a new phenomenon, but Sir Elton John publicly backing Labour today has got people thinking - do they actually help things shift? 

Max Wilson, former Labour political adviser, tells the Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue that endorsements from the famous are a "good thing".

But, he says that they are unlikely to "shift the dial" or increase the number of votes. 

"It is a nice thing to have, but I don't think it is a prerequisite to winning," he adds. 

Former Tory adviser Claire Pearsall feels the idea has "really gone out of fashion". 

"It has sort of slid away over the years... I would be more impressed if it was sort of Margaret from Burnley telling us exactly why she's voting for whichever party," she adds. 

"We're now in the realms of understanding that real people want to see people like them." 

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Motivation for Travel | Theory: Plog, Maslow, Hudman, Krippendorf, Nickerson, General Theory

• Post last modified: 13 January 2023
• Reading time: 33 mins read
• Post category: Tourism

What is Motivation for Travel?

Travelers are motivated to satisfy a need, and they have a perception of what will satisfy their needs. At the same time, travelers have a perception of the attractions of the destination and whether the attractions satisfy their needs. If both sides are agreed, travelers are motivated to visit that destination.

Table of Content

• 1 What is Motivation for Travel?
• 2 Travel Motivations
• 3.1 Economic Capacity
• 3.2 Spare Time
• 3.3 Psychological Factors
• 3.4 Group, Family and Social Atmosphere
• 3.5 Relaxation and Health
• 3.6 Exploration and Risk-Taking
• 3.7 Spirit and the Appreciation of Beauty
• 3.8 Social Interaction
• 3.9 Business Affairs and Official Matters
• 3.10 Family Responsibilities
• 4 Plog Theory
• 5.1 Psychological Needs
• 5.2 Safety Needs
• 5.3 Personal Interaction Needs
• 5.4 Esteem Needs
• 5.5 Self Actualization Needs
• 6.3 Pleasure
• 6.4 Religious and Spiritual Appreciation
• 6.5 Professional and Business
• 6.6 Friends and Relatives
• 6.7 Roots Syndrome
• 7.1 Recuperation and Regeneration
• 7.2 Compensation and Social Integration
• 7.4 Communication
• 7.5 Broadening of the Mind
• 7.6 Freedom and Self-Determination
• 7.7 Self Realization
• 7.8 Happiness
• 8.1 Physiological Needs
• 8.2 Safety Needs
• 8.3 Personal Interaction Needs
• 8.4 Esteem Needs
• 8.5 Self Actualization Needs
• 9.1 Travel Personality
• 9.2 General Personality

The Definition of “Motivation” A motivation is a wish that prompts people to take action, work hard to achieve a goal, and satisfy a certain kind of need. For example, when a person is hungry and there is a need to appease his or her hunger, a motivation to search for food is formed.

Therefore, people’s activities of all kinds are driven by their motivations, and they govern people’s actions.

Travel Motivations

• Why do we go travelling?
• Why do we choose to travel to a certain place?
• Why do we participate in a certain travel activity?

These are essentially questions about tourists’ travel motivations. Travel motivations directly spur people’s travel activities.

A travel motivation is the psychological need of a person to participate in travel activities, and this kind of need will directly promote travel motivation; if you have motivation, a travel action will result.

However, in real life, the process from the formation of a travel motivation to the occurrence of an actual journey, action is a complex one.

During this process, when people have a need to travel, they must also have corresponding individual factors and external environmental conditions, such as physical fitness, financial status, weather and transport, etc Factors that Influence Individual Travel Motivations

10 Motivation for Travel

These are the motivation for travel which discussed below:

Economic Capacity

Psychological factors, group, family and social atmosphere, relaxation and health, exploration and risk-taking, spirit and the appreciation of beauty, social interaction, business affairs and official matters, family responsibilities.

Economic capacity is the basis on which all needs are formed. Because travel is a kind of consumer behavior, the ability to pay the various types of charges involved is of course necessary. When a person’s economic income can only support his or her basic living needs, he or she will not form a motivation to go traveling.

As an economy develops, in countries and regions where citizens’ income increases, the tourism industry becomes more developed, and the number of people who go traveling climbs, or drops when the opposite applies.

Spare time refers to the time that people can freely allocate to taking part in pastimes and entertainment or anything else they enjoy participating in after their daily work, study, living, and other compulsory time commitments.

Therefore, spare time is an important condition for the realization of travel activities. In developed countries, labor protection laws are relatively strong and workers have statutory holidays, both of which ensure that people can form travel motivations.

Travel motivations are a form of individual psychological activity and are inevitably influenced by various aspects such as individual interests, hobbies, profession, attitude to life, understanding of the surrounding environment, level of education, and family.

Social Factors that Influence Travel Motivations. It is only when the economy of a country or region is developed that it will have enough resources to improve and construct travel facilities, develop tourist attractions and promote transport development.

Road transport facilities, accommodation, catering, and service standards at a destination are important factors in the tourists’ choice of destination, and also affect their formation of travel motivations to a large degree, especially for tourists with relatively high hospitality expectations.

Group or social pressure can also influence people’s travel motivations. For example, travel activities organized by enterprises, or travel awards, etc. encourage people to form their own travel motivations involuntarily, and travel activities subsequently take place.

Social surroundings can also influence people’s travel motivations. Colleagues, friends, and relatives travel behavior and travel experiences can always influence others, or lead to the formation of comparative psychology, making people form identical travel motivations, and leading to the formation of a kind of imitative travel behavior.

People who have stressful or monotonous daily lives or work participate in travel activities such as relaxing travel and recuperation holidays in order to relax and loosen up, as well as keeping healthy and finding entertainment.

For example, natural scenery, historical monuments, parks, the seaside, hot springs recuperation areas, etc., are all tourist choices for this type of travel motivation.

Travelers who are curious, knowledgeable, and adventurous, such as the Himalayas climbing parties and North Pole explorers.

For travelers with this kind of motivation, their travel activities are mainly directed at distinctive, beautiful things and phenomena in the natural world, as well as to visiting museums, exhibition halls, and famous tourist attractions, and participating in various types of theme-based travel activities, etc.

People all go traveling to meet friends and relatives, to find their roots and search for their ancestors, and to get to know new friends, etc.

Travelers in this category require that the personal relationships they maintain in the course of their travels be friendly, cordial, and warm-hearted, and want to care for Religious Faith People who have a religious faith go traveling to participate in religious activities and take part in religious studies, and those who travel driven by religious faith motivations do so mainly to satisfy their own spiritual needs. Religious travel is divided into two categories: pilgrimages, and missionary work.

People go traveling for various types of business and official activities, such as special trips to buy goods or diversions to a certain place to go traveling; business trips to a certain place to take part in academic observation, communicate, etc.

Travel activities participated in by groups, government delegations, and business associations, etc., that go to a certain place for discussions, etc.

Because they are busy at work, people will normally neglect to take care of and look after their family members and friends. For these people, they go traveling to satisfy a responsibility or obligation to their parents, wife or children, or to relax and have fun with friends.

Therefore, every summer, the number of family-based tour groups will increase greatly.

Plog Theory

Based on Plog’s theory, travel motivations are related to a very narrow spectrum of psychographic types:

• Educational and cultural motives to learn and to increase the ability for appreciation, scientific research; trips with expert leaders or lecturers.
• Study of genealogy such as visits to their ancestor’s homeland to trace their root.
• Search for the exotic, such as the North Pole and the South Pole, the Amazon, etc.
• Satisfaction and sense of power and freedom such as anonymity, flying, control, sea travel, fast trains.
• Gambling – Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Monte Carlo, Bahamas, Puerto Rico.
• Development of new friendships in foreign places.
• Sharpening perspectives such as to awaken one’s senses, heighten awareness.
• Political campaigns, supporting candidates, government hearings.
• Vacation or second homes and condominiums Near-Allocentric Motivations.
• Religious pilgrimages or inspiration.
• Participation in sports events and sports activities.
• Travel as a challenge, sometimes a test of endurance such as exploring mountain climbing, hiking, diving.
• Business travel, conference, meeting and conventions.
• Theatre tours, special entertainment.
• A chance to try a new lifestyle Midcentric Motivations.
• Relaxation and pleasure travel just for plain fun and enjoyment.
• Satisfying personal contacts with friends and relatives.
• For health reasons such as to change the climate, sunshine, spas, medical treatment.
• The need for a change for a period of time.
• An opportunity to escape from life’s problems.
• The real or imagined glamour of the destination.
• Appreciation of beauty such as national and state parks, forests, lakes, wilderness areas, canoe trips, ocean shores.
• Sensual indulgence such as food, comforts, luxuries for the body, romance, sexual.
• Enjoyment, rest, relaxation.
• Shopping such as souvenirs, gifts, expensive possessions like cameras, jewels, furs, cars, antiques, art.
• Joys of transportation – cruise ships, gourmet meals, buffets, comfortable trains, buses, airplanes, autos.
• Pleasure of pre- and post-travel includes planning the trip, anticipation, learning, dreaming. family or personal matters.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow (1971) distinguished five different levels of psychological needs ranging from physiological needs to self-actualization. According to his theory, the satisfaction of people’s basic needs is a prerequisite for the satisfaction of the higher needs.

Maslow argues that all behavior is motivated by psychological needs, for behavior serves to fulfill those needs physiological needs:

Psychological Needs

Safety needs, personal interaction needs, esteem needs, self actualization needs.

These are needs required by humans to sustain their existence and prolong their lives and are the minimum basic needs, including needs relating to food, water, oxygen, sleep, a place to live and warmth, as well as clothing, food, shelter, mobility, sex, and other psychological functions.

If these needs cannot be fulfilled, human existence becomes a problem.

These are needs that represent human desires to protect their own bodies and minds from injury and to guarantee safety and stability. For example, needs relating to health, a safe and orderly environment, a stable career, and the avoidance of unforeseen accidents.

When a person’s physiological needs have been fulfilled, he or she will want to fulfill such safety needs.

Personal interaction needs include the need for love and a sense of belonging. The need for love refers to the fact that people all hope to achieve harmonious relationships with friends and colleagues or to maintain friendships; everyone wants to love others and be loved.

In addition, the need for a sense of belonging refers to the fact that people all want to have a sense of belonging, and want to gain the acceptance of a certain group and to be included and valued by it, as well as for its members to care for and look after each other.

These are human desires to gain other people’s respect, a satisfactory status, due human rights, reputation, and prestige, and to realize a certain social position.

These are human desires for the need to give full play to one’s own potential and to realize one’s own ideas and aspirations, including the seeking of knowledge, the appreciation of beauty, creativity, achievements, etc.

Maslow considered self-realization to be mankind’s highest level of needs, which signify a full, enthusiastic, wholehearted experience of life.

Hudman’s Motivators of Travel

These are some hudman’s motivators of travel theories :

Religious and Spiritual Appreciation

Professional and business, friends and relatives, roots syndrome.

People travel for improving their health. They would go for leisure and medical treatment to relax and entertain themselves. Natural landscapes, historical sites, coastline, spas, and resorts are the destinations of these travelers.

Curiosity People travel because of curiosity, inquisitiveness, and adventure. Politics, culture, public figures, physical features, and disaster would attract these travelers.

People travel for sports to release their pressure and fantasize about being an athlete. Being a spectator could experience the atmosphere of the competition, and have social contributions such as connecting with other audiences and meet new friends.

Vocation relates to pleasure because it could give routine life a break. People would try new things and participate in activities that would make them feel happy, such as visiting art museums, watching operas and gambling, etc.

People travel for spiritual needs. They visit religious headquarters usually because of religious reasons. In this way, they could have a stronger belief in their religion. On the other hand, many travelers gain satisfaction by the appreciation of natural landscapes, art performances, and visiting museums and historical sites.

People travel for business such as scientific expeditions, business meetings, conventions and education.

People travel because they want to visit their friends and relatives; it shows their care of family and friends.

People travel to trace the root of their family or the culture of their homeland. Pedigree research and hometown exploration are the common activities of these travelers.

Many people travel for gaining respect from others and a satisfying social status because one with plenty of travel experience and knowledge of different countries is usually admired by others.

Krippendorff Reasons for Travel

Research on reasons for travel uncovers an endless list of travel motivations. Apparently, people want to ‘switch off, relax’. They want to ‘get away from everyday life, ‘recover strength’ and ‘experience nature’ ( Krippendorff, 1997 ). Krippendorff (1997) distinguishes eight reasons for travel:

Recuperation and Regeneration

Compensation and social integration, communication, broadening of the mind, freedom and self-determination, self realization.

People get tired during working weeks, and use vacations to replenish their ‘bodily and mental strength’.

Tourism compensates for everyday social failure by presenting another world next to everyday dreariness.

Everyday life contains more and more aspects of stress; people want to escape from this.

Traveling abroad gives people a chance to gain human warmth, to establish contact with other people.

People want to satisfy their interests in other cultures and nature.

Tourists are in a position to largely make up their own rules; they are free from any obligations.

An unfamiliar and strange environment offers a great chance for investigating and enhancing the Self.

Vacations are highly associated with joy and pleasure, so happiness becomes a reason for embarking on a holiday trip.

Travel is a complex social action, and tourists use to travel to satisfy their own various needs. At the same time, under the influence of external environmental conditions, motivations always change as the environment changes.

Therefore, the same tourist’s motivations for going on different trips will differ from each other. At the same time, a lot of travel motivations do not just involve one motivation but may include various kinds of motivations.

Nickerson’s Travel Motivations

Furthermore, following the above reasons for travel, tourism seems to serve psychological needs. Nickerson (1996) argues that deep psychological needs are the basic motivators for tourism. She uses Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”, a theory about psychological needs and motivation to describe people’s motivation to travel.

Nickerson applied the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to describe travel motivations as below:

Physiological Needs

This can explain why people go to the seaside or a mountain retreat to avoid the heat; these are all actions required to be performed by certain physiological conditions inside the human body.

To travelers, safety needs are expressed in terms of the safety of people’s life, property, and psychology. They hope that in the course of a journey, no vehicle or boat accidents occur, they don’t get sick, they’re not robbed, they don’t have things stolen, and that they safely complete the entire journey, etc.

They also hope to achieve a psychological feeling of security. For example, they hope there is no political upheaval or war in the country they go to and that social order is sound there, etc.

Although the natural scenery and human cultural landscape of some countries are extremely rich, tourists would lose the motivation to travel there if the country has been involved in a long period of upheaval or war.

Therefore, the need for safety is one of the most important factors that influence people’s travel behavior.

Tourists’ personal interaction needs have diverse characteristics. People who go traveling all want to be able to travel together with close friends, get to make new friends in the course of their journey, understand different cultures and customs through interaction with local people, or enhance their friendships by visiting friends and family.

Therefore, travel is one of the most effective activities for people to make new friends, meet up with old friends around the world, and promote contact between people.

A person who has experience of frequent travel and knows a lot about different countries and regions is often admired and respected by others, which helps to fulfill the need to be respected as an individual.

Travel can involve a search for stimulation, challenging oneself, and acquiring knowledge about new things, and this kind of travel involves expressing one’s own self-value to fulfill self-actualization needs. For example: climbing Mount Everest.

The Push-and Pull Theory In 1977, Dann, a U.S. academic, put forward the push-pull theory of travel motivations. He considered that travel behavior was influenced by both push factors and pull factors. People travel because they are “pushed” into making travel decisions by internal, psychological forces, and “pulled” by the external forces of the destination attributes.

Travel Personality and General Personality Theories

Travel personality, general personality.

As stated before, motivation, opportunity, and ability are not the only determinants of tourist behavior. Personality influences traveling behavior too. For example, people who want to climb Mount Everest, in general, have certain personality traits in common.

Most of those people will have a tendency to sensation seeking, for climbing mountains is performing risky behavior.

The personality dimensions used are commonly used in personality psychology. Therefore it seems relevant to explore a few basic aspects of these theories. Four personality dimensions are used to describe tourists in order to indicate motivations for different types of travel:

• Activation: A guest’s level of excitement, alertness or energy.
• Variety: The need for change or novelty.
• Extraversion or introversion: The extent to which a person is outgoing and uninhibited in interpersonal situations.
• External or internal locus of control: The way people perceive whether or not they themselves are in charge of the happenings in their lives.

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Creating Your Travel and Tourism Marketing Strategy and Plan

Planning is the most critical thing that we can do for our organizations if we want to continue to grow and be successful. Our process for travel and tourism marketing strategy planning has 7 steps: Research & Discovery, Situational Analysis, Goals & Objectives, Audience & Strategy, Tactical Plan, Measurement and Action Plan.

1. Research & Discovery

“Research is creating new knowledge.” – Neil Armstrong

Review research from your own organization (if it is available), local, regional and state tourism offices, and relevant industry associations. Here are links to research organizations we reference regularly:

• Destination Analysts
• Family Travel Association
• Longwoods International
• MMGY Global
• NYS Tourism Economics Reports
• U.S. Travel Association

When you approach research, collect everything you find into a folder and then as you comb through it, look for common themes or high-level findings that relate to the goals you are trying to achieve with your marketing plans. Approach this as a learning experience and see what floats to the top.

2. Situational Analysis

In order to plan for the future, you need to recognize where you are today. Take a step back from thinking about next year and focus on the insights you already know.

What are the key attributes of your brand? What types of visitors do you attract? Who is your competition? What is the brand experience of your destination? What trends are you seeing in the travel and tourism industry? Use your data and research as much you can as you explore the answers to these questions.

When summarizing your findings and writing your situational analysis, answer these questions: What is the one truth that can elevate my brand? What makes our brand relevant and differentiating?

Case Study: This campaign used the PESO model to develop a holistic approach to marketing, driving visitation, and hotel occupancy within a destination .

3. Setting Goals & Objectives

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” – Tony Robbins

Start your travel and tourism marketing strategy plan by answering this question: What are the top 3-5 goals that you want to accomplish in the new year? Try using the SMART goal format – make your goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based.

• S : Increasing visitation from 400,000 to 450,000 annually is an example of a specific goal.
• M : Goals should be measurable – increasing brand awareness is not measurable. Adding a qualifier such as increasing intent to visit of our target audience by 25% , can be measured before and after a campaign.
• A : They should be attainable ; having a lofty stretch goal is good and motivating but in your one-year plan focus on what is practical and attainable. Be sure to consider the additional resources you have available to positively impact your goal.
• R : Your goal needs to be relevant – make sure your goals relate to current industry trends and what is happening economically.
• T : Finally, goals should be time-based – they need a timeline associated with them.

4. Target Audience & Strategy

It is important to know who your audience is when formulating your plans. You may have several audiences or target markets and understanding each one is a must for creating a successful tourism marketing plan. The more specific you are with understanding your audience, the easier it will be to craft your tactical plans and key messages to reach your target.

I explored this topic in-depth with Susan Baier on episode 96 of my podcast, Destination on the Left. In that episode, Susan talked about getting beyond the who, what and where of your audience and getting into the why. She sees the “why” as the most important piece of understanding your customer. It provides the insight needed to tailor communications to speak to them. Take time to think about the audiences you want to reach without thinking about their demographics. Think instead about what they are looking for and what they might find appealing about your brand and why.

Write down your target audiences and then ask yourself, are these targets too general? If you take away the demographics, how would you describe these audiences? Do any ideas come to mind on how you might reach each of them differently?

“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well, the product or service fits them and sells itself.” – Peter Drucker

We teamed up with Susan Baier and her team, Audience Audit, to research and statistically find out what makes collaborations successful and how important they will be in helping the recovery of tourism. Download a free copy of our Executive Summary to find out the results.

Key Messages

It is important to remember that one message does not fit all. For each audience think about what is most relevant to them. What messages will pique their interest or motivate them to interact with your brand? Does the targeted audience care about what you have to say? Will they be better off for having the knowledge that you are sharing? How will this knowledge help meet your marketing objectives?

In the simplest way, put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Think through how they might perceive your message. You want to make sure there is something in it for them.

Next, consider if your message is timely. Consider where your target customer is in the buying journey and what they need to know at that time. For a travel destination, if the buyer is in the dreaming phase, they are most interested in inspirational messages that appeal to their emotions . If they are in the planning phase, they need more specific information like where to stay, eat and things to do. You can craft the best message for the audience but if it is delivered at the wrong time, it will fall on deaf ears.  Thinking through the timing and hitting the timing right makes the difference between marketing success and failure.

Write down key messages for each of your target audiences. To help get you started, think about where they are in the buyer’s journey . Is there a problem you can help them solve? Are there questions you can help answer?

“Effective, stand-out content is both business-centric and customer-aware.” – Nick Westergaard, author, Brand Now

5. Tactical Plan

A tactical plan is your actionable marketing plan. These are the tasks; the detailed action plan that includes timing and details of all major steps.  Tactics could include collateral, digital marketing, social media , websites, public relations, and trade shows. They can also include conferences, email marketing, word of mouth, direct sales, and lead generation. These are all the things that you will do in order to accomplish your objectives. This section includes a tactical implementation strategy, timeline and budget.

Start your tactical plan as a bulleted list of tactics that will support each marketing objective and reach the identified target audience. Next identify the resources needed to execute each tactic (time and money). With your bulleted list, you can dive deeper into each tactic by expanding on how you will effectively execute on it. This could be a full-blown PR plan with its own set of objectives, strategies, tactics and timelines. It could be a social media calendar identifying key messages, posting times and channels, or it could be a content marketing plan detailing out how you will produce and distribute content across multiple channels. The important thing to focus on in this section is identifying the tactics that will get you to those goals and then following through with a detailed plan of how you will implement each tactic.

This section needs to include your marketing budget with a detailed budget for each tactic. Be realistic with the amount of tactics and your timeline. A solid travel and tourism marketing strategy plan is one that clearly identifies the objectives, strategies and tactics and includes the resources to get it done!

6. Measurement

After building your tactical plan, include how you will measure the effectiveness of the tactic. By pulling together key numbers monthly, our team and and clients have the ability to accurately inform stakeholders on current statistics, identify trends, provide a benchmark for success & growth as well as inform campaign adjustments and course-corrections as needed.

Examples of metrics that you might use include:

• Impressions
• Website traffic
• Followers and follower growth rate
• Email opens and click rates
• Social media reactions, comments and shares
• Media placements
• Actions taken such as sales conversions, downloads and newsletter sign-ups.

7. Action Plan

Plan out the full year, month by month, detailing which tactics will take place when. Some tactics might be ongoing and happen every month such as social media or email marketing. Other tactics might occur only during certain times of year based on the seasonality of your brand or timing of a trade show. The more detail you can put into your timeline the more likely you will be to stay on track with your plan.

Remember this is a living and breathing document, it’s not written in stone and it can easily be changed and adapted as you move through the year. Just having the plan is a huge step in helping you to achieve your goals in the new year.

“Plans are nothing. Planning is everything.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

Want more guidance on creating your own travel and tourism marketing strategy? Download our 7 Step Strategic Planning Guide in the sidebar, or access it from our resource library .

Nicole Mahoney

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Collaboration Toolkit

Our first research study confirmed that collaboration is a constant in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. It is not a matter of if, but when and how, organizations will collaborate together. Our latest study reveals how organizations are putting collaboration into operation and how they are setting up systems and processes so that collaboration becomes a strategic part of the organization.

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WestJet acknowledges the Minister of Labour’s direction for final binding first contract arbitration with AMFA

WestJet today, received confirmation that the Minister of Labour has directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to assist WestJet and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) in reaching a first collective agreement. The CIRB confirmed receipt and has taken actions to start the process.

WestJet and AMFA will enter final binding arbitration to resolve the outstanding terms of the collective agreement. The airline acknowledges the Minister’s direction to secure industrial peace, and AMFA has confirmed they will abide by the direction. Given this, a strike or lockout will not occur, and the airline will no longer proceed in cancelling flights.

“With the government’s actions, the summer travel plans of Canadians have been protected and we have a path to resolution,” said Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airlines and Group Chief Operating Officer. “We recognize the significant impact the initial cancellations continue to have on our guests and our people, and we sincerely appreciate their patience and understanding as we resume operations.” 

WestJet is ramping up its operations as quickly and efficiently as possible, while ensuring the highest degree of safety. Guests are encouraged to continue checking the status of their flights before departing for the airport.

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Jamaica Plain Centre / South Corridor Action Plan

We're advancing efforts to improve safety, connectivity, and placemaking on the Centre/South corridor in Jamaica Plain. We're focusing on the stretch between the Hyde Square roundabout and Forest Hills Station.

The City of Boston's Transportation Department (BTD) is leading this corridor action plan. Over the next year, we will work with the community to identify opportunities to:

• Improve safety for all who walk, bike, take transit, and drive on Centre and South Streets
• Intentionally balance the needs of all uses and users , mostly using the existing width of the street between curbs
• Enhance the public realm , providing opportunities to safely visit and linger on the corridor

During summer 2024, we're hard at work issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a consultant to help us with planning, design, and engagement. Beginning in the fall, we'll begin reaching out to the community for feedback. We'll use this feedback to create potential options for the way the street could be redesigned to better serve all its uses and users.

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PROJECT GOALS

Ensure safe travel every time

In 2015, Boston committed to Vision Zero , aiming to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries on City Streets. Centre Street is on the City's " High Crash Network " for people biking. This project will increase safety for all users, first and foremost.

Balance the needs of all users

We ask a lot of the Centre/South corridor. For example, riders of the 39 bus, a key bus route with the fourth most riders in the MBTA system, experience frequent delays due to traffic congestion. This project will use planning, design, and engineering to balance the needs of all who rely on the corridor.

Support the community through place-centered design

Centre and South Streets form the beating heart of one of the most vibrant commercial districts in the City. This project will use transportation planning to support placemaking and community development.

We know we've worked with the community on this street before. The 2011 Centre and South Sreets Jamaica Plain Streetscape and Transportation Action Plan was a comprehensive look at the corridor. Now, we're ready to update our past efforts.

• Hire a consultant : The City is working hard to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP). By the end of Summer 2024 , we'll have a consultant onboard to help us with planning, design, and engagement.
• Initial community engagement : We'll begin reaching out to the community for feedback in Fall 2024 . We'll ask about our project design principles. We'll ask you about how you use Centre and South Streets. We'll make sure we haven't missed anything in our understanding of existing conditions.
• Street redesign vision : Our team will provide many ways to get involed in this process to redesign the Centre and South Streets corridor. We expect many different designs may be evaluated for the street, and we'll ask for your help in balancing tradeoffs in design.  The process of developing a vision and design concept will begin in Winter 2024/25 and continue through Spring 2025.

GET INVOLVED

We're interested in hearing from you! As soon as we have more information on all the different ways you can get involved, we'll update this section.