Opinion - The Secret To Sustainable Growth In Travel Marketing: Advocacy

In todays travel industry, brands pour money into the awareness, consideration and conversion stages of the customer journey. This sometimes flows into retention but advocacy? Im usually met with a blank stare. Most brands focus on gaining new bookings and satisfying customers but few realise that the real magic is in turning those satisfied customers into loyal advocates.

So why is it that so many travel brands ignore this golden opportunity?

Have a look at your marketing strategy. Does it include a robust advocacy plan? Or is it just a hopeful afterthought, assuming your past guests will spread the word on their own? Heres the truth: advocacy is often the most underutilised growth lever in the industry. According to Statista, 89 of consumers trust recommendations from people they know over any other form of advertising. Imagine leveraging this kind of trust in your marketing strategy. Yet most travel brands still treat advocacy like a side project.

Heres where most brands go wrong: they confuse satisfied customers with advocates. Sure, satisfied customers will book again and might leave a positive review but advocates? Theyre different. Advocates dont just buy from you again they actively promote your brand, creating a snowball effect of organic marketing. Theyre emotionally invested, part of your brand community and theyll bring in more customers than any paid ad could.

Heres a thought experiment: one advocate tells five people about a trip and inspires them to book. Those five book then also share their experiences and so on. Its exponential. Unlike influencer marketing, which requires constant investment, guest advocacy grows over time like compound interest for your marketing budget.