According to statista.com, while the size of the global travel agency services market in 2023 has grown significantly compared to the previous year, it is still below the values reported before the coronavirus pandemic. In 2023, the global revenues of this market were approximately USD 289 billion. In 2024, this value is expected to reach an estimated USD 295.7 billion.
Booking Holdings tops the ranking
Booking Holdings was the most successful company globally in 2023. Its brands include Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda and Kayak. Its gross travel sales were approximately USD 150.6 billion. It was followed by Expedia Group operating brands such as Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo and Trivago with gross sales of approximately USD 104.1 billion.
Obviously, rich agencies have better financial possibilities and can therefore afford luxury TV advertising. But sometimes, wonders can be done even with a smaller budget, especially when a creative has a great idea to translate into an advert. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting travel agency ads.
Expedia goes beyond the mundane
Expedia, the world’s leading online travel agency, did not just focus on showcasing scenic destinations in its “Travel Yourself Interesting - Magician” advertising campaign, which was developed by Ogilvy & Mather London. With a good dose of humour and an even bigger portion of humanity, the 2014 campaign aims straight at the audience’s heart, encouraging viewers to break out of the mundane and embark on their own adventures.
Video: Expedia – Travel Yourself Interesting
However, the motto “Travel Yourself Interesting” has been successfully used by Expedia for a long time, and the magician from the above ad is not the only “artist” who is not paid attention to because of Expedia’s offer. For example, the equestrian performing dressage is also visibly suffering from the feeling of being underappreciated.
Expedia does not rely on a single tactic and approaches its campaigns from different angles. In 2022, for example, it launched the “Arrows” campaign, which it worked on with Anomaly. The campaign highlights the travel giant’s ability to provide travellers with everything they need while offering a generous loyalty programme. At the heart of the creative is the idea that one journey leads to another through Expedia Rewards – whether through the visual mnemonic of an arrow in TV ads or by using multiple journeys in other media. The idea is to save now and earn for the next trip.
Video: Expedia Arrows
On the Beach agency brought together the incompatible
The TV ad of the booking agency On the Beach makes an interesting connection. While visually the ad, which launched in 2021, offers a classic summer holiday experience – beach scenes, ice cream and sunny skies – the musical backdrop is the classic Christmas tune “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. As well as being a catchy tune that stays in the viewer’s head even after the ad ends, it is an interesting way to communicate what makes the special season so special:
Video: On the Beach - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Airbnb: Don’t Go There. Live There.
Airbnb came up with this campaign at a time when the platform was struggling with a decline in brand awareness. It needed to reach a broader audience than just the millennials who initially embraced it with enthusiasm but whose interest gradually waned. However, the wider audience was used to the high quality and safety of traditional hotels and was more or less sceptical about Airbnb. Airbnb managed to reverse the negative trend with the “Don’t Go There. Live There.” campaign. In fact, this campaign has become the most successful in Airbnb’s history. In the ad, which launched in 2016, the Airbnb portal features a number of real Airbnb hosts and their stories of how they turned their homes into successful listings on the platform. The goal was to change the perception of Airbnb from a mere platform for short-term rentals to an opportunity to enjoy a destination “in the shoes of the locals”. The public received the campaign positively and created a strong emotional connection between Airbnb and its customers.
Video: Airbnb – Don’t Go There. Live There.
With Booking.com you can be whoever you want to be
Booking.com relies on a wide range of offers. It has so many great offerings that customers can’t make a choice... Actress Elisabeth Stamatina “Tina” Fey has her own solution and uses her body doubles. “Book whoever you want to be,” says Booking.com:
Video: Booking.com – Tina Fey
AirFastTickets on the wings of the absurd
We will end the show of travel agency campaigns in a humorous style. The advertising spot from 2013 is really amusing. In a quirky ad, a Greek travel agency urges travellers not to risk a bad experience and instead choose AirFastTickets, the largest and safest online travel agency that sells the cheapest flights, hotels, and vacation packages for every destination.
Video: AirFastTickets
For travel agencies, TV advertising is a powerful tool that can transport viewers from everyday life to the magical world of exotic destinations and unforgettable adventures. But if it is to stand out amongst the countless other spots, it needs to be more than just a showcase of beautiful beaches and luxury hotels – it needs to tell a story that awakens viewers’ desire to travel and experience something extraordinary. The key to success is advertising that can offer the viewer not just a dream but a specific way to make it happen.
