COVID has brought a lot of changes into people’s lives, and things such as travel and tourism, which were considered a necessary indulgence, have taken a strong hit. People are no longer motivated enough to travel to far-flung places because of the fear of the Coronavirus. Such a situation demands that the tourism industry adopt promotional practices that would keep the interest alive and bring tourism back on track to pre-COVD levels.

Travel video marketing is one such option that offers a lot of scopes to travel operators to entice an audience. This write up seeks to look at how travel-video-marketing can play a vital role in accentuating the appeal towards travel and encourage people to become tourists even in the ‘new normal’ with all the necessary precautions. Let’s look at how video marketing is getting incorporated into the tourism industry one-by-one:

Relevant Messaging:
More and more tour operators are disseminating messages that are more relevant to the present time, such as “dream now, visit later” or “we are in this together” This kind of messaging helps prime tourist destinations to remain on top of the mind of the viewer. The messages are also including glimpses into how local businesses and communities are coping with the difficult times. This makes the viewer empathize with the local people and improve the chances of content getting shared online.

Use of 360-degree Videos:
Companies are trying to incorporate the latest in video technology to get the attention of potential customers. There is evidence to support the fact that tourist companies are using technology such as 360-degree videos, giving the audience a comprehensive look at exotic destinations to generate increased interest. The videos are not only providing video shots but are also including the history and facts associated with a specific site or location, which gives the video an added punch in getting the message across. Click here to know more.

The advent of Virtual Reality:
Technology today is making it possible for viewers to embark on virtual tours of exotic locations through the use of virtual reality-based devices. It is a subset of video marketing, wherein the audience can indulge in an immersive experience of being in the actual location without being there. Such experiences only add to the curiosities and interests of the viewers. The use of such technology will help companies to enhance audience interest towards certain locations and tourist sites. 

Participation in Online Communities:
Tour operators are beginning to understand the importance of online communities and are notably becoming members with active participation. Such gestures allow a company to find a relevant audience online more quickly, and video messages disseminated among such audiences find more traction compared to simply posting a video on social media platforms. Targeting an audience in online communities with videos considerably improves the chances of finding relevant customers.

Increased Use of Video:
It is a known fact that video has overtaken all other forms of content formats in recent times. This has made tourism-related companies to adopt a strategy that prioritizes video above all else. Presently, it is being increasingly seen that putting out video-based content has more chances of getting consumed by the audience. This paved the way for enhanced utilization of video marketing as video allows companies to communicate effectively through storytelling and paves the way towards visually-driven decision making.

Present Situation:
The current situation brought about by the pandemic has compelled a lot of people to stay indoors, and some have even opted for remote work instead of attending office. People are stepping out only if the situation demands. This has increased the screen time among the general populace. Tourist companies have sensed the rising demand for video content and likewise have increased their video output to cater to the demand of the viewing audience. Until the situation subsides, tourist companies will continue with their video-based approach to remain relevant in the minds of the relevant audience and potential prospects.

Ability to sell an Emotional Experience:
Video marketing allows companies to engage an audience through visuals and sound. This makes the viewing experience more engaging, and at times, it is even able to elicit emotional responses from the audience. Such reactions are considered extremely good in terms of the possibility of turning the audience into motivated customers, who are likely to travel to places that they see on the video. In the present situation, when travel is extremely restricted, video as a medium is bound to play a crucial role in raising the level of awareness about prime tourist destinations and exotic locales. 

Improved Traffic to Website:
Business owners of tourist companies are always on the look-out for tactics to attract more traffic to their website. One of the ways of achieving this is by having videos on the website. Video content on websites can attract and retain an audience for a longer period of time on the website, also known as ‘dwell time.’ Increased dwell time is considered a factor by Google in deciding ranking on search. Better ranking can directly translate to better online visibility and consistent traffic to the website. 

Overall Impact of Video:
Research suggests that a 1-minute video is equivalent to 1.8 million written words. This can give you a fair idea of the kind of impact video can have on the viewing audience. A video can conclusively inform the audience about the brand and associated benefits in a crisp and concise manner that is seen as lacking in other content formats. Given the impact video has on the viewing audience, it is natural for video marketing to be adopted by tourism-related companies in a big way. Moreover, the pandemic situation has only accentuated the relevance of video in digital marketing initiatives. 

Conclusion
The current pandemic situation is unprecedented, and no one had anticipated such a drastic change in lifestyle in such a short period of time. But, it has made tourism-related companies adapt to the emerging situation and develop resilience. Even with the considerable drop in travel, companies are keeping the interest alive through video marketing. With time and with an effective solution in place for the Coronavirus, tourism will again thrive and prosper. Till then, companies must utilize online video editing websites like InVideo to come with content that engages, informs, and entertains the audience to turn them into avid travelers.