As the busy summer travel season ends and fall blows in, the hustle and bustle for those of us in tourism marketing slows down, right? Well, maybe not. What once was known as “shoulder season” might not even exist anymore, according to some industry experts, as travelers seem to be spreading out their trips all over the calendar.
Let’s take a look at what’s changed and how we can respond in kind to help our destination clients continue to attract visitors no matter the season.
A Changing Travel Calendar
Shoulder season is the term travelers have used in recent years to describe the months that are directly adjacent to the busy season. In the U.S., summer is the busy season, spring and fall are the shoulder seasons, and winter is just plain off-season (unless your destination is a ski resort). Travel experts used to say shoulder season was the ideal time to book for lower rates and smaller crowds, without having to worry about winter weather or attractions being closed.
This approach still works in some destinations, but things have definitely changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Advance Travel & Tourism, lots of different factors have increased year-round visits, including:
- More flexibility for hybrid and remote workers.
- More people working remotely while traveling.
- A decrease in seasonal price differences as travel companies use new predictive management tools to maximize their profits year-round.
- More traveling baby boomers as they retire.
- Hotter summers in many areas that spur visitors to choose cooler seasons instead.
There’s also been some speculation that pent-up wanderlust changed patterns after the pandemic. For example, many national parks showed way more visitors in October than in pre-pandemic years. Yellowstone National Park hosted 299,127 visits in October 2023, a 26% increase from 2022 and a 75% increase from 2019.
The New York Times also weighed in on these changes last year, reporting that “70 percent of fall travelers are adults without children,” although some parents do seem to be more willing to pull their kids out of school for travel, anecdotal evidence suggests.
How Can Marketers Respond?
Traveler routines are definitely changing, so it’s time for destination marketers to shift their messaging, too. Of course, as you plan a messaging calendar for your destination, be thoughtful about what your hotels and attractions are actually seeing locally and tailor these tips to your market. Here are some of our top recommendations:
- Continue to promote smaller crowds and lower hotel rates if true. Despite the changing landscape, these classic off-season marketing lines still hit, especially for winter. The times you share these messages may need to move from shoulder season to off-season, for instance, but there are lots of moments where this message still makes sense.
- Adjust your messaging for your audience. More non-family travelers are hitting the road outside of peak season, so adjust your messaging in kind. Change the photos in your ads and other content to families for the summer, but feature more young couples with no kids or baby boomers in other seasons. Try a campaign that highlights working from the hotel, a blog post all about the best happy hours in your town or a Facebook ad set targeted at seniors.
- Lean into cool weather and local events. In the past, we all thought of warm summers and a happening, busy scene as boons for attracting travelers. These days, though, folks are more open to other times of the year, so let’s use the things that happen at those times as opportunities. Small local festivals draw tourists looking for quaint or authentic small-town vibes. Try crafting itineraries that highlight feeling cozy and bundling up in the fall, having s’mores by your hotel fireplace in the winter or hunting for wildflowers in the spring.
- For travelers looking for a deal, push mid-week instead of off-season. As seasonal hotel rate differences shrink, try a mid-week approach instead to attract bargain hunters. Mid-week rates do remain low in most destinations, and your hotel partners will appreciate the marketing help. At Verdin, for instance, our client Visit the Santa Ynez Valley saw strong numbers for their recent campaign that offered a $100 gift card for local wine tasting if you booked mid-week at qualifying hotels.
How has your marketing agency adjusted its seasonal approach since the pandemic? We’d love to hear your feedback. To comment or for more information, reach out to [email protected].