What impact does branding have on our holiday choices?
Summer holiday season is upon us. Lantern Design Director, Henry Brown, looks at five destination brands that have caught his attention whilst trying to assess whether branding really does play a role in influencing our travel choices.
Amid the airport chaos, rail strikes, traffic jams and cost of living crisis, many are taking their chances for an escape to paradise. For some people, this year marks their first holiday in over two years. And for some destinations, this summer season marks a return to some sort of pre-pandemic normality in terms of number of holidaymakers.
Whilst international travel was on hold, some destinations, both domestic and international, took the opportunity to redefine and reposition themselves in an attempt to attract a different audience. Others have doubled down on their offering, desperate to attract the same people back. Either way, from cities to nations, the battle for tourists is as competitive as ever and branding plays a huge part.
Despite all the disruption and risk surrounding travel during the ‘post-pandemic era’, the holiday industry appears to be recovering. Branding no doubt plays a huge part in this, with destinations deliberately inflicting wanderlust on us via TV, social media and online on a daily basis. Below I’ve gathered five of the best destination brands that have caught my attention over the past few months (whilst longing for a holiday!).
1. Visit Sweden
Visit Sweden consistently produces inspiring campaigns that champion the best of the country. Their recent campaigns have centred primarily around nature and the Swedish lifestyle – tempting travellers into their laid-back but adventurous attitude. The nation prides itself on its open spaces (right to roam), untouched nature (pristine forests and mountains) and creative cities (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo). Not interested in pretending to be something it’s not, Visit Sweden proudly claim that if you want a poolside holiday, look elsewhere.
Visit Sweden are conscious of the kind of traveller they want to attract. And they are trying their best to promote sustainable, responsible travel. Recent campaigns also highlight their ‘green accreditation’ scheme, Nature’s Best Sweden. As travel becomes more conscious, Visit Sweden is positioning itself as one of the best alternative destinations for those not excited to return to the kind of mass-tourism experiences of southern Spain or France.
2. Don’t go small. Go Australia
Tourism Australia has taken a different approach. Rather than repositioning itself like Visit Sweden, it has launched a $40 million campaign to try and restart their tourism industry after two years of closed borders.
“After COVID-19, the world is looking forward to taking a holiday and we want that holiday to be in Australia”
Mr Tehan, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.
Australia is a mind-bendingly big country and is home to a huge range of environments, climates and landscapes. The new campaign celebrates the most popular icons and destinations, encouraging travellers to rediscover Australia. Like the country, it’s a big and bold no frills campaign that has been rolled out across print, TV, social and digital.
It’s a noticeably different approach to many other destinations that have shifted to promoting experience-based travel (rather than promotion places). When you’re as big as Australia, the rules are slightly different.
3. Time off for the always on
Slightly closer to home, Birch is a hotel just North of London. Positioning itself as the all-year-round antidote to city life with headlines like ‘an escape for explorers’, it easily attracts those looking for an escape from busy beaches, airports queues and long journeys.
Birch manage to create a brand centred around place and community. Whilst the formulaic daily grind may result in neglecting to take time for yourself, Birch sells itself as a retreat for those in need of one.
Headlines like, Time off for the always on, and a catalyst for the curious, is paired with a minimal and refined brand. Plenty of whitespace, atmospheric, highly polished photography and a refined use of a fashionable serif typeface all makes for a promising brand. Whether a group of friends, couple or young family, Birch’s brand appeals to a certain mindset – those who value great design and simple things done well.
4. Amsterdam
Few European destinations have a brand as strong as Amsterdam. Established over centuries, it has rightly (or wrongly) gained a reputation for openness, tolerance and freedom. More recent brand campaigns have proved so successful that overcrowding has become a serious issue. The Iamsterdam sign had to be removed in 2018 and relocated to Schipol Airport – a victim of it’s own success.
When tourism ground to a halt during the recent pandemic, Amsterdammers realised that they did not miss the tourists. In particular, the less well behaved tourists (those who are attracted to Amsterdam for it’s seedier side). A chance to reset, the city council launched a €160k campaign aiming to attract ‘the right kind of tourists’.
Amsterdam is aiming to position itself as a cultural and lifestyle destination. They want travellers to stay longer, travel slower and consume responsibly. Tourism is generally viewed negatively in Amsterdam, and with figures still well below pre-pandemic levels, their brand strategy might be working.
5. Visit Wales
Visit Wales consistently produce great brand campaigns. Rather than relying on every-changing slogans and short lived campaigns, the brand focuses on epic photography and film of epic landscapes and vibrant communities. Whilst Visit Wales regularly update their brand to promote destinations, the core proposition if ‘find your epic’ hasn’t changed since 2017.
Aimed at the adventurous and those seeking the alternative to a package holiday, everything about the brand is fresh – from the custom typeface referencing Welsh orthography, to the stunning imagery of empty beaches and rugged mountains.
If travel chaos at airports means having to holiday closer to home, Visit Wales’ brand presents itself as a more than fair (if slightly rainier) replacement for sunnier climes.