Over the past few years, the unprecedented growth of digital marketing has made a significant impact on every sector including the tourism industry. Digital marketing has reshaped the tourism industry in every aspect. Since the internet and smartphones have penetrated in every sphere of the life, travel, and tourism companies are adopting digital marketing approaches so that they can surpass their contenders and can win the race.

Let’s take a look at how digital marketing is reshaping the tourism sector.

• Online booking has made easier everything: Now, with the help of digital marketing and the internet, you can visit a tourism company’s website and can quickly check the book availability and based on that, you can make a booking in advance. Even you can make the payment to assure your booking. For example; If you are planning a trip to Kerala, you can check the best Kerala tour packages from the websites of various travel companies. After comparing the prices, you can select the best package that will meet all your expectation. Now, you don’t need to worry about whether you will get a good hotel for your trip or not or even you don’t need to reschedule your dates due to less availability because you have already made an online booking.
• Social media is replacing traditional communication: These days, if you want to see the pictures of your hotel or reviews or any other information, you can easily get these on the social media sites. For example, if you are traveling to Kerala, you tend to look at the pictures, reviews written by people, and other Twitter or Vimeo posts. And in this digitalized era, everything information about your hotel, you will get on the social media sites. So, indubitably,  digital marketing is revolutionizing the travel and tourism industry. You can even interact with the hotel staff, through various chats and ask them for more details. It can be concluded that social media marketing has already replaced a large portion of the traditional communication.
• Better marketing strategy: Now, a hotel and travel company can easily get individual customer information through data analytics. And based on this information, they can make their marketing strategies. Does your guest entertain herself with the spa of your hotel when she stays at your hotel? If not, then embrace her with a complimentary spa treatment while she goes for a multi-night booking. By tracking and analyzing your customer’s behavior and actions, you can provide them with personalized offers which will undoubtedly allure them. If you are the owner of a tourism company and a person tours frequently with you, then please him by providing some personal touch. In his next visit, try to give him one extra night in the hotel without any charge. To make a robust marketing strategy, you can even send a personalized email to your precious clients mentioning that “We know you are our valued customer, so when you visit next week, we will give you one-night complimentary stay at the hotel, hope you like this offer.” So, with the help of data analytics and digital marketing you can make some personalized campaign which will uplift your growth and business.
• Social media analysis: These days social media is buzzing everywhere. Customers are checking social media sites to know more information about the hotels, giving feedback and recommendations, participating in any discussion or events. Even they are also providing some important suggestions for the betterment of the hotel or the travel company. By accumulating all these data, a travel company or hotel can go for an in-depth analysis. They even make customer profiling based on the information like age, previous travel history, preference, income level, expenditure, etc. A travel company can easily use customer profiling to make an email list and can send that list to both their current and prospective clients.

According to Praveen Kumar, founder of Tours In India, one of the leading Alleppey houseboat operator, is of the opinion that technology is going to change the travel and tourism industry in a big way. He already feel that technological disruption is being taking place in the industry and going forward all the marketing, client acquisition and customer retention aspects of travel and tourism business would be linked with technology. Only those travel business owners who formulate strategies by blending the traditional and modern marketing tips & techniques based on an in-depth insight of customer behavioral pattern with changing times, can survive in this market.

Hope, this information gives you a glimpse on how digital marketing is transforming the travel and tourism industry. The tourism companies are adopting digital marketing approaches so that they can understand how people will react to the surroundings while they are traveling.