T
hese days, a growing number of travelers are building vacations around their personal hobbies and interests, rather than the destination itself. It’s a trend called passion-based travel — and luxury hotels and resorts will want to take note.
Instead of picking a place first and then finding things to do there, these explorers start with what they love — music, literature, hiking, you name it — and go wherever that passion leads them. The focus is on self-expression, learning, and actively engaging with a like-minded community.
A traveler pursuing their passion might go to Italy to take pasta-making classes, head to the Deep South for a blues festival, or book a yoga retreat in Costa Rica. Passion travel also encompasses wellness getaways, “set-jetting” to film locations, and eco-tourism excursions to geothermal hot springs or volcanic landscapes.
Who Are the Most Passionate Travelers?
Millennials and Gen Z are driving the trend by ditching traditional “bucket list destination” travel in favor of intentional, immersive, and highly personalized trips. One survey found that 77% of these younger travelers book their vacations based on personal interests rather than destinations. They’re likely to buy tickets to activities or attractions before they even book their plane tickets or secure a hotel room.
Younger generations tend to value authentic, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and memories. They see travel as an avenue for personal discovery, a way to meet people who share their interests, and an opportunity to shape their identity through the things they care about. Understanding that can help you market your hotel or resort to appeal to these types of travelers.
How to Market Your Property for Passion-Based Travel
Here are three ways to reach these passionate travelers by finding fresh ways to highlight everything your destination has to offer.
Leverage Immersive Storytelling
To reach audiences seeking passion travel vacations, you’ll need to focus on the lifestyle and experience your property offers. One impactful way to do that? Sharing visceral stories that grab audiences, through both luxurious visuals and content that paints a picture of what it’s like to be there.
- Post on your blog about a day in the life at your property, centered around a theme. Focus on what visitors will feel, see, or taste — maybe a “Farm-to-Table Culinary Adventure” that includes cooking classes, cocktails, and a multi-course dinner; or a “Well-Being from Head to Toe” hushpitality experience that features spa treatments, outdoor yoga, and nutritious meals.
- Create a passion-based travel spread in your property’s in-room magazine focused on local special-interest events or attractions. Think: an annual book festival, a multi-day folk festival, or spelunking tours throughout your region.
- Build and share educational, long-form content — long-form video, PDFs, and/or blog posts — tailored to specific passions that can be nurtured at your destination.
Partner with Niche Influencers and Local Experts
Gen Z and Millennials use social media to discover niche adventures that align with their passions — but remember, they’re seeking specific, authentic experiences. Instead of partnering with large, broad-appeal travel influencers, collaborate with micro-influencers who specialize in your target niches. For example:
- Invite an established food blogger for a weekend to review your culinary offerings.
- Have a hiking or nature guide capture short-form video content of your property’s surrounding trails.
- Work with a wellness expert — an aesthetician or yoga instructor — to highlight your spa offerings.
Optimize Search and Social for Passion Travel
Passion-based travelers search by their interests. To capture their attention, you’ll need to ensure that your online presence reflects what makes you a great choice.
- Optimize your website, social media, and pay-per-click ads with highly specific, long-tail keywords (e.g., “culinary weekend getaway in the Hudson Valley” rather than just “Upstate New York hotels”).
- Post Reels on Instagram and short-form videos on TikTok that showcase the unique activities and amenities you offer.
- To optimize for chatbots — which about 40% of travelers worldwide use to plan trips — provide detailed, easily digestible FAQs on your website that explain why your property is a great choice for passion-based travel.
Hawthorn Creative’s experts in search, content, and social media marketing can help you build and execute a strategy to attract passion-based travelers. Contact us today to schedule a conversation.