March 4, 2025
Savvy Destination Marketing Strategies for Sustaining Year-Long Travel Demand
Who says you can’t have the whole beach, city, or even mountain top to yourself? Experiencing off-season travel is like discovering a secret menu—more space, lower costs, and exclusive excursions. Think winter wine tasting in Napa Valley, spring skiing in Colorado, and sushi with a side of fall foliage in Japan. Off-season travel allows guests to enjoy the best of a destination with none of the fuss, plus the added bonus of experiencing it as few have. The challenge? Convincing your guests to embrace the off-season magic. While the off-season offers a more relaxed pace, it also challenges destinations and DMO’s striving to maintain steady visitation beyond peak months. During holidays and high seasons, popular spots see a surge in travel demand, only to experience a significant dip in quieter months, leading to a drop in visitation and tourism revenue.
By positioning the off-season as an attractive alternative with the use of smart promotions, niche experiences, and expert digital marketing, destinations can continue attracting visitors while maintaining a more balanced revenue stream year-round.
Smart Promotions, Lasting Impact
Have you ever bought something you weren’t particularly looking for just because it was on sale? One of the most effective ways for destinations to drive visitation during the off-season is by partnering with local travel partners to develop an effective promotional strategy supported by a compelling ad campaign. A smart promotional strategy begins with determining soft spots and need periods and then developing a multi-tiered approach to incentivizing guests with offers and specials to draw tourists in.
For example, if a beach traveler wants to visit the Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and finds the peak winter season rates out of their budget, a spring or summer rate that offers an off-season all-inclusive package featuring reduced room rates, complimentary breakfasts, and excursion could make their trip just as appealing – simply because it’s more affordable and because of the added perks.
Top destinations should collaborate closely with local businesses, tourism boards, and hospitality partners to create unique travel deals and sales. Based on our experience, destinations should aim to create a series of strategically sequenced promos aligned with the booking window leveraging “best rates” flash sales, early booking rates and last-minute deals. By sequencing these sales and specials, destinations can both base-load visitation, as well as stimulate last minute demand to fill in the gaps.
In addition, discounts on accommodations, dining, and excursions can turn hesitant new travelers into eager visitors, especially when bundled into seamless, value-packed experiences. Beyond just lowering prices, destinations should enhance these packages with added experiences that create a sense of exclusivity – think VIP access to seasonal festivals, early access to tickets, or private tours that aren’t available during peak season.
According to Natalia Sala Gomez, Digital Advertising Strategist at Roar Media, when developing a promotional calendar, it is important to build out specific offer ideas such as Book X Nights, Get X Free or X% Off; Extend your Stay to X Days and Save X% on Extra Days or offer resort credits/vouchers for package deals. Ensuring that your promotions are aligned with seasonality and holidays is equally crucial. For example, to boost summer visitation, consider leveraging a Labor Day or Fourth of July sales. She also recommends carefully aligning these investments with both the booking and travel windows.
Sample Travel Promo Calendar Roar Developed for a Large All-Inclusive Hotel Client:
Never Too Niche
Travel is all about unforgettable experiences—the more unique, the better. That’s why off-season travel is the perfect time to discover hidden gems, from crowd-free beaches to exclusive local experiences you won’t find in peak season.
Expanding travel offerings to include unique experiences like eco-tourism, cultural events and local festivals can attract visitors year-round, reducing reliance on peak seasons. DMO’s and tourism boards should carefully plan and schedule these attractions so that they fall within the off-peak period to attract visitation during these times. Highlighting these niche experiences in earned, owned, and paid media campaigns, can boost tourism revenue while offering more personalized and sustainable travel options.
According to the European Union Tourism Platform’s website, traditional vacation destinations are experiencing the effects of rising temperatures, erratic weather, and environmental strain, all of which are reshaping travel behaviors. Coastal hotspots that once thrived in summer now face extreme heat and rising sea levels. As noted in an article on sustainable tourism from the Transition Pathways website, “Both the industry and travelers are turning towards more sustainable tourism patterns, often better adapted to these climate-induced changes.” The article further explains that “many are choosing to travel during off-peak season, reducing exposure to extreme weather while avoiding the crowds and costs of high season.” This shift not only eases pressure on popular destinations but also promotes sustainable travel by distributing economic benefits during destinations’ shoulder seasons.
Iceland exemplifies this shift, leveraging its unique natural features to attract visitors during the colder months when crowds are smaller. As highlighted by Outside Online, traveling to Iceland in the off-season offers distinct advantages. “It’s markedly cheaper, there are a heck of a lot less people, and you actually get to see the Aurora Borealis.” This approach not only sustains tourism year-round but also aligns with the growing demand for mindful, climate-adaptive travel.
Attract More Visitation with AI-powered Campaigns
Sometimes convincing people to travel in the off-season isn’t always the challenge—it’s about reaching the right people at the right time! Sala Gomez recommends targeting the more convertible audiences for off-season travel such as empty nesters who don’t have to align to school calendars, golden agers who are likely not to be restricted by a work schedule, or even digital nomads would probably prefer the calmness of a more deserted location to work without worrying about crowded locations or bustling internet hotspots.
Advanced digital advertising and social media marketing play a huge role in empowering destinations to target specific audiences with tailored content. At Roar Media, we specialize in sophisticated, performance-driven destination marketing, helping DMOs to achieve exceptional results. By leveraging cutting-edge, AI-powered advertising strategies, we help destinations increase international visitor arrivals, especially from travelers with different travel windows than North Americans. We optimize digital ad spend for maximum ROI, ensuring every dollar works harder, and attracts more visitors during the off-season through smart, AI-driven campaigns. Additionally, we help reduce OTA commissions by driving direct website bookings and position destinations as leaders in sustainable and luxury travel.
Many Caribbean and Mexican DMOs still rely on traditional advertising methods, missing out on the vast potential of advanced, data-backed digital marketing. Our team takes the guesswork out of tourism marketing by utilizing sophisticated, performance-driven strategies. This includes harnessing AI and predictive analytics to target the right travelers at the optimal time, fine-tuning ad spend using intent-based search and social data, and retargeting high-intent travelers who engage but haven’t booked. We automate ad optimization across platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok to ensure the highest possible ROI.
Our team employs techniques such as real-time bidding, dynamic content optimization (DCO), variable retargeting bidding, cross-platform targeting, and custom audience creation to drive performance. We also enhance targeting with anonymized audience data based on travel searches and bookings, along with data from leading travel providers to refine our approach. These sophisticated, AI-powered strategies have helped our clients increase conversion rates up to 30% while significantly reducing inefficient ad spend. These effective strategies not only drive results, but also make every marketing dollar go further—something every marketer can appreciate.
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In addition to digital advertising, travelers are more likely to trust authentic experiences shared by other travelers, making UGC a powerful tool for encouraging off-season visits. These strategies help create a personal connection with potential visitors and spark their interest in exploring destinations at quieter, more affordable times. Sala Gomez highlights the value of UGC, noting that consumers find the experiences of fellow travelers more relatable and authentic than brand content. She suggests focusing on the middle and bottom of the funnel segments to ensure that destinations are reaching those already considering the destination or region and are close to making a decision. At these stages, potential travelers are more likely to trust authentic, peer-driven content over promotional material.
There’s no getting around it—social media has the power to make or break a conversion. According to Advertising by Expedia, approximately 35% of consumers utilize social media for travel ideas, surpassing traditional outlets like travel agents (29%) and media publications (26%). UGC often overlaps with influencer marketing, as travelers look to both everyday users and trusted creators for inspiration. While influencers play a role in shaping travel trends, UGC from real travelers adds an extra layer of credibility, making it an essential tool in converting interest into bookings.
Precision Targeting
When it comes to geo-targeting, efforts should be tailored to the key locations where a brand is most active or has a significant presence. For example, if a destination is popular in certain cities or regions, geo-targeting should focus on those areas to reach the most relevant or high-potential customers. Additionally, tourism boards can leverage geo-targeting to promote regional events and experiences to maximize the relevance of your destination. By leveraging location data, destinations can also track foot traffic, analyze consumer behavior patterns, and refine future campaigns for better results in specific markets.
No Hibernating Here
Off-season travel doesn’t have to mean a dip in demand. With the right mix of smart promotions, niche offerings, and targeted marketing, you can keep attracting visitors year-round without experiencing a slump. Ready to boost your off-season visitation? Let Roar help you develop a customized promotional strategy and performance digital marketing designed specifically to help you drive off-peak travel.
Sources
European Union Tourism Platform – Sustainable Tourism: Adapting to Climate-Induced Holiday Trends
Iceland Travel: The Ultimate Adventure Guide for First-Time Visitors
https://advertising.expedia.com/blog/travel-trends/social-media-rising-influence/