Buckle up, destinations! Gen Alpha is here, and they鈥檙e paving the way to what鈥檚 next in family travel. Born between 2010 and 2024, Gen Alpha is the first generation to be born entirely within the 21st century 鈥攖echnically considered minors, but a major influence on their parents when it comes to vacation planning. Here are some ways to know if your marketing needs a tune-up to reach this unique group.
Traditional SEO is key to climbing search results, but the concept feels almost quaint in today鈥檚 fast-paced tech landscape. We already introduced you to AEO and GEO for websites. Now we鈥檙e here to tell you about social search engine optimization (or SOSEO). Why? Because travelers are leaning into social media more and more for visual inspiration and highly focused planning (think: Nashville 3-day trip itinerary for a bachelorette party with coastal cowgirl vibes).
Where escapism makes way for enrichment and meaning-making beats out sightseeing, you鈥檒l find the wanderlusters who travel with purpose. DON鈥橳 STOP READING if you market a luxury oceanfront resort or getaway-from-it-all destination! There are ways for you to capture these travelers 鈥� we鈥檒l get into the details surrounding that 鈥� but, first, it鈥檚 important to understand their motivations.
Ghost tours. Haunted hotels. Prisons widely known for intense paranormal activity. Besides the obvious, otherworldly connections, they all have one thing in common. They are powerful economic and cultural assets for destinations. It鈥檚 true. Now more than ever, travelers are intrigued by these mysterious brushes with the unknown and the numbers aren鈥檛 afraid to show it. In fact, haunted tourism, also known as dark tourism, has become a multi-billion-dollar global business.
Data suggests that U.S. travelers are making one thing loud and clear. They鈥檙e ready to distance themselves from getaways fueled by hustle and bustle, sensory-heavy attractions, jam-packed tours and rushed itineraries. Instead, they鈥檙e seeking escapes focused on mindfulness, nature, a break from overly techy activities, and, yes, even cell phones 鈥� gasp! As predicted, the quietcation travel trend is silently making itself known 鈥� and perking up the ears of savvy destinations everywhere.
ICYMI, texts are the preferred means of communication for 鈥� just about everyone. With consumers of all generations glued to their phones, brands have a vast audience within easy reach through the latest SMS marketing trends. Let鈥檚 get straight into it.
In travel and tourism, timing and relevance are everything. It鈥檚 all about sending the right message at the right time. Utilizing automated email marketing is one of the ways to help make this happen. Also known as trigger emails, these highly personalized motivators bridge the gap between a dream vacation and a booked one.
Originally launched in August 2020, Instagram Reels was Meta鈥檚 answer to TikTok. Ever since, the video platform-within-a-platform has grown explosively. In 2024, Reels accounted for 37% of the time spent on Instagram. Then that number jumped to 46% in 2025. As the app鈥檚 audience goes, so go the marketers 鈥� more than half of Instagram鈥檚 ads in 2025 were Reels.
This blog is heavy with science-fiction-sounding phrases 鈥� but they all represent our reality in the not-so-distant future. To help keep your website findable today and years from now, we鈥檙e breaking down everything you need to know about quantum search, which is being hailed as the next generation of SEO. Don鈥檛 worry, we鈥檙e writing this straight-talking overview for marketers, not developers.
Event tourism refers to travel motivated by planned events鈥攚hether cultural, sporting, entertainment or business-driven鈥� that draws visitors beyond their everyday environment. From international festivals to global sports competitions like FIFA World Cup 26™, these events don鈥檛 just fill seats. They influence where people go, how long they stay and how they experience a destination.