For travel businesses navigating the pandemic, maintaining a relationship with loyal customers, and positioning for new audiences is a priority. Research has shown that businesses who take a strategic approach to marketing during a downturn excel when business returns (see Harvard Business Review, “How To Market in A Downturn”). Furthermore, post-pandemic market analysts at EY Future Index predict that brand values will feature strongly in consumer buying decisions: “while quality, convenience, and price still very much matter to consumer choice, factors like sustainability, trust, ethical sourcing, and social responsibility are increasingly important to how consumers select their products and services.” Euromonitor International reinforces this with a November 2020 survey in which “52% of overall global respondents only ‘buy from companies and brands that they trust completely’, and single out retailers that are reliable, responsible and deliver on their promises”, predicting that the pandemic will accelerate this trend.
When it comes to sustainability and a commitment to positive impact, many adventure travel businesses are already well positioned; the pandemic offers an opportunity to sharpen that positioning especially in the area of climate, an issue about which consumers of all types, including travelers, now have heightened awareness.
Companies like Wildland Trekking, a recent Tomorrow’s Air Education Partner, provide an example of the type of marketing and relationship building with travelers that stands out; reinforcing the company’s brand values, projecting leadership and innovation through the support of carbon removal technology, and putting tangible action - carbon removal with permanent storage - behind the marketing. As an Education partner Wildland Trekking is supporting valuable education and inspiration about carbon removal through social media and events and removing one ton of carbon dioxide for permanent storage through Tomorrow’s Air partner, Climeworks.
Wildland Trekking co-founder Steve Cundy commented, “I’ve been excited about carbon removal technologies since we first learned of this at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Sweden, in 2019. We’re delighted to join Tomorrow’s Air as an Education Partner and are looking forward to seeing this next phase of the climate movement build.”
The company specializes in expert-led hiking and backpacking adventures - everything from backpacking trips, llama treks, portered treks, inn-based tours, across the United States and in more than 14+ countries around the world. Over the company’s nearly 20 years of operation, the Wildland Trekking team’s deep love and commitment to the environment and communities they visit has driven numerous conservation investments and a philosophy of care.
As your business navigates the pandemic, consider ways you might bring closely held company values more into view with loyal customers, taking their customers’ emotional reactions to the current moment into account. You’ll reinforce existing relationships and likely find new audiences in the process.
Learn more about Wildland Trekking
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