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Telum Webinar Recap: Ease of Restrictions - What It Means for Travel PR and Media
Global travel has spiked in recent months, especially with many countries in Southeast Asia easing COVID-19 restrictions. What does this mean for the media and communications sectors?
To unpack this and more, Telum Media sat down for a webinar discussion with the following panellists:
To unpack this and more, Telum Media sat down for a webinar discussion with the following panellists:
- Raini Hamdi, Business Journalist and Founder / Editor, Hotels-Asia
- Angeline Rodriguez, Managing Editor, WheninManila.com
- Gaynor Reid, CEO, Catalyst Communications
- The travel industry has gone from survival mode to recovery mode, but this is just the beginning. There is huge competition for pent-up demand, and big markets such as China, Hong Kong and Japan are still unable to travel. There is also a mismatch between demand and resources needed to service that demand. (5:04)
- Stories about travel are doing much better than entertainment and food stories on WheninManila.com because people want to travel again. (9:55)
- Travel PRs should get more creative and innovative now as everyone is trying for the same limited pool of media. Make sure that you are reaching out to new audiences and niche media as well. (12:45)
- International passenger demand for Asia Pacific is just 17 percent of 2019's level, while the rest of the world is back to 60 percent. This travel hesitancy could be due to people being scared of catching COVID-19 overseas, confusion over entry rules and ongoing restrictions in different countries. (18:51)
- In vying for audience attention, PRs should not only create experiences but also a sense of urgency e.g. a pop-up event with a limited run. Try new methods and platforms like TikTok - it does not have to be polished. (24:14)
- Stories about reopening and the easing of restrictions are still popular. People also want to know about factors which may affect travel, such as COVID-19 sub-variants, rising air fares and travel patterns such booking habits. (28:18)
- Evergreen trends include budget travel and unique activities, as people are looking for new experiences and adventures. (31:05)
- PRs should closely follow industry trends and issues, such as labour shortage in hotels, and try to give story pitches a personal touch or angle. (40:07)
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