As the first signs of spring emerge – giving us a taste of warmer days to come – so too do dreams of an unforgettable holiday. But holidaymakers face a stark reality – package holiday prices for summer 2025 have jumped by 4.2%, outpacing UK inflation, according to Which.
Money is a huge factor in choosing the next getaway, so travel agents will do well to offer discounts and deals to their customers. But there’s a catch. While discounts may attract customers initially, true loyalty requires more than financial incentives. Travel agents need to build deeper connections with holidaymakers if they want them to return time and again.
The decisions that people make when choosing a holiday are strongly influenced by emotion rather than pure rational calculation. This doesn’t mean price isn’t important – far from it. People, after all, represent a complicated mix of emotion and rationality – they don’t follow set journeys to purchase, they might be inspired by an Instagram video and purchase flights moments later, or it might be lapsing air miles pushing a long-awaited trip forward.
So where to start? First, agents need to truly understand their customers’ needs. According to research by Epsilon, travellers seek a balance between trust, variety and expertise, valuing personal recommendations (46%) alongside visually engaging and candid advice.
Every customer will want something different from a travel brand, and this needs to be reflected in how agents communicate. One traveller may look for last-minute trips, another might want to explore lesser-known destinations, and yet another will prioritise unique experiences over just accommodation. Fundamentals like service quality and fair pricing are non-negotiable, but offering personalised and relevant travel insights is what helps agents stand out from the competition.
This is why we’re seeing technology playing a bigger role. AI-driven recommendations, predictive analytics, and chatbots for real-time assistance allow travel agents to personalise interactions at scale, taking into account where travellers like to go, when they like to book, how they like to book and the upgrades they care about versus unnecessary distractions. These innovations not only make travel planning more engaging but also reinforce a sense of exclusivity.
To build these emotional connections, travel agents need to go beyond basic customer details and truly understand what excites their audience. This is where first-party data comes in – by that, I mean information collected directly from customers. This isn’t about knowing their name or birthday but grasping what drives their choices and preferences.
You can use this insight to engage with consumers across your website, social channels, email marketing, and in-store – tailored for each individual. What experiences could you present to customers that foster a greater sense of connection with your brand and drive a booking? And when it comes to in-store, are you creating a welcoming environment that delivers the enjoyable buying experience consumers want? After all, booking a holiday is part of the fun.
There are already travel businesses using first-party data to offer personalised holidays. For example, Marriott is well known for using data to better understand its customers and make better decisions, such as adjusting prices to fill more rooms. Airbnb employs dynamic pricing and personalised recommendations based on user preferences and search behaviour.
In honour of its 20th anniversary, easyJet wanted to celebrate its history with each of its passengers who had flown on the airline. To do so, it gathered the data it had available on each customer to create individual stories about when they flew on the airline for the first time and where their next destination could be. This campaign wasn’t just about nostalgia – it reinforced a personal connection between the airline and its customers, turning past journeys into future inspiration.
And this is just scratching the surface. There’s plenty of room for innovation in how we build stronger connections with customers. When personalisation moves beyond a marketing checkbox and truly speaks to what each traveller desires, that’s when loyalty is cemented.
Remember, winning hearts and minds isn’t an either-or game. The best loyalty strategies blend practical perks with genuine emotional connections. Get this right, and you’ll have holidaymakers who don’t just come back – they’ll bring their dreams and their trust with them.
