Selling a stay at a resort or a travel destination to consumers can be a challenge: the product is not tangible; you cannot try it on, or touch, taste or test it before you book or buy. Marketers are essentially selling a dream – and they need to find a way to showcase this experience before the consumer will consider purchasing it. As a result, more and more travel destinations are using virtual reality (VR) to bridge the gap between the experience and the sale. Club Med Southern Africa marketing manager Lesego Matabane says that marketing travel is ultimately about selling an experience, and VR is one of the most successful ways to get consumers to buy into that experience because it allows them to get a real taste of the journey from the comfort of their own homes before they commit to the destination. Video works well too, she adds, because it’s also visual and can elicit an emotional response. Matabane says “influencer marketing” – marketing in which key individuals are targete...
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