The Future of Travel PR

By Emma Starrs

The Airtours press office is where my careeer began.  In the heyday of the package holiday, when Teletext and the local travel agent were the gateways to sun, sea and sand.

Nowadays, DIY bookings on the internet mean we’re all travel agents and package holidays have evolved by becoming more upmarket and taking us to exotic corners of the world.

One thing that hasn’t changed, is the false idea that travel writers have a jammy, well paid job.

A recent survey: Forget the future: this is the state of travel writing today (substack.com) found that the majority of journalists taking part in the study (60%) earn less than £19,999 per year from travel writing.  The ones I know are as expert at dealing with food poisoning and jetlag as they are at writing about their trip.

Now, a new challenge presents itself. AI-generated copy is threatening to lower the quality of travel writing and the rates offered to journalists.  The survey showed that “almost two-thirds (64%) of travel journalists said they believed publications would use AI rather than commission freelancers, and the same number expected it would reduce travel writing rates.”

However, with challenge comes opportunity.  Can AI capture the mood, atmosphere and sensory experience of a holiday? Absolutely not. I believe consumers will increasingly demand quality travel articles from humans who have actually been there and as a result more press trip opportunites and better rates will present themselves to journalists who ‘keep it real’.

Since launching Kenland, it’s been a joy to return to the travel sector and generate headlines for Holiday Cottages in the Cotswolds | StayCotswold (image above) helping them to dominate the staycation sector with high value articles reaching their target market.

Happy travels and thanks for reading!