The days of the still, stock images of exotic destinations are behind us. Why? Well, for starters, people are aware that we live in a digital era where the most understandable language is the visuals. The customers are not interested anymore in a bunch of photos of the destinations or a hotel they want to visit, they want to see a video of the beaches, the town, and the hotel itself, since, simply put, videos are the most engaging and compelling visual form.

So, how do tourist agencies offer their customers what they want to see? By making a video of what they are offering. And how do they make it stand out of the crowd and make their customers say “Wow! We are definitely going here!”? They use drones for breathtaking aerial footage. Simple as that.

Since the tourism industry has always been the industry that adopts the newest technologies faster than any other, drones, for example models like the DJI Phantoms or Inspire 1, or Mavic, or even   the heavy duty octocopters like Spreading Wings S1000, equipped with superb professional stabilization gimbal rigs like the Freefly models, became this industry’s perfect tool for marketing. Drones allow the tourist agency owners to create affordable, yet very innovative videos from a bird’s eye view, and no wonder that more and more jaw-dropping destination videos taken with drones, emerge every day.

But, to explain this better, we have to start from the beginning…

Imagine this…

Imagine that you are a regular, potential customer that is bored during lunch time at work and hasn’t got a better thing to do than to daydream about the upcoming summer vacation and the exotic holiday destination that awaits him. So, what does such a person do in moments like these? The answer is simple, browses through hotels, resorts, and starts to feel quite uninspired because the images he, or she, sees are the same ones from years ago because the destinations don’t drastically change, right? To be fair, the pictures are amazing and professional, but they have been seen for the millionth time and still, they don’t offer the best feeling of the area.

So, what does this uninspired person do next? Closes all the windows with the travel agency websites and goes to Facebook, hoping to find something more inspiring there. Then, all of a sudden, some video of an exotic destination, with a dreamy resort, white sand beaches, and aerial footage of the waves and the palms pops out. What do you think happens next? The destination is booked!

For this exact reason, the video marketing became one of the most important things in the travel industry, if not the most important one. Nothing sells a package better than a live action video of the hotel, the surroundings, the excursions the hotel offers, the color of the sea… By offering your potential customers such videos, you allow them to easily imagine themselves there and they are hooked.

Giving Your Customers the WOW!

Drones like the DJI’s Phantoms are perfect for travel industry marketing as they are the easiest ones to use and offer the best quality footage. Their intuitive commands allow you to create breathtaking aerial footage without being an expert in drone flying. However, if you really want to create cinematic looking videos, you need to know a thing or two about aerial photography, and by reading an article with quadcopter photography tips, you will be a step closer to your goal which is creating videos that will make your travel business blossom.

But, let’s get back to our main topic. As we already mentioned, videos that include a bird’s eye view are the perfect way to show your potential clients how your resort or hotels really look like. Slow, gliding, cinematic shots from the air, combined with in-action on-the-ground clips, will truly take your client’s breath away. They will instantly imagine start daydreaming and imagine themselves laying down on the beach you just showed them, or eating the delicacies your chef prepared in the video. And, sharing such videos on social media will only help your business get noticed more than photos would ever do. In a matter of just a few hours, people will start tagging their friends, commenting, and your video will become viral, which means your business also becomes viral, which is why you started reading this article in the first place, right?

Just remember that when it comes to online activity, at this moment, every third person on the internet is watching a video, and some 90% of people claim that when it comes to making a decision when it comes to buying something or booking a travel package, videos are the deal sealers.

Cutting Down on Marketing Costs

Before the commercial drones hit the market, the main reason why most travel companies avoided aerial footage is because of the high cost of renting a helicopter for such a purpose. Not every travel agency could afford to rent a helicopter for a day to shoot a marketing video. But, with the appearance of drones, especially high-end drones with advanced cameras and camera stabilization systems,  and numerous flight assistance features, the things have drastically changed. Now, for a fraction of the price of “Old School” helicopter aerial filming price, for just one day, you can hire a drone operator and get the job done. This fact makes the drones far more cost-effective, and allows more and more travel companies to improve their marketing strategies, which, as you probably noticed, is why we are all witnessing the expansion of video marketing in the travel industry.

Final Thoughts

We have all noticed that the Drone aerial footage had become quite popular in the travel industry, and with all it offers, it’s no wonder! If you are looking for a way to engage your potential clients and make them daydream about the destinations you offer, this is definitely the way to go. Present your resort, hotel, or a landmark from a different angle and witness how just one short video has changed your business for the better. Video marketing is the future of travel marketing, and the future is here, so don’t miss out on it!