Marketing strategist Charlotte Mair told an ABTA strategy session that Antigua and Barbuda has a strong tourism product but must move beyond promoting beaches, restaurants and scenic views.
“It’s why do you want to come to us, why do you want to stay with us, and why will you keep coming back to us?” she said.
Mair, founder and managing director of creative communications agency The Fitting Room, said travellers increasingly want experiences tailored to their identities, interests and lifestyles.
She identified solo female travel as a rapidly expanding market, noting that more professional women with disposable income are travelling alone or joining group experiences. Mair said Antigua and Barbuda could create specialised campaigns and activities to attract those visitors instead of concentrating primarily on traditional couples’ holidays.
She also highlighted the growing influence of private recommendations shared through WhatsApp groups and other personal networks. Such endorsements, she said, are becoming more valuable as public confidence in major technology companies and conventional advertising declines.
“That’s the kind of unseen co-sign that every brand needs at the moment,” Mair said. “As big technology and innovation get bigger, our trust gets smaller.”
TikTok and Instagram are also increasingly shaping travel decisions, particularly among younger visitors. Mair said travellers often use the platforms to find destinations, assess businesses and review the experiences of people within their own age groups.
However, she cautioned that simply posting content and hoping it becomes popular is not a marketing strategy.
“It is very easy to put up an Instagram picture or a TikTok and hope it goes viral,” she said. “The strategy and the things underpinning it are what will change the trajectory for any destination.”
Mair recommended an “80-20” approach, with most resources directed toward retaining established visitors and the remainder used to test new markets, platforms and tourism experiences.
She said different generations require different messages and communication channels, contrasting her 88-year-old grandmother, a loyal returning traveller, with her 26-year-old sister, who uses platforms including Snapchat and Substack.
Mair also warned that inflation and the erosion of the middle class could weaken demand for premium and luxury travel. She said destinations must closely monitor changes in consumer priorities and spending while identifying emerging visitor markets.
The ABTA session is intended to produce a more innovative, competitive and future-focused marketing strategy for Antigua and Barbuda.
“We’re going to be here to make you a little uncomfortable, drive some curiosity and ask some harder questions,” Mair told stakeholders.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: ABTA Urged to Target Changing Traveller Interests Beyond Beaches.