So the latest commercials of OYO Hotels & Rooms dropped earlier this week! The ads which are supposed to run across TV & Digital mediums are part of 3 video series under the ‘Raho Mast brand campaign’.

The first ad, takes a dig at touts who make false promises to tourists and lure them to book dingy and unclean rooms.

The commercial which is primarily addressing the mid-travel segment target group has a humorous tone to it. At the time of publishing the story, the YT ad has garnered 1.1M+ views, even though engagement on the video is abysmal at under 0.01% of the viewers engaging with the video at 100+ likes and 5 odd comments. In an era, where views can be purchased, you can take a call on what’s real and what’s not

The second commercial highlights the problems faced by the millennial couple who want to have simple fun while watching movie together on a smartphone. Being in a public place, they face problems of all kinds and then spot an OYO near them. The commercial which features Influencer/Actor Rytasha would remind you of Vodafone‘s ads in the earlier days with similar music theme and treatment.

Both the ads take a cue from the common problems faced across age-groups and are targeted at different themes – When you’re on the look-out for a budget-friendly hotel in a new city and when you feel you need a hotel because you want to maintain privacy.

From a P&L purview, Oyo Hotels & Homes net loss has increased in the last fiscal year up to 2,384.69 INR crore (amounting to 6.5 Crore/Day) but at the same time it’s valuation has more than doubled in 2019.

What do you think about the #RahoMast series?

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On behalf of our team at TravHQ, we would like to wish all our readers a very Happy New Year. Here is a look at how leading travel brands celebrated Happy New Year on social media.

Kayak celebrated New Year with its post, Travel resolutions by Kayak

 
OYO’s post encourages travellers to book an adventure in 2019.

 
Lonely Planet India wishes its fans HNY 2019

 
Goibibo celebrated with a recall of top moments in 2018 and a photo-post about 2019

 
Indigo airlines wishes its readers

 
Thrillophilia wishes its fans a Happy New Year

 
Jet Airways has made a cool 2019 animation post from the 9W family

 
Airbnb celebrates Happy New Year 2019

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Tourism Australia has launched a new tourism promotion campaign ‘UnDiscover Australia’ in India and South East Asia specifically targeting high value travellers in India, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The campaign challenges perceptions and stereotypes of what Australia offers as a tourism destination by showcasing unusual, unfamiliar and unexpected attractions and experiences. It is being backed by Australia’s state and territory tourism organisations, airlines, and a range of other key distribution partners.

There is a website dedicated to this campaign that highlights all the different experiences travellers can have on their trip Down Under. From Places to Go, to Things to Do, and even Youth Travel, the website is a comprehensive platform for all content that anyone might require to plan their vacation. Additionally, it also has a Plan Your Trip section that lets travellers find agents who can help them book their trips.

Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia said, “This campaign will shine a spotlight on some of our undiscovered and hidden holiday gems, showing there’s much more to an Australian holiday for Indians in addition to experiencing our well-known icons. Yes, you can watch a game of cricket at the magnificent Adelaide Oval, but are people aware that they can also do an amazing rooftop climb offering 360 views of the city? Or that there are plentiful immersive experiences amidst untouched natural landscapes in close proximity to our vibrant cities. It’s surprising experiences such as these that we will be seeking to highlight through this campaign,” he said.

The UnDiscover Australia campaign will be executed in two phases in India – September to November and January to April to coincide with the holiday planning periods for the peak travel season during the year-end and Indian summer respectively. The campaign will also be amplified during the India’s cricket tour of Australia.

India is currently Australia’s fastest growing market for arrivals and spend, achieving a fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth. Arrivals from India to Australia grew by 19.6% for the year ended June 2018 with an influx of 335,100 visitors, compared to same period last year, making India the 8th largest inbound market for Australia.

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With international inbound to Turkey looking up once again, Turkey will be rigorously reactivating its trade engagements in emerging markets like China and India. Starting from September, Turkish Tourism will embark on a series of promotional campaigns and destination marketing activities in Indian market. This is in sync with the 100-day Action Plan unveiled by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month aimed at transforming Turkey economically. In the tourism sector, the Action Plan has set a target of 40 million international inbound by end of this year.

Foreign tourist arrivals in the first six months of 2018 increased by 30% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching around 16 million, as per official statistics. Tourism revenue in the first six months of this year rose from USD 8.7 billion to USD 11.4 billion.

The 100-day Action Plan underscores the importance of emerging markets like India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc., said H Deniz Ersoz, Culture & Tourism Counsellor, Embassy of Republic of Turkey in India. The tourism department has been asked to undertake dedicated activities in these markets to increase the inbound from these emerging markets, he added. He said that these markets are important for Turkish Tourism for “diversification of products” as unlike European visitors who are more “sun and sand” oriented, visitors from these markets are keen on exploring the life and culture of the country.

Talking about plans for the India market, Ersoz said that Turkish Tourism hasn’t done much in the market since last couple of years other than attending few important trade exhibitions. However, starting from September, Turkish Tourism will start joint promotional campaigns with leading tour companies in the country. This will include some dedicated special campaigns to attract the weddings market, he said. Turkish Tourism is also in the process of finalising two roadshows series in October and November this year covering major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and few Tier-II cities. The tourism agency will also conduct three familiarisation tours in 2018, Ersoz said. While one will be dedicated to wedding planners, other two will be for corporates and media. MICE, he said, is a key segment and there has already been big group movements to Turkey from India.

India inbound to Turkey grew 100% between January and June this year compared to the corresponding period last year. “We hope this year will be best year as far as visitor numbers are concerned from India. We are hoping to receive two lakh Indian visitors this year,” Ersoz said. The highest Indian numbers to Turkey was in 2015 with 1.32 lakh visitors. “Around 15 big Indian weddings are confirmed in 2018,” he informed.

“Our focus is to showcase Turkey beyond Istanbul. The messaging would be to look beyond Istanbul.” Ersoz said that 90% of the hotels on the Mediterranean coast work on all-inclusive packages. This is yet not known in India market. Therefore, efforts would be to make this messaging spread across the trade in India.

Commenting on the Turkey-India bilateral on tourism, he said that effort is on to revive the Joint Working Group mechanism on tourism between the two countries. He said that the last meeting of the group was held in 2006. “I had meetings with Ministry of Tourism officials in India on reviving the mechanism to explore scope of mutual cooperation in tourism. We are exploring a (Joint Working Group) JWG meeting in Istanbul sometime in October- November this year,” he added.

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The long-running Incredible India now has a rebooted avatar. A new campaign ‘Find the Incredible You’ is showcasing how one can indulge in the diverse products offered by India and in turn, find and rediscover oneself.

The different ad films of the campaign aim to charm foreign visitors to exotic locales amidst the backdrop of spirituality, wildlife, rejuvenation and adventure that the country has on offer. With film titles such as ‘The reincarnation of Mr and Mrs Jones’, ‘The Yogi of the Racetrack’, ‘The Sanctuary in Paris’, and the ‘Maharani of Manhattan’, the campaign highlights the different facets of India as a country: the nuanced culture, the layers of historical depth and the width of experiences on offer.

Moving away from the usual approach, this campaign steers clear of pretty, picture-perfect destinations and general stereotypes, and instead focuses on experiences and how travellers feel when they visit the country. With the choice of casting for the minute-long films (elderly people, people of African origin, etc), the target also seems to have shifted to attarcting more premium travellers to the country.

In an article in Brand Equity, Prasoon Joshi, CEO and CCO of McCann Worldgroup India, the company behind this strategic change in approach to advertising, said, “Our approach has been to not just make a generic pretty pictures campaign but have a very clear strategic direction. The idea being to present the TG with an opportunity to do a deep dive into all that is India: the spiritual, medical, wellness etc. are aspects that were hitherto not keenly focused on, either from a strategic or tourism communication level. We wanted to draw attention to these factors. Not just pictorially or by surface skimming but to immerse in their full essence.”

The government has been making massive plans to promote tourism in India and to project the country as a tourist destination for all 365 days of the year. As part of the tourism push, the Ministry of Tourism has also recognized ‘Adventure Tourism’ as a ‘Niche Tourism’ to attract people who have specific interests.

KJ Alphons, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism, Govt. of India also recently stated in a release that India is among one of the highest growing tourist economies in the world in 2017. The Minister said that there was more than 14.0% growth in number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India in 2017 over 2016 along with a 19.2% increase (in US dollar terms) in the Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through tourism for the same period. In 2017, Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through tourism was INR 1,77,874 crores. Alphons also added that India ranks 26th in the world in arrivals of global tourists.

The Minister expressed his hope that people will see these theme based videos on Yoga, Wildlife and more tourists shall travel to India.

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In a bid to attract travellers to God’s Own Country during the famed monsoon season, the Kerala Tourism Board has rolled out a quirky campaign, ‘Come Out and Play’. With a focus on tapping tourists from potential domestic markets, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi & NCR, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal, Kerala Tourism is leaving no stone unturned to woo travellers.

The objective of the campaign is to divest vacationers of their ‘career selves’, their ‘formal adultness’ and their preoccupation with devices, careers and the routine of everyday life. The campaign idea mainly focuses on ‘play’ in the context of families, and in-turn it reconnects them. Based on this idea, a television, and print campaign has also been conceptualized.

In order to promote the campaign and bring more travellers to its shore during summer holidays, Kerala Tourism has been utilizing various promotional tools in the best possible way. Besides TV and print campaign in the national markets, the campaign has been running in cinemas across the target markets along with radio and digital campaign.

A social media contest is also running simultaneously across their platforms, where willing participants are being asked to engage in any outdoor activity like hopping on one leg, slow cycling and crossing a log bridge, and posting the same on social media with the hashtag – #ComeOutandPlay. Lucky winners are being rewarded with campaign merchandise as well.

Kerala Tourism has also expanded the promotion activities by way of mall branding and taxi branding in West Asian countries. In countries like Singapore and Malaysia, promotional activities including out-of-home and airport mall branding have been carried out. A report, which talks about the culture, heritage and traditional cuisine of Kerala, also mentions the authentic Ayurvedic treatments available in the state, which becomes an add-on to the state’s existing tourism promotions.

Kerala had garnered Rs 8,392.11 crore as revenue from close to 11 lakh foreign tourists who visited last year. The state had also hosted approximately 61 lakh tourists during monsoon season in 2017, which was an increase of 5 lakh travellers over the monsoon season of 2016.

Over the years, the state has managed to trump most others in the country through its plethora of unique and inspirational campaigns. Kerala’s performance across social media channels has also remained impressive, with it adding another feather in its cap by bagging first place in a ranking done by Facebook based on total engagement with tourists that included reactions, shares and comments on the page. Kerala Tourism’s activity has been focused and proactive, and it has been able to keep travellers from India and abroad engaged with interesting and innovative posts on various projects and activities undertaken by the department.

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The hotel industry in India is going through a paradigm shift as several new-age companies are bringing budget hotels to the forefront. This rise can be attributed to a lot of factors – from a surge in disposable income to an increase in business and leisure travel, urbanisation, and the doubling of air travel over the past decade.

These trends, and more, have bolstered the mid-market brands in hospitality sector. It has also increased room inventory and created more competition in the market, prompting everyone operating in the segment to rethink their marketing strategies. Budget hotels chain FabHotels, is one such brand that aims to reach out to masses and rapidly expand across cities via its unique marketing efforts.

In order to achieve this goal, FabHotels has released its first-ever brand film that shows how a business traveller staying at FabHotels recharges and refreshes for his day. The campaign brings to life the brand’s promise of catering to new-age travellers and highlights the ease of stay, booking and standard amenities that all FabHotels rooms provide, anytime, anywhere.

The campaign is particularly targeted at business travellers. The tagline ‘#RechargeRefresh’ encapsulates the notion that FabHotels provides users with everything they need to prepare themselves for the daily battles that their corporate life throws at them. From great hospitality, to sumptuous food and a cozy stay to de-stress and relax – with this campaign, the brand is attempting to explain why business travellers should opt for FabHotels.

The minute-long video is upbeat and provides the right dose of inspiration, without becoming too preachy and, subtly incorporates the value that FabHotels provides. With close to two million views on YouTube, the ad film has managed to garner a lot of eyeballs already.

The film focuses on an individual use case, and as a category builder, it is a great move to tell people how and when they can use FabHotels. Even though the approach is targeted, the content and humor cuts across every age-group and category of travellers.

At TravHQ, we give this ad film a thumbs-up. Travel brands typically focus on leisure travellers, and there seems to be a rising need to delight the business traveller segment with some inspirational marketing. Business travel is a lucrative market, and for a brand like FabHotels, a marketing push like this could result in multiple and repeat bookings in future – reason enough to pay them more attention.

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The rising trend of Indians travelling internationally is not something that can be missed easily. Outbound travel from India is growing exponentially every year; the Yatra Winter Travel Survey 2017 showed that 36% of travellers were planning an international holiday. On an overall basis, it is estimated that 25 million Indians travelled overseas in 2017, which is growing a very healthy double-digit rate, setting India on the path to become one of the largest outbound travel markets in the world in the next few years.

Moreover, it is not just the lure of shopping and eating in international locations that brings travellers to foreign shores. With an increasing number of Indian travellers, especially millennials, prioritizing personal experiences over material things, it’s fueling the growth of a more experiential travel ecosystem across the world.

Latching on to this insight, VisitBritain launched its new brand campaign ‘I Travel For’ in Mumbai last month. The campaign will run across digital channels, including Facebook and website to engage with potential travellers and inspire them to book a holiday to Britain right now. Using short films and story-telling to showcase unexpected experiences, the campaign aligns the passions that motivate people to travel with experiences that can only be had in Britain, inspiring overseas visitors to book a trip right now.

Driven primarily across Facebook and Instagram, the campaign will also feature Britain’s iconic landmarks and attractions. Additionally, the films highlight common travel interests such as adventure, culinary, relaxation, culture and the undiscovered.

Still from the campaign film, of an unexplored destination in Great Britain.

Highlighting the new brand campaign, VisitBritain Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said, “I Travel For campaign in India will be targeting Buzzseeker travellers. This campaign aims to build on the strong growth we have seen in visits from India, showcasing that Britain is bursting with fun activities and adventure, exciting and contemporary culture and highlighting less-explored destinations. By promoting unexpected experiences, alongside globally renowned and iconic cultural landmarks and attractions, VisitBritain wants to inspire more visitors from India to book a trip to Britain right now.”

Between January and September 2017, there were a record 436,000 inbound visits from India to the UK, up 32% compared to the same period in 2016. Visits from India spent a record £355 million between January and September 2017, up 7% on same period in 2016.

In February last year, VisitBritain tapped into India’s love for Bollywood and Harry Potter by launching a marketing campaign #OMGB (Oh my Great Britain) ‘Home of Amazing Moments’, to inspire Indian travellers to visit the UK. The seven week campaign ran successfully across social platforms, highlighting unique experiences Britain can offer.

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Lufthansa recently launched its new #SayYesToTheWorld brand campaign in India, celebrating openness and curiosity. The campaign is about exploring a world of new possibilities and saying yes to the unknown.

As part of the cross-media campaign, Lufthansa installed aircraft seats at public locations in Mumbai, Munich, Shanghai and New York, among other places, and asked people walking by to sit in the seats and answer the question “Why do you love the world?” The campaign does not include statement, but open questions that can be answered based on personal and unique experiences, which makes the short ad relatable to a wide variety of travellers, not just in India, but across the world.

This campaign is probably one of the more innovative ones to have come from the company, and aims to question familiar ways of thinking and habits, challenge the status quo, while demonstrating how enriching it is to discover the world. At the heart of all this is Lufthansa’s mission to inspire people to explore, to see the world, and open their minds to new experiences.

The #SayYesToTheWorld adds a new dimension to Lufthansa’s promise in India, after its ‘More Indian than you think’ campaign. The focus shifts from Indian cuisine and hospitality, to a new breed of Indian ‘explorers’, who are willing to push boundaries, and display a different open-mindedness to explore the world.

Commenting on the launch, Wolfgang Will, Senior Director, South Asia, Lufthansa German Airlines, said, “Lufthansa opens up the world to all explorers. With more and more Indians displaying a growing zest for exploring the world, the new campaign adds to our assurance of being ‘More Indian than you think’ and reaffirms our commitment to being a preferred partner to the Indian traveller.”

The new campaign is also accompanied with a new digital engagement hub at LH.com/sayyes. It invites people around the world to pin any place on the online world map and share what they would like to say “Yes!” to there. Participants stand a chance to win a ticket to explore a dream destination in Europe. In line with the campaign, Lufthansa is also reinventing itself in response to the changing customer requirements. Against the backdrop of digitalization, the refreshed brand logo celebrates the distinctive Lufthansa crane created 100 years ago, while transforming it into a dynamic new-age brand. It reflects a thinner ring, which makes the crane look more elegant, bringing it into the foreground and granting it more space. This will take into account the variety of brands in the Group, offering optical neutrality for all companies.

From embracing local cultures to operating its most high-end fleet in India, Lufthansa has been making heavy investments in the Indian marketplace to woo local travellers. In just four years, it has also positioned itself among the top foreign aviation players in the country.

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Social media and tourism marketing is a match made in heaven. The practice of social media to build destination brands and engage existing and potential audience is immense, and with this realization, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, launched a Social Media Key Influencers’ Campaign called ‘The Great Indian Blog Train’. The campaign involves bloggers from across the world, who have been invited to travel to destinations in the country on India’s luxury trains operating across different states.

The objective of the campaign is to position luxury trains of India as a unique tourism product, both in the domestic and overseas markets. The campaign will generate widespread publicity for the luxury trains as well as the destinations visited, by way of blogs, videos and photos published by the bloggers and Instagram influencers on their experiences of their journey.

A total of 60 bloggers from 23 countries, including India, are travelling on a week-long journey on four luxury trains – Palace on Wheels, Maharaja Express, Deccan Odyssey and Golden Chariot, in groups of 15 bloggers on each train. While the first group left on February 7 on the Palace on Wheels, the second and third group left on the Maharaja Express and the Deccan Odyssey on February 10, respectively. The last group of bloggers is scheduled to leave on the Golden Chariot on February 19.

One of the groups of bloggers participating in the campaign.

The Railway Board, the State Governments of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) are proactively promoting this luxury segment, and are actively supporting the campaign by hosting the bloggers on their trains.

The ministry of tourism has been making several digital initiatives and one of the newer ones is launch of new digital platform. This aesthetically designed, user-friendly portal makes huge amount of information easily accessible and is aimed at identifying user personas and customizing the content for different travellers.

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