TripAdvisor Is Debuting Tours and Activities TV Ads in the Sector's Breakout Year
Skift Take
Both TripAdvisor and Booking.com are newly emphasizing tours and activities in their TV advertising. You can expect a lot more of this from myriad players in the years to come. There will be variations, though. While these two companies push mainstream, touristy attractions, Airbnb will likely highlight curated experiences, although that could change, as well.
Online travel companies are finally putting real money into tours and activities — on TV.
Booking.com has spent $39.9 million dollars so far this year in the United States on one national TV spot showcasing its tours and activities offerings, according to an estimate from TV analytics firm iSpot.tv, and on Monday TripAdvisor was set to launch two TV national television commercials highlighting its "things to do" in New York City and New Orleans.
In 2017, Expedia spent $8.3 million on a "Bucket List" TV spot, according to estimates from iSpot.tv, which only tracks U.S. national TV advertisements, but that commercial highlighting a tour of Angkor Wat in Cambodia is no longer running. Airbnb has tested some videos of its Experiences product, but hasn't done much, if anything, on TV.
One of the TripAdvisor ads, Book Things to Do, focuses on mainstream tours and activities such as bike, boat and helicopter tours, all bookable on TripAdvisor with a smartphone.
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