Skift Travel News Blog

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to embed itself in the day-to-day planning of our vacations, the Austrian National Tourist Office has launched its own humorous take on AI – or ‘Authentic Intelligence’ in this case.

Instead of the usual AI tools – which can often yield incorrect results and a lack of authentic information – the Austrian National Tourist Office is relying on its ‘Authentic Intelligence’ to bring in-depth expertise and a touch of Austrian humor to its winter holiday visitors.

‘ChatSkiPT’ has been designed to look like a typical AI chat service, however, the reply will come from one of 15 ski instructors located in Austria who are on hand to answer live questions from visitors regarding their queries on their winter ski holidays.

The website is now live, but the chat feature will officially launch tomorrow (Wednesday 17 January).

Destination Canada has joined forces with Nicole Byer, host of the Netflix show ‘Nailed It!’, on a series of short videos designed to teach viewers ‘how to winter the Canadian way.’

The campaign is made up of four short videos, which sees Byer in a series of humorous sketches and locations as she shares her tips and techniques on how to navigate the Canadian climate from the perspective of a cold weather novice.

The tongue in cheek videos cover a range of topics, including how to fall with grace when skiing, how to ensure your winter wardrobe is couture, how to get involved in winter sports (or at least pretend you know the rules), and how to master the cold plunge.

You can watch the full video series on the Destination Canada website.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority has launched a new cat-inspired campaign designed to highlight the ‘#PurrrfectVacation’.

The ‘All About You’ campaign was created by FABLEfx, and stars Leo the cat as he journeys across Ras Al Khaimah to discover all that the Emirate has to offer whilst maintaining his ‘laid-back demeanor’.  

According to a release, the feline character was inspired by a real rescue-cat named Leo, who found a home in Ras Al Khaimah and became a social media icon in the process. 

In addition to the creative elements of the campaign, there is also a gamification element where players have the opportunity to win a trip to Ras Al Khaimah and discount vouchers.

“Ras Al Khaimah’s wealth of experiences comes to life in a whimsical way in our new campaign. The decision to choose a cat character for the Ras Al Khaimah’s latest marketing campaign is a strategic one that is based on consumer insights, brand alignment and research that shows ad campaigns featuring mascots are 37% better positioned for greater market share,” said Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism and Development Authority.

“This was reinforced with a YouGov survey that validated that the presence of the cat in our campaign resonates with our target audience and adds to its likeability with scores of up to 90% among tested campaigns in all markets. This creative campaign will help put the Emirate on the map for new tourists, with the help of a fascinating and memorable character, who was once a real-life and beloved icon in the Emirate”, said Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism and Development Authority.”

A new campaign from Uber One has brought together an unlikely pairing in Hollywood legend Robert De Niro and Sex Education star Asa Butterfield, as they become ‘best friends’ thanks to their shared love for ‘eating food and going places’.

The three minute advert which comes from creative agency Mother London was directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker David Shane.

The advert sees De Niro and Butterfield bonding in a series of light-hearted scenes whilst enjoying a number of their favorite things, including clothes shopping, some down time on a swing set and a game of ping pong.

These experiences are all made possible thanks to shared Uber rides across the city of London and a selection of Uber Eats deliveries to keep their energy levels up.

You can take a look at the full length video below:

The Uber One campaign will be shown on TV screens across the United Kingdom, as well as in cinemas and across a number of digital and out of home activations.

Visit North Carolina has launched ‘For Real Fall Colours’, a new new campaign in partnership with its creative agency Luquire. 

The campaign cleverly utilizes the manmade ‘fall colors’ of New York, and transforms them using transparent leaf-shaped magnets and stickers to highlight the organic colours North Carolina has to offer during the fall season.

The magnets and stickers can be found across the city everywhere that portrays a pop of fall color – including brick buildings, taxi cabs, sidewalks and street signs.

You can view the 60-second spot below:

“Being new to North Carolina, I can tell you the fall color here is absolutely worth a trip,” said Glen Hilzinger, chief creative officer at Luquire.

“As part of our overarching ‘For Real, Visit NC’ campaign, we decided to literally reframe the manufactured colors New Yorkers are used to seeing in order to inspire them to see the real colors of North Carolina.”

The out of home element of the campaign will be supported by user generated content that will be shared across Visit NC’s social media platforms in the coming weeks.

British Airways is has debuted a new seasonal advertisement to celebrate the Hindu festival, Diwali. 

According to a release, the film has been created to celebrate those who may be missing out on the family celebrations, as well as recognizing those heading home for the festivities. 

The campaign, which features a cast made up of British Airways team members – including Akash, Shilpa, Amanda-Rose, and Ruchika – sees them fulfilling their duties at work as voicemail messages from their real family and friends play in the background.

“Each year, millions of people around the world gather to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, and we know that making that journey home to be with loved ones is so important. Our people are at the very heart of this campaign, as we wanted to thank them for helping families and friends reconnect during the festival. Happy Diwali to all our customers and colleagues,” said Hamish McVey, director of marketing at British Airways. 

The adverts will run from October 20 to November 11.

The new Eurostar – which has been created following the merger of Eurostar and Thalys – has launched with a new brand identity, all underpinned by its new motto, ‘Together We Go Further’.

The launch, which includes a new website, mobile app and loyalty program, has kicked off with a new 60-second advertisement created by adam&eveDDB and DDB Paris, which will launch across the rail operators European destinations from 16 October 2023.

In addition to the TV spot, the campaign also features a number of out of home and digital elements, for which ten artists were commissioned from the cities served by Eurostar, with the aim of ‘bringing each destination to life’. 

“Travel inspires us and renews our sense of creativity, which we wanted to bring to life in our new campaign. We wanted to create the feeling of excitement customers feel when they are about to embark on a journey to discover Europe. We have packed the commercial and OOH ads with hidden details for the public to enjoy and discover the more they revisit, in the same way we explore our destinations,” said François Le Doze, chief commercial officer at Eurostar.

A Swedish advertising firm has created a ‘skin-friendly travel agency’ to combat the rising number of skin cancer cases in Sweden. 

The ‘Shadecation’ campaign, created by Wenderfalck on behalf of Sweden’s largest pharmacy, Apotek Hjärtat, aims to inspire Swedes to adopt healthier sun habits and challenge the way they approach their time in the sun. 

Originally featured on Ads of the World, the campaign video highlights that cases of skin cancer are up 100% over the last 20 years in Sweden – making the country the third most affected globally – which prompted the team to ‘inspire Swedes to spend their summer holiday in the shade and out of the sun.’

The cornerstone of the campaign is the ‘world’s most skin-friendly travel agency’, which showcases Sweden’s shadiest destinations. The campaign also features a number of experiential activations, including transforming Apotek Hjärtat pharmacies into travel agencies and an outdoor media campaign. 

You can take a look at the campaign website here (with a little help from Google Translate) and view the original campaign video on Ads of the World here.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has partnered with award-winning creative agency, Beautiful Destinations, on a new creative campaign featuring 30 pieces of short-form video content.

The campaign has been designed to ‘reach travel audiences through ‘real’, snackable content, inspiring travelers as they begin their research, which is increasingly starting – and staying – on social media,’ according to a release from RAKTDA.

You can take a look at one of the videos below:

“We try to stay on the cusp of the traveler journey and tap into the visceral nature of tourism. By harnessing the power of short form video with Beautiful Destinations, we effectively trigger inspiration and emotion far quicker and more impactfully than other, more traditional, marketing tools. We welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors in first six months in 2023 – a 14.8% increase from the same time last year, so now is the perfect time to accelerate our destination marketing offering with the global trailblazers in travel content creation,” said Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.

As the global hospitality industry continues to bounce-back post pandemic, Hilton has launched a new brand campaign to boost hiring inspired by the very individuals that make your stay happen – Hilton team members.

The campaign, which has been designed to showcase ‘the jobs, the people, and – most importantly – the impact and joy that hospitality jobs offer’, features real Hilton employees and takes inspiration from what the team love about their jobs.

Far more than just their front-line job titles, when employees were asked about their roles they saw themselves as ‘Flavor Maestros’, ‘Date Night Directors’ and ‘Cocktail Creation Artists’, with these playful titles cleverly integrated into the campaign imagery and supporting video, which you can take a look at below.

“What makes Hilton such an amazing place to work is the passion and dedication of our people, and we’re continuing to build on that through our new ‘Every Job Makes the Stay’ campaign,” said Laura Fuentes, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Hilton.

“We chose to make team members the stars of this campaign because who better than them to speak authentically about what’s it’s like to work at Hilton. They are the heart of our business and the best ambassadors to help us find talent for our growing teams.”

Hilton have also released a Q&A with Fuentes regarding the campaign.

The campaign was created in partnership with advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day\New York, which also assisted in developing the “Hilton. For The Stay” platform, which we previously reported on here.

At the 2023 Skift IDEA Awards, we are looking for advertising campaigns that have been created with the intent to drive action.

Do you have a marketing campaign that deserves to be celebrated? Head to the Skift IDEA Awards and start your submission today.