Learn How Travel Public Relations Works To Get Your Foot In The Door

Public relations operations vary from industry to industry. Businesses across a variety of industries will have differing relationships with the public and with the media. That can make it difficult for a young public relations professional just starting out to get their footing in a new job that is far removed from the industry their internship was in. Travel public relations are one of those niche areas of PR that many young professionals find entry level jobs in. Travel and tourism industry relations operate differently than any other industry. Find out how travel public relations works in this post to get your foot in the door at your dream job.

Transparency Is Key

Transparency is key in all business industries, but most especially in travel and tourism. Travel public relations expects and requires that travel and tourism businesses are always upfront with customers. Travel pricing should reflect this transparency. One of the number one causes of travel industry PR nightmares is a lack of transparent pricing. Travel industry businesses should remember to include taxes, fuel surcharges and resort fees in any pricing they offer customers. That level of transparency is crucial in the world of travel PR. This is something you will want to know once you get your start in public relations for a travel and tourism company.

Writer Visits

Writer visits comprise a lot of the daily job duties of PR professionals in the travel industry. Organizing, scheduling, managing and overseeing writer visits is a large part of what travel PR work is. If you work for a hotel, resort or travel tourism company, you are sure to be responsible for these events. Writer visits occur when a business has journalists visit their business property for free in exchange for a review in their media outlets. This is a great way to generate press about travel industry businesses. That is why it is such a crucial component of the day-to-day job responsibilities of travel public relations workers.

PRSA Travel & Tourism

The Public Relations Society of America has a ton of resources for new PR professionals within the travel industry. The PRSA Travel and Tourism Section is a part of the organization that caters directly to the needs of public relations professionals that work at travel related organizations. This is useful resource that many travel industry PR experts recognized the value of as they were just entering the profession. The PRSA Travel and Tourism annual conference is an an entire event dedicated to niche area of PR work. In addition, the Public Relations Society of America Travel and Tourism Section provides other events throughout the year along with online resources. If you are just getting your foot in the door of travel and tourism PR, knowing about these resources will prove beneficial to your career.

Content Production

Oftentimes, travel and tourism public relations will require professionals to manage and oversee content production of all different types. One day, you may be working with a film production crew to oversee them while they produce video content about your travel and tourism company. Another day, you could be working to create written digital content for the company website. Or, you may even be taking photographs of your grounds or amenities yourself to use for promotional purposes. Overseeing and managing content production processes is a large part of how travel public relations works on a day-to-day basis to help marketing departments create the best advertising. It is something you will need to know as you enter your new PR career.

Crisis Control

Travel public relations responsibilities are also largely centered around crisis management for travel and tourism businesses. Travel industry PR professionals are tasked with creating crisis management plans for business in the event that anything should go wrong. The number one cause of PR nightmares in the travel industry is natural disasters. A natural disasters crisis management plan details the steps that the company will follow to respond to press inquiries and protect their business reputation in the event of a natural disaster. For travel industry PR pros, creating crisis control plans is an integral part of their job duty. As you are entering the travel public relations field, it is important to have the skills to create a crisis management plan.

Starting a career in public relations is an exciting and potentially lucrative endeavor. But, it will only be lucrative if you are able to make a name for yourself in your industry. Unfortunately, having a ton of Instagram followers is not going to wow employers into ignoring the fact that you have no idea what you are doing yet. That is why you need to know how travel public relations works before you ever put your foot in the door. Use this post to help you learn about how travel public relations works at the most fundamental level on a day-to-day basis. This way, you can understand the basics of travel and tourism industry PR best practices that will get your ahead in your career. Once you know how travel public relations works, you are sure to wow your colleagues and supervisors and start moving up the ladder quickly.