How to market your holiday parks sustainability to generate more bookings

Now that we have looked at why it is important to market your holiday park sustainability practices, we should now begin to consider how to do so.

Step 1 – Start introduction of consumers to your sustainability strategies.

In 2020 make an assertive effort to start documenting your holiday park sustainability. Take photos, video snippets, blogs or reports whatever media best suits and start telling these stories on your marketing channels. I think at least there should be a small mention on your website home page and a link to a dedicated page about your sustainability.

Use your social media and email channels to share updates and images of your teams and efforts in action. For example: If you leave large areas of wild grass to help sustain the native bee population, tell people! That way they are less likely to arrive on park and complain about you not cutting the grass.

Don’t bombard your audience. Drip feed these messages to compliment your deals and offers and remember – above all, fun and experience sells. Your beautiful location and adventures that inspire visitors is what they buy, just communicate what you’re doing to help protect it.

Step 2 – Make Sustainability Fun

Getting your guests actively involved in your sustainability actions is a great way of educating your audience whilst at the same time raising awareness of your brand ethos. Don’t preach, people are on holiday at the end of the day so maybe implement fun activities to help. Children and families especially can engage in some ideas such as:

• Nature and adventure trails for kids
• Discovery packs on arrival
• Competitions and activities
• Incentivise plastic waste collection
• Link with local sustainable tour providers
• Communicate your sustainability through on park literature and signage

Don’t forget, share photos and videos of these interactions to help further communicate to future guests across your online channels.

Step 3 – Give Something Back

Holiday Parks collectively across the country invite millions of tourists to our most beautiful locations and (I believe) should also support some social responsibility for those visitors. So, if you are able, give something back to the local communities you reside in:

• Take part in beach or country cleans at the end of the season
• Support local food and beverage suppliers in your bars and restaurants
• Link up with charities and foundations that help protect our wildlife
• Aim to be plastic free
• Provide free or greatly reduced holidays for those in need – perhaps fill your troublesome shoulder seasons with some good-will.

Whilst this will undoubtedly make you all feel a little better about your companies impact on the environment it can also provide amazing marketing opportunity. Document your teams in action with the community and introduce your local suppliers and share these amazing stories.

Sustainability builds trust

Essentially whilst your sustainable actions are impacting much needed good in our society and environment, you’re also building vital trust in your brand’s audience.

These positive actions support the experience and excitement of travel and build a well-rounded brand identity that consumers can believe in, and over time will buy into. Reinforce these communications with on-park experiences and guests will arrive and leave with that much wanted warm-fuzzy feeling about everything you provide and will become your ambassadors amongst their social circles.

Remember, Sustainability helps sell trust… Trust sells holidays!