MARKETING IN:
TOURISM & HOSPITALITY
Marketing in Tourism and hospitality is highly commercial, fast-paced, and increasingly digital-first.
Success depends on understanding traveller behaviour and turning interest into bookings.
While the industry leans heavily on visuals, performance and usability remain central.
Marketers are expected to influence customer journeys across multiple touchpoints, from first search to confirmed booking.
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TOURISM & HOSPITALITY
WHAT TO EXPECT
Most roles in travel are tied to performance metrics such as occupancy, conversion rates, or booking volume. Customer profiling is essential. Understanding who books, when, how, and why helps shape everything from ad spend to tone of voice. The mobile experience is critical. Travellers increasingly research and book via phone, and slow or clunky mobile sites can directly impact revenue. Candidates should feel confident engaging in commercial and technical conversations, with the judgement to ask for clarification when needed and the awareness to recognise what matters most.
MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY
This is a results-driven sector with a strong focus on ROI. Visual content is valued, but only when paired with strong messaging, efficient booking systems, and evidence of customer satisfaction. Marketing is expected to directly impact performance. Stakeholders are often commercial or operations-focused, and expect clear links between marketing activity and revenue. Seasonality has a major influence on planning, and post-pandemic shifts have seen many brands prioritise local, experience-led, or flexible travel options. Influencer marketing is widely used, particularly in leisure travel. Its success depends on audience fit and the ability to translate reach into bookings.
ADVANTAGES OF WORKING IN THE SECTOR
Travel marketing offers the opportunity to work on campaigns that are both creative and commercially impactful. There is a strong emphasis on digital performance, meaning marketers quickly build skills in areas like paid search, CRO, and analytics. The fast-paced nature of the industry keeps roles dynamic, and businesses often test and iterate regularly, which creates room for marketers to learn and innovate. There’s also the opportunity to shape memorable customer experiences, both online and in the real world, which can be highly rewarding.
SALARY INFO
Salaries in the travel sector vary depending on business size and whether the role sits in-house or with an agency partner: Marketing Executive: £28,000 – £35,000 Digital Marketing Manager: £40,000 – £55,000 Head of Marketing: £60,000 – £75,000 Marketing Director: £80,000+ Bonuses may be linked to performance metrics such as booking targets or customer retention. Roles with a digital focus often attract higher salaries, particularly where specialist skills such as SEO or CRM are required.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT MARKETER IN TOURISM & HOSPITALITY?
Top performers in this sector are commercially minded, digitally fluent, and comfortable working at pace. They understand the importance of user experience, data analysis, and brand consistency across channels. The best travel marketers can manage the full funnel, from first touchpoint to conversion, and bring a customer-first mindset that drives loyalty and long-term brand value. Strong collaboration with sales, product, and tech teams is key, as is the ability to test, learn, and adapt quickly.
MARKETING JOBS IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
Product Marketing
Bridging the gap between product, sales, and the market. Own messaging, positioning, feature launches, and often competitor intelligence.
Growth Marketing
Uses experimentation and data to drive acquisition, conversion, and often retention. Always testing.
Content Marketing
Create articles, guides, videos, and thought leadership to attract, nurture, and convert leads — and support product education.
Lifecycle CRM / Email Marketing
Own the post-signup or lead nurturing journey, onboarding, re-engagement, upsell, and renewal flows.
Brand Marketing & Comms
Shaping the perception of the business, sometimes includes PR, creative, design, tone of voice, and leadership visibility.
Demand Generation
Demand Generation, Create demand through targeted campaigns — working closely with Sales to generate qualified leads. ABM (account-based marketing)
Community & Advocacy Marketing (emerging)
Build trust and engagement via customer success stories, reviews, and customer-led content.
Big Title
Thinking about hiring marketing in tourism and hospitality?
