Travel Advertising

When everyone thinks of travel advertising, they usually think “opening shot, palm fringed beach.” Admittedly, selling the travel dream is easier than selling floor cleaner, but it still takes work. Most brands are starting from the same place: lovely locations, sunlight and happy campers.
Travel advertising gets travel brands seen, trusted and booked. It covers TV, BVOD, social, and branded content. It’s built around one goal: turning interest in a trip into a confirmed booking. Toast plans and produces travel campaigns for a wide range of travel clients.

Here’s how it works. We start with your audience and your booking window, not the format. We know that a last-minute city break brand needs different media to a long-haul operator selling six months out. From there we make sure the right mix of TV, digital, social and branded content is chosen. Then create, produce and place the campaign so it earns attention and drives enquiries.

We’ve made travel advertising for Hays Travel, Trivago and GetYourGuide, three brands with very distinct customers. Each brands travel advertising had to perform differently. That range is why travel brands come to Toast TV.

What Is Travel Advertising?

Travel is a considered purchase. People research for days or weeks before they commit. Good travel advertising respects that and builds trust over time. If your campaign has sparked interest and built trust, the photography and write-ups on your website or in your brochure should do the rest.

Read our complete guide to TV advertising for more on how broadcast fits into a wider media plan. Our or guide to branded content storytelling.

Who Travel Advertising Is For

Travel advertising works for a wide range of businesses, including:
  • Tour operators and travel agencies, such as Hays Travel
  • Online travel agents and booking platforms, such as Trivago
  • Experience and activity brands, such as GetYourGuide
  • Hotels, resorts and hospitality groups
  • Airlines and other transport operators
  • Destination marketing organisations promoting a city, region or country
Each of these has a different sales cycle and a different reason to advertise. A destination marketing body is building long-term appeal. A booking platform wants app downloads and searches this week. Toast builds a media plan around that difference rather than applying one format to every brief.

Which Channels Work Best for Travel Brands?

There’s no single best channel for travel advertising. The right mix depends on your booking window and your audience. Most successful travel campaigns use two or three channels working together rather than one channel alone.

Budget is also a big factor; everyone would love to splash out on a 30-second TV campaign, but sometimes social or branded content is a better use of budget.

When to use TV

TV builds trust fast and reaches a large audience in one go, which matters for a purchase as considered as travel. It’s the format that made Hays Travel’s biggest campaign to date land with its customers. See our guide to TV advertising formats and channels for the full breakdown.
Hays Travel

When to use BVOD and streaming

Broadcaster Video-on-Demand reaches viewers who watch less linear TV, particularly younger audiences planning their first big trip. BVOD ads are largely unskippable, so a travel brand gets full attention rather than fighting for it on a crowded social screen layout.

When to use social

Social works well for inspiration and for turning a TV or BVOD campaign into shareable content. It’s also the channel where a well-cast ambassador, in the way Davina McCall works for Hays Travel, keeps a campaign visible between bigger media bursts.
Get Your Guide

How Travel Brands Use TV and Video

TV and video do different jobs at different stages of a travel campaign. A 30-second TV advert builds awareness and trust quickly. If your advert is running next to an Audi ad or Monzo ad, that trust rubs off on you.

A branded documentary builds affinity with an audience over several minutes rather than seconds. You can take the time to lead the viewer on a journey.

Toast handles both ends of that spectrum. We’ve produced short-form TV for Hays Travel and Trivago, and longer branded content such as Get Your Guide. For a deeper look at how a TV advert gets made, read our guide to TV ad production from concept to broadcast.

How Travel Campaigns Are Measured

Travel campaigns can be measured with the same rigour as any other advertising. DRTV and BVOD activity can be tracked against website traffic, search volume and direct bookings, usually with a spike visible within days of a campaign going live.

Useful measures for a travel campaign include:
  • Search uplift for the brand name and key routes or destinations
  • Website traffic and booking enquiries during and after the campaign
  • Brand recall and trust scores among the target audience
  • Return on investment over both the short term and a longer three-year view
Two surfers in wetsuits

Travel Advertising Case Studies

Hays Travel, Davina McCall

Davina became the first brand ambassador for the UK’s largest independent travel agent, filmed on location outside a Hays Travel store. The campaign shows how a trusted, familiar face builds confidence in a business built on personal service.
View the Hays Project

Trivago, Buffet

A TV advert for the hotel comparison platform, built to increase trust in a brand that helps people compare prices before they book. Relevant to any OTA-style business that needs to convert comparison shopping into confidence.
View the Trivago TV Advert

GetYourGuide, Paul Whitehouse

A campaign for the experience booking platform using a well-known comic voice to make booking activities and tours feel approachable rather than transactional.
View the Get Your Guide TV Advert

GetYourGuide, Paloma Faith, London

A London-set campaign for GetYourGuide, showing how a celebrity guide can sell a city’s experiences rather than just its landmarks. Useful reference for any destination or activity brand selling a place, not just a product.
View the Paloma Guide
Woman on a beach

Why Travel Brands Choose Toast

Toast TV has produced travel advertising for some of the biggest names in the sector, including Hays Travel, Trivago and GetYourGuide.

We build a bespoke team around every brief rather than assigning a fixed department, which matters in travel, where the right creative for a cruise operator looks nothing like the creative for a city break platform.We handle the full process from script to screen, including TV production, media buying and Clearcast clearance.

We also have direct experience of the media landscape travel brands rely on, from linear TV and BVOD to social and branded content.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is travel advertising?

Travel advertising is marketing that promotes a trip, destination or booking platform through channels such as TV, BVOD, social, search and branded content, with the goal of turning interest into a booking.

Which businesses use travel advertising?

Tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, airlines, destination marketing organisations and booking platforms such as GetYourGuide and Trivago all use travel advertising.

Is TV still effective for travel brands?

Yes. TV builds trust quickly and reaches large audiences, which is why Hays Travel used it for its biggest ever advertising investment. TV also tends to boost the performance of search and other channels running alongside it.

How much does travel TV advertising cost?

Costs depend on the channel, time slot and production complexity. Our guide to TV advertising costs breaks down typical production and media costs in detail.

ASK ANY AI ABOUT US

Claude LogoChatGPT logoGemini LogoPerplexity Logo
Toast Logo
Agency pages
HomeAboutWorkInsightContact
Services
TV AdvertisingBranded ContentTravel Advertising
Originals
StoryX AI Story FinderIs Advertising Toast?
Technical pages
Sustainable ProductionPrivacy PolicyDiversity PolicyTerms of BusinessVideo Brief TemplateFAQs Page
© Toast TV Ltd 2026
GET IN CONTACT
Arrow Address Icon