Darias PR Collective

Public relations and traditional advertising are the top ways that travel destinations relay the message for consumers to pack their bags and visit their location. Whether it’s through traditional advertisements such as Airbnb’s “Live There,” or PR campaigns, for example OutHorse Your Email, a famous campaign put together by Visit Iceland.

Advertising is paid and controlled — you buy space or time and craft the exact message. PR is earned and unpredictable — you pitch stories, manage relationships with journalists, and hope coverage goes your way.

But in the travel world, PR is especially powerful. Travel purchases are high-stakes and high-cost. Nobody books a $5,000 trip because they saw a banner ad. They work because a travel journalist, a famous vlogger or influencer documenting their experience, a friend shared a story about the destination, or the destination appeared in a film, TV show, or viral social media post.

This is almost entirely the PR domain. Earned media and word-of-mouth drive travel decisions more than almost any other industry. A single feature in a major travel publication can generate bookings for years to come.

Despite the debate, getting the target audience’s opinion between the two on whether consumers prefer traditional advertisements or PR, seemed essential.

Thomas Cattaneo, a 22-year-old graduate from King’s College, born and raised in Milan, Italy, has traveled to approximately 27 countries over the course of his life. His love for travel grew as his parents inspired him to explore the world, and as he got older, Cattaneo did some of his own traveling, including trips to Japan, France, India, Nepal and China.

“I like the idea of going off the map, so countries that many people wouldn’t like to choose as their first choice. I like to challenge myself and maybe sometimes be different from the mainstream by going to places that nobody’s ever been to,” Cattaneo said.

Cattaneo primarily chooses destinations from social media or travel guides, however, when asked about advertisement influence, Cattaneo explained, “Maybe if there are some offers when I hear that maybe going somewhere is going to be cheaper, but I wouldn’t say that advertisement itself really affects my decision. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever chosen a destination based on an advertisement about it.”

This also applied to hotels. Cattaneo never felt influenced to book a hotel for his travels based on an ad he saw on TV. Rather, he either did his own research or used booking sites he heard about word-of-mouth.

When it comes to the bottom line for travel companies, PR and advertising have their own specialties and strengths: build destination desirability — PR; drive immediate bookings — advertising; reach new audiences organically — PR; loyalty and repeat business — PR and content marketing. For Cattaneo, what drove him to visit most of the countries he visited, or stay at the locations he chose, was organic reach and destination desirability.

When comparing a polished advertisement to hearing about someone’s real experience, Cattaneo had a very favorable preference. “Obviously someone’s real experience, but again with some limitations, and a polished advertisement. Again, it depends. I mean, can a polished advertisement be a picture or maybe some highly modified advertisement? Well, if I had to choose one of the two, I’d much rather listen to someone’s real experience.” Cattaneo explained that both PR-related content and advertising raised some skepticism for him personally.

“Travel PR does create a stronger emotional connection, also because I think people in the last few decades have gotten used to traditional advertising and nobody really trusts it anymore,” Cattaneo said.

Cattaneo’s perspective is far from unique. Across the travel industry, the shift toward authentic storytelling and earned media has fundamentally changed how destinations win over tourists. PR creates desire through trust, and in an era where consumers are more skeptical than ever of paid messaging, trust has become the most valuable currency a travel brand can earn.

For travel companies looking to genuinely move people, the answer becomes clear. Advertising has its place for promotions and retargeting, but it is PR that builds the emotional foundation that makes someone actually book the trip. The most compelling travel stories are never sold, rather, they are told. And as Cattaneo put it best, in a world oversaturated with advertising that nobody trusts anymore, a real experience shared authentically will always win.

About the Author

Hi there, I’m Daria Morris, a public relations student at the University of Oregon, columnist and passionate traveler. I’ve worked in Tokyo’s media industry creating and strategising content for international audiences, with a love for how travel shapes communication and storytelling.