Oahu is a highly appealing family destination. Segmenting and targeting specific niches within the family market is an effective strategy for building your Oahu bookings.
Selling Oahu to Families with Targeted Marketing Strategies
Understanding the diverse family experiences available on Oahu will enable you to craft customized vacations today’s travelers demand. And travel agents that create specialized itineraries for different family market segments will have that competitive edge. It’s, therefore, important to understand your family customer.
The Ease of Oahu Appeals to Families with Babies and Toddlers
Families with babies and toddlers love the ease of Oahu. Direct flights from many points on the mainland, perfect weather, the abundance and range of baby and child friendly accommodations and dining, and access to familiar necessities (diapers, toys, and formula, for example) make the island ideal for young families. Besides including activities that parents can enjoy with their babies and toddlers, it’s a good opportunity to ensure that Mom and Dad have quality time together. Incorporate spa activities together, dining dates, and select alone time. With baby-sitting services available at hotel or through hotel concierges, Oahu caters well to this family segment.
Educational and Enriching Activities Perfect for School Age Children
As children enter school age, Oahu offers endless activities and attractions along with the richness of Hawaiian culture. Head to Kualoa, a 4,000-acre cattle ranch on the Windward Coast with loads of family friendly tours and activities. On the North Shore at Waimea Valley, families can learn how ancient Hawaiians lived in an historic ahupua‘a, a self-sustaining mountain to sea land division, hike forests, and take a dip under the waterfall. Back in Honolulu at Bishop Museum, kids can view the Hawaiian night sky at the newly renovated Watumull Planetarium and walk through a volcanic lava tube at the Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center. A trip to Pearl Harbor brings a school history lesson to life. Kid friendly food options abound whether you want ethnic fare in Chinatown or a refreshing Hawaiian shave ice.
Fashion, Fitness, and Food Itineraries Ideal for Tweens and Teens
Parents with tweens, teens, and college age kids find Oahu immensely appealing. Because kids become more discerning and opinionated as they age, parents will appreciate the travel agent that goes the extra mile with itineraries to match the interests of their offspring. Fitness oriented parents and kids enjoy surf lessons, kayaking, biking, and hiking. Young fashionistas find their favorite stores and brands along Kalākaua Avenue, at Ala Moana Center, and Waikele Premium Outlets. Young film buffs might want to do a movie location tour as Oahu’s a favorite filming location for Hollywood. Today’s kids are sophisticated foodies who will enjoy Oahu’s varied dining options and most will jump at the chance to enjoy a massage at any of the splendid resort spas.
Activities for Every Age Make Oahu Excellent for Multi-Generational Family Travel
Oahu is perfect for family reunions, weddings, vow renewals, and multi-generational family group trips that include grandparents, their adult children, and grandchildren. Grandparents will often celebrate a milestone anniversary by inviting their kids and grandkids on vacation. Determine the purpose of the multi-generational family trip and who the highlighted family members are. Build the family itineraries with these elements in mind. Oahu’s diverse town and country experiences make it easy to plan an itinerary that features group and separate activities for all ages.
Targeted Digital Marketing Communications
- Dissect your database: Determine the various family audiences you want to target. Get to know these families and their travel interests. Develop an email strategy that periodically provides them with key family travel updates or articles on family travel experiences to pique their interest and build your brand as a family travel expert.
- Leverage the web and social media for reaching families: Go where your clients are whether that’s Facebook, Twitter, email, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, or YouTube. Use your social media vehicles to share pertinent information with clients and build your reputation as an Oahu/Hawaii expert and family travel expert.
- A picture is a worth thousand words: Nothing compares with the power of images to describe an Oahu getaway. For instance, if grandparents are planning a family reunion, create a photo campaign that you can send in an email and post on Facebook or Pinterest. Suggest or help create a Facebook page just for the family group so the grandparents can then build excitement by sharing images of the upcoming trip that’s being planned. The page can act as a personalized family album with images posted during the trip and post- travel by grandparents, kids, and grandchildren. To download Oahu images, visit http://agents.gohawaii.com.
- Build your online community: Encourage clients to share their family vacation photos and testimony on your agency’s Facebook page. When traveling or on FAMs, post or tweet family-specific experience that would interest your clients.
