The travel media and the pandemic: where we鈥檙e at
On June 22, National Geographic Traveller (UK) editor Pat Riddell took part in a Social with Media webinar to discuss the current travel situation and how travel PRs can promote their clients during this period. Read on for some of his top takeaways:
- The travel media industry still isn鈥檛 where we hoped it鈥檇 be. 鈥淲e hoped writers and photographers would be able to get around a lot easier, and that obviously hasn鈥檛 quite been the situation,鈥� said Pat.
- Travel publications are more reactive. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of wait and see,鈥� he said. 鈥淐an we get somebody to this destination? Can we find someone there? If we can鈥檛 cover this destination, how can we fill the space?鈥�
- We can still cover destinations people can鈥檛 travel to. 鈥淧laces like Australia are, for most people, a long-term plan, so we had it in the last issue,鈥� said Pat. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not something we worry too much about.鈥�
- Lead times mean magazines stick to their plans. 鈥淣ewspapers can plan their weekend sections on a Wednesday and if they need to change to add something they can, but we plan months ahead,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pointless trying to second guess the government at the moment.鈥�
- If there鈥檚 a story, there鈥檚 something that people can lose themselves in. 鈥淭he whole ethos of National Geographic Traveller is inspiration and escapism,鈥� said Pat.鈥淪ubscribers have gone up massively in the last year, so I like to think our readers come to us for the photography, for the long reads and that sense of sitting down in an armchair and escaping lockdown in their heads.鈥�