Silver Travel Advisor’s Lisa McAuley argues a positive narrative surrounding the sector is crucial
Many years ago, I was given some advice by a female colleague who said: “Presentations should be like a good skirt: short enough to grab attention but long enough to cover everything.”
Recently, I witnessed an excellent supplier presentation that I would describe as selling through storytelling.
The story was told with hyper-personalisation. The presenter had my full attention throughout; they didn’t mention the phrase ‘USP’; there were no wordy slides with multiple bullet points; and there was no mention of brand values! It was refreshing, and my mind never wandered once. And it got me thinking about storytelling.
Since my last column just a few weeks ago, I’ve managed (against all odds) to complete the London Marathon and to summit Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in north Africa. I’ve holidayed in stunning Saint Lucia, spent a fabulous few days on board an ultra-luxury cruise line, attended conferences in Morocco and Turkey, and presented the first in-person Silver Travel Awards since 2019 in London.
Not for one second am I bragging here. My point is that the memories I’ve made in just a few short weeks have enabled me to become a better storyteller than I was before those experiences. It’s a long time since I sat behind a counter and sold holidays, but I still very much love to talk about travel and what I’ve been up to, as well as to listen to other people’s experiences. So far, none of my friends have told me to shut up, so I assume they’re interested, and I’m always eager to hear about their holiday experiences too.
We’re all ‘influencers’
There was talk at a recent conference about travel ‘influencers’. I made the point that all of us who work in our industry should, by default, see ourselves as an influencer. And while we may not have the reach of Elon Musk or Katy Perry, in my eyes you don’t need to be a TikTok or Instagram supremo to be considered an influencer, nor do you need the ability to filter a photo within an inch of its life to post it.
I believe you simply need a passion for travel. We have several Silver Travel members whose photograph submissions would make purist marketers cringe and never give them the light of day, but we celebrate the authenticity of such images, along with the stories that accompany them. From afternoon teas on special occasions to expedition cruises, trekking in far-flung places to fly-and-flop holidays – each article and photo tells a story from someone who has a passion to tell it.
One particular member reviewed a walking holiday recently that has subsequently had a reach of over 200,000 on social media – I dare say they’re as surprised as we are.
Career choice
We also need to advocate why people should look to travel as a career. The recruitment crisis isn’t going to go away anytime soon, so we have to work hard to influence people to join our industry.
As I write this, I’m hoping I can tempt someone back into travel after a three‑year break, as well as convince a friend who has taken a very early retirement from the education sector that she might want to consider travel as an option. Hopefully they’ll both read this and realise just how much value I think they could bring to the industry.
So, as we approach the end of the year, and ready ourselves for what we all hope will be a bumper peaks period, let’s ensure we’re all hyped up to talk about travel using whatever means and budgets we have at our disposal.
There’s no denying this year has been exhausting, and I think it’s fair to say we still face continued challenges. But a positive narrative surrounding travel and tourism is a must – and collective storytelling can make a difference.