From the client’s perspective, the editorial exposure generated from a journalist’s firsthand experience of its service makes for a much richer, more appealing story. Experiencing destinations and activities is a must for travel stories that will appeal to consumers.
Part of our role as DFDS Seaways’ PR agency is to organise a seamless trip, whether it be hosted by one of our team or one travelled independently. More and more, we are seeing journalists who want to travel on their own terms, with a friend or family in their own time. We also invest a huge amount of time in making sure trips are exciting or unique enough to tempt journalists away from the office, which surprisingly can be a tough task in the current economic climate.
If you do host a trip, it is an enjoyable time but definitely not just a jolly - you are responsible for the smooth running of every aspect, from directions through to details of dinner reservations and accommodation. Of course, we couldn’t organise these trips without the help of tourist boards that provide priceless location knowledge, recommendations and help with bookings.
I’ve just returned from a two-night spa weekend in Spa, Belgium, where I hosted a reporter from Chat magazine along with her sister. We discovered the origins of spas and the health benefits of spring water, which will be the focus of the Girls’ Weekend feature she’s currently putting together for publication in October.
European travel is definitely one of the perks of travel PR and I’m looking forward to reading the resulting coverage!
If you would like to find out details of upcoming trips, please do contact us at dfdspr@westgatecomms.com or give us a call on 01732 779087.