Marketing to domestic travellers rather than international travellers will be the key to gaining a competitive edge<\/strong> through these coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we\u2019ll show you how to step up your vacation rental marketing to target domestic travellers, and which booking sites to get listed on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve also created a new ebook How to target and convert domestic travellers<\/a><\/em>.<\/strong> In it, you\u2019ll find exclusive stats on the rise of domestic tourism<\/strong>, and get lots of actionable tips on how to take advantage of this trend. If you want to equip your property management business with all the tools you need to thrive in this new climate, download the ebook now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though domestic travel is on the rise, overall demand for vacation rentals is still comparatively low. This means that competition is higher than ever. In order to attract bookings and get noticed by travellers, you need to find ways to outrun your competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two areas that you need to master: pricing and marketing. Here\u2019s what you need to know about each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Domestic travellers have a different mindset than travellers preparing to splurge on an overseas trip. They are likely to be more budget-conscious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, according to Airbnb<\/a>, \u201caffordability is the top priority overall when it comes to choosing accommodation not just for the first trip but for future travel indefinitely (54%), beating health and safety protocols by ten percentage points.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, to attract domestic travellers you need to have a competitive offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One way to make sure your rates are always competitive and you don\u2019t over- or underprice your rentals is to use <\/strong>dynamic pricing tools<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> These tools make frequent adjustments to your rates based on real-time market data in order to find the best nightly rate every single day. They\u2019re super useful when it comes to optimising your rental\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the dynamic pricing tools we recommend checking out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way to set rates that appeal to domestic travellers is to use Length-of-Stay (LOS) Pricing. <\/strong>LOS Pricing is a flexible pricing tactic that lets you adjust your rates based on the total duration of a stay, with the goal of incentivising the longest stay possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since currently, booking trends show that guests are booking longer stays with a shorter booking window, setting up LOS Pricing can be a great way to lock in extended stays and increase your occupancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And finally, adopting flexible cancellation policies can also help you attract domestic travellers.<\/strong> With so much uncertainty surrounding travel, guests are hesitant to book unless they have the option to cancel and get a full refund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Implementing flexible cancellation policies may seem counter-intuitive since cancellations are precisely what you\u2019re battling. However, if you want to get more bookings, you need to risk getting more cancellations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to some of the top distribution channels, flexible cancellation policies can get you more bookings and thus better occupancy. Airbnb reports a 15% increase in bookings for those who adopted Flexible or Moderate cancellation policies. And Plum Guide has revealed that 80% of all bookings made on their platform are on relaxed cancellation policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next to pricing, how you market your rentals will also be a determining factor for success in the coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To encourage bookings from domestic travelers, you may have to switch gears and really think about how you can appeal to a local crowd. Embracing Domestic Tourism<\/a> by tailoring your offerings to suit the preferences and interests of domestic travelers can significantly boost your bookings and revenue To make your listings domestic-traveller-friendly, consider the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the domestic travel demand starts to pick up it\u2019s more important than ever for short-term rental property managers to improve their marketing mix. Once you\u2019ve made sure that your property descriptions are appealing to domestic travellers, you also need to get listed on new channels that will give you more visibility among the local crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which websites you choose to get listed on will depend on the market your rentals are located in. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find more examples of niche listing sites that target domestic travellers in different markets in our new ebook How to target and convert domestic travellers. <\/em>Download it now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help you find the top-performing local and global listing sites in your area, we\u2019ve created a collaborative Google Sheet where property managers have added the booking sites that have worked best for them. Feel free to check it out and add your own top-performing channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, finding the right booking sites to get listed on is not enough \u2013 you also need a Channel Manager to help you manage all your listings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The quickest and most efficient way to get listed on a large variety of different websites is to use a Channel Manager<\/a> that works in real-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Rentals United, you can get listed on 60+ channels including OTAs, metasearches, niche\/local sites and Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Screenshot-2021-02-03-at-12.38.46.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAttracting domestic travellers: Strategies to eclipse the competition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to build your pricing strategy to attract domestic travellers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow to market your rentals to domestic travellers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDiversify your distribution to attract domestic guests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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