What is one storytelling technique you think is set to transform how travel experiences are shared digitally? Why do you think this technique will be transformative?

Storytelling is about empathy, understanding, and relatability. People connect to stories deeply because they make them think about their own lives. So the most transformative technique to increase the value of travel content is going to be individualized experience sharing. If you look up "Christmas Activities in NYC," you'll almost always find the same 10 experiences. But people—and their priorities—are vastly different. A solo traveler wants something far from what the family with three young children wants. The middle ager with their elderly mother wants something different than two friends in their 20s. The party animal wants a different experience than the church-goer. Same with the adventurer and the luxury lounger and any other of the myriad combinations of people and personality types. What's lacking, though some get it right, in travel experiences shared digitally is personal storytelling. "Christmas Activities in NYC that Don't Cost an Arm and a Leg," or "Christmas Activities in NYC for Agoraphobics," are much more relatable to specific groups of people, and therefore much more valuable. We see ourselves in stories. So if people can't see themselves in yours, you need to revise them to be more targeted to your unique audience.

Short-form video content with immersive experiences--particularly vertical reels that include background sounds--has revolutionized the way people engage with content. One of our clients saw significant success by adding 5-second voiceovers to scenes of Tokyo streets. These clips created a specific mood without including any promotional messaging, which encouraged viewers to save and share the content organically. Travel content has evolved from being like a simple postcard into an actual window that shows the experience. The more authentic and immediate this content feels to viewers, the more likely it is to spread across social networks.

Cinematic short-form video. Guests experience pure joy when they watch a 90-second video that showcases their spa visit through slow-motion steam, close-up shots of the beer bath, and laughter shared over local brews. The video feels more like a movie trailer than a typical vacation recap. This storytelling style reveals more than just travel destinations--it allows viewers to feel the same emotions as the creator. When emotions lead the content creation process, bookings naturally follow.

Over the past few years, there has definitely been a shift in what people want from online content, and that's content that is more "real." So, I think that travel storytelling is going to become more and more real, with people being more likely to show the less picture-perfect elements of their trips - the struggles they run into, when they are feeling tired, spots that ended up being a let-down, unexpectedly great experiences, etc. I think this will ultimately have a pretty big impact on where and how people choose to travel because people will see that content and really take it to heart.