What does a travel company do when no one can travel? How do you stem a steady flow of cancelled bookings, and excite future travellers for the essence of what their trips will be about? The Contiki Travel Lounge.

My idea of the Contiki Travel Lounge retained bookings during Covid, and engaged travellers pre-trip. Travellers with booked trips were invited to join a series of Facebook groups - tapping into insights of the most-used platforms by our audience - that united each group of travellers.

By connecting travellers with people who would be on their specific departures we encouraged the bonding that takes place on trip. We were able to seed excitement about the trip, the destinations and experiences that would take place. We were able to provide critical updates to the trips and local travel restrictions. We encouraged engagement and retention through roulette discounts and offers, like bonus included experiences on trip.

The Travel Lounge improved traveller retention and boosted pre-trip engagement saving money at an incredibly difficult time. And has continued as a pre-trip process for every departure.