Imagine this: a guest discovers your accommodation while planning a regional escape. They follow you on social media, visit your website and eventually make a booking. They have a wonderful stay, leave a glowing review and tell you they would love to return.
Then they leave.
And you never contact them again.
Twelve months later, they begin planning another trip. They remember the region, the long lunch they enjoyed and the walk they took on their final morning. But they cannot quite remember the name of your accommodation.
Another place to stay appears in their Instagram feed at precisely the right time, so they book that instead.
They did not book somewhere else because they had not loved staying with you.
They booked because another accommodation provider appeared at exactly the right moment and reminded them it was there. You simply disappeared from their view.
That is the gap a newsletter should help you close.
Tourism Newsletters Are Not Just for Online Stores
In tourism and hospitality, newsletters can appear to belong mainly to those with something to sell online or an established membership, loyalty or VIP club.
Think of:
- Wineries with wine clubs
- Breweries and distilleries announcing new releases
- Cafés with coffee clubs or loyalty programs
- Restaurants promoting VIP offers
- Retailers with online stores
- Venues promoting member events
It makes sense. They have new products, member benefits, events and special offers that give them an obvious reason to email regularly.
It can be harder to recognise the role of email when you offer accommodation, a tour, an attraction or another visitor experience that people book less frequently.
Your guests may only visit your region once or twice a year. Some will be planning months in advance, while others may love what you offer but are not yet ready to book.
But the point of a tourism newsletter is not always to generate an immediate sale. It can also:
- Keep you familiar and top of mind
- Remind past guests how their visit felt
- Help potential visitors plan their trip
- Build trust before someone is ready to book
- Give people a reason to return or recommend you
Staying in contact does not mean constantly pushing vacant dates, discounts and “book now” messages.
A good newsletter can be a form of hospitality. It welcomes people into your world before they arrive and maintains the connection after they leave.
You do not need an online store, a new product release or a constant stream of special offers. You need something relevant and worthwhile to say.
But appearing in someone’s inbox is not enough. Your newsletter also needs to earn their attention.
These four principles will help.
1. Be Specific
Generic tourism marketing is easy to write and even easier to ignore.
Consider this:
Winter is a wonderful time to enjoy a relaxing regional escape.
There is nothing technically wrong with it. But the problem is that it could have been written by almost any tourism business in almost any Australian region. It does not give the reader anything specific to picture, feel or remember.
Now compare it with:
The first fire of the season was lit in the cottage this week. Outside, the temperature had dropped. Inside, the windows were beginning to fog, the kettle was on and there was nowhere else anyone needed to be.
The second version creates a scene. The reader can imagine what the experience might feel like.
Choose the details that help someone see, understand or feel the experience.
- Instead of saying your region is beautiful, show the reader what is changing.
- Instead of saying your tour is memorable, share the moment guests still talk about afterwards.
- Instead of saying your menu uses local produce, introduce the grower who arrived at the kitchen door that morning.
Specific newsletter content might begin with:
- The first fire being lit in the guest cottage
- A guide spotting the season’s first whale
- Rain transforming a usually dry landscape
- The arrival of produce from a local grower
- The first vines beginning to change colour
- A guest asking an unexpected question
- The team preparing an attraction before the doors open
- A small detail visitors regularly mention in their reviews
Specific details make an experience believable and help your newsletter sound uniquely yours.
2. Be Bold Enough to Say Something Meaningful
This matters more in tourism than most industries. Research from MailerLite analysing 3.6 million campaigns found that the Travel newsletters have the lowest average open rates of any sector, roughly 30%, because subscribers sign up mid-daydream and then go back to real life. You don’t get many chances, so the ones you get need to count.
Sadly, tourism operators often soften their marketing because they do not want to sound too promotional.
The result can be safe language such as: We thought we would let you know that we still have some availability over the coming months.
It falls flat. It does not give the reader a compelling reason to keep reading or take action.
Being BOLD does not mean exaggerating, shouting or creating false urgency. It means confidently explaining why the information matters.
For example: If you want to experience the region while the days are mild, the walking trails are green and the summer crowds have not yet arrived, this is your window.
Tell the reader:
- Why the experience is different
- Why this particular time matters
- What they might otherwise miss
- What they should do next
Do not make people work out why your update matters. Tell them.
Clarity is not the same as pressure.
3. Tell a Story with a Purpose
Stories make newsletters more interesting, personal and memorable. But simply describing something that happened does not automatically make it a good story. It needs to lead the reader somewhere.
Before including a story, ask:
- Why am I telling this?
- Why will my ideal visitor care?
- What does it reveal about the experience?
- What should the reader feel, understand or do next?
Perhaps a guide spotted the first whale of the season.
The story is not simply that a whale was seen. It could demonstrate the guide’s knowledge, signal the beginning of the season and help readers imagine the thrill of seeing a whale for themselves.
The story is the vehicle. The meaning is what makes it worth reading.
4. Make the Reader Part of the Story
Your property, experience or venue may be the setting, but the reader should be able to see themselves within it.
Too many newsletters are filled with statements such as:
- We have
- We offer
- We recently
- We are excited to announce
- We would like to let you know
Your reader is more interested in what that information means for them.
Compare:
We have introduced a new guided sunset walk for our guests.
With:
You can now spend the final hour of the day walking with a local guide before watching the sun disappear behind the ranges.
The information is almost the same, but the second version places the reader inside the experience.
Look through your next newsletter and compare how often you use “we” and “our” with how often you use “you” and “your”.
Some simple changes include:
- “We have added” becomes “You can now experience”
- “We are offering” becomes “You can choose”
- “We are excited to announce” becomes “Your next visit could include”
You do not need to remove yourself from the newsletter. You simply need to show readers where they fit.
Tourism Newsletter Ideas for Different Businesses
You do not need major business news or a special offer every time you send an email.
Look for small moments that reveal something meaningful about your experience.
Accommodation
Write about:
- A seasonal change around the property
- The story behind a room or building
- A suggested two day itinerary
- A local product included in your welcome hamper
- A frequently asked pre-arrival question
- What guests can experience at different times of year
Tours and Experiences
Share:
- Something a guide recently noticed
- A guest question and its answer
- A stop or moment guests regularly mention
- How the experience changes between seasons
- The local knowledge behind one part of the tour
- What happens before guests arrive
Attractions and Cultural Experiences
Explore:
- An object, artwork or feature visitors often overlook
- Conservation or restoration work
- The people who care for the place or collection
- A surprising piece of history
- How families can make the most of a visit
- Preparations for an upcoming exhibition or program
Restaurants, Cafés and Hospitality Venues
Feature:
- A regional producer, grower or fisher
- The story behind a popular dish
- An ingredient that has just come into season
- The people behind the food and service
- What happens before the doors open
- How your menu reflects the destination
Wineries, Breweries and Distilleries
Tell the story of:
- What is happening in production
- How a particular product was created
- The people behind a release
- The best way to approach a tasting
- What visitors often misunderstand about the process
- How to plan a visit to your cellar, brewery or distillery door
You can still link to your online store. The story simply gives the reader a stronger reason to care about what they are buying.
Events and Destinations
Write about:
- Preparations visitors do not normally see
- The volunteers and businesses behind an event
- How the region is changing with the season
- A one-day or weekend itinerary
- An emerging food, arts or nature experience
- What will make this year’s event different
Give the Reader One Natural Next Step
Not every tourism newsletter needs to contain a special offer, but it should give readers somewhere relevant to go.
Depending on the story, you might invite them to:
- Explore your available dates
- Read a suggested itinerary
- Discover a seasonal experience
- View an upcoming event
- Book a tour or table
- Learn more about a local producer
- Purchase a featured product
- Reply with a question
- Start planning their visit
Avoid adding several competing calls to action.
Choose the action most closely connected to the story you have just told.
Wrapping it up
You do not need an online store to write a damn good tourism newsletter. You need something useful to say, a story worth remembering and a way to remain connected until someone is ready to visit, book, return or recommend you.
