Marketing for the shrinking drive travel footprint
Navigating the changing drive travel market
With diesel prices continuing to squeeze household budgets across Australia, the way people holiday on the road has visibly changed.
The traditional, open-ended Big Lap is morphing into a much more calculated journey. Many grey nomads and drive tourists are shortening their itineraries, choosing destinations closer to regional hubs, or choosing to park up in one location for longer to stretch their fuel budgets.
For regional holiday parks and accommodation providers located outside the primary tourism corridors, this shift means the old reliance on standard drive-in traffic is evolving. To keep sites and cabins full, operators need to actively intercept these travellers online before they even turn the ignition key.
By making a few deliberate pivots across your social media, Meta ads, website, and email marketing, you can position your property as the perfect, fuel-conscious getaway.
Tweak your website to highlight slow travel
When travellers are watching the fuel gauge, your website needs to immediately reassure them that your destination is worth the drive, or that staying longer with you makes financial sense.
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Create a dedicated local guide page - Build a simple, highly visual regional guide on your website showcasing everything within a 20-minute drive of your property. Highlight hidden gems, local cafes, and day trips. This proves to travellers they can park the rig, stay for a week, and experience a full holiday without burning through fuel.
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Update your home page banners - Make sure your site immediately highlights multi-night stay perks or regional itineraries that promote settling in rather than passing through.
- Take a look at our client BIG4 Whiters Holiday Village - a fantastic example of in-depth local touring guides and holiday planning pages for their guests here.
Adjust your Meta ad targeting parameters
Relying on broad, nationwide awareness ads might result in wasted budget if travellers are unwilling to drive across state borders. Your paid advertising needs to become hyper-local.
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Implement radius targeting - Shift a portion of your Meta ads budget into geo-targeted campaigns that focus strictly on major regional hubs or capital cities within a comfortable three-to-four-hour driving radius of your property.
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Update your ad creative - Use imagery and video captions that lean heavily into the escape close to home narrative. Show real road conditions, beautiful park setups, and stress-free transit to make the trip feel achievable and inviting.
Use email marketing to re-engage past visitors
Your database is sitting on a goldmine of regional travellers who already know, trust, and love your property. It is far easier to convince a past guest to return for a short trip than to attract someone completely new.
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Consider targeted emails to guests within the state - Simply pull a list of past guests who live within your own state. This gives you a clean, ready-made audience of drive-market travellers who can easily visit without crossing borders.
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Offer a low-cost return guest perk - Entice them back with a small, thoughtful extra that costs your property very little but adds massive value to their trip. Think about offering a complimentary late check-out so they can enjoy their final morning, a free bag of firewood for the camp site, or a voucher for a coffee at your kiosk.
Pivot your social media content to show community value
Organic social media is your best tool for building comfort and trust. Use your Facebook and Instagram channels to show real-time life at the property and connect with the grey nomad community.
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Share real guest stories - Post photos and quick chats with grey nomads who are currently staying at your property. Let them tell your audience why they chose to stay longer in your region and what they are enjoying locally.
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Focus on destination utility - Share practical road updates, weather conditions, and community events on your feeds. Becoming a trusted source of local knowledge makes your property a natural destination choice.
Let us handle the digital heavy lifting
Adapting your digital marketing channels to changing travel trends takes time and consistent monitoring. If you want to ensure your Meta ads, website, and email campaigns are perfectly aligned to capture the shifting drive market, the team at Massey Online Marketing is here to help.
We specialise in managing and optimising digital channels specifically for holiday parks and accommodation providers.
Get in touch with us today to chat about how we can keep your holiday park or property busy all year round.
Frequently asked questions
What is radius targeting in Meta ads?
Radius targeting allows you to drop a pin on a map - like a major capital city or a regional hub -and set a specific boundary around it, such as 40-80km. For accommodation providers, this ensures your budget is spent only on showing ads to people within an easy drive of your property.
How can a local guide page improve my website conversion?
When travellers are worried about fuel costs, they want to know they won't have to drive long distances once they arrive. A local guide page acts as visual proof that your property is surrounded by enough attractions, walks, and dining options to keep them entertained for a full week without moving their vehicle.
What is a low-cost perk I can offer to encourage return bookings?
The best perks cost your business very little operational revenue but carry high perceived value for the guest. Late check-outs are incredibly popular with regional travellers because it removes the morning rush, while offering a complimentary voucher for a coffee at your on-site kiosk or a local cafe creates an immediate, welcoming experience.
Why should I focus on intrastate email marketing instead of nationwide campaigns?
Intrastate travellers (within your state) require less travel time and lower fuel budgets. By filtering your database to focus strictly on these guests, you can send highly relevant messaging that addresses their specific desire for a quick, stress-free getaway close to home.