As countries begin to reopen, Tripadvisor evokes wanderlust using travel bags in a new spot

The leading online travel company wants you to take a vacation, and make it count.

It’s not every day that you watch a travel ad without any clips of scenic locations, or relaxing resort rooms and pools. Instead, you’re treated to shots of travel bags.

Leading online travel company Tripadvisor’s new spot is a refreshing and much-needed breath of fresh air.

Called ‘Vacations Miss You’, the 30-second ad is replete with travel bags. The message is simple: it’s time for you take a vacation.

“Make the next one count. No more sad luggage. It’s time to dust off our bags and get them back out into the world. Start planning your next trip because we know you miss vacations and #VacationsMissYou,” reads the ad’s YouTube description.

The ad comes at a time when the US and the UK have reopened after a long spell of COVID-induced lockdowns and restricted travel. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the top health agency in the US, has said that people who’ve received both their COVID jabs can now travel without a mask, unless they’re near, or in, big crowds.

This month, Tripadvisor, in a joint study with Accenture, released a report in the US, called ‘The Future of Travel’. Some of its key findings include:

• Of those US respondents who did not take a trip at all in 2020, nearly two-thirds (61%) said they are comfortable doing so in 2021.

• Respondents earning $100,000 or more are leading the way in likelihood to travel in 2021 - with over a third (34%) having already booked a trip, compared to less than one in five (19%) of the remaining population.

• Those who have travelled in 2020 are more likely to have booked a 2021 trip already. Of those respondents that travelled last year, 41% have already booked 2021 travel, compared to just 13% of those who did not travel at all in 2020.

In March this year, Tripadvisor announced a partnership with Reckitt’s Lysol, a cleaning and disinfectant brand. It will “includes the distribution of specially designed Lysol disinfection and sanitisation kits and the creation of industry advice to support businesses.”