In most radio sales departments, the same categories get worked over and over again — auto, healthcare, retail, and restaurants. They’re solid. They’re dependable. But they’re also crowded, competitive, and often price-sensitive.
Meanwhile, one of the most lucrative and underutilized categories in radio is sitting quietly on the side of the interstate.
Tourism.
Tourism is one of the largest advertising spenders in America, yet radio often gets only a fraction of that budget. Why? Because most of that money has historically gone to print — glossy magazines, visitor guides, travel publications, and rack cards.
And that creates a massive opportunity for radio sellers willing to prospect just a little differently.
Start Where the Travelers Start
One of the best prospecting tools for tourism doesn’t require a database, a lead service, or a cold-call list. It requires a road trip.
Find an interstate rest stop with a welcome center.
These places are gold mines.
Walk inside and you’ll see racks stacked with tourism magazines and visitor guides from every corner of your state — mountain towns, lake communities, coastal areas, historic districts, festivals, trails, and attractions you may have never even heard of.
Every single one of those publications represents a city, a chamber of commerce, a visitor bureau, or a destination marketing organization spending real money to attract visitors.
And most of them are not spending much of it with radio.
Think Vacation, Not Just Resorts or Activities
Another mistake sellers make is thinking too small.
When we hear “tourism,” we immediately think resorts and theme parks. The problem? Those two categories often want trade. Rooms, tickets, packages — not checks. And let’s be honest, while giveaways are awesome for listener engagement, they don’t pay the bills.
Instead, think bigger and smarter.
Where do people in your market vacation or take weekend getaways?
If you’re in Georgia, think about the mountains, the coast, lake towns, historic cities, and regional festival destinations. If you’re in the Midwest, think about cabin country, hunting and fishing towns, river communities, and heritage trails.
Then go straight to the source: visitor bureaus and chambers of commerce.
These organizations are often funded by hotel-motel taxes, city allocations, or state tourism dollars. That means two important things:
First, they have marketing budgets.
Second, those budgets usually come with zero emotional attachment.
This isn’t a family business deciding whether to risk their own money. These are allocated funds that must be spent to promote the destination.
The only barrier you’ll often have isn’t talking to them about advertising. Once you get to the right person, you’ll learn that ALL they do is spend money on advertising. You’ll learn that almost all of it never goes to radio. Which is fine. Break the stigma and put on your education hat.
Why Tourism Is a Perfect Fit for Radio
Tourism advertising is about storytelling, emotion, and imagination — everything radio does well.
Radio reaches people while they’re driving, daydreaming, planning weekends, and talking about their next getaway. It creates pictures in the mind. It builds awareness, and even builds website traffic (believe it or not).
Even better, tourism campaigns are often seasonal and long-term.
Spring planning turns into summer travel. Fall festivals roll into holiday events. One successful campaign can easily become an annual buy. So, once you’re in, you’re usually in.
Happy selling!
