Travel Trends for 2021, with Jennifer Hawkins
Episode 222
As Founder and President, Jennifer Hawkins has overseen the growth of Hawkins International Public Relations from a one-woman start-up to a major player in public relations, media relations, and digital communications for the luxury travel and lifestyle industries. Yet, even as the agency has grown to more than 30 employees, maintained a robust roster of world-class international clients, expanded with a Los Angeles office, and launched a new division focused on wellness and beauty, Jennifer remains committed to the boutique and approachable culture she first shaped at the start back in 2002.
“I want to maintain our spirit of creativity and proactivity in everything we do,” she says, explaining that assembling diverse leadership and talent is key to Hawkins International’s ingenuity and maneuverability. Jennifer’s commitment to relevancy encompasses not just current trends in hospitality and wellness, but making certain that the agency is technologically on par and on top of the changing media landscape. She was behind the company’s embrace of social media that created a vibrant division offering influencer relations, social media activation and training, content strategy, and video integration services.
“We celebrate luxury travel and wellness lifestyles through polished personalized attention to our clients and to the media alike. My role is to bring in interesting clients who are a pleasure for us to collaborate and do business with. That keeps our PR team inspired, our culture dynamic, and our clients squarely in the news,” Jennifer told us.
Jennifer fell for travel as a girl traveling with a Eurail Pass through Europe with her father. A veritable globetrotter with more than 50 countries across six continents stamped on her passport, she long ago gleaned that travel isn’t just about the visitor’s experience – it’s also about providing a real economic impact to countless destinations. She never thought Hawkins International would grow as it has – “I call myself the accidental entrepreneur” – but she has enjoyed the journey. “I can honestly say the majority of clients we’ve signed have come because of our reputation, and they stay because they know we will innovate and deliver.”
Destination on the Left is joined by Jennifer Hawkins, Founder and President of Hawkins International Public Relations and Maverick Creative. Jennifer is a self-proclaimed travel and tourism nerd, working with luxury hotels, spas, resorts, and start-ups through her agencies. On our podcast, Jennifer shares highlights from her recently released Trend Hawk Report. She explains what increased spending on social media means for our industry, how national brands are integrating with local communities, and what our industry can do to prepare for recovery.
What You Will Learn:
- How Jennifer impacts the travel industry through Hawkins International and Maverick Creative
- Highlights from Jennifer’s recently released Trend Hawk Report
- What increased spending on social media means for the travel and tourism industry
- How national brands are integrating with the local community through the pandemic
- What businesses in the travel industry need to do to prepare for the recovery
HIPR and Maverick Creative
Destination on the Left is joined by Jennifer Hawkins, Founder and President of Hawkins International Public Relations and Maverick Creative. Jennifer is a self-proclaimed travel and tourism nerd, working with luxury hotels, spas, resorts, and start-ups through her agencies. On our podcast, Jennifer shares highlights from her recently released Trend Hawk Report. She explains what increased spending on social media means for our industry, how national brands are integrating with local communities, and what our industry can do to prepare for recovery.
The Trend Hawk Report
Continuing the theme of 2020, 2021 is already fairly unpredictable. In order to get a handle on what we can expect for this year, data collectors/aggregators like Jennifer have kept an eye on travel and tourism trends that best represent where the industry is headed. Jennifer and her team have measured the impact of social media use in the travel industry as it correlates to social media spend. They have explored the tangential spikes in local business as local travel takes precedence. And they have looked into the overall change in human behavior/communication in relation to travel.
Setting the Pace for 2021
From hi-tech wellness experiences to digital marketing strategy, there are a lot of trends surfacing in the pandemic that will be differentiators for years to come. Research shows that in times of crisis, companies that adapt, pivot, and invest in their employees tend to come out stronger when the economy returns. In addition, companies that create, innovate, and collaborate with other competitors in their verticals/regions finding tons of new ways to generate revenue and foot traffic during the pandemic. With vaccines being distributed and some semblance of normalcy in sight, it is important that we do everything we can, with everyone we can, to hit the ground running in the recovery phase.
- Report: trendhawk2021.com
- Website:
- LinkedIn:
- Facebook:
- Twitter: @HIPR
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