SMS advertising is crucial for journey companies, boasting a 98% open fee and enabling well timed engagement with prospects at important moments of their journey.
Using automated SMS can considerably scale back buyer acquisition prices and improve income, with a mean return of $0.74 per ship in 2025.
Journey companies ought to leverage SMS for numerous functions, together with reserving confirmations, pre-trip updates, flash gross sales, and real-time journey alerts to maximise buyer satisfaction and retention.
Integrating SMS with e-mail advertising creates a robust multichannel technique, bettering visibility and driving greater ROI for journey companies.
98% of individuals open textual content messages, and 90% do it inside three minutes, in response to Optimonk. Based mostly on these factors alone, SMS advertising for journey companies is essential to seem at high-intent moments and maximize engagement throughout your buyer journey.
One more reason to make use of SMS advertising for journey is decreasing your buyer acquisition prices, which have grown by 35% from 2022 to 2025 in journey, per Adobe. Owned channels, equivalent to SMS, don’t require you to ppc or impression.
In fact, there’s extra to SMS advertising than bulk and one-time campaigns. Automated SMS, equivalent to welcome and deserted cart texts, earned a mean of $0.74 per ship in 2025, a fivefold improve over campaigns, in response to Omnisend. It mainly pays to automate.
This text supplies all you must find out about utilizing SMS advertising for journey companies, with the what, why, and the way, plus templates and greatest practices.
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What’s SMS advertising for journey companies?
Journey companies attain prospects at excessive intent moments with SMS marketing, utilizing its instantaneous supply for pressing promotions, reminders, and confirmations. It may be guide or automated, and in both case, it’s the sending of textual content messages to opted-in subscribers.
Listed here are the methods journey companies use SMS advertising:
| SMS advertising kind | Use case |
|---|---|
| Promotional | Flash gross sales, limited-time gives, journey packages |
| Social proof | Buyer success tales, testimonials |
| Restoration | Deserted cart and checkout restoration |
| Transactional | Reserving confirmations, real-time journey alerts |
| Retention | Re-engagement campaigns, anniversary reminders |
| Suggestions | Publish-trip evaluations and satisfaction requests |
Discover how the desk covers the whole buyer journey from pre-booking > reserving > pre-trip > throughout journey > post-trip. That’s as a result of SMS has wonderful engagement metrics throughout the board, working alongside e-mail for time-sensitive messages.
The ROI potential of SMS advertising for journey companies is important. Omnisend prospects achieved a $79 ROI for each $1 spent throughout SMS, e-mail, and internet push notifications in 2025.
In reality, the hospitality business is among the largest SMS advertising adopters, with 80% uptake in 2025. We count on that to develop additional in 2026.
Why SMS advertising works for journey companies
SMS advertising for journey brings a number of advantages to your technique, equivalent to placing your messages in entrance of shoppers quick and decreasing acquisition prices. The statistics under paint the image of why it is best to undertake SMS:
Unmatched open and conversion charges
As reported per Optimonk, SMS has a 98% open fee and 90% of individuals learn them inside three minutes, outstripping e-mail’s 30.7% open rate in 2025..
SMS click on charges additionally greater than doubled YoY in 2025 in response to Omnisend, with automated messages incomes a mean of $0.74 per ship, and campaigns incomes $0.15 per ship.
Textual content message advertising’s excessive visibility makes it greatest for time-sensitive and pressing messages, together with revenue-generating and affirmation ones.
Vacationers are mobile-first
Cell is the gadget of alternative for journey analysis and reserving amongst customers, with some 73% of people wanting to use their smartphones for it.
One other shift has occurred on-line normally, with 72% of travelers preferring to book online versus 12% who prefer going into physical agencies. 76% additionally search for journey apps, along with web sites, for his or her analysis.
These stats underscore why SMS advertising for the journey business has such excessive open and conversion charges, as a result of vacationers are mobile-first and receptive to the channel.
Rising buyer acquisition prices demand owned channels
Buying prospects is changing into costlier throughout all channels, from Google and Microsoft Advertisements to Meta and TikTok. Prices rose by 35% between 2022 and 2025 for the journey business and present no indicators of slowing down.
SMS reduces buyer acquisition prices as a result of it’s an owned channel. You pay for the subscription, or the credit, and people are your solely prices.
You possibly can nurture, retain, and create a worthwhile advertising channel over time, with acquisition prices as little as $0.10 per message.
7 varieties of SMS messages each journey company ought to ship
Your automated SMS advertising for journey ought to embody these messages:
Reserving confirmations and reminders
Booking confirmations and reminder texts are at all times automated and can type a core a part of your sending technique in the event you deal with transactions.
Your automation will run like so:
- SMS one, a affirmation textual content confirming reserving and fee receipt
- Message two, a reminder inside one week of the journey
- Message three, a last reminder about tickets and necessities, despatched 24-48 hours earlier than
Alternatively, you’ll be able to construct separate flows for bookings and reminders. A separate movement allows you to assign totally different triggers and timing based mostly on the journey kind.
Take a look at the instance textual content under. It confirms the shopper’s reserving and units expectations for the subsequent replace:
Pre-trip preparation updates
Textual content advertising for tourism companies typically contains pre-trip messages as a tactic for buyer retention and relationship constructing.
Your texts may embody hyperlinks to packing ideas, visa and documentation steps, check-in directions, and cross-sells in the event that they’re applicable. Your movement will include two to 3 texts, relying on the kind of journey your buyer is taking.
Take a look at the pre-trip SMS under pointing to an itinerary to assist prospects put together:
Flash gross sales and limited-time gives
Promotional SMS is your greatest channel for flash gross sales due to its immediacy. A textual content with a 24-hour provide and a direct reserving hyperlink will attain your prospects sooner than e-mail or social, and generate faster motion, too.
Use flash sale texts for last-minute offers, seasonal promotions, and early-bird pricing on upcoming departures. The instance textual content message under pushes bookings for the Maldives and makes use of urgency (48 hours solely) to encourage motion:
Upsell and cross-sell messages
Between reserving and departure, your prospects are actively planning their journey. That makes it the perfect window to supply room upgrades, exercise add-ons, journey insurance coverage, and airport transfers:
Constructing a post-booking movement that sends one to 2 upsell texts based mostly on the bundle your buyer bought is an honest method to improve your buyer lifetime worth.
Actual-time journey alerts
Flight delays, gate adjustments, climate warnings, and itinerary adjustments are high-value texts that your prospects respect. Listening to about disruptions from you earlier than they discover out on the airport builds belief that no promotional marketing campaign can match.
These are transactional texts somewhat than advertising messages, so that they don’t require you to have collected a advertising opt-in to ship. Right here’s an SMS instance for a flight replace:
Publish-trip suggestions and evaluate requests
Your post-trip movement ought to set off 24 to 48 hours after your buyer’s return date. Any sooner and so they’re nonetheless settling in. Any later and the expertise isn’t recent sufficient for a response.
Add a hyperlink to your SMS pointing to your evaluate device, equivalent to Judge.me, and preserve the message brief to keep away from giving your prospects fatigue.
Winback and re-engagement campaigns
Prospects who haven’t booked in six to 12 months are drifting, however a well-timed textual content can pull them again. Personalize your provide based mostly on their earlier locations or journey preferences to make it related, or present a reduction throughout your vary:
One or two makes an attempt are sufficient. In the event that they don’t reply, take away them out of your lively checklist and save your credit for subscribers who’re partaking.
Omnisend allows you to construct standalone SMS campaigns for promotions and gives, plus multichannel flows that mix SMS and e-mail to achieve prospects based mostly on their habits.
SMS templates for journey companies
Steal these SMS templates and use them in your individual messages:
Reserving affirmation
Your reserving is in. Thanks. You possibly can handle your reserving anytime at (hyperlink). Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Copy textual content
Pre-trip reminder
Your vacation is all set for (date), along with your flight at (time). Don’t overlook to pack all of your stuff. Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Copy textual content
Flash sale promotion
Large financial savings for journeys to (location) now on. Circa 40%! Go to (hyperlink) right now. Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Copy textual content
Upsell or add-on
Fly in luxurious for 50% much less. Save 20% on seat upgrades till (date). Go to (hyperlink). Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Copy textual content
Actual-time journey alert
There was a change to your (flight or journey kind). Go to (hyperlink) for particulars. Thanks. Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Copy textual content
Publish-trip evaluate request
Hope you had a good time. Talking of time, do you’ve got a min to depart a evaluate? Go to (hyperlink). Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Copy textual content
Winback provide
Been some time (FirstName). 10% off wherever you need to go subsequent. Legitimate 7 days: (Hyperlink). Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Copy textual content
How you can automate SMS advertising in your journey enterprise
Automated text messages are buyer expertise improvers. They ship in your guarantees with welcome messages, seem at high-intent moments following abandonment, and supply retention alternatives post-trip.
Listed here are the perfect methods you need to use automated SMS advertising for journey:
Welcome collection for brand spanking new subscribers
Your welcome collection triggers for brand spanking new SMS subscribers to welcome them and ship on no matter you promised, equivalent to a reduction or early entry.
Constructing a collection as an alternative of 1 textual content encourages engagement, however there’s a fantastic line between being useful and creating early fatigue.
Right here’s a welcome collection you need to use:
- SMS one, a welcome message that delivers no matter you promised, despatched 15 to half-hour after your buyer signed up
- Message two, this one goes out 48 hours later, selling well-liked locations and gives
- Message three, a social proof message that builds belief, ideally despatched after 72 hours
Omnisend offers you a number of pre-built welcome flows for e-mail + SMS channels, which you’ll be able to edit to include three or extra textual content messages with customized delays:
Pre-trip and post-trip automation flows
Pre- and post-trip flows are all about being useful, nurturing, and retaining subscribers. Good buyer experiences right here considerably enhance the possibilities of them reserving once more and recommending your journey model to others.
A couple of flows you need to use:
- Pre-trip movement:
- SMS one, despatched seven days earlier than your buyer departs, you’ll be able to construct pleasure into the journey and supply a hyperlink with ideas.
- Message two, a 48-hour pre-trip ship with native climate predictions, check-in particulars, or upsell add-ons.
- Message three, ship this one 24 hours earlier than they depart with any last journey recommendation and last-minute ideas. A hyperlink to your buyer assist web page can also be useful in case they should contact you.
- Publish-trip movement:
- SMS one, ship 24 hours after their return, welcome them again.
- Message two, 72 hours after their return, ask them for suggestions.
- Message three, despatched seven days after their journey. Remind them to depart suggestions or provide a reduction on their subsequent journey.
Omnisend’s movement builder allows you to construct these SMS sequences with pre-built automations for product evaluations and follow-ups. New bookings may also have their very own section and set off a movement with pre-trip ideas and recommendation.
Deserted reserving restoration
Some prospects will add journey packages and companies to their cart and depart with out finishing their reserving. Supplied you’ve got their telephone quantity and so they’re opted in to advertising messages, you’ll be able to ship them SMS cart reminders.
Reserving abandonment reminders are certainly one of your greatest income alternatives since you’re sending to prospects who’ve already proven intent. All you’re doing is retargeting them and making an attempt to recuperate in any other case misplaced income.
Omnisend has a pre-built cart and checkout abandonment movement for bookings. The deserted checkout movement with three emails and one textual content works nicely:
You need to edit this movement to include three textual content messages. A sequence you need to use:
- SMS one, the primary reminder despatched inside half-hour of abandonment
- Message two, ship it 24 hours later
- Message three, ship it 72 hours or 4 days later, and supply a small low cost
Deserted cart texts have conversion charges of 24.6% — 39.4% in response to Optimonk , making them one of the efficient marketing automations to have in your technique.
How you can construct an SMS subscriber checklist in your journey company
Your SMS checklist is just priceless if the folks on it opted in and need to hear from you. Each assortment technique ought to make it clear what subscribers will obtain and provides them a cause to enroll. Listed here are the perfect methods to gather SMS subscribers in your journey company:
- Use web site popups with a journey incentive, equivalent to “Get unique journey offers through textual content. Be part of for 10% off your first journey.” Omnisend’s embedded, flyout, and popup types assist you accumulate telephone numbers and build your list naturally. The Wheel of Fortune popup under is a confirmed winner for opt-ins:
- Construct touchdown pages you’ll be able to hyperlink to throughout social media. You possibly can level your prospects to those when operating competitions and giveaways.
- Promote SMS to your e-mail checklist with a devoted ship or footer CTA asking subscribers so as to add their quantity for flash sale alerts.
- Bodily occasions are one other alternative in the event you generate QR codes. Get some stickers and connect them to gathering spots to get click-throughs.
Professional tip for opt-ins
Some SMS subscribers will opt-in by mistake and finally unsubscribe early or block your sender quantity. Double opt-in is price contemplating if you need greater checklist high quality and compliance. It provides a affirmation step, however the subscribers you get are extra engaged and fewer more likely to decide out early. Your types must include an e-mail area for double opt-in to work in Omnisend. Prospects can then affirm their subscription by e-mail.
SMS compliance for journey companies: TCPA and GDPR guidelines
In case you’re sending advertising texts to prospects, you must adjust to the SMS regulations that govern your recipients’ places to keep away from fines and reputational injury.
The desk under covers the fundamentals:
| Requirement | TCPA (USA) | GDPR (EU/UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Consent kind | Specific written consent | Express consent with clear objective |
| Choose-out mechanism | Required in each message | Required in each message |
| Choose-out processing | Inside 10 enterprise days | With out undue delay |
| Sending hours | 8 AM to 9 PM native time | No fastened rule, however affordable hours anticipated |
| Enterprise identification | Required | Required |
| Consent information | Should preserve | Should preserve |
| Fines for non-compliance | As much as $1,500 per message | Most of €20 million, or the equal of 4% of annual turnover |
The laws in additional element:
TCPA (USA)
The Phone Shopper Safety Act requires you to gather written consent to ship advertising texts to USA contacts, one thing you’ll be able to attain with a checkbox.
Your texts should additionally embody opt-out directions, equivalent to “Reply STOP to unsubscribe,” and you could honor these requests inside 10 enterprise days.
It’s good observe to ship solely throughout affordable hours, which we outline as 8 AM and 9 PM native time, and determine what you are promoting in each message.
The TCPA’s fines are very steep, as much as $1,500 per message. Your SMS device ought to help you in complying with good sending practices.
GDPR (EU/UK)
The Common Information Safety Regulation covers the EU, and stretches to your USA enterprise if it processes data for folks within the EU and UK.
As with the TCPA, the GDPR requires explicit consent with a transparent clarification of what subscribers are signing up for. Your prospects have the proper to withdraw consent at any time, and you could course of these requests directly.
Consent information are obligatory beneath each laws. Maintain a log of when and the way every subscriber opted in, what language they agreed to, and once they opted out, if relevant.
How Omnisend handles compliance
Omnisend mechanically provides opt-out language to your textual content messages and processes opt-out requests when prospects use key phrases like STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE. It additionally makes use of AI-powered intent detection to catch natural-language opt-outs like “please cease texting me.”
Opted-out contacts are flagged mechanically to forestall resends, and their subscription standing updates in actual time.
How SMS matches right into a multichannel journey advertising technique
SMS is best when it’s a part of a multichannel technique additionally involving e-mail. E mail reaches prospects with long-form content material and knowledge, whereas SMS delivers urgency and exclusivity for purchasers receptive to it.
You’ll use e-mail for nurturing, schooling, and common promotions, with SMS for reminders, time-sensitive messages, and confirmations.
Right here’s how they work collectively in observe:
- Campaigns. You create standalone SMS and e-mail advertising campaigns for segments and schedule them for an applicable time. They’re disconnected however a part of the identical technique; you’ll be able to measure the outcomes and optimize from there.
- Automations. Omnisend allows you to construct omnichannel flows containing a collection of SMS messages and emails. These can set off through customized delays, reaching your prospects at high-intent moments throughout their shopping for levels.
Automations are the place multichannel works greatest. Right here’s an instance:
- Your movement triggers a welcome e-mail for brand spanking new subscribers with a journey information
- 24 hours later, it triggers an SMS with a reduction for brand spanking new bookings
- After 72 hours, one other e-mail triggers with social proof and buyer tales
That three-email collection will increase your attain and improves your buyer expertise. There isn’t any fatigue as a result of every message is related to their journey.
The ROI issue for multichannel
Omnisend prospects who use e-mail + SMS + internet push notifications see improbable outcomes from their spend. The 2025 headline is a $79 ROI for each $1 spent. There’s no cause why you’ll be able to’t obtain related outcomes. Deal with SMS and e-mail as complementary channels, and your visibility will improve, resulting in extra income and greater retention.
How to decide on an SMS advertising platform in your journey company
Right here’s what to search for in a device for journey business SMS advertising:
- World SMS assist. Your prospects journey internationally, and your SMS device wants to achieve them wherever they’re. Omnisend helps international protection. Keep away from platforms that restrict your SMS sending to the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia solely.
- E mail and SMS in a single platform. Managing separate instruments for e-mail and SMS creates pointless complexity and makes omnichannel flows more durable to construct. A mixed platform allows you to set off each channels from the identical segments and automations.
- Automation capabilities. Welcome collection, deserted reserving restoration, pre-trip reminders, and post-trip follow-ups all require automation features.
- Ecommerce platform compatibility. Your SMS device ought to combine along with your reserving system or ecommerce platform to drag in buyer information for segmentation and automation triggers.
- Compliance options. Automated opt-out language, key phrase detection, and consent document administration ought to come in-built, not bolted on.
- Clear pricing. Some platforms cost individually for e-mail and SMS or conceal SMS credit behind greater tiers. Search for per-credit pricing with no surprises. Omnisend allows you to buy credit on all plans, and its Professional plan contains bonus SMS credit equal to the worth of your month-to-month spend.
Conclusion
SMS advertising for journey companies is one of the simplest ways to achieve prospects with pressing, time-sensitive promotional messages and confirmations.
Textual content messages work alongside e-mail to ship outsized outcomes, with Omnisend letting you create multichannel flows throughout all plans. Your flows can include any mixture of emails and SMS to achieve prospects at optimum moments.
Deal with SMS as one other income channel, and you may’t go flawed. It’s owned, manageable, and gives larger visibility than some other openable channel.
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FAQs
It’s authorized supplied you’ve got correct opt-in consent. Your subscribers must have checked a field themselves. Additionally, you must preserve information and honor opt-outs.
A multichannel technique works greatest utilizing e-mail and SMS as owned channels, which you’ve got full management over. Construct your checklist, refine its high quality with segmentation, and set off automated texts and emails that attain prospects at high-intent moments.
Affirmation messages are reactive and may exit every time your prospects full actions, equivalent to altering their password or subscription standing. Your advertising texts must be extra sparse, despatched each few days at most.
Works nice, with automated texts incomes $0.74 per ship in 2025 in response to Omnisend’s ecommerce advertising report. The truth that it reduces your buyer acquisition prices and permits retention advertising additionally builds worth into your efforts.
Welcome, deserted cart, and cross-sell SMS messages work nicely as a result of they exit based mostly on buyer habits. Some other texts that reply to buyer actions are potential candidates as high performers for SMS advertising for tour operators.
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