In travel, a handful of flagship destinations dominate bucket lists worldwide. According to Euromonitor, the five most visited cities by international travelers in 2024 were Paris, Madrid, Tokyo, Rome, and Milan.
But what about cities without that built-in reputation?
When a city fails to attract travelers, the ripple effects extend far beyond its borders. Airlines see thinner margins on those routes. Airports experience less foot traffic. Hotels, restaurants, museums, and experience-driven businesses see lower revenue. Tourism is an ecosystem, and when demand falters, every link in the chain feels it.
That’s why attracting travelers is rarely a solo effort. Airlines, airports, and city governments often work in tandem, launching creative campaigns that market their destinations. Increasingly, these efforts tap into psychology, technology, and timing to reach new travelers and revitalize overlooked locales.
Japan, a perennial favorite among global travelers, offers a telling example of this shift. While Tokyo remains a top draw, its success has come with consequences. Overtourism has become a pressing concern. Mount Fuji, located on Honshu Island, now has a daily cap of 4,000 hikers on its most popular trail to help preserve the environment. These are classic symptoms of overtourism, which occurs when visitor numbers exceed a destination’s capacity to manage them sustainably, putting pressure on local resources, residents, and ecosystems
In response, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways launched a compelling campaign in September 2024: international travelers can book a one-way domestic ticket to over 60 destinations for free, paying only a nominal fee if traveling from countries like the United States.
The campaign aims to reduce crowding in hotspots like Tokyo and Kyoto while promoting under-visited areas such as Hokkaido and Okinawa. Though hard data hasn’t yet been released, early response has been enthusiastic. Travel influencers, bloggers, and media outlets have spotlighted hidden-gem cities discovered through the promo.
The campaign also challenges the common assumption that international travelers are always high spenders. In reality, cost-consciousness is a powerful motivator, especially during a global cost-of-living crisis. These flight promotions tap directly into that reality.
While airline incentives may get people to a destination, airports have a unique role in shaping how those travelers spend and engage. In Germany, Frankfurt Airport developed FRAwards, a gamified loyalty program created with Lufthansa. In its first year, over 100,000 games were played through the app, which rewards users with redeemable points for airport shopping and dining. What might have been passive waiting time turns into active exploration, and for retailers, increased foot traffic and sales. It’s a small but effective reframing of the airport experience: travelers still use their smartphones, but instead of scrolling idly, they engage with their surroundings.
Other airports go even further, turning layovers into micro-tourism opportunities. At Singapore’s Changi Airport, travelers with layovers between 5.5 and 24 hours can join a complimentary 2.5-hour city tour, courtesy of Changi Airport Group, Singapore Airlines, and the Singapore Tourism Board. The tours are themed: some focusing on cultural enclaves like Chinatown and Little India, others showcasing the airport’s own immersive attractions like the Rain Vortex and Canopy Park. In 2019 alone, more than 80,000 people joined a Free Singapore Tour. Given that these were travelers merely passing through, that number underscores a quiet triumph: the tours not only brought visitors into the city but likely planted the seed for a longer return trip.
In some places, the travel experience itself becomes the attraction. In the Faroe Islands—a remote archipelago in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Norway—visitors can rent “self-navigating” cars programmed with surprise road trip itineraries curated by locals. Each destination is revealed one at a time, with embedded stories delivered through the car’s navigation system. The goal is to create a sense of discovery and spontaneity, inviting travelers to let go of over-optimized, review-driven planning. Though the pilot program includes only three cars, the initiative has drawn outsized media attention and speaks to a growing appetite for serendipitous, tech-enabled travel.
Not all destinations are remote. Some are simply overlooked. Beaumont, Texas—often overshadowed by Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio—took a hyperlocal approach. The city launched a “Bucket List Challenge,” a digital app that encourages visitors and locals to check in at key attractions. Each completed task earns points that unlock real-world rewards, from local discounts to branded merchandise. The campaign plays on the universal drive for completion and the fun of discovery. The city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau reported strong participation, boosted by steady social media engagement under the hashtag
#BeaumontBucketList. Considering Beaumont’s tourism economy already generates nearly $391 million annually, the challenge could drive even greater returns.
What’s striking is how two places as different as the Faroe Islands and Beaumont can use similar tools—technology, storytelling, gamification—to pursue completely different travel experiences. One emphasizes surrender; the other, agency. One strips away control to embrace wonder; the other gamifies discovery to deepen engagement. The thread running through both? A willingness to deviate from traditional travel marketing and embrace creativity, experience, and behavioral insight.
As summer travel heats up, many travelers will still flock to iconic cities. But a growing number are seeking something different, and the most effective campaigns embrace that shift. From surprise adventures to free city tours and gamified airport experiences, airlines, airports, and cities are aligning around a shared insight: the future of travel lies not in going farther, but in discovering the unexpected. Through technology, clever marketing, and strategic partnerships, these campaigns are illuminating the paths less taken, so that more of us might be inspired to follow them.
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