Table of Contents
💭 What happens when a potential customer visits your Maldives package page, watches 80% of your teaser video… and then disappears?
If your answer is:
“We run some Meta remarketing ads and hope for the best,”
then you’re bleeding high-intent customers.
In today’s travel economy, your customer journey is not linear. People discover destinations through Reels, compare prices via aggregator sites, ask friends on WhatsApp, and then maybe, maybe return to your site.
The only thing that connects this scattered attention?
✅ Video storytelling to inspire
✅ Email automation to guide and convert
In this article, we’ll unpack the mechanics of how travel brands can leverage email + video funnels for full-funnel automation, sustained engagement, and better conversion.
✈️ Why Email + Video Is a Game-Changer in Travel
Travel is a dream-based purchase. It’s not instant. It’s visual. It needs nurturing.
And that’s exactly where email + video work in tandem:
- Video builds emotion, trust, and desire
- Email brings logic, planning, and continuity
Together, they move users from “Maybe one day” to “I’m booking this weekend.”
🧠 According to HubSpot, using video in email can increase CTR by 300%.
📩 Travel email campaigns have an average ROI of 42:1 (DMA, 2024 report)
❌ Common Pitfalls Travel Brands Must Avoid
Before we dive into frameworks, let’s address what most travel marketers get wrong with video and email integration:
1. One-Size-Fits-All Newsletters
Most travel brands send the same deal-blast email to their entire list, regardless of:
- Past searches
- Booking history
- Preferred destinations
- Travel season
💡 Fix: Use dynamic content blocks and conditional logic to tailor content. For example:
“Hey Ankit, ready for your next mountain escape?” (based on Leh travel interest)
2. Standalone Videos Without Funnel Intent
Creating stunning drone footage of the Andamans is great—but what happens after they watch it?
💡 Fix: Every video should be tied to a follow-up email flow:
- Watched >70% → Email 1: “Ready to plan your Andaman trip?”
- Clicked CTA but didn’t book → Email 2: “Here’s our best island-hopping guide”
- No action → Email 3: “Still thinking? Get ₹1,000 off this week”
3. Not Using First-Party Data
Most travel sites don’t store:
- Watch time of video embeds
- Scroll depth on itinerary pages
- Form drop-off behavior
💡 Fix: Integrate tools like Heap, Hotjar, Vadootv, or Wistia + Zapier with your ESP (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, etc.) for trigger-based email-video workflows.
4. Lack of Storytelling Logic in Emails
Most travel emails are just price grids or static banners.
But your customer wants narrative. Emotion. Context.
💡 Fix: Build “story emails” like:
- Day 1: The Traveler’s Dream
- Day 3: What Happens in Bali…
- Day 5: What Our Travelers Say
- Day 7: Book Now, Fly in 3 Weeks
💡 Winning Funnel Combinations (With Use Cases)
Let’s explore how video + email come together in real travel funnels:
🎥 Funnel 1: Destination Discovery (TOFU)
| Touchpoint | Content |
| Instagram Reel | “7 Places to Visit in Himachal in 2025” |
| CTA → Landing Page | Hero video of Himachal trip experiences |
| Email 1 | “Your Himachal Travel Bucket List (Video)” + curated packages |
| Email 2 (2 days later) | “When’s the best time to visit?” (Embed FAQ video) |
| Email 3 (4 days later) | “Himachal vs Uttarakhand – Which is better?” |
| Email 4 (7 days later) | “Here’s ₹1500 off for your next mountain escape” |
🎯 Goal: Inspire + educate + nudge interest = get the first enquiry
🎥 Funnel 2: Post-Enquiry Nurture (MOFU)
| Trigger | User fills a lead form for Maldives package |
| Email 1 | Personalized itinerary video (“Here’s what your 5 days could look like…”) |
| Email 2 | Testimonial video: “Why we chose this island” |
| Email 3 | Price breakdown video: “Why this isn’t a budget trip—here’s the value” |
| Email 4 | Scarcity alert: “Only 3 rooms left at this resort” |
| WhatsApp Follow-up | “Would you like help finalizing your flight today?” |
🎯 Goal: Drive call bookings, close sale with emotional + logical arguments
🎥 Funnel 3: Post-Trip Review + Upsell (BOFU)
| Event | Customer returns from trip |
| Email 1 | “How was your trip? Share your moment!” (UGC CTA) |
| Email 2 | “Your Travel Story, In 60s” (auto-generated video montage using their trip media) |
| Email 3 | “What’s next? These 3 trips suit your vibe” |
| Email 4 | “Refer & Earn – Bring a friend, get ₹2,000 off next time” |
🎯 Goal: Increase LTV, generate referrals, build community
📊 Visual Funnel Mapping: Email + Video Funnel for Travel Brand
[Instagram Reel] → [Landing Page w/ Video]
↓ ↓
[Email 1] ←→ [Video: Itinerary Teaser]
↓
[Email 2] ←→ [Video: Testimonials]
↓
[Email 3] ←→ [Discount CTA Video]
↓
[Booking Page] ←→ [WhatsApp Reminders]
You can build this map in Funnelytics, Miro, or even Notion to visualize your entire user journey.
🛠 Tools to Build Your Travel Video + Email Funnel
| Function | Tools You Can Use |
| Email Automation | Klaviyo, Mailmodo, ConvertKit, MoEngage |
| Video Hosting | Vimeo, Wistia, Vadootv |
| Personalization | Mutiny, RightMessage, Instapage |
| WhatsApp Trigger | Interakt, Twilio, WATI |
| Funnel Building | Funnelytics, GoHighLevel, Mautic |
| Integrations | Zapier, Make, Webhooks |
Final Take: Travel Funnels Must Feel Like Stories, Not Systems
In a sector that’s built on emotion, experience, and timing—your funnel shouldn’t feel like a funnel.
Instead, it should feel like:
- A friend who reminds you why that place is worth visiting
- A guide that solves every question before you ask
- A storyteller who shows you exactly what your trip could look like
And video + email—when stitched correctly—do just that.
💼 Ready to Build a Funnel That Converts Travelers into Bookings?
We build full-funnel journeys for travel D2C, boutique tour operators, and experience platforms using the email + video funnel model.
No Comments