What if your biggest growth opportunity isn’t securing new business, but retaining clients you’ve already won? Research shows that repeat travellers require far less nurturing, spend 67% more on average and cost five times less to secure than new clients. Turning one-off bookers into lifelong clients is the simplest path to long-term growth – yet many travel companies lack a comprehensive strategy.
Of course, delivering an unforgettable trip is how strong client relationships are built. But the tour operators pulling ahead don’t stop there – they have deliberate tactics for everything that happens once travellers return home. To help you do the same, we’ve created a 12-page guide, ‘The Rebooking Playbook,’ packed with five practical strategies for building client loyalty. Inside, you’ll find insights from leading travel companies who share exactly what they’re doing to keep travellers returning time and again. Ready to build loyalty that lasts? Get your copy here!
Strategy 1: should all travellers be treated the same?
Not all travellers should receive the same follow-up – the first step in a successful rebooking strategy is sorting past travellers into loyalty groups. Here’s a three-tier framework you can start with:
1. First-timers (1 trip): They’re still making up their minds about you, and there’s no loyalty – yet. They need the most nurturing and a standout post-trip follow-up so their next booking feels like a no-brainer.
2. Repeat bookers (2+ trips): You’ve impressed them and earned their trust. Now your job is to make their next booking irresistible, with personalised offers based on their trip history.
3. VIPs (high-value): These are your big spenders, most frequent travellers and brand champions, and their loyalty needs nurturing. Go above and beyond with handwritten notes, surprise upgrades and exclusive access – and they’ll reward you time and again.
💡 Top tip: don’t mistake value for recency – a mid-value client who booked last month beats a VIP from two years ago.
Strategy 2: how can you tailor your remarketing approach to different clients?
Once you have your loyalty groups in place, the next step is to engage them uniquely. Here’s how four leading travel companies tailor their approach to different client segments:
➜ Fleewinter take a highly personal approach, nurturing their loyal VIPs with room upgrades and surprise gifts on arrival. For their wider client base, a phone call or email is standard after every trip.
➜ Explore! view the window after the first trip as the make-or-break for client loyalty. Every first-timer enters an automated ‘welcome home’ journey, driving a consistent rebooking rate of 50%.
➜ Oasis Travel really roll out the red carpet for their VIPs. Instead of mass marketing, their approach is high-touch: post-trip calls, welcome-home gifts, personal follow-ups – achieving an impressive 77% rebooking rate.
➜ Simpson Travel designed their Travel Loyalty Club to reward returning clients the more they book. Perks include travel credit, discounted accommodation, exclusive offers and even a complimentary holiday worth £5,000.
💡 Top tip: personal touches are powerful, but hard to deliver at scale. Use loyalty programs and referral schemes to nurture your entire client base.
Read now: [WEBINAR] Booked Again: From First-Time Trip to Repeat Traveller
Strategy 3: can you scale personalised rebooking campaigns?
Yes – and the secret ingredient is data. With the right client information on hand, every message you send, automated or not, can feel as though it was hand-crafted for that individual traveller. Here’s the key data to capture:
🗸 Destinations visited
🗸 Destinations of interest
🗸 Traveller type: family, couple, solo, group
🗸 Interests: hiking, beach, adventure
🗸 Accommodation style: hotel, villa, resort
🗸 Budget range
Here’s how leading travel companies use data to drive loyalty:
➜ Fleewinter’s clients have been returning for over 20 years – and it’s no accident. They keep detailed CRM notes on every traveller, from their preferred hotel atmosphere to the view they like from their room.
➜ Oasis Travel track each client’s booking history to build detailed profiles – so repeat bookers are never treated like new customers.
➜ Explore! use behavioural tracking to see what customers are engaging with on their website, then cross-reference it with what similar travellers have booked before, sending targeted offers that really hit the mark.
With the right data to hand, you can create tailored messages that show clients you remember what they love. AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help you write content at scale, while automation platforms like Instantly and n8n ensure your messages land at the right time.
Strategy 4: are emails enough to win repeat business?
No – emails alone won’t win you repeat business. Travel email open rates average around 16% – meaning 84 of every 100 emails you send are never opened. Email still earns its place, but if it’s your only marketing channel, you’re missing the majority of your audience. An effective rebooking approach uses multiple touchpoints to deliver the right message, to the right client, at the right time:
🗸 Email: scalable, cost-effective and easy to automate – the backbone of travel marketing
🗸 Phone calls: used sparingly, a personal call is powerful, especially for high-value clients who overlook generic marketing
🗸 Social media: cast a wide net, follow up with travellers who engage with your content, and retarget past clients with paid ads
🗸 Physical gifts: handwritten cards and premium brochures feel tangible, building an emotional resonance you don’t get digitally
🗸 In-person events: exhibitions and private talks feel personal and exclusive, and allow you to engage several clients at once
🗸 Travel apps: a branded app stays on your traveller’s phone long after they return home, giving you a direct rebooking channel
That final channel is where Vamoos comes in. With Vamoos’ Notifications, your marketing messages land front and centre on travellers’ phones. Pair that with Inspirations, Vamoos’ branded trip catalogue, and you’ve got a reliable rebooking channel – the same one Fleewinter use to build personalised brochures tailored to travellers’ preferences.
“We have so many clients with the app on their phone, who have push notifications turned on.” – Oasis Travel
Read now: How luxury tour operator Away from the Ordinary cut itinerary building time by 40%
Strategy 5: do you actually know your rebooking rate?
For many travel companies, the honest answer is no. And here’s the issue – if you don’t measure your rebooking rate, it’s much harder to grow. A strong rebooking rate doesn’t happen by accident; it takes prioritisation, accountability and a clear process. We’ve broken it down into three steps:
1. Measure it. Calculate how many clients have booked more than once in the last two years, then break it down by segment to see what’s working.
2. Assign ownership. Ensure someone is accountable for your rebooking rate, in a way that works for your team.
3. Set a target. Give rebookings a place alongside revenue and new business in your quarterly goals.
💡 Top tip: delivering a seamless experience can be just as impactful on your rebooking rate as any formal strategy. Maintaining exceptional customer service naturally incentivises travellers to return.
Putting it all together: your rebooking toolkit
The best rebooking strategies don’t rely on a single tactic; they combine multiple touchpoints – data-driven personalisation, loyalty rewards and multi-channel outreach. Get started right away with this checklist:
Ready to turn one-off bookings into long-term loyalty?
A strong rebooking strategy is one of the most effective ways to grow your travel business, and the companies seeing the best results aren’t leaving it to chance. What sets them apart isn’t luck – it’s having the right tools in place. They all use Vamoos: a dedicated travel app that keeps them connected to their clients long after they’ve returned home. From stunning digital brochures that get travellers dreaming of their next adventure to interactive itineraries, push notifications and personalised recommendations, Vamoos is built for the kind of client relationships that last.
And the results speak for themselves – travel companies using Vamoos have seen a 12% increase in repeat bookings. Want to see results like these? Book a meeting to see how Vamoos could help you stay connected with clients, inspire future trips and turn happy travellers into repeat bookers.
