Top Tourism PR Agencies for Destination Marketing
Your destination or travel brand deserves the spotlight. But high-end agency retainers can be draining. Discover a new way to get seen.
Finding a great tourism pr agency can feel overwhelming, with most demanding high monthly retainers and offering no guarantees. Businesses need a better alternative. At PR.plus, we offer a fresh approach: guaranteed placements on AP News and 500+ outlets for a flat fee. Get your news out in 48 hours and see real results, fast.
What Does a Tourism PR Agency Do?
A tourism PR agency specializes in building public awareness and creating a positive image for clients in the travel and hospitality industry. Their main goal is to attract more visitors and boost revenue. Here are five key functions:
Media Relations: Securing positive coverage in online news, travel magazines, blogs, and broadcast media.
Destination Marketing: Promoting cities, regions, or countries to potential tourists.
Brand Messaging: Crafting the unique story that makes a hotel, resort, or tour operator stand out.
Event Promotion: Generating buzz for grand openings, festivals, and other travel-related events. You can learn how to write a press release for events on our blog.
Crisis Management: Protecting a brand's reputation during unforeseen negative events.
Ultimately, they help you connect with your target audience through credible, third-party channels. This builds trust in a way that traditional advertising often cannot, and at a better price.
How to Choose the Right Travel PR Partner
Finding the perfect fit requires looking beyond a flashy client list. Here’s what to check for:
✅ Transparent Pricing: You should know exactly what you're paying for. Avoid vague proposals and long-term contracts with hidden fees.
✅ Proven Distribution: Ask where your news will actually go. A quality service will have a clear and impressive distribution network.
🚩 Guaranteed "Top-Tier" Placements: Be wary of anyone promising a feature in a specific consumer magazine. True editorial is earned, not guaranteed.
🚩 Slow Communication: If they take a week to respond to your inquiry, imagine how they'll handle your time-sensitive news.
Pro Tip: Ask for a distribution list upfront. A reputable service will be proud to show you exactly where your news can go. See our powerful distribution network.
Feature | Traditional Agency (e.g., MMGY) | Boutique Agency (e.g., JPR) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Pricing Model | Flat-Fee (from $147) | Monthly Retainer ($10k+) | Monthly Retainer ($5k+) |
Turnaround Time | 6-48 Hours | Weeks to Months | Weeks |
Guaranteed Placements | Yes (AP News, 500+) | No (Earned Media) | No (Earned Media) |
Writing & SEO Included | Yes, at no extra cost | Often Billed Separately | Included in Retainer |
Contract Length | Per Project (No Contract) | Annual | 6-12 Months |
Best For | Specific Announcements & SEO | Long-Term Brand Strategy | Niche & Luxury Brands |
PR.plus
Finn Partners
MMGY Global
J Public Relations
Zapwater Communications
5W Public Relations
The Decker/Royal Agency
Lou Hammond Group
CIIC PR
QUINN
Hawkins International PR
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PR+ Advantage
Guaranteed Media Placements
AP News & Bloomberg Network
Fast 48-Hour Turnaround
Get "As Seen On" Badges
Destination Marketing Reach
Affordable Flat-Rate Pricing
Expert Writing Included
The 15 Top Tourism PR Agencies to Consider
Choosing the right partner to handle your travel and hospitality public relations can be a game-changer. Below, we compare some of the leading tourism PR agencies, each with its own strengths and focus areas.
PR.plus
PR.plus offers a unique and powerful alternative to traditional agencies. Instead of costly monthly retainers, we focus on high-impact press release distribution with guaranteed placements. For a flat fee, we write, optimize, and distribute your announcement to over 500 outlets, including AP News, Bloomberg, and Benzinga. It's the perfect solution for hotels, tour operators, and travel tech companies that need to announce news quickly and affordably. See our pricing and distribution list to learn more.
Pros: Guaranteed placements, extremely fast turnaround, affordable flat-rate pricing, professional writing included.
Cons: Best for announcements, not long-term, hands-on media relations strategy.Finn Partners
Finn Partners is a global integrated marketing agency with a strong travel and lifestyle practice. They are known for creating comprehensive campaigns for destinations, airlines, and hotel groups. They excel at brand strategy and media relations.
Pros: Global reach, deep industry expertise, integrated marketing services.
Cons: High cost, typically requires a significant monthly retainer.MMGY Global
MMGY is one of the world's largest integrated marketing firms specializing in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries. They offer a wide range of services, from PR and research to advertising and social media.
Pros: Industry leader, data-driven approach, extensive service offerings.
Cons: Better suited for large enterprises and tourism boards with substantial budgets.J Public Relations
JPR is a well-respected agency with a focus on luxury travel, hospitality, and real estate. They have strong relationships with top-tier media and influencers, making them a good choice for high-end brands.
Pros: Luxury market specialists, strong media connections.
Cons: Niche focus, retainer-based model can be expensive.Zapwater Communications
Zapwater is a boutique agency that focuses on lifestyle and travel brands. They are known for their creative campaigns and strong results in both national and regional media markets.
Pros: Creative and energetic approach, award-winning campaigns.
Cons: Smaller team size may limit bandwidth for very large accounts.5W Public Relations
5WPR is a large, full-service PR agency with a dedicated travel and hospitality practice. They handle everything from media relations to crisis communications for a diverse roster of clients.
Pros: Full-service capabilities, experience with major brands.
Cons: Can feel less personal than a boutique agency.The Decker/Royal Agency
This New York-based firm is known for its expertise in representing destinations, hotels, and travel products. They have a reputation for securing high-quality media placements.
Pros: Strong focus on media relations, experienced team.
Cons: Primarily focused on the US market.Lou Hammond Group
With decades of experience, the Lou Hammond Group is a veteran in the PR industry, specializing in travel, lifestyle, and technology. They have offices in several key US markets.
Pros: Long-standing reputation, diverse industry expertise.
Cons: Traditional approach may be slower-paced.CIIC PR
CIIC PR is a communications agency with a strong focus on the travel and tourism sectors in the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean. They are known for their bilingual capabilities and cross-cultural campaigns.
Pros: Expertise in Latin American markets, bilingual services.
Cons: More specialized geographically.QUINN
QUINN is a lifestyle PR agency with a significant travel and real estate practice. They are known for their results-driven approach and have worked with many well-known hotel and destination brands.
Pros: Strong results, well-connected in lifestyle media.
Cons: High demand can make them selective about clients.Hawkins International PR
Now part of Finn Partners, Hawkins International built a strong reputation as a top luxury travel and wellness PR agency. They focus on storytelling and creating memorable brand narratives.
Pros: Luxury and wellness niche experts, strong storytelling skills.
Cons: Operates under the larger Finn Partners umbrella now.Magrino
Magrino is a New York-based agency that has been working with premier travel and lifestyle brands for over 25 years. They are known for launching and repositioning luxury brands.
Pros: Deep experience in the luxury sector, long-term media relationships.
Cons: Focused on the high-end market.TURNER
TURNER is an agency specializing in travel, tourism, and outdoor brands. They have a passion for active lifestyle and connecting brands with consumers who share those values.
Pros: Niche expertise in outdoor and active travel.
Cons: Their focus may not be suitable for all types of travel brands.The Zimmerman Agency
Based in Florida, The Zimmerman Agency is a large, integrated agency that offers advertising, PR, and digital services. Their travel and tourism portfolio is extensive and includes major destinations and resorts.
Pros: Fully integrated services, extensive resources.
Cons: As a large agency, individual attention can vary.DCI (Development Counsellors International)
DCI specializes in economic development and tourism marketing. They are the go-to agency for destinations (countries, states, and cities) looking to attract investment and visitors.
Pros: Unmatched expertise in destination marketing.
Cons: Highly specialized; not a fit for individual hotels or tour operators.
Destination Marketing in the Digital Age
Today, nearly 80% of travel planning is done online. This means your destination's visibility in search results is paramount. A strategic press release campaign does more than just announce news; it builds a foundation of high-authority backlinks. When outlets like AP News or Bloomberg link to your website, it signals to Google that you are a credible source. This SEO boost helps you rank for valuable search terms, attracting travelers actively planning their next trip and driving them directly to your booking engine, not an OTA that takes a commission.
Hospitality PR: Beyond the Grand Opening
A grand opening gets a lot of attention, but what about the rest of the year? Consistent communication is key to staying top-of-mind. Hospitality PR isn't a one-time event. Use press releases to announce new seasonal packages, a new executive chef, sustainability awards, or partnerships with local tour operators. Each announcement is a new opportunity to appear in the news, generate social media content, and reinforce your brand's story. PR.plus makes this easy and affordable, allowing you to maintain a steady drumbeat of positive news without the cost of a full-time agency.
We stripped away the complexity of traditional PR. Our process is designed to be fast, simple, and effective. You provide the news, and we handle the rest.
Guaranteed Media Placements
AP News & Bloomberg Network
Fast 48-Hour Turnaround
Measuring the ROI of Your Travel Public Relations
How do you know your PR efforts are working? With traditional agencies, the ROI can be fuzzy, often measured in "ad value equivalency." A press release distribution strategy offers concrete metrics. You can track referral traffic from news sites in Google Analytics, monitor the increase in backlinks and domain authority with SEO tools, and see the direct impact on search rankings. Most importantly, the "As Seen On" badges from trusted news brands act as powerful social proof on your website, which can directly increase booking conversion rates. It’s a clear, measurable return on your investment.
Why Choose PR.plus?
Traditional tourism PR is slow and expensive. We built PR.plus for speed and impact. Get your news written, approved, and distributed to major outlets in under 48 hours. Our flat-rate pricing means no surprise fees or long-term retainers. It’s a modern approach for brands that need results now.
Our Tourism PR Services
We offer a complete, end-to-end press release service for the tourism industry. Our team handles everything from writing and SEO optimization to distribution and reporting, ensuring your announcement makes a real impact.
- Hotel & Resort Opening Announcements - New Tour Package Press Releases - Travel Tech Platform Updates - Destination Marketing Campaigns - Partnership & Event Promotions
