We sat down with Nick Udall, our commercial sales specialist, to get his thoughts on experiential travel and how Airlander offers the unique experience that today’s tourists expect. Nick has spent over a decade of his career in the luxury travel market, focusing specifically on aviation, and has travelled extensively throughout Europe, North America and the Middle East.
What does experiential travel mean to you?
To me experiential travel means more than just visiting a beautiful location. It means immersing yourself in an experience by connecting with the local culture, people and history. It is about making each and every travel experience personalised and unique.
From my experience in the industry, backpackers and billionaires alike, people want to feel immersed in the local culture and experience something deeper by getting off the beaten track.
How does Airlander offer experiential travel?
Airlander is the ultimate in experiential travel. It takes the journey to your destination and makes it part of the experience. Airlander offers a different form of travelling, providing the space to sit and eat dinner around a table with friends, enjoy a night’s sleep in a bed, or even do some yoga, the possibilities are endless.
Airlander can cruise at a relatively low altitude at slow speeds, so passengers can truly take in the sights instead of speeding along above the clouds. And the floor to ceiling windows make it hard to miss a thing. The cabin is unpressurised, meaning windows can be swung open and fresh air let in!
Once you have reached your destination Airlander is designed to land on any flat surface, including ice, water and sand, allowing people to explore everywhere. The ability to land on an unprepared surface means guests can get closer to the action, eliminating tedious transfers.
Airlander’s low carbon technology also makes it a more eco-friendly way to travel and because it doesn’t require much infrastructure, it doesn’t damage the flora and fauna at its destination.
Why is it important for brands to offer unique experiences?
As technology develops and we are able to travel further with increased ease, unique experiences are making their way to the top of many traveller wish lists. The ‘Instagram Effect’ has had a massive impact on the travel industry, with holidaymakers wanting to see unseen areas of the world and have authentic experiences that they can share on social media.
Smaller, more agile brands are cropping up across the globe offering these types of ‘local’ experiences. I believe now is the time for large travel brands to diversify to keep their existing customers coming back time after time and to attract new customers to create new revenue streams.
Offering unique experiences is how brands will stand out in a crowded marketplace. Investing in a product like Airlander now can make the unique experiences of tomorrow a reality. Having a USP like Airlander at the heart of a brand strategy is definitely a good place to start in my opinion!
In the world of experiential travel, what are the possibilities of Airlander?
For me, the Airlander offers an exciting opportunity for travel brands to offer something completely unique to their customers. The experiential travel possibilities are endless: an in-flight dining experience taking in the sights of Dubai; an expedition cruise to the Arctic to experience the wildlife in its natural habitat; an air-safari experience taking in the views of the Kalahari or taking an air-cruise over the Grand Canyon all from the comfort of Airlander.
Whatever the trip, whatever the destination, Airlander can deliver a memorable, unique experience in every way.
You can explore Airlander’s experiential travel potential here.