A boutique hotel in Lisbon sent a standard “we renovated our lobby” press release in January. It got zero coverage. Three months later, the same hotel sent a different release: the renovation had transformed the basement, which turned out to be a 15th-century wine cellar, into a restaurant now serving the city’s only tasting menu of recipes from pre-earthquake Lisbon. That release got covered in The Telegraph, Condé Nast Traveler, Monocle, and six local Portuguese publications. Same hotel. Same PR team. The difference was the story.
Travel and tourism is one of the most press-release-driven industries left, because editors still plan coverage months in advance around destinations, seasonal openings, and trend pieces. A well-crafted travel press release can drive bookings, awards, partnerships, and brand recognition in ways few other marketing investments match. The problem is that most travel brands write press releases as if they have never read one, leading with adjectives and hoping journalists will pick up the slack. This post is the guide to writing travel press releases that actually work.
What travel journalists look for in a press release
Travel editors receive several hundred press releases a week. Their filter for what gets covered is specific, and understanding it shapes what you write.
The first thing travel journalists look for is a specific hook. Something opened. Something changed. Something is the first or the only in a category. A new property. A new experience. A chef with a story. A destination responding to a trend. The vague “excellence” and “luxury” adjectives signal that there is no actual news, which sends the release to the trash instantly.
The second is visual potential. Travel coverage is visual. A release with strong photography, ideally exclusive, immediately stands out. Editors mentally pre-cast the story as they read: will this make a great opening photo? If the answer is no, the story is harder to commission regardless of how good the underlying news is. Invest in professional photography before sending the release, and include high-resolution downloadable assets in the press kit.
The third is the story behind the news. Editors do not want to write “hotel adds new bar.” They want to write “hotel adds new bar with a backstory that involves a forgotten family recipe, an architectural discovery, or a partnership with a local cultural institution.” The brands that consistently earn coverage surface the story in the press release itself, giving the editor the angle on a plate.
The fourth is timing fit. Travel publications plan coverage around seasonal cycles, editorial calendars, and trend windows. A ski resort release in July is wrong timing for most consumer outlets, right timing for some trade publications planning the winter season. A sustainability-themed release sent the week of a major climate conference lands differently than the same release sent in a random month.
The anatomy of a travel press release that works
The structure is the same as any news-style press release, but with travel-specific considerations at each layer.
The headline should name the specific thing, the specific location, and the specific differentiator in under 90 characters. “Aman Opens First Private Island Resort in Greek Cyclades” is a headline. “Experience Luxury Like Never Before” is not. Travel editors read headlines in scanning mode and will pass on anything that does not name a concrete place or thing.
The subhead adds one concrete detail that tells the editor this is worth their time. A specific opening date, a named person, a unique feature, a partnership that matters. “Hotel opens November 15 with all-suite accommodations and exclusive partnership with chef Massimo Bottura” is a strong subhead.
The lead paragraph delivers who, what, where, when, and why in one sentence, followed by a second sentence on why this matters. “LISBON, PORTUGAL, March 12, 2026 — Boutique hotel Casa de Alfama today announced the opening of Cavalariça, a tasting-menu restaurant housed in the property’s 15th-century stable, the only restaurant in Lisbon serving recipes from the city’s pre-earthquake archives. The opening marks the completion of a three-year historical preservation project in partnership with the Portuguese Ministry of Culture.”
That lead gives any travel editor the entire story and enough proof to justify pursuing the coverage.
The body paragraphs should cover: the specific story behind the news (why this, why now, what the backstory is), a quote from the person closest to the news with actual substance (not “we are thrilled”), a paragraph of practical detail for travelers (dates, rates, booking channels, locations), and a final paragraph that places the news in the context of a trend or pattern.
Close with a full press kit: high-resolution images, a downloadable fact sheet, media contact details, and any exclusive assets available to journalists willing to cover the story.
Three specific press release formats that earn travel coverage
Different kinds of travel news call for different release structures. Three formats consistently earn coverage.
The first is the destination opening release. Used for new hotels, resorts, or experiences. Lead with the opening date, the location, and the specific differentiator. Follow with the design or architectural story, the culinary or experience offering, and practical booking information. Include visuals that convey the physical experience immediately.
The second is the seasonal programming release. Used for new culinary seasons, holiday programming, or event lineups. Lead with the season or date range, the unique programming, and the named talent involved (chefs, designers, cultural partners). Follow with the full calendar of events, rates for involved stays, and the broader story about why the brand is investing in this direction. Seasonal releases have long lead times, so send them 90 to 120 days out.
The third is the data or trend release. Used to publish original research, booking trend data, or destination analysis. These earn more coverage than most travel brands expect because journalists need numbers to support stories, and original data from travel brands with real booking platforms is useful. A release headlined “Wellness travel bookings to Portugal up 240 percent year-over-year, Casa de Alfama data shows” can earn coverage across travel, wellness, and business publications.
Match the format to the news. Mis-matched formats (using the opening release structure for a seasonal announcement) signal amateur work and reduce coverage rates.
Pitching the release to the right travel journalists
A travel press release on the wire without targeted pitches is a half-finished job. The work to earn coverage happens in the pitch, and the pitch requires a specific target list.
Build the list by section. The travel editor at a major newspaper, the restaurant writer, the design writer, the trend writer, the destination writer covering your region, the sustainability writer if your story fits, and so on. Travel publications have specialized beats and a release pitched to the wrong writer gets ignored. Muck Rack, Qwoted, and targeted Google News searches help identify which specific writer covers which topic.
Send the pitch 30 to 90 days before the news is public, under embargo. The lead time varies by publication: monthly magazines need four to six months, weeklies need two to four weeks, online publications often work in days. Know the lead time for every publication on your list.
The pitch itself should be short (under 200 words) and specific. Lead with the hook that fits the particular writer’s beat. Include one or two specific facts that support the story. Offer the specific thing the writer needs: exclusive access, an interview with the key person, a press trip if appropriate, or advance visuals. Paste the full release below.
Example pitch to a sustainability travel writer:
“Hi Jane, I saw your piece last month on hotels using historical preservation as a climate strategy. I work with Casa de Alfama in Lisbon, which has just completed a three-year preservation of a 15th-century stable (previously slated for demolition) and turned it into a low-impact tasting-menu restaurant sourcing entirely from within 30km. Full release below. Happy to arrange an interview with the project architect or the chef, and we have exclusive interior photography available. Embargo lifts March 12.”
This pitch demonstrates the writer’s work is known, connects the news to their beat, and offers specific next steps. It will get a response more often than a generic “please cover our opening” pitch to the same inbox.
Follow-up and press trips
The press release is only the start. Travel coverage is a relationship game, and most of the lasting results come from what happens after the initial pitch.
Follow up once, 24 hours later, with one sentence of value: “Wanted to make sure this did not get buried. Happy to send over the full image kit if useful.” Do not follow up a second time on the same release.
For news that warrants it, offer press trips selectively. Travel journalists are cautious about press trip offers because of ethical considerations and oversupply. The offers that get accepted are the ones that provide a specific reason for a writer to come: a brief that matches their beat exactly, an exclusive angle they could not get from a general trip, and timing that matches a piece they are already working on. Mass-invite press trips to 20 journalists produce thin coverage and damage the brand’s standing with editors.
Long-term relationships with 20 to 30 key travel journalists in your category drive more coverage over time than any single press release. Build the relationships through consistent, useful press releases, responsive media support, and genuine help with stories that do not necessarily feature your brand. Editors remember helpful PR people and reach out for future stories.
The common mistakes
The three mistakes that kill most travel press releases are familiar. Adjective-heavy writing that signals no actual news. Weak visuals that make it impossible for editors to commission coverage. Generic “luxury redefined” positioning that reads as interchangeable with every other hotel release.
The fix for all three is specificity. Name the specific thing that changed. Show the specific visual evidence. Make the specific claim about what this brand does differently. A well-crafted travel press release reads like a short news story that happens to be about your property, not a brochure with “press release” written on top.
Travel is one of the industries where press releases still produce outsized returns when done well. Most brands do them badly. The ones that learn to write them well consistently earn coverage, fill rooms, and build the kind of media standing that compounds into awards, partnerships, and brand equity. Pick your news carefully. Write the release as a reporter would. Pitch the specific writers who cover your story. Do this over years and the coverage problem solves itself.