Cosmopolitan Launches CosmoTrips to Capture Travel Budgets

In a bid to parlay its influence over young female readers into tourism budgets and a new source of reader revenue, Hearst title Cosmopolitan announced Monday the launch of its new travel booking service CosmoTrips—its latest and most ambitious foray into the sector. The offering, designed and built in partnership with the travel technology firm DH Enterprise & Associates, caters to Cosmopolitan's audience through instantly bookable, curated vacation experiences in cities across the U.S. At launch, the service features a collection of two- and three-day itineraries in New York, Austin, Charleston and West Hollywood, said Nancy Berger, the senior vice president and group publisher of the youth and wellness group at Hearst. It will expand to include New Orleans, Miami and Las Vegas in the coming months, with an eye toward adding international destinations in the future. “Our tagline is ‘Travel like an editor,’ and we want our readers to feel very special when they do,” Berger told Adweek. “This is all made possible because we know what our readers care about and because they trust our recommendations.” CosmoTrips will feature instantly bookable vacation packages in cities across the U.S., including Austin, Charleston and West Hollywood. Following more than a year of inactivity, the travel industry has returned to the advertising market in force—and publishers endemic or adjacent to the sector have made efforts to cash in on its pent-up spend. CosmoTrips gives the publisher another source of reader revenue beyond its nascent membership program, whose sign-ups have risen 30% year over year, according to Hearst. The service helps diversify the Cosmopolitan revenue stream, further insulating the publisher from the mercurial payouts of digital advertising. Although Cosmopolitan has historically served as a clearinghouse for coverage on relationships, sex, fashion and beauty, the publisher has steadily increased its travel reporting over the last two years, Berger said. Every print issue in that time period has contained at least one major travel story, and the Cosmopolitan website has seen a 98% year-to-date increase in traffic to travel content, according to the publisher. The new service will generate reader revenue for Cosmopolitan, as it will take a commission on each trip booked through the product. The company has already seen revenue from travel-related commerce rise 198% this year compared to the same period in 2021, according to Hearst, although that could be from a small base. The heightened focus on travel has also unlocked new advertising partnerships with tourism agencies, hotels and other mainstays of the hospitality industry, including Air New Zealand and Texas Tourism. Launch sponsors for CosmoTrips include Bloomingdale’s and Klarna. Younger readers plan to travel, and Cosmopolitan sees opportunity Travel publishers typically target older demographics, whose higher levels of disposable income make them prime targets for tourism marketing. But Gen Z and millennials have shown a propensity for travel that outpaces that of other generations, said Santiago Gonzalez, the vice president of development and marketing at the tourism and hospitality firm PTG Consulting. Consumer data suggests that younger generations place more value in experiences and services than buying products, making them a valuable market with a high lifetime value, according to Gonzalez. Following nearly two years of limited mobility, younger audiences are also highly motivated to travel and explore destinations they discover online or on social media. In a March survey from the car rental service Avail, 71% of both Gen Z and millennials respondents said they plan to travel more, or the same amount, in 2022 than they did prior to the pandemic. “Young people are choosing to use their money to travel,” Gonzalez said. “Gen Z is all about having new experiences and enriching yourself by exchanging opportunities with other cultures. They are eager to discover because they have access to everything.” Cosmopolitan aims for differentiation with its 'Travel like an editor' ethos In an increasingly crowded travel services sector, Cosmopolitan hopes to set itself apart by offering its young readers highly curated experiences—with perks that reflect its brand. For instance, every trip begins with a Cosmopolitan cocktail and at least one exclusive benefit, such as a free spin class at Ride in Austin or a free yoga class in Charleston. And if a reader books their trip at least two weeks in advance, they will receive a goody bag filled with cosmetics and other products. CosmoTrips also has Klarna built into its framework, letting would-be tourists vacation now and pay later with ease. It also comes with a tool that lets members of a group pay for their share of the expenses, rather than forcing one friend to foot the bill and then collect payment from everyone else. “There is no legacy travel company targeting this demographic,” Berger said. “This is a whole new way to package and sell travel.” From Books to Bookings: Lonely Planet Turns Travel Operator Under Red Ventures

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Cosmopolitan Launches CosmoTrips to Capture Travel Budgets

The new offering brings the Hearst title another line of reader revenue

Mark Stenberg

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Mark Stenberg