- Increased sales to Australia by 200 percent with Tourism Australia partnership
- 260 percent surge in sales to Gold Coast after KISS FM campaign
- Partnering with Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines for Black Friday 2017 increased year on year revenue by 129 percent
Following an intense programme of new and improved marketing initiatives, StudentUniverse, the world’s leading travel booking site for students and youth, is celebrating a strong year for the brand, with a record 61 percent year on year sales increase for the month of April.
The company, which launched in the UK in 2013 and was acquired by Flight Centre Travel Group in 2015, is used by millions of young holidaymakers every year for complex travel itineraries, custom designed gap year experiences and group travel requests.
Along with impressive sales figures, April was also a record month for retention with StudentUniverse celebrating a 47 percent increase in repeat bookings. These significant growth numbers are welcomed by the company as it continues to drive forward with its campaign to increase brand awareness and market share in the student and youth travel sector.
Initiatives implemented by StudentUniverse include:
StudentUniverse gives out £80,000 worth of discounts on university campus tour
Working in partnership with Tourism Australia’s “Aussie News Today” campaign, StudentUniverse carried out a month-long tour visiting eight UK universities showing what Australia has to offer via virtual reality tours, exclusive discounts and a competition to win a free holiday to Australia. During the campaign, which ran between February and April 2018, sales to Australia increased 200 per cent from the same period in 2017.
For more information about the tour watch this video.
129 percent revenue increase on Black Friday
Partnering with Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines for Black Friday in 2017, StudentUniverse achieved a 129 percent increase in revenue compared to Black Friday in 2016. With flights to New York City at a competitive rate of £272 return, the partnership saw Virgin Atlantic sales on the website grow by over 400 percent on the day and increased the share of sales across both airlines by 80 percent.
Enticing seven million KISS FM listeners to the Gold Coast
Working in partnership with Destination Gold Coast, StudentUniverse engaged KISS FM readers to take part in a competition to win a trip to the Gold Coast. Two local presenters were handpicked to highlight everything that the area has to offer via video and audio clips, driving listeners to enter the competition.
Since the campaign began, sales to Brisbane International Airport for the Gold Coast are up 260 percent compared to the same period last year. Following the increase, StudentUniverse is now working with Destination New South Wales with the intent of replicating the success.
StudentUniverse also operates Journeys are Made @ GapYear.com, the world’s largest gap year inspiration travel platform.
Gapyear.com revamp increases engagement for travel organisations
Youth travel website Gapyear.com has relaunched with a brand new design and website experience. The revamp uses a more intuitive design that simplifies the user journey, making it easier for those searching for gap year inspiration to find relevant travel products based on their interests.
Since relaunching in March this year, Gapyear.com has switched to be more commercially focused, allowing students and young people to enjoy a seamless experience across all devices. The new site now features a custom-built Tours platform which brings in experiences via API feeds from major players in the industry, including G Adventures, Intrepid and Geckos. As a result of the redesign travel organisations partnered with the site are benefiting from the most qualified leads, and engagement metrics on key landing pages are continuously improving.
Now 20 years old, Gapyear.com has grown to become the largest and most visited gap year site in the world and features within the Flight Centre Travel group alongside StudentUniverse. The new design and experience will ensure its continued success for years to come.
StudentUniverse was launched in the UK in 2013 and acquired by the Flight Centre Travel Group in 2015. As the world’s leading travel booking site for students and youth, the company believes travel is essential to a modern education and offers discounted pricing and terms on flights, hotels and tours through negotiations with a network of global partners.
Dan Baker, General Manager of StudentUniverse, is available for interview on request.
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For further press information, please contact:
Baillie Horwood/Emma Arthurs/Nicole Lovett
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8930
E: [email protected]
About StudentUniverse
StudentUniverse is the world’s leading travel booking site for students and youth. Through negotiations with a network of global partners, StudentUniverse offers discounted pricing and terms on flights, hotels and tours. Its Travel Services division also handles complex itineraries, custom designed gap year experiences and group travel requests. StudentUniverse also operates Journeys are Made @ GapYear.com, the world’s largest gap year inspiration travel platform.
StudentUniverse launched in the UK in 2013 and was acquired by Flight Centre Travel Group in 2015. StudentUniverse is headquartered in Boston with offices in London, Toronto, New York and the Philippines. StudentUniverse believes that travel is essential to a modern education. Millions of students use the service every year.
For more information go to www.studentuniverse.co.uk, www.facebook.com/StudentUniverseUK, www.twitter.com/studentu_uk or www.instagram.com/studentuniverseuk
