The study focused on podcasts funded by 14 government agencies and highlights the growing role of podcasting as a tool for promoting destinations. It also points to an emerging trend: a new way of travelling through immersive audio storytelling.
One example is Blum, a branded fiction podcast produced by Spanish production company El Extraordinario for Switzerland Tourism. Through the journey of painter Ursula Blum, listeners are introduced to nine cities across Switzerland. Mar Abad, co-founder and editorial director of El Extraordinario, emphasises the potential of the format, explaining that it “is a great fictional story that isn’t tainted by a commercial message”. “We have seen a rise in these kinds of productions. After Blum, we created Simulacro for Canary Islands Tourism, and it performed incredibly well in terms of reception, listener numbers and return on investment for the client”, she continued.
According to Maria Fitó, “tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors globally and a key economic driver for many countries. In this context, each destination behaves like a brand, creating a relationship similar to that between a consumer and a branded product or service.”
The study underscores the podcast’s value as a promotional tool, noting that “through audio storytelling, listeners can discover a destination in all its dimensions without physically travelling there.” This trend can help position a destination and create a positive memory in the listener’s mind, potentially motivating future travel.
A cost-effective format with global reach
Maria Fitó highlights why government agencies are increasingly turning to podcasts for tourism promotion. “They are more cost-effective compared to other promotional formats, such as tourism fairs. They also have global reach and allow for precise targeting, as listeners actively seek out the content,” she explained.
Conversational podcasts and female voices
According to the findings from UIC Barcelona, 53.9% of the podcasts analysed include interviews and favour a conversational format for promoting destinations. Fiction accounts for just 5.9% of episodes. Additionally, 75% of the podcasts are presented by female voices. Another trend is the involvement of influencers in shaping the narrative, either as hosts or contributors.
“Tourism stakeholders – including governments, local authorities, tour operators and airlines – have embraced podcast production to promote destinations,” says Maria Fitó. She signals audio branding as “essential” in today’s communication landscape, as it enables destinations to stand out in a highly competitive market.
The study was carried out in collaboration with Montserrat Vidal-Mestre from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Alfonso Freire-Sánchez from Universitat Abat Oliba.
