Yes, I can help. First of all, make sure you give the emails and wine parties a fair chance since they may already be part of your clients' expectations and your trademark. Use the emails to promote the wine/cheese gatherings and use those gatherings to get to know your potential and current customers. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Let them come to you with questions. Consider a mascot (russian wolfhound or whippet) to help with the party and possibly be an icon for you (refrigerator magnet, calendar). Have a contest to name it. Your emails can start to eventually tease a little (new seven wonders, land that time forgot). As for the wine, you may be able to get a distributor or local winery to do your tastings for free. If not, ask a local wine store if they'd be interested in hosting your event. (At this time I am not recommending you spend any money whatsoever, so don't offer a trade out just yet. You can always do that with someone else.)
Make sure you know your market demographics. I'd think you may need to concentrate on seniors and put honeymooners on the burner, depending on the length of trips you want to promote, etc. Seniors are the forgotton group among advertisers, but you can find them everywhere. Every weekend in every city there are upscale affairs (art foundation balls, breast cancer awareness fundraisers, public education and public television appreciation dinners, Governor's parties, Taste of the Nation's food frolics, etc.) not to mention financial and retirement planning workshops. Just go and be seen. You'll be quizzed about what you do.
All cities have an upscale magazine in which movers and shakers want to be seen. Call them (and all the local fluff and travel reporters) and let them know you are happy to talk with them on subjects related to travel. Have a story idea ready for them. Most reporters, believe it or not, have all news stories written before they arrive on the scene. Television reporters write their story on the way to the interview and they log their tapes to find just tthe right soundbite on the way back from the interview. They are looking for a particular sound bite to support their angle. Come up with story ideas for them, and you'll be on very often. They'll practically tell you what to say, if you like. Always think lead story with angles like economic indicators or travel safety and you'll be a star, even if the story doesn't lead. Always have another story idea the next day (for television) and the next week or the next month for papers and mags. For the most part I'm referring to all electronic and print media. Write you own press releases talking about unusual people, places and things to enjoy.. The sidebar could be surfing, volcanos, global warming, customs or wildlife at the places you know about. You'll be in every magazine issue and you really don't have to buy anything. You can say that because you are in effect a local reporter and a local travel source, that you shouldn't have the appearance of having a conflict of interest. You'd be surprised how easy it is to transition from say a story about fine food in an upscale magazine (with photos of food alongside your story) to vacations. You could say that great chefs know great cooking requires more than fine ingredients. The best dishes create sensory overload with flavor and flair. Our travel agency also uses flavor and flair in our recipe for memorable vacations, etc. You can transition from fine automobiles to fine vacations...from the housing market to vacations...you can do anything with the written word. And vacations and exotic travel are always interesting to those who can afford it.
Contrary to most people on this site, I disagree with the use of the internet as a major advertising tool, and it is declining in effectiveness and ad revenue as we speak, just as all other forms of advertising. Paid search ads are expected to begin a rapid decent and online promotions now being sold are very risky and debatable as an ad tool. I think they are a gamble and that such contests, giveaways, coupons and certificates will only devalue your product, even though they be helpful for some businesses. If you've seen my other entries on this site you know I generally don't like advertising. Many of the people writing blogs on this site have a product or service they want you to buy. I don't. You could consider classified because they are cheap, but beware newspapers really don't like companies using the service. You can sneak it by them if you are careful and creative and if they also use an internet site, but your best bet is to use those press releases and become a go to person for an ambitious reporter or perhaps an old reporter with a social column. Make a friend at each media outlet and they'll hound you forever for interviews that will build trust in the public far beyond any paid advertisement. You can consider a smartly worded yellow page ad, using the white pages and listing your company on all the free search sites and get ready for the reviews.
My first thought is to initially avoid offering free trips to say celebrities, advisors, representatives or others in a supposed postion to gather fellow travelers for you. I've seen that tried before with only meager results and some dissapointments. You want your product to be desirable and you don't want your clients to feel as they are being an imitator or a follower. They should feel like explorers. You could show travel movies occasionally if you have a good venue or media room. Otherwise I think the most important thing to do that I haven't mentioned is to make sure you have a simple but elegant sign in front of your building.
