Email has long been one of the most cost-effective ways for hotels and tourism brands to connect with guests. But in 2025, the inbox is more crowded than ever. With guests juggling travel deals, loyalty program updates, event invitations, and OTA promotions, it’s harder to know if your emails are breaking through the noise. That’s where email marketing industry benchmarks come in, they give you a reference point to see how your performance compares to others in your sector and guide your next steps.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Are our campaigns working?”, the answer isn’t just in your open rates. Metrics like click-through rate benchmarks by industry, bounce rate benchmarks by industry, and conversion data reveal how effectively you’re reaching and engaging the right audience. And for hotels and tourism businesses, these numbers directly impact one of your most critical goals: driving more direct bookings.
Why Benchmarks Matter in Hospitality
In tourism and hospitality, competition is fierce. OTAs are spending big to dominate search results, and travelers are more price-sensitive than they were even a few years ago. Email gives you a direct line to your guests, but if you’re not measuring performance against email marketing industry benchmarks, you risk relying on guesswork.
Benchmarks help you:
- Identify if your open rates are lagging behind other hospitality brands
- Spot high bounce rates that could be hurting deliverability
- See if your click-through rates are competitive for the travel and tourism space
- Make data-driven adjustments to content, timing, and segmentation
When you compare your own numbers to click-through rate benchmarks by industry or bounce rate benchmarks by industry, you gain context. A 2% CTR might look fine at a glance, but if the hospitality average is 4%, there’s room for improvement.
Key 2025 Email Marketing Industry Benchmarks for Hospitality
While benchmarks vary slightly depending on the source, here’s what the 2025 data is showing for tourism and hospitality brands:
- Open Rate: 17–28%
- Click-Through Rate: 3.5–4% (CTR is higher for personalized promotions and loyalty emails)
- Bounce Rate: Under 1% for a well-maintained list
If your numbers are consistently above these email marketing industry benchmarks, you’re ahead of the game. If they’re lower, it’s a sign your strategy may need some fine-tuning.
How to Use Benchmarks to Improve Your Campaigns
- Clean Your List Regularly
High bounce rates damage deliverability. Compare your numbers to bounce rate benchmarks by industry, if you’re above 1%, it’s time to remove invalid or inactive addresses.
- Test Your Subject Lines
Open rates are your first engagement hurdle. Experiment with tone, length, and personalization to see what resonates with travelers.
- Segment for Relevance
Families, solo travelers, corporate guests — they each respond to different offers. Segmentation can boost CTR well above the click-through rate benchmarks by industry.
- Optimize for Mobile
Over half of travel emails are opened on a phone. If your design isn’t mobile-friendly, clicks will drop.
- Refine Your Calls to Action
Instead of “Book Now,” try contextual CTAs like “View Your Summer Rate” or “See This Weekend’s Special.” Relevant, time-sensitive CTAs can push CTR higher than the industry average.
Seasonal Context: Why Benchmarks Aren’t One-Size-Fits-All
Hotels see natural swings in engagement depending on season and audience. A summer flash-sale email might outperform winter midweek stay offers, even if both are strong campaigns. That’s why email marketing industry benchmarks are best used as a guide; your own trends matter just as much.
For example:
- Event-driven emails (e.g., holiday packages) often exceed click-through rate benchmarks by industry.
- Last-minute deals can see higher CTR but also higher bounce rates if your list isn’t targeted.
- Off-season promotions may underperform against peak-season benchmarks but still be profitable.
Turning Data Into Direct Bookings
The most valuable takeaway from email marketing industry benchmarks isn’t just knowing where you stand — it’s using the data to drive more revenue. If your CTR is low compared to click-through rate benchmarks by industry, it might mean your offers aren’t enticing enough. If your bounce rate is higher than the bounce rate benchmarks by industry, it could signal list quality issues that are hurting your chances of getting in front of the right guests.
By regularly tracking your numbers and making small, consistent improvements, you’ll not only meet the benchmarks — you’ll exceed them, turning your emails into one of the strongest revenue channels for your hotel.
Bottom Line: In 2025, hospitality brands can’t afford to run email marketing on instinct alone. Measuring against email marketing industry benchmarks — and knowing where you stand on bounce rates and click-through rates, gives you the clarity to make smarter decisions, compete with OTAs, and capture more direct bookings. It’s not about chasing someone else’s numbers; it’s about using them to make yours better.
From subject lines to segmentation, as a hospitality marketing agency, we understand what drives engagement in hospitality. Partner with us to build email campaigns that deliver more than opens; they deliver loyal guests.