January is often the hardest month, and around Blue Monday 27% of adults feel lonely. For Riviera Travel, we built a broadcast PR campaign around a simple remedy: research shows time by water lowers stress and improves mood, and solo travel by water is rising as a way to reset, with women making up 78% of solo travellers in 2024. We put a water travel expert from Riviera Travel on air across a radio day of interviews, explaining how blue spaces such as rivers support wellbeing and why having a trip to look forward to helps beat the January blues. The campaign secured 10 items of radio coverage reaching 1.6 million people, including BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester, BBC Radio Shropshire and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
Riviera Travel wanted to inspire winter wellness with a holiday to look forward to, highlighting its river cruises, escorted tours and solo holidays.
The message
Blue spaces such as rivers and waterways promote physical, mental and social wellbeing, and Riviera Travel's award-winning river cruises let travellers enjoy those benefits. Having travel plans to look forward to helps beat the January blues.
The angle
January is often the hardest month, with 27% of adults feeling lonely around Blue Monday. Research shows time by water lowers stress and improves mood, and solo travel by water is rising as a way to reset, with women making up 78% of solo travellers in 2024.
On air
A water travel expert from Riviera Travel
The result
10 items of coverage reaching 1.6 million, including BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester, BBC Radio Shropshire, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
About Blue Monday
Blue Monday is the name given to the third Monday in January, promoted as the most depressing day of the year. It began in 2005 as a press release for the travel company Sky Travel and has no scientific basis, but charities now use it to start conversations about mental health. Stations plan their coverage of it in advance, which makes it a strong hook for a broadcast PR campaign.
Planning Blue Monday for 2027?
Blue Monday next falls on Monday 18 January 2027. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.
