Drones are gaining popularity among filmmakers and enthusiasts alike and are going to be the future of photography. Some international travel brands are already using drones to shoot stunning promotional videos and image content. Accounts such as @dronestagram have become big on Instagram, clearly indicating that the trend is catching up well across all social media platforms.
Using drones for filmmaking can yield amazing results and travel brands can leverage them very well for promotion. Earlier Tourism New Zealand organised the NZDronie campaign. During the campaign, they offered drone mounted cameras at some tourist spots across New Zealand for travellers to shoot Dronies or Drone Selfies. This activity attracted a good number of tourists and they were being talked about all over. Other brands are also taking note and have started using drones as a part of their promotional activities. St. Regis recently shared a promotional video for their property in Doha and it largely comprises of aerial footage of the property and fun activities.
The St. Regis video is just one of the many stunning aerial videos being shared all over the internet.
We have researched & curated a list of 10 of the best travel & destination videos captured using drone cameras all over the world.
1- Keukenhof- World’s largest flower garden in Lisse, Netherlands
The Keukenhof is one of the world’s largest flower gardens with around 7 million flowers planted every year over an area of 79 acres. Every year it attracts more than 800,000 tourists from all around the globe. This video features various flower beds, lakes, fountains and a drawbridge. Posted by Wiebe de Jager, the video has already generated over 44K views. A DJI Phantom 2 was used to shoot this video with GoPro Hero 4 mounted on with Zenmuse H4-3D Gimble.
2- Naxos Island in Aegean Sea, Greece
Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades island group near Greece and has an approximate area of 429 sq. km. With many ruins and large number of beaches, the island is a popular tourist destination. This video features stunning aerial views of many beaches on the island. The video was shared by Vimeo user Picorna and has been captured using GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition mounted on Zenmuse H3-3D on DJI Phantom 2.
3- Serengeti National park, Africa
The Serengeti National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for the annual migration of 1.5 million brindled wildebeest. This video perfectly showcases the scope of drones in wildlife photography. It starts with beautiful shots of the park and goes on to showcase the diversity of animals there. This stunning video uploaded by wildlife photographer Will Burrard Lucas has already generated more than 325K views. He develops his own equipment for photography (found here) and likes to call his drone, a BeetleCopter 
4- Dolphin Stampede in Dana Point, California
This has to be one of the most stunning drone videos and easily the first iconic drone videos people would have come across. The video shows a huge pod of dolphins stampeding off Dana point California and some whales playing together. The aerial view surely adds a different dimension to it. Captain Dave Anderson filmed this off a tiny inflatable boat. He has been whale watching for decades and is also the author of Lily, A Gray Whale’s Odyssey. The video has been captured using GoPro Hero3 Black Edition mounted on DJI Phantom 2.
5- Koh Yao Noi Islands, Thailand
Koh Yao Noi or Little Yao Island is part of island group in Phang Nga Bay in Thailand. Unlike other drone videos that are captured from insane heights for most parts, this one uses the mobility of drone to provide smooth transitions. It travels across beaches and flies close to the ground for some parts giving a very interesting perspective. The video has been captured using GoPro Hero 4 mounted on DJI Phantom by moviemaker Philip Bloom.
6- Altez in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore
This video proves that you don’t always need to shoot beautiful landscapes for stunning drone videos. This one promotes a real estate in cityscapes by showcasing it from a different angle. The video starts with a top view of the region and then the drone moves to the property in question for a better view. Something like this could be very well done for tourist attractions. As this was a promotional video, we don’t have many details on the equipment used for this job.
7- Flying over Binjiang Avenue, Longsheng, Guangxi China
This video comes from the beautiful city of Longsheng that is a few hundred miles away from the DJI factory. The city is a mix of modern architecture and traditional structures. The place is popular among tourists and is famous for its rice terraces, hot springs and numerous waterfalls. The video shows the city with the beautiful landscapes that surround it. It has been uploaded by YouTube channel of Helipal which is an online RC helicopter store. This one has also been captured using GoPro Hero 3+ on DJI Phantom 2.
8- Hovering over Cornwall Coast, England
The setting for an aerial video doesn’t get better than this. Beautiful landscape, right amount of wind, sun on the horizon and a drone mounted camera. It starts with the beautiful landscape of the coast and as the drone hovers over the water, it captures the amazing visuals created by the sea foam. The video hasn’t been edited apart from the cuts and transitions. This video by Clym Montgomery has been viewed over 590,000 times. The video has been captured on a GoPro Hero 3+ mounted on a TBS Discovery Pro.
9- Bouldering at Bulamsan in Seoul, South Korea
Bulamsan, also known as Buddha Rock Mountain is a popular destination among people who love hiking and bouldering. It features steep sections as well as simpler tracking routes so it is good for both experts and beginners. The video shows some amazing views from around the mountain and group of hikers making their way up. Such videos can be used to promote activities around a destination. It has been captured using GoPro Hero 3+ on a DJI Phantom 2.
10- Kovalam Beach, Kerala, India
Yes Indian destinations are also on the drone map This video from Kovalam Beach shows you an entirely different view of the waves rolling in on the beach. It then goes on to show a large number of fishermen trying to pull their net out of the water while others heading into the water in a fishing boat. The video isn’t professionally edited like some others on the list but it is surely is a great effort by the videographer. Shot by Dmitry Sumin, this video has been captured using DJI Phantom drone.
Indian brands should also explore the possibilities with drones. Luxury hotels at exotic locations can do something like St. Regis and give their marketing videos a very different perspective. Instead of inviting guests to check-in and post selfies, they can offer them drones which can then be spun to create video content for the property. Destinations can find similar uses and with states like Kerala & Goa Tourism who are really active on Social Media, we would love to see them raising the bar of their video content.
NZDronies was an interesting campaign and could be a good inspiration for other destination marketers. Virtual first person tours are also gaining popularity. Drones can be used to offer even better experience for such tours.
Bonus Update: Inspired by these videos and feel like grabbing a drone for yourself? Here’s some good news DJI has just released a budget drone, DJI Phantom 3 which is perfect for noobs and comes at under $800 USD. Visit the DJI website for more info on the product & purchase details. Happy droning!
Feature Image Credit: B Ystebo on Flickr.
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