Tourism and Social Media Disconnect
Greg "Gug" G.
Co Bro Founder EH Canada Marketing Group. Award Winning Small Town Economic Development Program, Tourism Change Maker, Influencer Strategist
There is a disconnect between tourism and social media and this aversion to new technology has always been an issue in the industry. At one time having a website was deemed unnecessary. In fact the only way businesses tracked success online was by the number of email bookings they received in their inbox. How they received those bookings and where the initial interest stems from has never been much of a concern when times are good. When asked where they got most of those bookings from, the common answer was, “our website”. We would then follow up our question with, “how did they find your website?” Silence. A majority of businesses had no idea what was directing travelers to their websites. But times are changing fast and understanding the fundamentals of the booking channel are becoming more important in order to maintain current booking levels!
So… it comes as no surprise in my presentations that travel businesses do not understand the fundamentals of what tourism and social media can do together. We hear things like, “It doesn’t work”, “I do not have time”, and “I do not know how”. In many cases why we get this response is simple. Businesses understand bookings and not process. Hence why I start my social media presentations with, “travelers do not book on social media”. Lets set the record straight – social media is an awareness tool putting your business front and centre among peer groups and target markets which then can translate into bookings. An awareness campaign is a big part of the booking channel.”
“71% of travellers who have had a good social media travel experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others. (Source: Ambassador)”
Group Planning and Sales Coordinator
6 年Some tour companies don’t even have basic wifi on their buses which is hurting them in a way because a lot of tourists in Canada don’t have international cell phone plans. If they spent the extra expense a lot of their customers could do the social media advertising for them!
Strategic Travel & Tourism Advisor | Speaker | Travel Tech Advisor | Podcast Host | Adventure Specialist | Community Building
6 年I have never understood why tourism businesses do not put a huge effort into social media. It is an inspiration engine that can be super targeted to the exact guests that the tourism businesses hopes to attract. It also converts to bookings day in day out.