How Do We Revive Our Tourism Industry? The Keys To Tourism Marketing

What do we need to do to revive our tourism industry? In the pandemic’s wake and in the context of a stuttering but positive upward trajectory towards repairing, key learnings have emerged around buttressing the sector. How do we future-safe a fragile but renewing industry and reframe it as a sustainable and trailblazing one?

This year’s #DestinationVic Conference left us inspired and in deep thought about these things. Specifically, we’ve pondered how we best service the internal marketing teams we work alongside to assist their recovery from a mar-comms perspective and to make their vision of the future come to life?

Alongside a robust government response that takes into account that investing in tourism is both invaluable to economic growth and essential to inspiring innovation, clever marketing campaigns which tap into local and VFR markets keen to travel and support the recovery of their country are key. Other thoughts include:

• No longer talking sustainability as an angle but instead as a given – highlight how your organisation is progressing and building on existing sustainability initiatives.

• Future-safe experiences by thinking about what can be offered virtually (museum tours, cellar door tours, hotel tours) and reframing other experiences as video content. This is essential for building consideration too.

• Build personal connections with tourists by creating closed Facebook groups, bespoke and personalised concierge services, and making group tours smaller and more intimate. Building close-knit digital communities and establishing brand trust within an online milieu are great areas in which to innovate right now. Plus, social distancing and covid-safe practices generally are still very much on tourists’ minds, especially visiting markets.

• Invest time in creating and communicating YOUR story. How did you start, why are you different, who are the faces that make up your business, what unique anecdotes can you share? Your story is what makes you stand out; it’s what makes you different from any other destination out there.

• Consider a low-cost option. Inflationary pressures are building as we know but travellers still don’t want to miss out. Can you develop a more affordable/better value offering and grow volume?

Get in touch to pick our brains about your travel organisation’s marketing strategy. We have heaps more insights to share.