Tourism, the act and process of spending time away from home in pursuit of recreation, relaxation, and pleasure, while making use of the commercial provision of services.
It should be noted, Tourism continues to be one of the sectors hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly for countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Western Hemisphere. Governments in these regions, and elsewhere, have taken measures to ease the economic shock to households and businesses but longer-term the industry will need to adapt to a post-pandemic “new normal.”
Current Status of the world tourism
Key results for the year ending March 2021 include: international visitor numbers fell by 99.3% to 60,212. international visitor spend was down 98.1% to $794 million. visitor nights were down 97.6% to 6.2 million.
Toward recovery
To recover, vaccines will need to be widely distributed, and policy solutions implemented.
Absolutely, post-pandemic, a continuing shift toward ecotourism. As well as a fast-growing industry focused on conservation and local job creation. It could give an additional boost to the industry. This is already a key element of Costa Rica’s tourism strategy. Besides, Thailand too is trying to shift to niche markets, including adventure travel and health and wellness tours.
Definitely, technology can also play an important role. With social distancing and health and hygiene protocols likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future. Also touchless service delivery and investments in digital technology could be a bridge to recovery.
Why is tourism important?
Obviously, one of the most important benefits of tourism is the construction and improvement of local infrastructure. Along with the increased spending helps local communities improve the conditions of their roads, parks, community areas, schools, and hospitals.
Indeed, tourism has always been a booming sector across the globe. No matter where you live, there will always be a group of people, big or small, who want to visit your home country. Therefore, tourism is a very important aspect not only for a country’s economy but also their global standing.
Clearly, there are many factors as to why tourism is important, and they mainly focus on the economical side of it. Tourism brings in wealth, exposure, growth, and employment to name a few.
How to attract new tourists?
While competition and the offer of new places is increasing every day. Furthermore, it is increasingly important to identify market niches in which to place your territory.
In this way you can get the advantage of concentrating efforts on achievable goals. Not only but also having advance knowledge of the types of tourists who might choose your place for their trip.
In addition, knowing the particular interests of your tourist. Importantly, their hobbies and interests allows to be able to more easily reach them through social networks. It also allows you to find ‘testimonials’ between bloggers and credible people in that specific sector and to organize attractive experiences with them.
Strategies to promote Tourism
To promote tourism is a major objective of many politicians and bureaucrats at national and local levels. Furthermore, to understand what levers to use to attract new visitors is their greatest challenge. Choosing a place to visit is a voluntary act by the individual traveler who, faced with an incredible variety of offers.
In addition to that, they choose one that nearly meets their budget and make them feel that it can guarantee their well-being they seek.
Taking care of your place – with love
Definitely, love seems something obvious but it is not, yet it is something that is felt immediately by a visitor. Also puts him in a positive state in which small local faults are read benevolently. If we wait for and want tourists, who are our guests, our city must be neat and clean.
The love for the place where you live is perceived. It may be manifested with flowers. As well as plants, colors, furnishings and small embellishments on the facades of the houses that create harmony and wellbeing. These are small details spread throughout your town that can never be programmed by one person, but come from the many individual efforts.
The surprising effect, then, is that the more we take care of a place and the more people behave well. In addition to that they must feel uncomfortable to throw paper or butts on the floor. Furthermore, they help to not to pollute. The ‘outcasts’ become those with uncivilized behavior and not those who are virtuous.
Find the magic and ‘spirit of the place’, the Genius Loci
Each place has its own peculiarities, and these can become attractions, but you have to find them. Certainly if you have the Colosseum or the Eiffel Tower everything seems easier. Also these two world symbols alone can move millions of tourists.
UNESCO has drawn up a list of the places which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But for these we are talking of mass tourism and to get to those big numbers needs large investment.
How to Excite the tourist with live experiences
The power of small centers is incredible because only in these centers can identification occur between the place and an event that becomes part of its identity.
Let us consider an example of the many thematic festivals that are organized in various Italian centers. And in particular the example of a literature festival. Reading is a passion for many people and it was natural that it would generate many events.
Organize the Business of ‘welcoming’ among the populace
Absolutely, Effective Edutainment and Infotainment requires preparation and an active involvement of the public. If a tourist comes to visit a great monument. They often already know something of its story, but it is quite different in the case of a less famous center.
In the first case, the artwork to promote tourism has been prepared by experts specifically for various visitor target groups as children, students, adults, enthusiasts, historians, etc. In general, all the hospitality is handled by large organizations. But the tourist will remember only the people with whom he interacted directly.
Website and Social Media
The web is the main way to get in touch with thousands of potential tourists and can be used in two ways.
In addition, by promoting in a general area or dealing professionally with the interests the potential visitors have and want satisfied.
#Make the most of Instagram stories
#Write a longer caption
#Encourage users to share content using a specific hashtag
#Expand social campaigns with fresh, useful content
#Follow up all travel campaigns
#Tweet with images and link to content
#Help your consumers absorb key messages
#Incorporate inspirational blog, podcast and video
#Optimise your content for mobile use
#Embrace travel trends
The future of tourism
Tourism is the world’s largest industry and one of the objectives of tourism development is economic gain.
This is not a narrow matter of private sector providers of tourism services making a profit.
The key things are, * It gives vigor to economies * It offers people jobs and career prospects and * It stimulates development.
Short-term Goal
Tourism continues to be one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the outlook remains highly uncertain.
However, the encouraging news on vaccines has boosted hopes for recovery. But challenges remain, with the sector expected to remain in survival mode until well into 2021.
- Socially distant travel.
- Detailed and timely information sharing.
- Less group, more FIT itineraries.
- Market popularity may change.
- A shift in transportation expectations.
- Travel experts will be more sought after than ever.
- Emerging niche: Reunion travel.
Long-Term Goal
- Restoring traveler confidence.
- Supporting tourism businesses to adapt and survive
- Promoting domestic tourism and supporting safe return of international tourism.
- Providing clear information to travelers and businesses, and limiting uncertainty (to the extent possible).
- Evolving response measures to maintain capacity in the sector and address gaps in supports.
- Strengthening co-operation within and between countries.
- Building more resilient, sustainable tourism.
Conclusion
If you’re serious about growing your tourism business and collaborating to make your destination’s tourism economy stronger and more sustainable.
Undoubtedly, your marketing strategy must recognize constantly changing travel and technology trends.
Above all your marketing plan, will rely on quality content that is relevant to your ideal guest personas.
Besides, connecting with your customers on a personalized level using technology.
As well as, the content that is right for them is fundamental to your success in marketing and being able to measure your online business.
About the Author
Devika Veluchamy
Digital Marketing Analyst at International Institute of Digital Marketing Institute™