Destination marketing is one of the marketing types that doesn’t promote a product but a destination. In product marketing, consumers get a product through distribution channels whereas in destination marketing, consumers travel to destinations, and drive awareness to them. The mentioned destination can be really specific such as a town or a city or it can be much broader such as a region or a country. It is all about finding the most creative ways to show the destination’s value and why people should visit there.
Destination marketing is significant because popular destinations are in competition with other popular destinations all around the world. When a destination brings a travel agency and bunch of influencers together, it becomes easier to increase community interest in the destination. The most important thing to do in destination marketing is to show how your destination is better than others in terms of services and more.
However, it is all fun and games until the destination is threatened by “over-tourism”. It may affect traveler’s quality time while sightseeing, and may harm the destination’s historical and touristic sites.
The Faroe Islands actively uses the power of destination marketing in promoting its islands, even when discouraging “over tourism”. In 2019, The Islands were closed to tourists for two days but open to everyone who wanted to help maintenance of the Islands in return of free accommodation and food. You can watch the video to learn all the details of this call for volunteers.
Destination marketing and Influencers
In the time when social media influencers’ value in marketing campaigns cannot be overseen, travel agencies choose to collaborate with influencers to promote destinations. It is a huge opportunity for travel agencies because influencers are successful in telling the story of not only a product but also a destination. When travel agencies collaborate with influencers, it helps them gain consumer trust as the consumers see influencers they follow as their best friends. As in many marketing campaigns, influencers bring authenticity to destination marketing which engages many travelers to travel to promoted destinations.
With the pandemic’s negative effects on tourism, countries started to promote themselves differently. Their aim is to prove that the destination is safe and quarantine-free. Dubai was one of those cities. Last year, the city introduced itself as the “ideal vacation spot” and regulated their rules for a pre-quarantine experience for its customers. Influencers benefited from this regulation a lot during this time.
Spring is right around the corner and travel is on our minds. Travellers from the UAE are able to visit a number of places without the need for quarantine, including Indian Ocean favourites Sri Lanka (@flydubai) and the Maldives (@emirates) ✈️ pic.twitter.com/h2yq7j36ui
— Dubai International (@DXB) March 11, 2021
You can read this article about how influencers and destination marketing affect Dubai’s economy to learn more about the strategies and destination marketing examples.
Memorable Destination Marketing Campaigns
This is Egypt
In the end of 2016, Egyptian tourism authority launched this promotional video to attract tourists to Egypt. The video focuses on diverse attractions of Egypt, showing the historical places like pyramids and Egyptian nightlife. This promotional video got many awards in several tourism competitions including best tourism promotional video among sixty three contestants.
Now and Then – Las Vegas
YouTube account Visit Las Vegas launched this promotional and touching video called Now and Then in May 2018. It is a short movie telling the story of two women who meet in Las Vegas and fall in love with each other. Throughout the video, two women experience everything they can experience in Vegas, showing all the beauties and opportunities in the city. In the end, they get married in Las Vegas. This video definitely shows that Las Vegas is a place of acceptance, and anyone can feel comfortable in the city.
Remote Tourism – The Faroe Island
2020 was an exceptional year in terms of tourism and, consecutively, destination marketing. As the global marketing transformed almost every aspect of social media usage and marketing campaigns, destination marketing has also transformed into something new. The Faroe Islands invited more than 700 thousand people to visit the islands with the help of “Remote Tourism”. It helped travelers to be in control of a local guide and experience the islands on their phones. It was like a computer game where you can control your avatar and have fun. You can see the video to learn all the details from this destination marketing campaign.
Iowa State Park Passport
This campaign is another example when a destination marketing campaign gets creative in the face of the pandemic. 2020 was Iowa State Park’s centennial and the state planned big events to celebrate it. However, with all the restrictions on events and crowded places, the state decided to turn it into a digital challenge. To encourage visiting Iowa State Parks and enjoy outdoor activities, Iowa Department of Natural Resources created an online passport. This digital resource tracked visitors progress and gave prizes to those who visited all the 61 state parks throughout the state.
When you choose your vacation destination, keep in mind the new travel rules for each country. If you are considering visiting Asia in coming months, you can enjoy reading this Asia’s post-COVID travel rules for influencers.
What is the most memorable destination marketing campaign for you? How did it influence your destination choice? You can let us know by commenting below. Don’t forget to follow us on our socials!
