"Thanks to all re: #TIACsummit. Seems #socialmedia is top of mind. What are your thoughts on its place in the #tourism industry? Discuss! ^AJ" Deloitte Canada's Tweet from the Tourism Summit 2010 - Ironically, Social Media is not an official topic in the conference (for that don't miss Canada-e-Connect 2011, next February in Toronto)
More than 15 million people like "Starbucks" on Facebook. Same goes for Coca-Cola. The Skittles brand has generated about 12 million likes on the dominant social networking site. (see "5 Most Engaged Brands in Social Media" on Mashable). The official Facebook page for the city of Paris has only 381,818 likers as of today (Nov 2, 2010). Amazingly the official FB page for NYC & Company, the official tourism board for the Big Apple, only has 7,964 likes! Ironically, a non-official community (Community Pages are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic) Facebook Page for New York City has over 1 million members. Canada? Well, the Canadian Tourism Commission's official "Keep Exploring" Facebook Page has 16,309 likers as of today. Tourism Toronto's official FB page? 25,144 likers. Tourisme-Montreal, which does not have a direct link to Facebook on its official website's home page (sacrebleu): 18,286. The blog I ♥ Mtl, which is not connected to Tourism Montreal, has over 41,000 likers.
Starbucks and Coca-Cola are two of the biggest global brands. But one could say that New York, Paris and Canada are also global brands. These destinations are known the world over. So what happens in the world of social media that the difference in engagement between these product brands and just about any destination in the world is so big? The answer is simple. Consumer brands have the potential to develop "serious relationships" with consumers, they can achieve a "going steady" state of affairs.
Many consumers drink a Starbucks coffee or a Coke soft drink every single day so they have an ongoing and physical relationship with the product. Millions of consumers use their iPhones not only every day, but every hour! They even feel attached to their mobile device (not me).
Tourism destinations, on the other hand, particularly for leisure travelers, are usually "one night stands." This is great for the traveler, but not so good for the destination. Given the myriad destinations available to the average traveler, why would anyone commit to visiting the same place year after year? Similarly, if I will probably visit your destination only once (maybe twice) in my lifetime, why would I join your Facebook page or your Twitter feed? If I joined all the FB pages of destinations I want to or plan to visit in the future, my FB wall would be clogged to the point of annoying frustration (I have already started deleting some "Likes" in order to clean up the stream).
Fortunately, not all destinations are a "one night stand" for every traveler. It is possible to "go steady" with many (sometimes millions) visitors. While not all destinations (or specific tourism businesses) can aspire to achieve this in any substantial way, activity specific destinations and large urban centers have the best chances for two reasons: 1) passion and 2) proximity. Passion refers to people who belong to specific groups or tribes who travel to the same destination because of the activity that takes place there and nowhere else. The Caribana and Toronto International Film Festivals are two examples. Many passionate Caribana revelers and avid film-goers go to these events every year they can. The SXSW Festival in Austin Texas attracts many repeat visitors every year as do many music Festivals like Coachella in California. Proximity: destinations that are easy and affordable to get to in a short period of time can also develop "long term relationships" with travelers (e.g. New York City, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Boston, Montreal, Ottawa can all be reached relatively easily from each other - of course some pairing work better: NYC-Toronto, Toronto-Niagara, etc). I know destinations close to other cities, states or countries have always targeted those nearby consumers in traditional ways, it is important to revisit this in the age of social media.
It is the consumers closer to your destination that are the best prospects for ongoing social media engagement because it is these consumers that are most likely to be repeat visitors. It is these travelers who may be most interested in what's going on at your destination, e.g. events, festivals, special offers, etc. And it is with these travelers with whom your destination has the best chances at developing a dialog with. Finally, it is these visitors that you should find a way to reward for their "loyalty."
To be cont'd.....
Jaime Horwitz MBA
Cactus Rock New Media
Cactus Rock New Media
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