Saturday, 20 December 2008

A Look At Tourism PR



You’ve never been there and your memory of high school geography class is shaky at best. Despite having heard from your mom’s best friend’s niece’s sister how wonderful a place it is, word of mouth, though part of the reason, isn’t completely it either.

Somehow, when someone utters the name of a place, be it Thailand, Fiji, Barbados or Las Vegas, a distinct, vivid image comes to mind. You daydream about that visual, sometimes, you even long for it.

You didn’t suddenly wake up one morning and create those thoughts. You’ve been continually consuming meticulously produced messages through TV shows, newspaper articles, movies, websites, music videos and calendars.

Although much of the promotion is done through advertising and marketing avenues, destinations are also using PR techniques as a more ‘credible’ means to promote the fabulousness of.... well.... themselves!

Tourist boards and visitors bureaus across the globe are partnering with PR agencies to find creative, cost effective ways to ensure millions of tourists know their destinations. Many have done so in such a successful manner that the audience is unaware of the subtle messaging and implicit promotion. It’s the ultimate form of product placement, except this time the client spends little capital and gains maximum returns.

This blog will explore the role of public relations in developing a destination image. It will look at some cities, regions and countries, which have successfully used PR as a means to promote themselves as the definitive ‘must visit location’. Finally, it will explore the ageless theory that ‘any publicity is good publicity’ (try not to laugh too hard North Korea and Afghanistan), specifically focusing on the impact of negative publicity on a destination.

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