Public Relations will continue to play a vital role in the promotion of destinations. PR, advertising, marketing and sales incentives will all maintain their individual contributions to the integrated communications mix.
In light of the current global economic downturn, however, look to PR to play an increasingly dominating function as shrinking budgets and reduced revenues will foreseeable result in a dramatic shift from advertising campaigns to PR-driven initiatives.
The tourism industry, like so many others, will suffer a severe decline over the next few years as people have access to significantly condensed disposable income. Financial priorities are now squarely fixed on covering the basic costs of food and shelter. The credit crunch will force PR officials to develop ever more creative ideas built around getting more for far less.
As the ability to travel fades for a considerable number of persons, it will be interesting to see how tourism boards react. Will they employ formerly unutilized ways of getting people to visit, shift their focus to previously unchartered segments of the industry or will they simply wave the white flag to 2009 and hope for better next year?
How many times have we heard this line? It’s bad publicity’s self-made slogan and it’s so good he’s likely never to change it. On the surface I tend not to entirely agree with this statement as I don’t think it applies to ALL cases of negative press. Spin all you want Columbia, OJ Simpson and Kim Jong-il, but the PRs gurus can only do so much. One must concede, however, that when bad publicity is handled in the right way it can certainly do some much needed good.
According to author Ylva French, ‘no one in business can afford to ignore the fact that a disaster can have a devastating impact on the organization’s reputation and, therefore, on its future.’ (French, 1994, p. 107)
That sounds quite epic and a bit scary!! So what’s a country to do? Simple: plan, prepare and practice. French emphasizes the importance of planning when dealing with a crisis. Senior management officials need to be briefed and trained about how to handle the public and the media in light of an organizational mishap. Discussing potential scenarios and indeed participating in a mock disaster event will provide a unique opportunity to hone an appropriate response well before something actually occurs. (French, 1994, p. 108-109)
In 2002, terrorists converged on the resort island of Bali and killed 185 tourists. Immediately following the attacks, hotel occupancy fell from 73% to 3%, as 18,700 tourists left during a short 3 day period. (World Tourism Organization, 2002-2003, p. 49-50)
In response, the Indonesian government launched a marketing and public relations campaign aimed at restoring confidence in the country and stabilizing their rapidly collapsing tourism industry. Officials communicated new initiatives to beef up security, underwent an intensive image recovery exercise, set up media centres, participated in several travel trades shows and invited journalists for press trips. . (World Tourism Organization, 2002-2003, p. 52-53)
Six years later, in 2008, the country enjoyed a 20% increase of tourists over the previous year. (Huffington Post, 2008)
In a 2006 article, Time magazine posed the question: The Most Homophobic Place on Earth? in reference to Jamaica. (Time, 2006) Recently, Stacyann Chin, a lesbian Jamaican residing in New York, appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the horrific treatment she received on the island due to her sexual preference. (The Oprah Winfrey Show, 2008) Additionally, the homophobic lyrics of popular dancehall artists such as Buju Banton and Beenie Man, have been well documented in the international press as their global performances are often marred by demonstrators who call for them to be banned.
Last year, Bruce Golding, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, appeared on the BBC’s Hardtalk to stem the tide of negativity surrounding the country’s crime rate and its policies toward homosexuals. Although he claims attitudes are changing, he staunchly defends his position not to allow any gays in HIS parliament. (YouTube, 2008)
Though widely criticized for its intolerance and amid years of calls to boycott the island, Jamaica enjoyed an increase of 670,000 tourists in 2008 over 2007. (The Jamaica Observer, 2009). These numbers, however, fail to indicate how many tourists chose not to visit the country due to its attitude towards the homosexual community.
Perhaps, the most incredible case of a country benefitting from bad PR, undoubtedly is Kazakhstan. In 2006, Kazakh reporter, Borat, embarked on obtaining ‘cultural learnings of America for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan’. What resulted was a world-wide phenomenon. In the film, Kazakhstan is portrayed as a backward homophobic, anti-Semitic and sexist place.
The Kazakh government was outraged by the false, negative portrayal of its country. It embarked on an advertising and PR campaign aimed at ‘setting the record straight’ in commercials and newspaper articles that depicted it as quiet, serene and peaceful. As the Kazakhs derided the movie and its creator, it seems they should have instead thrown him a party and bestowed the royal treatment. Despite the negative images surrounding the nation in the film, it got people talking about Kazakhstan. I, myself, admittedly, had never heard of the country before the movie.
Borat successful placed the ninth largest country on the map. According to Kenzhebay Satzhanov, Kazakhstan's Deputy Chairman for Tourism and Sports, the movie resulted in an increased interest in the country as well as a spike in tourist visits. (News.com.au, 2008)
Next blog: The bittersweet end
References
French, Y., (1994). Public Relations for Leisure and Tourism. Essex: Longman Group Limited.
World Tourism Organization, (2002-2003). Shining in the Media Spotlight: A Communications Manual for Tourism Professionals. 3rd Edition. Madrid: World Tourism Organization.
In an era of persistent technological developments, e-marketing has become an invaluable resource in the communications industry. With the simple click of a button, you can make purchases, research documents and even explore potential travel spots, all from the comfort of your home, or mother’s house, whatever may be the case.
Today, we clasp onto our cell phones when heading out, don iPods to make the daily commute more bearable and cringe at the thought of going through the entire day without checking our Facebook account.
Destinations understand the vast potential of online marketing and instinctively incorporate web-based initiatives into their promotionals. Greece, Sweden and St. Lucia have all established websites to encourage tourists to visit. Sadly, the St. Lucians are currently cursing the day Amy Winehouse stumbled across their site and may now want to implement a limited access feature effectively shutting out junkie, soon-to-be-divorced, washed up at 25 year old former singing sensations.
To illustrate the potential tourism promoters see in the online market, one only has to look at the 2001 ‘Spain Marks’ campaign. Turespana, the Spanish tourism board, spent a staggering £2.79M for a six month online marketing initiative.
Destinations are doing more than just creating tourism websites that provide potential visitors with information on attractions and the country’s historical heritage. Marketers and PR officials are coming up with creative strategies for increasing their online presence by utilising social networking sites and streaming videos.
In 2007, Tourism Ireland launched an inaugural destination marketing campaign in Second Life (SL). The virtual world provided an ideal setting for the country as 60% of SL residents are from Ireland’s top target markets. Within SL, Tourism Ireland sponsors events including the ‘Discover Ireland Festival’, which featured performing bands, a major fashion show, photographic exhibitions and promotional videos showcasing what Ireland has to offer. (Tourism Ireland, 2007)
Similarly, the Pennsylvania Department of Tourism developed an innovative campaign aimed at generating online buzz. The organization employed Phil the Groundhog, who is responsible for predicting the winter season’s length, to star in a series of promotional videos. Tourism officials created a website, www.groundhogchase.com to follow Phil as he chased Allen Iverson out of town....uuhh errr.. relentlessly pursued his shadow in typical groundhog-fashion. (Kolb, 2006, p. 253) The result- online gold!! Check out two of the ingenious ‘short films’ below (You Tube, 2008)
As the online world continues to play an ever more important role in our daily lives, we can certainly look to tourism boards to step up their promotional efforts on the Web. As traditional media sources such as newspapers and radios become more and more obsolete, destination marketers will increasingly look to high tech avenues to reach their target audiences.
Next Post: You’ve been naughty!! Bad PR, Bad!
References
Kolb, B., (2006). Tourism Marketing for Cities and Towns: Using Branding and Events to Attract Tourists. Burlington: Butterworth-Heinemann.
In our celebrity obsessed society, it seems many us rely on the endorsement of famous personalities to determine our every move. Celebrities tell us what to read, eat, watch, buy and so it’s not surprising that they tell us where to go. I may sound a little cynical and to be fair I’m typing up this blog on my HP Notebook Jay-Z told me to buy, in sweat pants JLO ‘designed’, while sipping Vitamin Water 50 Cent encouraged me to drink.
New York City and Los Angeles have developed whole tourism marketing campaigns designed to show off which one has the most celebs.. ahhm... I mean.... to encourage tourists to pay them a visit. NY’s ‘Just Ask the Locals’ campaign features Julianne Moore, Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, Diddy and Matt Lauer offering their choices of top NY attractions. (NYC.gov, 2008)
Not to be outdone, LA’s new ‘That’s So LA’ campaign includes the likes of Tom Hanks and Kobe Bryant (Daily News Los Angeles, 2009), who I’m very shocked to hear wasn’t approached by Colorado for its promotional activities. I can see LA’s PR team now, crossing their fingers, eyes closed, frantically reciting ‘please don’t do anything stupid Kobe, please don’t do anything stupid.....’
That brings me to my next point, which is to tread cautiously when using celebrities. Houston tourism officials may have gotten overly excited when they convinced chart-topping crooner, Beyonce, to join their ‘My Houston’ campaign to help promote her hometown. (USA Today, 2008) They may not be so happy to know that Mrs. Jay-Z is currently on Bermuda’s tourism site lauding the beauty of the island. (Bermuda Department of Tourism, 2008)
David Beckham is featured in LA’s new campaign and yet it only seems like a few short years ago he was telling me to come to Britain. (Telegraph, 2001)You’re confusing me David: Pepsi or Coke.. which is it???
In the early 90s, the Wales Tourist Board used Sir Anthony Hopkins in a campaign, to promote the UK country: the proud birthplace of the legendary star. The actor would go on to renounce his British citizenship in a bid to get a pretty new American passport. (BBC News, 2000) HHmmm feeling a bit snubbed Wales???
Some celebrities are like overeating at Christmas dinner: fun and exhilarating at first but only cause you misery and pain in the end.
Next post: Bill Gates isn’t the only one with a PC.. take that MAC!!
References
BBC News, (2000). Welsh Star Becomes American. [online] Available from:
A successful film does wonders for a destination. Not only does it bring in revenues for film permits, licensing agreements and provisions for staff and crew, but it can also generate tourism interest long after shooting has wrapped. There are many countries, cities and attractions, which owe their tourism success directly to being showcased in a popular movie. In 2007, a BBC article reported that the 'Harry Potter' films were responsible for a 120% visitor increase at Alnwick Castle and pumped £9M of tourism revenue into Northumberland. Similarly, the UK’s tourism industry has also benefitted from films such as 'The Da Vinci Code', 'Braveheart', 'Trainspotting' and 'Notting Hill'. (Northern Ireland Screen, 2007)
The original ‘movie-tourism booster’, 'Out of Africa', propelled Kenya’s tourism market in the late 1980s. More recently, the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy put New Zealand on the map and allowed the country to bask in the glow of the movie’s success by significantly increasing its visitor numbers. This year, its neighbour felt it was time to adopt a similar, yet more proactive approach.
While most of these places, simply jumped on the bandwagon of their respective movies’ success, Tourism Australia is taking destination marketing through film to a whole new level. Long before the production even opened, Tourism Australia teamed up director Baz Luhrmann to create a series of ‘film-like short stories’ as part of its 'See the movie. See the country.' campaign. The ads, which follow the same general theme of the film: finding yourself in Australia, were released alongside its screenings in the country’s top target markets. (Tourism Australia, 2007)
Tourism Australia injected $40 million into the advertising campaign and an additional $10 million for promotional opportunities. This is a PR goldmine!! People are talking across sectors, from tourism to entertainment. Coverage of the movie and the campaign are extensive. The movie, which is heavily reliant on the Australian landscape and culture, in and of itself, is a mini-marketing campaign. (Tourism Australia, 2007)
There’s just one itty, bitty little problem. Ahm, the movie apparently sucks!!! My apologies, let me use PC terminology: the film is receiving mixed reviews. Yes, people are talking, but not necessarily in a positive manner. Australia has been extensively criticized for its reinforcement of stereotypes and outworn clichés.
We’ll have to wait and see if the surge of negative press prompts any action from Tourism Australia. Then, we’ll have our next blog topic: crisis management!!
PS. Tourism Australia, you owe me some promotional money!!
Next post: I don’t do anything unless its celebrity approved!
Northern Ireland Screen, (2007). New Report Reveals Tourism Pulling Power of Film and TV. [online] Available from: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6964375.stm> [Accessed 9 January 2009]
According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), ‘press trips have 3 major objectives: to contribute to tourism growth, to build a positive image of the country and to increase awareness of its role in the international arena.’ (WTO, 2002-2003, p. 8)
Planning a press trip involves careful organization, as an ill-planned journey reflects almost as badly as unimpressive attractions. As with any other promotional activity, targeting the right journalists from a mix of publications to access potential visitors, is key to executing a successful campaign.
Don’t kid yourself, you’re not the only destination offering the travel writer a free trip. Promises of a free excursion may send us regular folk into a tizzy but the seasoned, globetrotting travel writer remains unfazed. Sending an invitation, just like calling to pitch a story, requires you to sell it and convince the media that your country is worth a visit. Mail an application that is both attractive and clear about what the trip’s objectives will be. You may want to arrange meetings with top government officials and ensure that you avoid the temptation of cramming too many activities in the trip’s itinerary. Finally, consider your budget, as you will be expected to cover all travel-related expenses including transportation, meals and accommodation. (WTO, 2002-2003, p. 8-10)
Press trips are, of course, nothing new. With the success of cable TV shows, governments and tourist boards have looked to broadcast programming to get their messages across to a large audience.
Singapore recently aligned itself with US mega-producer, Mark Burnett, to host the upcoming season of the popular boxing reality show, The Contender. The series is currently being shot in the Asian country and government officials are using the unique opportunity to promote the area’s attractions. The government has set up the ‘Film in Singapore Scheme’ to encourage other filming projects to use the country as a location for shoots. (Gulfnews, 2008)
The Jamaica Tourist Board, as part of its ‘Genius of Jamaica’ campaign, convinced producers of America’s Next Top Model and the Amazing Race to shoot episodes in the island. (Ruder Finn, 2009)
(For video below, forward to the 7 min. mark for Jamaica feature)
Finally, there’s of course, tourism PR’s slice of heaven on earth, your Disneyland, your massage at the end of a stressful week..... your travel shows. There’s even a channel!! 24 hrs of non-stop ‘have you been here, have you heard of there, you should really go here’ programming. For everyone else the destination is paradise, but for tourism officials, it doesn’t get any better than seeing the destination on the broadcast network.
In 2002, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Helen Clark, invited the Travel Channel to her country to give them a ‘personal tour’. The Royal Tour of New Zealand featured the outdoorsy head of state taking on mountain climbing, hiking, kayaking and exploring underground caves. (New Zealand Tourism Board, 1999-2009) Other royal tours have included Jordan, Peru and Jamaica. I personally, would like to see a Royal of Tour of London with Boris Johnson. I’d bet a 100 quid, he’d trip, fall or get stuck in something about 5-7 minutes into the show.
Next blog: Why you want James Bond in your country
World Tourism Organization, (2002-2003). Shining in the Media Spotlight: A Communications Manual for Tourism Professionals. 3rd Edition. Madrid: World Tourism Organization.
With the increase in the number of people who can afford to travel, though the current economic climate is likely to dramatically change that, there has been a proliferation of media avenues to access potential tourists. Newspapers don travel sections, while in-flight magazines and TV travel shows, provide the perfect promotional setting to raise awareness about your destination.
Holding the media’s attention is where the real challenge comes in. They can cover only so many trendy restaurants, vibrant clubs and bars, challenging hiking trails and breathtaking views. But that’s what your product is all about- so what do you do?
Well, as in any other area of PR, you need to be innovative. You need to come up with creative ideas in order stand out in a competitive arena filled with noise.
Visuals play an extraordinarily important role in tourism PR. Producing high resolution and visually stunning images are key to encapsulating the beauty and offerings your destination brings to the table. But again, how you do it, is critical to grabbing the attention of the media.
One way to promote a country is to take an alternative angle to the usual ‘describe everything you have’ script. The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), for example, has embarked on a campaign focusing on the talent of its people across varying sectors including fashion, music, cuisine and sports. The JTB selected ‘ambassadors’ to represent the country and tell its story (and concurrently do its job).
The initial phase of the ‘Genius of Jamaica’ campaign secured coverage on several high profile media outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, FOX News, Travel + Leisure and Architectural Digest. (Ruder Finn, 2009) The second phase, the ‘NextGen’ campaign, featured ambassadors Mark McDermoth and Karl Williams, fashion designers who dressed all the contestants at the 2008 Miss World competition, Orrette Rhoden, who performed a solo recital at New York’s Carnegie Hall and dance group ASHE, which took part in the Folkmoot USA Festival... hhmmm never heard of it either.. they could have probably left that one out of the mix! (Jamaica Tourist Board, 2007)
Additionally, the country is also capitalizing on its success in track & field during the Beijing Olympics. The JTB, with support from the International Sport Press Association, will host the inaugural World Beach Sprint event this year. (Jamaica Information Service, 2008) 9.69 world record.. impressive. But can you do 9.69 in sand Usain??
Stunts are also a sure fire way to get the media talking about your country or city. In 2004, as part of its ‘Here Comes the Sun’ campaign, the city of Fort Lauderdale used a ‘beach on wheels’ to promote itself and garner publicity. The ‘beach on wheels’ was a truck with a glass enclosure featuring live models, sand and beach decor. (HotelExecutive.com, 2005) As seen in the video below, it toured cold cities in the US and certainly got people talking, including the media.
When Easyjet promoted its flight route from London to Helsinki, it decided to focus its campaign on the Finnish city- ‘the sauna capital of Europe’... really, you know you Finns really need to start speaking up, first Nokia now this.
Anyway, they got a bunch of barely clad models to sit in a makeshift ‘sauna’ in the middle of London. (Beattie Communications, 2008) HHHmmmm, sounds familiar Fort Lauderdale!! I know they say ‘imitation is the highest form of flattery’ but my mommy also says ‘stealing is bad’. I’ll leave the marketing gods to deal with that one....
HoteExecutive.com, (2005). Greater Ft Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau Wins Two Flagler Awards from Florida Commission on Tourism. [online] Available from: <http://www.hotelexecutive.com/hapa/newswire_article.php?id=1490> [Accessed 6 January 2009]
Currently pursuing an MA in Public Relations, I’ve enjoyed a 5 year communications career spanning a Miami-based PR agency, a full-scale marketing firm, a large university business school and a local Jamaican TV station. Energetic, thorough and creative, my skills include effective writing, event management and media relations. I previously attended Florida International University where I obtained a BSc. in Communications, with a specialization in PR and a minor in Travel and Tourism.
