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Playing The Ball Game Called – TOURISM

In the last decade, we have been hearing one term very consistently, that is ‘Tourism’. We always have an urge to travel and are always in search of gaining experience through it.

In the current economy, at both domestic and international levels, tourism has emerged as one of the principal industries. It is also helping in generating employment at various levels. Other industries like aviation, tours and travels, car rentals, food, real estate, hospitality and online platforms go hand in hand with the tourism industry. Advertising and communication agencies too play a huge role in raising the value of tourism. The economic benefit goes to various levels of society. For example, if you visit Goa, you will book tickets and stay from some OTAs, you will hire local transport, eat and drink from local places, also do shopping from local markets, and so on. This will spread your spend on various people and boost the local economy as well as the industry, state or country.

Playing The Ball Game Called – TOURISM

Yes! We all love to travel and explore new places, cultures, and now it’s a part of our life. Not only Millennials but Gen X and Gen Z love to travel, may it be solo, group or with family. But, what are we all looking for when we plan a vacation or a weekend getaway? Everyone wants something different when they travel, the purpose varies from person to person or group. In recent times I have observed that travelling is not just about exploring new places but getting relaxed from the hustle and bustle of the routine rat race in life. It makes us feel relaxed, helps focus on small things, provides an opportunity to create moments worth cherishing forever. Also, knowing different cultures and people help us grow as individuals. In fact, I’ve seen people who actually live and earn to travel across the world. Gen Z and Millennials are also fond of experiences like attending festivals, concerts, taking adventure trips or participating in trekking camps. Just like MMT now most of the OTAs provide this section in their App to customers to explore experiences if it’s just happening around. Everyone is looking for something unique, different and most importantly new while travelling.

In such a situation it becomes very challenging and important for an event, festival, resort, hotel, destination, city, state or country to offer travellers an experience that is new and exciting. You would be surprised to know that travel photography and videos are one of the most shared contents on most of the social media platforms along with food, fashion and music. Just take a look at your friends’, family’s or your own profile and you’ll see your feed flooded with such content.

It is also important to understand every traveller has a different purpose of travelling, some want to just relax, others want to party and few look forward to turning their tourist mode on and visit heritage sites. And in such a scenario catering to all of these needs at the same time is an interesting challenge.

Hence, as a business, it is important to keep in mind that your offering stands apart and provides a unique experience that would attract travellers to visit you and stay with you. Is it your ambience, food, drinks or music that attracts travellers to visit you? Or is the stay at your palace the best when it comes to luxury? Or does your resort being lavish yet homely a major reason for the traveller to choose you? Whatever your proposition be, make sure to communicate it across clearly and in the best way possible. This will not only help guests to choose the right destination but will also help you attract the right audience.

It is imperative to know your strengths and weaknesses first, then what your existing customers really like about you, what and how they see you as a brand, what matters to them? Align all this information and you yourself shall be surprised to discover something you never knew about your brand. I have seen people appreciating hospitality, the local touch, small detailing in services the brands extend. But most importantly, they appreciate you offering experiences that you promised. Hence, you should never misguide or miscommunicate customers, about what you are not.

So every place, city or country has something really special about it, and if you can convert that small but unique factor into your experience and communicate it across, the right way you will get the right audience who will convert into real customers and further loyal fans who recommend you to others.

Tell your audience about what experiences to expect if they visit or stay with you. What your other happy customers like about your place or share with your audience a real-time customer testimonial. Share photos and videos of what memories visitors create while staying or visiting you. If they like a certain view of your property on some specific time, share that. If they enjoy your food and hospitality, put it out! Show them the real people behind the services and how genuinely they care.

Your website and social media should help them know all these small details in the most appropriate way. Branding and marketing are not faking things it’s more about communicating the right things in the most beautiful way. Telling stories about the experience you have been crafting and building for years for your guests or the ones you intend to create in the future.

This is the best and the authentic way of doing branding and marketing of your destination, hotel or resort and even your festival. These suggestions were not just a creation of my mind but what I learnt through many years of experiences at Trizone in creating, organizing and bringing to the world various tourism destinations across the country like Rann Utsav, Statue of Unity tent city, White Sands Bay Mandvi in Gujarat, Chetak festival in Maharashtra, Konark Eco Retreat Marine Drive in Odisha, Festa de Diu in Daman and Diu, Sharvani Mela in Uttarakhand and many more.

Image Source: Internet

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