CVB, DMO, Tourism & Destination Marketing - Online Marketing and SEO for Travel and Tourism Sites » Travel Agencies

What You Can Learn From BP’s Mistakes

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:01:57 +0000

Of all the lessons learned from the BP debacle, the most important was the first one BP learned. The internet is a powerful PR tool that can crush you quickly. Bad news gushed across the internet like…well, like a broken pipe. In the days, and now weeks, following the initial report, BP continued to make one bumbling decision after the next. It didn’t take long for every move that that BP made (many of them sluggish and poorly executed) to be scrutinized and commented upon by everyone who had an internet connection. BP quickly learned that they weren’t just managing an environmental disaster, they were managing a PR disaster – one they still haven’t grasped.

It’ll be years before the victims of this disaster recover, if at all. But, as we can’t unring that bell (or in this case, put the oil back in the pipe), we have to focus on what we can do to facilitate recovery for the lovely coastal towns whose beaches and reputations were stained by this disaster.

If you’ve got marketing dollars, now is the time to spend them.

Your tourism, visitor’s bureau, local or regional website needs to be addressing all the wonderful features of your town and reminding vacationers that you’re still open for business. If you’ve got local photographers, invite them to submit new photos and then get those photos out through Flickr, Facebook and Twitter.

Build a social media campaign, like this one run by the Jamestown Foundation that encourages past visitors to talk about their vacations and events. If you’ve got a YouTube channel, so much the better. Link to vacation videos that show your sparkling beaches, your lovely shops, your friendly locals and fantastic restaurants. Need some inspiration? Check out Currituck County, North Carolina. Now is an excellent time to invest in a pay-per-click campaign that helps users reconnect with your town or find you for the first time.

Family vacations, reunions, honeymoons and holidays are all still happening. Make sure these people know that good things are still happening at your place, too.

Melissa Baumann is a Search Marketing and Tourism Specialist as well as a seasoned world traveler.

Target Your Tourism Marketing Toward Destination Weddings

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:34:20 +0000

In a tough economy, few businesses have the assurance that they will stay afloat. One industry, though, might be recession proof: the wedding industry.

Couples spend more than $20,000 for a wedding on average, and most spend 50% more than their intended budget. Before brides start crunching the numbers for flowers, cakes, dresses, bows and candlesticks, they first have to decide on the venue. Although most brides look to local churches and reception halls, an estimated 272,000 weddings a year are destination weddings. If the bride chooses to go this route, narrowing down where she wants to get married can be a simple as a quick Google search. How does your CVB or tourism bureau promote itself to grab her attention?

Your Web site should have strong travel writing and tourism marketing strategies waiting for brides. A list of different venues your destination has to offer including pictures, capacity numbers and proximity to lodging and airports will be her guide as she makes her decision. Not only can she bring the business of wedding planning to your front door, but her 150+ guests will enjoy the sights and sounds of a new area.

If you think your destination boasts the potential for beautiful weddings, hiring a strong content writer with SEO capabilities and a background in social media optimization can yield results. Simple Tourism specializes in these two aspects, delivering top search engine placements to our clients. If you are interested in our services, please browse our site and see some of the work we do for current clients, including Currituck County’s Outer Banks destination wedding site. Contact us today for a free quote.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about travel SEO writing and professional SEO and Internet marketing services.

Sources:
www.costofwedding.com
www.bridalassociationofamerica.com/Wedding_Statistics/

Phillips DMC – Site Design

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:02:46 +0000

Phillips Tours offers a full range of destination management services, including customized sightseeing, receptive services, cruise ship ground handling, and arrangements of all types for meetings, conferences, and conventions.

Phillips Tours - Norfolk, VA

Headquartered in the center of downtown Norfolk, Virginia, Phillips Tours provides customized group tour itineraries throughout the region, including nearby Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Simple Tourism provides for Phillips Tours affordable site design, hosting and e-mail management.

Simple Tourism can work within your budget to give you attractive design that looks like you spent thousands! Contact us today to learn more.

All Aboard Tours – Site Design

admin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:39:30 +0000

All Aboard Tours and Travel offers a wide range of full service tours for groups of all ages that include deluxe motor coaches equipped with lavatories, VCRs and microphones for tour leaders. They arrange the hotel accommodations, meals, professional guides, and many varied and interesting sightseeing experiences. They also customize the tours to your exact specifications with respect to both attractions and your economic requirements.

All Aboard Tours

All Aboard Tours offers customized itineraries for pre-formed adult and student groups, including our exclusive ”College Awareness” programs for secondary schools. Fixed date departure tours are available for individual foreign exchange students living in the United States. The company is also one of our oldest tourism website clients, for whom we’ve done site design and database managment, as well as an occasional e-marketing campaign.

Do you operate a tour company or receptive service and need a web site to showcase your expertise? Contact Simple Tourism today for a free estimate on your project.