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.

But what if you don’t have a friend who has been to Philadelphia and you get a hankering for Greek food while you are there? Where can you find the best places to satisfy your cravings? Look no further than MenuPages.

Here, you can find restaurants categorized by area, part of town, customer ratings and price range. Menus are also available via on-screen html and downloadable PDFs. The cities featured on MenuPages are New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Washington and South Florida.

This is an excellent example of bringing relevant content to your destination’s future tourists. While a site like this looks like a lot of work, it’s a simple concept. Restaurants will love the publicity, and providing a link for restaurants from your CVB or tourism bureau Web site will provide travelers with valuable information for their trip. Maximizing each page on your Web site should be part of your tourism marketing plan to increase traffic not only to your page, but ultimately, your destination.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer is specializing in articles about SEO for travel Web sites and social media optimization.

• How to pack their gear. With constant updates in FAA regulations, it isn’t uncommon to get to the airport and realize you’ve done something wrong, or something needs to be rearranged. Information geared towards golfers would consist of letting them know: clubs must be checked and secured in a hard case (which can be purchased at most golf shops), golf balls may be carried on the plane, play it safe and check the golf tees, which clubs to bring to keep the checked bag weight light, etc. Links to different airlines and the FAA’s Web site would also be helpful resources.
• What threads to pack. Different golf clubs have different dress codes. Hard spikes might need to be left at home, but collared shirts are almost always a must. Be sure to know what different clubs in your area require to cater to your golfing tourist’s needs.
• Proximity to the greens. How close are your hotel and convention centers are to golf destinations? Be sure to list directions and maps to and from each of your lodging facilities.
• Weather expectations. Golfers check the forecast dozens of times a day to make sure their tee times are sunny and clear. Make sure your golfer tourists know how light/heavy to pack, and if they should bring an umbrella.

Targeting your tourism destination towards different travelers is a simple, foolproof way of increasing traffic to your area. Even if your destination doesn’t have its own greens, giving golfer tourists a friendly place to lay their heads will keep them coming back.

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

One of the most popular photo sharing sites is Flickr. Available on iPhone and most smart phones as an application, people can browse by keyword search hundreds of thousands of photos submitted by users. Only registered users are allowed to submit pictures, but anyone is able to browse. A keyword search of “Boston” in Flickr results in over 2 million photos. You can sort the results by revelvance, most recently posted or the most interesting. Here, pictures of Fenway Park, Prudential Center/downtown district, sunsets and sunrises and Boston Harbor put site visitors in the city without ever leaving their computers.

How is this beneficial to your CVB or tourism bureau? Say you live in a much smaller town. We’ll use Hueytown, AL as an example. A simple keyword search of Hueytown on Flickr still yields 658 pictures, showcasing the high school football team, popular restaurants, local churches and various home pictures of snowdays (a rare occasion). If you are trying to promote tourism for Hueytown or any surrounding city, you can see what everyone else sees when they view your destination. If you like what you see, you can involve your residents in photo opportunities to showcase your tourism marketing plan. If not, setting up a Flickr account takes less than 5 minutes and you can post your own content to show off your destination.

Flickr isn’t the only photo sharing social networking tool out there. Photobucket, Shutterfly, Zooomr, Picasa and Facebook are all similar programs that meet the same goal.

Not sure where to begin with social media building your CVB or tourism bureau online brand? When you sign on with Simple Tourism for our social media optimization package, you have the option of customizing a social media presence as it suits your business or bureau. Want to attract a specific demographic? We will find the right platform for you. Contact us today for more information or a free quote.

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

Have you ever considered traveling by rail? Traveling by coach on a train yields more legroom, bigger seats and the same fold-down tray you’d get in a plane. Upgrade to business class and you get AC outlets and foot rests at each seat. With Amtrak, some cars offer a Quiet Car, where passengers can only make noises at or below a whisper. Instead of looking out your window and looking at white or blue nothingness, enjoy the sights of the countryside by traveling on a train. Not to mention, you can bring your own food and beverages on a train, including your own stash of suds and spirits. Kiss those $4 cocktails in air-coach goodbye.

As far as price is concerned, traveling by train is relatively cheaper. With new lower fares and weekend getaway fares, Amtrak makes traveling by rail affordable. Amtrak also offers 15, 30 and 45-day rail passes, and 7 days of travel in a 21-day period in California for $159. Booking a flight from Norfolk to Atlanta one-way is $277, but the same trip via rail is $169.

On the downside, traveling by train takes a little while longer than by plane. (The Norfolk to Atlanta trip takes 16.5 hours via rail!) Train traveling is a nicer way to make long distances and vacations. Searching for direct routes is the most common option, but if you have a lot of time for R&R, take some time and hop on the iron horse. You’ll travel more comfortably, and have a new traveling experience under your belt.

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