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    ‘Social media has revolutionised tourism branding’

    November 7, 2015
    Tourism News
    ‘Social media has revolutionised tourism branding’

    London ( WTM/UNWTO) :  “The rules of the game have changed and the consumer is in command.”That was the conclusion from Dr Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization, after ministerial meeting at World Travel Market London, the leading global event for the travel industry.

    More than 60 tourism ministers and deputy ministers from around the globe met to debate the challenges of branding their destinations in the “brave new world” of social media on Nov. 4.

    As well as hosting one of the largest gatherings of ministers in the world, the event also heard from Facebook, Expedia, Eurostar and the World Travel & Tourism Council.

    “Destinations can reach out directly to consumers on social media,” said Rifai.“Today, consumers have access to more information, more choices, and more opportunities to voice their opinions and can be the whistle-blowers for unethical practices or the biggest ambassadors for destinations and service providers.”

    “In this context, branding is an ever-more complex challenge requiring destinations and companies to adjust their structures and their policies.It’s not enough to say you are good, you have to be good.”

    He highlighted the scale of the global tourism market, saying: “There will be 1.18 billion tourists in 2015 – that’s four million per day.”

    The ministers outlined how their countries marketed themselves – either by highlighting the qualities of their people, their nations or particular cultural and natural icons.

    However, the rapid rise of social media means that countries’ brands are at “the mercy of so many external forces” over which they have no control, said the debate’s moderator, Richard Quest, CNN International anchor.

    Lee McCabe, Global Head of Travel, Facebook, flagged up the fact that there are now two billion smartphones on the planet, but his company is one of many that can help tourist boards to understand how ‘big data’ can help target consumers.

    Noah Tratt, Global Senior Vice President, Expedia, Inc., added: “We work with tourism partners to test things, to see what works.”

    The shift to social media was demonstrated by Eurostar, which now receives fewer phone calls to its call centre but if there are delays on the service, Twitter “lights up like a Christmas tree”, according to Quest.

    Nicolas Petrovic, Eurostar’s Chief Executive, told the ministers: “Customers are very savvy. People expect a one-to-one conversation with the company.“We have three shifts of people working on Twitter…and we can ask the train manager to see you if you tweet on the train.”

    David Scowsill, WTTC President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council, advised destinations to act quickly and communicate truthfully in times of crisis.

    According to UNWTO  release, Ministers of Tourism and private sector leaders meeting at the 9th UNWTO & World Travel Market (WTM) Ministers’ Summit agreed that destination branding and the way tourism marketing organizations operate need to be adapted to the changes brought in by social media .

    Over 60 tourism ministers and leaders from Facebook, Expedia, Melia Hotels, Eurostar and the World Travel and Tourism Council meeting in London discussed how market changes and consumer empowerment has fully shifted destination branding. Participants recalled that the current social media landscape requires destinations to invest further in understanding and engaging travellers in social media.

    The Summit addressed issues such the need for transparent, honest and swift action in social media in times of crises, how to generate engagement with travelers and transform them into destination ambassadors and how to maximize big data to develop targeted marketing.

    Speaking at the Summit were Nikolina Angelkova, Minister of Tourism of Bulgaria; Li Shihong, Vice Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA); Mauricio Ventura Aragón, Minister of Tourism of Costa Rica; Darko Lorencin, Minister of Tourism of Croatia; Nayef H. Al-Fayez, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan; Dato Sri Mohamed Nazri Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia; Edward Zammit Lewis, Minister of Tourism of Malta; Derek Hanekon, Minister of Tourism of South Africa; Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand and Walter Mzembi, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry of Zimbabwe as well as Nicolas Petrovic, Chief Executive Officer of Eurostar International: Noah Tratt, Global Senior Vice President of Expedia, Inc.; Lee McCabe, Global Head of Travel for Facebook; Anthony Cortizas, Vice President of Global Brand Strategy of Meliá Hotels International and David Scowsill, President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

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