What is tourism marketing?

By tourist marketing we mean, as the term itself suggests, the marketing and communication initiatives that belong to the tourism sector, with the purpose of attracting new customers or simply retaining those already acquired.

We also refer to the facilities where tourism can take place: hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, holiday apartments, hostels, or even the services needed to reach these facilities, such as travel agencies.

We can categorize different types of tourism:

• Gastronomic tourism: cuisine.
• Artistic tourism: art cities.
• Seaside tourism: beaches.
• Alpine tourism: snow.
• Thermal tourism: indoor and outdoor thermal baths.

In addition to classic tourism, there is also tourism web marketing, where through the web people can access promotions, images of a facility, and can purchase tickets directly from the web.

Tourism web marketing has greatly aided the growth of tourism because it adapts to every type of target; indeed, it caters to all kinds of tourists regardless of age group, gender, and cultural profile.

 How to define a tourism marketing strategy?

To define a tourism marketing strategy, like all strategies what must you choose?

Obviously the target! Who is our message intended for? Which people should visit your location or facility? In your target, you need to identify some characteristics:

• Age
• Income
• Occupation
• Interests
• Goals

After identifying the target audience, it is necessary to establish goals such as "how can we get more visitors?" and implement a series of actions that allow reaching them, such as publishing ads to increase visibility:

• Publish ads on Facebook.
• Publish print ads.
• Create a tourist web marketing campaign.

Afterward, if these goals are deemed relevant and compatible with one's marketing strategy, the appropriate resources can be used to implement one's marketing strategy:

• Use persuasive words that make the customer understand that this trip brings only benefits.
• Use photos and images that allow the visitor to empathize, as if they were already on vacation.
• Gather your visitor's data through newsletter subscription, so as to stay updated on all ongoing travels and promotions.

I think you are now ready to make your tourism marketing strategy better, but I would like to give you some insights. For a better tactic you can use:

• Influencer marketing: having someone visit the location and promote it.
• Create a guide of your location: so as to already know what to do in that particular place, the sites you can visit.
• Create a blog on social media: so as to keep up with all the reviews and discussions, whether negative or positive about that place.
• Create a video about the tourist location: so as to have a 360° view.
• Publish news and events: so as to keep visitors informed and make it easier to identify places to go.
• Use sponsored ads: to reach out to your audience and chosen target.
• Showcase something special: what others do not have. Make yourself unique and different from the rest.
• Share user reviews: to become known and to earn customer trust.

 Case studies:

A good case study can be identified through a book, which talks about tourism marketing strategies and how to use the best methods, approaches, and tools.