The Digital
Age is opening up myriad opportunities to connect with customers before, during
and after their visit to tourist destinations. These are influencing future
tourists. The challenge is to integrate digital with traditional platforms to
enhance the destination’s brand identity.
While the
fundamentals of branding tourist destinations haven’t changed, in this world of
speed and choice, expectations have morphed. And now there are extensive
opportunities for destinations to bring their brand to life and deliver value
and amazing visitor experiences. In this increasingly interactive world,
tourists are expecting this.
The
challenge is to orchestrate and influence encounters to be as close as possible
to the brand vision at every critical touchpoint. This integrated coverage may
be in the form of a magazine ad, tradeshow, booking, website, tweet, kiosk,
smartphone apps, map, street sign, tour guide or other encounters.
A location
that doesn’t optimize the use of these assets and fails to present itself as
interactive, engaging and experiential won’t develop a meaningful brand.
Mobile
devices have provided consumers with the 24/7 ability to source information
(web), navigate (GPS), be entertained and learn (video), communicate (text),
compare (Yelp), meet (Foursquare), brag (Facebook and Instagram) and review
(TripAdvisor) while wandering through a museum, walking a forest trail or
driving a historic route.
In this
way, they are dramatically changing the way that visitors interact with places.
And that means that tourism management is no longer a one-way dictate from
organizations or managers. Destinations must fit within an environment that
demands interaction, transparency, flexibility and relationships.
Written by
Marie Nelson for Mijo! Brands of Mexico.
