Marketing responsible travel pm4 sd summer school - tim williamson
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FEST Summer School - Presentation Akureyri 2016
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Marketing responsible travel pm4 sd summer school - tim williamson
- 1. Marketing responsible travel Tim Williamson Director – Responsible Travel 7th October 2016
- 2. This is what we do! 300K unique visitors each month 44% from the UK 160K on our database
- 3. Iceland dominates our search!
- 4. 350K residents 1.6m tourists 31% of FX earnings in 15 (18.8% in 2010) Top industry now over fishing and aluminium 42% increase in hotel rooms (since 2010) 264% increase in visitors (since 2010) 38% increase in tourism jobs (2010-2014) Use Iceland to show how we market responsible travel
- 5. This is what you could have soon?
- 6. A mix of good planning & opportunity?
- 7. Opportunity to market to a more responsible traveller • One who cares about: – The Icelandic environment – Supporting the local economy – Conservation • Cultural heritage • Natural heritage
- 8. Key to marketing responsible tourism • Honesty – Travel guides – Reviews • Openness to the issues • Focus on how to make a difference
- 10. Honest reviews from actual travellers
- 11. That focus on responsible travel
- 12. Openness to the issues
- 13. Focus on how to make a difference
- 14. Also so important to inspire!
- 15. And sell the holiday
- 16. Using amazing photography & film
- 17. 2 other tools we use • Inspiring people – Folks We Love
- 18. Get active
- 19. So in summary • You can’t grow at the rate you are without consequences • There is a great opportunity if you market to a more responsible traveller by: – Being honest – Being open – Being inspirational!
Editor's Notes
- Want to talk about some ideas and thoughts about how best to market travelling responsibly Hopefully I know what I’m talking about as it’s what we do as a business at RT Our new proposition is about helping dreamers stop dreaming about amazing trips and actually help them go on them Really working – traffic 25% up and enquiries 12% up We are SEO driven with a worldwide audience
- Iceland out performing our own brand! All Iceland page views since launch of new site +193% Guide really kicked in in Dec 15 but built in Nov 14 - takes a while to rank - but also in that time Iceland took off
- As we are here in Iceland I will try to reference how we market responsible travel back to this amazing country I doing my research I was quite shocked at the growth of tourism here. Clearly been very positive, especially after the financial crisis
- But there is a real danger here of over tourism Butler’s graph – not sure where Iceland is? Development? Consolidation? Barcelona & Venice are good examples of what can happen if tourism is left to grow out of control
- What is clear reading about Iceland is that there has been some good and very conscious planning to bring tourists to Iceland Iceland Air focusing on the transit pax and turning Iceland into a destination – Dubai. Clearly doing a very good job But also the market at work and the growth of Airbnb in Reykjavik is phenominal and may well change the dynamic of the city with people moving further out to let out their homes – Venice and cinemas (20-2)
- But not instead of mainstream tourists – zoning required based on infrastructure and resources Challenge if most tourists want to go to Reykjavik More responsible tourists could be tempted to travel further afield in Iceland
- So I finally get to the point! This is how we have managed to successfully create a business with a brand name like ours We are a content marketing organisation and we drive people to our site by making content which stands out because it’s honest, open and gives travellers some advice on how to make a difference when they travel. Should say here that the reason we are not called “Sustainable Travel” is that we recognise that flying is a key part of travel, especially to somewhere like Iceland, and at the moment or in the foreseeable future their is no viable alternative to kerosene.
- Travel has managed to evolve with a shockingly low level of honesty in the industry In the UK the government used to classify tour operators alongside 2nd hand car dealers and timeshare touts. It isn’t much better now as there are many company failures still with customers left stranded or out of pocket. High levels of bonding and financial protection needed, especially in the EU. Travel has developed a language all of it’s own – like estate agents! Everything is perfect for everyone There is never a bad time to go Every destination has to portray itself as it’s version of “paradise” Customers were never stupid enough to believe this but now they have ways of finding out if your lying – social media and review platforms But these rarely cover a destination and never tour operators – much more accommodation and single centre/activity focussed Our travel guides rank well with Google because they are well written by proper journalists, are not war & peace, look enticing but mainly because they provide easy to consume HONEST information. - when to go & not go - what we rate and also think is over rated e.g whale meat
- Reviews are now the norm but brutally honest reviews from actual travellers with a very high bar are not. Our top is – I am reborn - simply the best holiday I have ever been on Even 4 * - stories I will remember and be boring my grandchildren with – I will recommend to a friend 93% of our reviews meet this very high bar
- Within these reviews the 3rd question focuses on responsible travel: Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation? Not only does this remind the customer why the holiday is different but it also acts as a check on the operators, gives them ideas on how to improve their sustainability or at least market it better
- Key part of our guides is a responsible tourism section. The honesty continues but we also keep it constructive with tips on how to travel more responsibly For Iceland this includes cleaning your self properly before going into the natural pools & sticking to the tracks even if you do rent a 4x4
- Then in more detail we require every operator to explain why every single trip makes a difference. This is hopefully positive! For many in Iceland this involves sticking to paths when walking or bringing a flask to fill with the lovely fresh water here rather than buying plastic bottled water (why do you even sell it here?!)
- But if we are really honest the most important part of marketing a responsible holiday is the same as any holiday – inspiration! For us the split is 75% inspiration 25% reassurance Dreaming about amazing places, sights and experiences that are so different from home – these must look amazing to inspire people to do something different, expensive and maybe scary 25% is answering common questions, practical information – more of this in our guides in the future
- Selling the holiday is key Right key words – so often we have to change the title Clear design with key facts easily accessible (pricing panel follows you down the page) Optimised for mobile – especially image sizes Clear calls to action Information in the right place and in the right order UX advice is key here
- The images sell it – especially somewhere like Iceland Just because it’s responsible doesn't mean it can’t look amazing. Investing in the best photography you can afford and preferably photography that captures the authenticity of the place rather than looking too perfect. Possible Invest in film – we have just recruited our own editor Editing and hosting the films ourselves to drive natural search On line video traffic will be 70% of all consumer internet traffic by next year!
- Folks we love People we admire living their dreams – use their stories to inspire others to do more than dream 23 so far and growing. No payment Lots of links
- For us the core business is selling responsible holidays but we also have 2 other parts - awards (WRTA) - activism Now starting to publish interviews with campaigners (big and small) about an aspect of irresponsible tourism that we care about. Give customers some ideas about how they can help or make a difference
- Growth does need to be planned if you don’t want to end up with over tourism and a decline in tourist numbers over time It is possible with the right plans, infrastructure and mix of tourists Responsible tourism is growing, is a viable market and is here for the long term You have to market to the responsible traveller differently – the same old travel jargon won’t work – they demand honesty and openness but like all other tourists – they need to be inspired!