Destination Marketing-Integration All the Way!

It’s all about integration, at all levels- whether that is resources, stakeholders or activities integration which at the end, aim for the deepest connection amongst visitors and the destination! As far as integrated marketing activity goes, it is an one way road where online and offline initiatives complement each other, they are driven by an accurate situational analysis and set marketing objectives to ensure consistency of the promoted message and efficient brand management. Let’s have a look at some recent examples which aim to maximize the visitor’s engagement.

Sweden- Connecting Visitors & Locals all the Way

Swedish tourism officials have launched a new initiative to help travellers and expats alike meet “Real Swedes”, in what they are billing as an extension of their successful Curators of Sweden account on Twitter. Visit Sweden has just launched “Visit a Swede” – a stepping stone in giving foreigners the “full experience” in the Nordic nation aiming to further immerse visitors in the Swedish society and culture. After the audience has listened and interacted online with the Swedish Twitter Curators, this initiative has been developed to connect people when they’re actually in the country. The programme, launched just a few weeks ago, works hand-in-hand with local directories, as well as Couchsurfing and Facebook to find events and to allow foreigners the chance to quite literally visit a Swede. A user can log in to the official website and select an activity, be it finding a bed for the night, a companion for dinner, or even someone with whom to share a coffee in a local Swedish café. Over 10,000 Swedes have already signed up to be hosts. However, Visit a Swede isn’t only for tourists, as according to officials the expat community in Sweden should also look upon the initiative as a way to expand their horizons and add some Swedish telephone numbers to their contact lists. More info: www.visitaswede.com

France Let’s you Discover Your Perfect Match

Atout France has just launched a new marketing initiative titled “Top French Cities: Map Your Way Through the Urban Gems of France“ to highlight some of France’s top regional cities. The major campaign has been developed in cooperation with their Cities Promotion Club, Air France and Rail Europe promoting 27  cities all around France. The initiative puts into practice the market segmentation and profiling in continuation to the agency’s last  campaign which focused on promoting it’s wine regions: “What’s Your Vineyard Style?” and the Southwest of France. This time the focus is on the promotion of the urban cities and on the widest possible spread through the creation of truly tailor made itineraries, according to the visitor’s ”character” as matched with the relevant ”profile” and the promoted tourism product. Insider tips from the cities themselves have also been incorporated, while visitors are invited to use #TopFrenchCities to be part of the conversation on Twitter. The campaign includes a quiz that matches participants to different cities in France, ranging from the beautiful southern cities of Marseille, Montpellier and Nice to the bustling northern cities of Reims, Dijon and Nancy, where wine, gastronomy and culture are at its best. Participants will find out their city match after deciding if they prefer Riesling to Champagne, if they’d rather spend their evening at a museum or the theatre, and if they would rather be surrounded by Gothic or Art Deco architecture, among other questions. More Info: Atout France Related Posts: In Partnerships We Trust- Collaborative Destination Marketing Crowdsourcing for Destination Marketing- Make it Personal! Targeted Destination Marketing: Engaging the Foodies