What is tourism marketing and why is it important for cities?

Talking about what tourism marketing is and why it is important not only has to do with the people who are in charge of developing these strategies, but also those who enjoy them since the tourist also has an impact on it.

Read on to learn not only what it is, but examples of tourism marketing that will let you know that boring newspaper ads are a thing of the past.

What is tourism marketing and why is it important for cities
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What is tourism marketing?

When we talk about tourism marketing, we are referring to the area dedicated to the design of marketing plan to be developed within the tourism business. 

This concept includes both the travel itself and the accommodation. It is a discipline which is based on the need to offer the best deals to the right customer, keeping in mind every detail through strategies integrated with the latest trends.

If we pay attention, we can realize that nowadays trips are no longer sold as simple tours or all-inclusive packages. And this is partly due to the voice of today’s consumers.

The desire of consumers is to try new things, to experience sensations that are not in their daily lives, and this is the main reason why tourism marketing feels the need to diversify its offer, with the intention of satisfying the needs of each client. 

Even with the recent pandemic that has been experienced worldwide as a result of COVID-19, the content needs to be adapted to the new reality that is being experienced, so that customers feel safe again to travel and feel confident in the destination.

So, in this way it can be said that tourism marketing should always seek to evolve with what is happening today. So you may be talking about the same places, yes, but in an innovative way that will attract attention once again.

Travel Concept
Boat on a mountain lake in Germany. Tourism and adventure

How does tourism impact a city?

The impact of tourism in a city can occur in very different ways. Since everything will depend on the type of tourist that is visiting it, as well as on the tourism that is promoted in the same one, or in the one that is enabled to be carried out. It also depends on the type of tourist image that the city has created. 

We can take as an example “sun and beach” tourism, which is capable of immediately affecting coastal cities. This usually has such a great impact that it ends up affecting its landscape and soil, since it usually requires the construction of hotels, among other architectures.

All this with the purpose of having a place where the tourist can feel comfortably received. However, although economically it can be a great income for the city, for those who live in it, it may not be the best option. 

If you are wondering how tourism can impact a city in a positive way, then you have to bet on cultural tourism. Since this does not seek to change anything about the site in which it takes place and, in fact, encourages a lot of respect for it. 

In this case, what is offered to tourists is a much more personal and direct contact experience with the urban heritage they wish to visit. Therefore, museums, galleries, art centers, and even squares, among other places that do not generate so much negative impact, are given much value. 

And in this way, different profiles of tourism in a city can continue to be drawn, as is the case of the natural mass tourism, which goes to the places inspired by the landscapes themselves. And, of those that remain, they will not always be good. But it will also depend on the behavior of the tourist.

Examples of tourism marketing

The examples of tourism marketing that we will give you below you may not have heard before. However, these are just some of the most ingenious, and successful, that can open your mind and make you understand that there are no limits when you want to promote tourism in a city.

Rent to a Finnish

Finland has been chosen as the happiest country in the world, thanks to this recognition they have decided to create tourism marketing strategies in which they invite people to “rent” a Finnish in summer so they can discover the secret of happiness. 

For this purpose, eight Finns residing in different areas of the country were recruited to demonstrate their way of connecting with nature, and how they eliminate stress, to each of the visitors who choose to “rent” them. Would you dare to take one?

Norway and sheep

Another nice example of tourism marketing is based on the promotion of the outdoor lifestyle of the Norwegian people inspired by their amazing landscapes.

And, for this, they did not miss the opportunity to make their beautiful sheep the protagonists.

This campaign offered potential visitors a “panoramic view” of the country, as each sheep had a camera with the intention of recording the entire landscape it was crossing. It was an original and eye-catching campaign, which was seen by more than 8 people at the time.

The Village-Phone Promotion of Tschlin

In Switzerland, the small village of Tschlin (a very quiet place, where peace is assured to anyone who wants to relax and enjoy the rest in the natural environment) wanted to make itself known through a campaign that was taken as “direct and authentic”. 

In this case it encouraged people to telephone the only public telephone located in the village square to prove that it is so quiet that anyone residing there has the ability to hear it when it rings.

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