Blogging & Vlogging in Tourism Marketing
Nowadays, a lot of business is done online, especially businesses conducted internationally in the tourism industry. This means that businesses that have international clients/customers [should] have websites, and some have blogs. If you are a tour (guide) company in the Middle East and North Africa, no matter how small (even if it’s just one person), you should have a blog.
What is Blogging/Vlogging and Why is it Important?
Blogging is basically a website or web page that is regularly updated with posts, usually in the format of informally written articles. Vlogging is “video blogging”-instead of written text, the posts are videos. It feels like everyone says you need a blog, and everyone has a blog, so why should you start one? Here are some basic reasons why:
It drives traffic to your website: updating a blog or vlog consistently helps you rank higher in search engines, which helps potential tourists find you/your company.
It converts readers/viewers into customers: including a call-to-action can convert readers/viewers into customers of your tour services. Writing posts or making videos that speak to a specific set of potential tourists can help persuade these people to click on this call-to-action.
It establishes authority: consistently writing posts or making videos shows that you are knowledgeable and that you are the go-to tour guide/company at your location.
It produces long-term results: the articles or videos you post don’t disappear or become obsolete, interested first-time readers/viewers continue to stumble upon them and can become customers.
It provides more exposure for your business: the articles or videos you post can be shared with others through social media, which is free advertisement for your tour company.
It builds trust with potential customers: when establishing your authority as ‘the tour company’ at your location, you also build trust with potential tourists.
It does not cost much: If you already have a website, then blogging could potentially be free, and besides the time it takes to write posts and personally share them on social media, there are no costs for the exposure and traffic blogging brings. Vlogging could also be free; setting up your own YouTube channel is free, and the only cost is your time to make and edit the videos.
It provides a way to connect and interact with potential customers: people can comment on your posts/videos, and that’s a way you can interact with potential tourists, answer their questions, and get feedback on your content and ideas.
Why are blogging and vlogging especially important for tour companies and tour guides in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)?
One of the challenges facing tourism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is tourists’ concerns about their safety-blogging and vlogging can assist tour companies and tour guides in MENA in addressing these concerns. Many people in the West (and possibly in other regions of the world) are under the impression that the Middle East and North Africa is unsafe, largely due to misrepresentation in Western media and just a general lack of information. Many also view MENA as one homogenous region, instead of various diverse countries (each encompassing diverse populations within their borders) bound together by (loosely) shared history and cultural aspects, and this misconception contributes to this ‘unsafe’ image. When countering stereotypes about the MENA region and those who live in it, it is important to show potential tourists the diversity of the region and the uniqueness of your location (i.e. country, city, etc.): enter blogging and vlogging.
Emphasizing uniqueness is important for three main reasons: dismantling MENA stereotypes, making your location and business stand out, and establishing trust with potential tourists.
Dismantling MENA stereotypes
Image Source: The National
Educate potential tourists about the diversity of your location with regards to the geography, history, and culture, and share local people’s stories on your blog or vlog. The posts or videos don’t have to be specifically targeted at dismantling specific stereotypes; they just have to show potential tourists that they can relate to locals on a personal level. For example, in Amman, Jordan, there is a famous street called Rainbow Street that has a lot of cool restaurants and shops. When I was shopping on Rainbow Street, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Evanescence, Linkin Park, and other rock bands playing while I looked around one particular store. That experience of sitting with the employees and talking about music still resonates with me because I met people from somewhere halfway around the world who grew up in a very different culture than mine, but we bonded over our same taste in music.
Making your location and business stand out
Some locations just don’t have world-famous tourist attractions that draw thousands of tourists every year like the pyramids of Giza (Egypt), the ancient city of Petra (Jordan), or the Dead Sea (Israel/Palestine/Jordan). You can use a blog or vlog to show how your location is significant and create a unique tourist experience. For example, Sharm El Sheikh is an Egyptian resort town off the Red Sea, and it’s already known as a scuba diving hotspot. Sinai Gate, a local tour company, have a blog all about diving, hiking, and adventure to attract tourists interested in adventure tourism. They also appeal to those who care about the environment by offering a ‘Reef Conservation’ diving experience. Even if you don’t have historical or natural attractions, you can still give tourists a unique experience; you could create a food tour of local restaurants or have local people (i.e. stall owners, salespeople at the marketplace, housewives, etc.) teach tourists how to cook popular local/regional dishes. Of course, you post short articles with pictures or videos on a blog to showcase the food tours/cooking classes as advertisements. In Palestine, the embroidery style is very popular and local women could teach embroidery workshops like Wafa Ghnaim does in the United States.
Establishing trust with potential tourists
Sharing your knowledge through a blog or vlog, establishes you/your company as the tourism authority in your location. Consistently sharing (new) information and tips about the area, attractions, and accommodations will create trust between you and your blog’s readers or vlog’s viewers. They will regard you as the tourism authority in the area and be more likely to hire you/your tour company.
With regards to safety, no place on Earth is 100% perfect-whether it’s due to natural or human factors. While it’s important to show the positive side of a location, that does not mean you should paint your location as a utopia where nothing bad every happens. If something big happens (violent incident or storm), you can choose to write a post or make a video about precautions and the response to that event instead of trying to hide it. For example, countries have issued travel warnings about traveling to the United States, citing gun violence-mass shootings in particular. If I were to address someone’s concerns about mass shootings, I could tell them that while one could happen, the public and the police have become increasingly more vigilant to this threat. Recently, potential mass shootings have been prevented because of tips from the public and the swift action of the police.
What if I don’t have the budget for hosting my own blog/vlog?
While it’s best to have your own website/domain, there are some free platforms for blogging and vlogging besides social media.