If you’re involved with a tourism organization, you probably already know that the industry is booming. Case in point: TripAdvisor’s insights indicate that 69% of global travelers intended to try something new in 2016. With that in mind, what can you do to make sure that your travel and tourism business gets a share of that growth?
Remarkably, the answer may lie less in what your location has to offer and more in your online presence. If you’re not running a well-designed tourism blog as part of your inbound content marketing strategy, you’re shortchanging yourself. That's because a blog can provide an in-depth look at everything your area has to offer, bolster your search engine ranking and drive traffic to your website.
All in all, it’s imperative that you’re blogging, and it’s essential that each post is crafted with an eye on the standards and needs of your industry. Read on, and we’ll explain the importance of blogging for your tourism organization.
Why Do You Need A Tourism Blog?
Since your location is already seen as a tourist destination, you'll have a wealth of unique, interesting information to work with. Fittingly, you might feel like these characteristics will sell themselves and attract visitors from around the world. But in modern times, face-to-face word of mouth only goes so far, and the Internet is where word of mouth really happens. Here’s why your tourism company needs a blog:
- Blogging lets you tap into your location’s appeal to share stories, educational posts and other types of content on the Web that can help bring potential visitors to your website, and eventually to your location itself.
- Tourist destinations – from ski resorts to national parks to historic monuments – serve as excellent sources of visual content, including both images and videos. And as various statistics note, social media and blog posts featuring image or video content receive significantly more engagement than their text-only counterparts.
- In addition to providing a valuable resource for travelers and shining a light on all that your area has to offer, a well-done blog will enhance your website’s search engine ranking significantly – yet again resulting in more traffic.
Ultimately, whether you’re involved with a statewide tourism branch or overseeing the management of a single attraction, you need a blog strategy – because there’s a good chance that your audience is on the Internet, and if they aren’t now, they will be soon. With so many potential visitors eager to read inspiring blogs and see more from you, why not get started today?
What Kind Of Content Can You Create For Your Tourism Blog?
You already know the ins and outs of your destination, so it probably won't be hard to generate a variety of blog-worthy topics and creative copy. But remember to take your audience into account, and craft each post with a certain type of reader in mind, whether it’s your primary customer base or a new type of visitor you’re seeking to attract.
Here are a few tried-and-true tourism blog post ideas to help get you started:
- Create a sightseeing checklist. Think about the area your organization focuses on. Are there lots of popular tourist destinations? Is it a region packed with overlooked gems? Craft a thorough list of everything a visitor might want to see in the area, and make sure to include lots of high-quality visuals. If your organization is more specific than a general tourism bureau, be sure to shine a light on locations you’re involved with, but don’t make the post seem overly promotional, as it might turn readers away.
- Write stories. Whether they’re personal stories about a beloved part of the region or an in-depth exploration of a particular destination’s history, stories can make your location feel more inviting while causing readers to want to become part of the story themselves.
- Invite a travel blogger to do a guest post. There are many travel bloggers with sizeable followings, so don’t hesitate to reach out to several once your blog picks up steam. If you find one willing to write a guest post, it will add a unique perspective to your blog, drive traffic from that blogger’s promotion of the piece and even ramp up your blog’s search engine ranking thanks to backlinks from the blogger's site to your content.
- Interview someone. Consider interviewing the owner of a unique local business or a well-known figure that has fond memories of the area. This will be especially beneficial if the person or business has a strong online presence, as they’ll be able to help direct traffic to your post, and by extension, the rest of your blog.
- Address very specific needs. Remember – a wide range of people visit your location, and there’s a good chance that their needs vary significantly. Compile a list of destinations that are kid-friendly, easily accessible for people with disabilities, perfect for foodies or appealing to history buffs, just to name a few, to ensure that you’ve covered everyone who might be eager to take some time off.
When you’re creating your content, don’t forget to put SEO (search engine optimization) into practice to maximize the effectiveness of each post. By choosing the right length, doing your keyword research, linking to additional areas of your site and other best practices, you'll soon see your blog posts getting the clicks they deserve.
Discover What Works For You
Finding the perfect tourism blogging recipe might take some research and experimentation, but in the end, it’s an investment that will pay off when the increase in online traffic translates to more real-life visitors and greater revenue. Did we miss anything important? Feel free to let us know by leaving a comment below.
If you have a great idea but need some help with perfecting it, Virtucom Group’s blog writers can help. With our Tweak My Post program, we’ll tailor one of your blog posts to perfection for free to help you gain a competitive edge. And if you like our work, our blogging subscription packages are only a few clicks away.
About Virtucom Group
Consistent business blogging yields results – more clicks, more subscribers and – ultimately – more conversions. Whether you’re writing an automotive blog, an accounting blog, a healthcare blog or a home renovation blog, blogging for business and content development are useful for any industry. Follow the content writers at the Virtucom Group blog as they share digital marketing tips and discuss website content writing services that can optimize your business blog.
