Multilingual destination marketing has become critical for businesses in the tourism industry. The impact of the coronavirus, local and nationwide lockdowns and travel restrictions around the world have dramatically shifted tourism trends, with no sign of things to reverting back to ‘normal’ for some time. Every hospitality establishment urgently needs to explore new target markets, so they can start getting bookings now when they need them most.
Where will the first international tourists come from?
With their borders still shut, travelers from both the USA and the UK will probably not be venturing overseas until the end of the European summer. Without these high-paying clients to rely on, tour operators and hospitality venues around the world will need to rethink their targeting strategies.
In the meantime, however, several Eastern European countries are opening their borders. Multilingual destination marketing is the best solution to home in on this new target market, (and many others) especially with many itching to escape isolation and travel once again. If you wait for your normal guests to renter the market, it may be too late – and you’ll be up against enormous competition.
Multilingual destination marketing to tap into new audiences
The global tourism industry is losing millions in revenue – and jobs – on a daily basis. In Africa, Tanzania’s famous Serengeti National Park used to welcome 6,000 visitors a day. Based on park entrance fees of $60 alone, that’s $360,000 daily. This is before you even consider the lost revenue of safari lodges, tour guides and tour operators, who miss out on roughly $500 per absent tourist.
No matter where you’re located, every day without tourists is crucial. If you cannot reach your normal English-speaking tourists because of lockdowns, then you need to start targeting those who will be able to travel first, and are ready to start booking now. Take a look at these projected reopening dates for airports around the world. Several of countries will be accepting international flights again as soon as June 10th – so the time to start promoting your offering to these travelers is now. Great example of destination marketing campaign is Serengeti Show Live project launched by Poly Digital Marketing and a few other parties for Tanzanian Board of Tourism.
Remember also that while people may be reluctant to start traveling again straight away, you can still capture their imaginations and guarantee your hotel, guesthouse, resort, spa, or lodge a top spot on their travel bucket lists!
Selling the dream through multilingual destination marketing
Here’s what businesses in the hospitality industry should be doing right now:
- Scaling up your international marketing efforts to encourage overseas tourists to visit post-lockdown
- Promoting local tourism in your region, so you can start attracting local guests before international borders open (especially if overseas guests will be subject to quarantine periods)
- Expanding your marketing reach to new target audiences and in new languages
Most of all though, you want your destination to grab attention, stand out from the rest, and stay with your audience long after they’ve been exposed to your brand. To do this, you need to create tourism marketing campaign with stunning visual content, with messaging in the language your target audience speaks.
Destination marketing video for Serengeti Show Live by Poly Digital Marketing interational videographers in Africa, Brendan John Allen.
You’re not selling just a destination, or a stay in a hotel, or even a unique experience – you’re selling a fantasy and a dream! That’s why you need a strong message and striking visuals that go deep into your potential guests’ subconscious minds, and stay with them long after they’ve seen it.
The best tools and channels for multilingual destination marketing
Multilingual destination marketing is all about making your potential guests feel at home before they’ve even arrived. It’s about telling a story, and giving your audience a taste of what they can expect if they choose to stay with you. That’s why multilingual video marketing is particularly helpful, and gets such great results for tourism companies.
Video marketing by the numbers:
- Video ads are the #1 way consumers find out about a new brand before converting into customers
- 85% of internet users use the web to watch video
- 88% of marketing agencies are satisfied with their video marketing ROI
- 73% of consumers are influenced by a brand’s social media presence, and video is their favorite way to interact with companies on social media
Furthermore, highly tactical use of PPC ads on YouTube and social media platforms means you can ensure your offering is seen by the viewers most likely to turn into customers.
At Poly Digital, we combine our multilingual approach with in-depth research and target audience insights to create unforgettable campaigns that really connect with viewers. By positioning your brand on the channels tourists like to find travel news and inspiration on, and speaking to them in their own native language, incredible results are possible!