Avoid the Cultural Flattening Trap in Destination Promotion

The pandemic was a wild ride for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. The massive losses suffered during lockdowns gave way to massive gains in the last two years, thanks to pent-up demand from consumers eager to get back on the road.

By most accounts, travel spending and volume have rebounded to 2019 levels. Of course, this rebound has major implications for travel brands and destinations alike. An influx of spending in the travel space also means increased spending on promotion and more competition for the hearts and minds of potential travelers.

At the same time, travelers’ wallets have been hit hard by inflation in the post-pandemic era. They’re concerned not just about having a great experience while traveling but also about making sure the dollars they spend will yield unforgettable memories. Visitors are looking for new places they’ve never been to and experiences they’ve never had before, whether around the globe or just around the corner.

But that’s not the only challenge in the travel space right now. There’s one more hurdle that destination marketers are up against: cultural flattening. The idea of “cultural flattening” is not new – it’s been talked about for decades as global connections become easier and more commonplace. Increasingly, as trends in design, style and pop culture are no longer bound by location (thanks, internet!), destinations all begin to look and feel similar. These days, you can find a craft beer bar with minimalist interior design and reclaimed wood tables in Boise just as easily as you can in Brooklyn.

Because travel spans generations and demographics, and destinations want to attract travelers of all sorts, it can be too easy to fall into the “something for everyone” trap when telling the brand story. Many destination brand campaigns look so similar these days that most consumers would be hard-pressed to identify which destination was being featured without a name or logo alongside the scenic imagery.

How can communicators help travel and tourism clients win the race for visitors? We know authentic storytelling is key, because the word “authentic” has become so ubiquitous that it’s almost lost all meaning in the travel space. To understand what “authentic” means, we have to dive deeper.

Padilla recently had the experience of creating a campaign for Richmond Region Tourism that aimed to tackle the challenges outlined above: help the destination stand out in a flood of other destinations all vying for that pandemic rebound. The campaign, called “Speaks for Itself,” turned the idea of typical destination promotion on its head. We knew it couldn’t look or sound like anything else out there, so rather than embracing a something-for-everyone approach and shouting the region’s “best of” accolades, we employed an ASMR-style video concept to tell the Richmond Region story subtly, and yes, authentically.

The campaign creative recently took home gold from the 45th Telly Awards in the category of Travel & Tourism Promotional Videos. But more importantly, the message resonated with potential travelers. A brand lift study demonstrated an improvement of more than 30 points in people saying they would be “very likely” to visit the Richmond Region after viewing the campaign.

The lessons learned in the creation of the Richmond Region’s “Speaks for Itself” campaign can tell us a lot about what moves the needle for potential travelers, and they’re lessons that can be embraced by storytellers across the travel, tourism and hospitality space to drive impact for brands.

Marry Visitor Appeal with Local Perspectives

Focusing on what appeals to visitors is crucial, of course, but so is keeping your community engaged in promoting your destination and championing the tourism industry. If your own community can’t tell you why someone would want to visit, why should a visitor believe your message?

For “Speaks for Itself,” Padilla interviewed more than 60 stakeholders across the Richmond region, from arts and culture to academia, government and small business owners. We took the stories they shared and used them to shape our messaging. We even brought some of the local individuals into the campaign directly, featuring them in videos and other content elements. The campaign slogan, “Speaks for Itself,” was itself a nod to the locals that make up the community. When locals feel that their voice is being heard in relation to destination marketing, you can create evangelists for your destination and the industry at large.

Own What You Can, Set the Rest Aside

Going back to our craft beer example, there was a time when touting your destination’s craft breweries was a differentiator, but these days, it’s almost an expectation. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t talk about local craft beer (or great restaurants, live music, hiking trails, or any other category of tourism-related activities) as it relates to your destination. What it does mean is that you need to be able to own what makes craft beer in your destination different from anywhere else in the world. Is there a particular beer style that your region does better than anywhere else? A brewery so uniquely designed that visitors won’t believe their eyes? Whatever your destination excels at, lean into it.

The reverse is true as well. Take the competition for luxury travelers. Destinations and brands want luxury travelers and the dollars they have the potential to spend. But if a destination doesn’t offer a wealth of true luxury products and experiences, the traveler will leave feeling like they were sold a narrative that didn’t live up to expectations.

Whether you’re storyboarding a campaign video or putting together a pitch to travel media, avoid turning the exercise into a checklist designed to cover every stakeholder’s ask. It’s better to focus on what your destination does well than to try to own every space and risk not delivering. Every stakeholder will benefit from a visitor having a great experience.

When It Comes to Press, Personalized is Best

We all know that personalizing pitches is essential. The same is true for press FAMs and media invitations. Group press tours have been a staple of the industry for years and still have their place. However, allowing for personalization is key to having the media engage and understand the destination. Do you have people at your property or destination that can foster that deeper level of connection? Include them in your press tour and introduce them directly to the media. Offer structure with your itineraries but leave room for exploration and discovery. Even in a group tour setting, you don’t want everyone to have the exact same experience. Moreover, editors don’t want to see competing outlets all publishing different versions of the same story in the same time frame.

As PR professionals, we know the value of good storytelling, and when you dig deep, every destination has a unique story to tell. If your destination or brand struggles to figure out how to tell that story, resist the urge to ride the tide of what everyone else is doing and reach out to experts who can help you stand out like a mountain against the flat landscape.

This article was originally published in the July, 2024 O’Dwyer’s Travel & Tourism issue.

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