I recently came across a story that almost blew my mind (The new OVERTOURISM debate). The gist is that some of the world’s top tourism destinations are having a debate over how much of a destination they really want to be.
More specifically, they’re discussing what kind of tourism they want moving forward, and that is the part that blew my mind. Think about it; we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic with uncertainty running rampant.
Many businesses worldwide are struggling for their survival and industries are trying to figure out how they make it through this crisis, including the Travel & Tourism Industry.
Having spent quite a few years as part of the Travel & Tourism Industry, I follow it closely. Much of the industry is trying to figure out how they recover and bring as much tourism to their destination as possible.
That’s always been the approach, right? Broad appeal and bringing the world to your doorstep as often as possible. Everyone is welcome and all the time.
And now, as we see hope on the horizon from this pandemic, cities, states and countries are getting picky about who they want visiting their destination, and even what amenities they want available to those visitors when they do visit.
The article calls out that in Amsterdam, the mayor wants to ban cannabis sales to tourists. In Hawaii local sentiment toward visitors is at historic lows, and in cruise ports from the Caribbean to Alaska, residents are pushing to ban large ships.
While my mind was a bit blown at all of this, the more I thought about it, the less surprising it really is.
The travel industry has been going this way for years-customized experiences for audiences to create meaningful connections with visitors, with the idea that those visitors would be more inclined to visit a place they love over and over.
Not a bad concept.
How much different is this, really? It’s the same concept, just focused on the residents and stakeholders within those destinations, and deciding what kind of experiences they want to provide visitors to their homes.
Now, as a quick aside, the crisis side of my brain starts to wonder how quickly these destinations will see backlash. The idea that some tourists aren’t welcome in these cities could turn in to a catastrophe, and certainly wouldn’t be good for their brands, but time will tell and we’ll see how these destinations move forward, if at all.
But more importantly, it’s a lesson that I think everyone out there can learn from.
There is no shortage of books and guides out there talking about operating from a place of abundance. Part of this mindset is the idea that we need to focus on what we have and what we truly need.
We can all look at this “overtourism” idea in our own lives. As a small business owner, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to bring on as many clients as possible and lose sight of working with people who align with what you want your company to be.
Brands can easily get caught up in trying to reach every single potential customer out there, instead of focusing on the ones that drive your business forward. Even social media teams can get caught up in pumping out content, but to what end and why?
Things have definitely slowed down for a lot of industries, but it looks like some within the Travel & Tourism Industry are using this as an opportunity to step back and recalibrate.
Maybe others should do the same?
I’d love to know if you’re hearing about others out there doing the same thing! Let me know.
And if you haven’t done so, sign up for our Strategic Thoughts newsletter, and check out some additional posts!
I’ve also been discussing how you can find success following the Coronavirus crisis through the RADD approach, which is Recognize, Adapt, Develop, and Deploy. Check out our previous posts to see how you can succeed with the RADD process:
– Get RADD And Plan For Success Following Coronavirus Crisis
– Prepare for Success and Get RADD, Part 1: Recognize
– Finding Success By Getting RADD, Part 2: Adapt
– Get RADD, Part 3: Develop Plans For Success
– Deploying Your RADD Communications Plan
Here are some recent posts to help as you create your Strategic Communications campaigns:
– Tips For Managing Unethical Communications Requests
– Internal Communications During A Crisis
– A Meaningful Message, Or Pandering Without Purpose
– Pitching Media Like The Pros
– Don’t Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of Effective
– Wake Up. Kick Ass. Repeat.
– How to Create Content That Engages Audiences and Builds Brand Trust Quickly
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