Recommendations shared on social media have a big impact on our decision-making. This applies also when it comes to travel where posts by famous personalities play a key role. They share their travel experiences on their channels: either spontaneously or as part of paid partnerships... all to inspire their followers to visit new places. But according to Dr Markéta Novotná, an expert on travel and tourism, influencers can harm some destinations.
Influencers with a large number of followers can raise awareness of a destination, make it more popular and attract many more people to it. A viral post can trigger an immediate increase in visitors, but the destination may not be ready for such a burden. If the place is already popular, it will only exacerbate its already existing overtourism problems. Places that are iconic and a "must see" tend to be under great pressure. Promotion that is spontaneous e.g. on Instagram exacerbates this assumption and, in many cases, goes against the official marketing strategy of the actual destination.
There are many tourist attractions that have been ruined as a result of popularity on Instagram. The most commonly quoted example is Thailand's famous Maya Bay. Sharing cool photos didn't help Austria's Hallstatt or Italy's Venice either. This uncontrolled promotion, over which the destination itself has no control, may not only be related to influencers. It also applies to places that have appeared, for example, in a film, TV series or music video. This is the case of Dubrovnik, Croatia, where Game of Thrones was filmed. Iceland's Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon was made famous by Justin Bieber in his music video. A similar example can also be found in the Czech Republic: the flooded Janičův vrch quarry in Mikulov, where the characters from the Vinaři series used to go swimming, was facing problems with a sharp increase in visitors.
Destinations can mitigate the negative consequences of unwanted marketing by using various tools. On the one hand, they can try to educate visitors and divert their interest to lesser-known areas. One example of an educational activity is the Unhashtag Vienna initiative, which encourages visitors to enjoy memorable moments and keep them in their memory. This is the only way they will experience the real Vienna and not #Vienna via their smartphone.
Some well-known tourist destinations have to resort to stricter measures such as restricting access or introducing entry fees for crowded locations. The residents of Hallstatt came with an interesting countermeasure: they managed to deter some potential visitors by partially blocking the best viewpoint with a wooden fence, where the masses used to take photos.
One example of influencers working with a destination is the German National Tourist Board's Rajzujeme (“we travel”) campaign. Czech influencers were also involved to promote German cities near the Czech border after the coronavirus crisis. A similar marketing campaign was also created thanks to the cooperation of the destination company South Bohemia with the Czech travel influencer Veronika Bernard, who shared her recommendations and experiences on her social media while exploring destinations.
A well-chosen marketing campaign involving a social media personality can have a number of benefits for a destination such as an increase in off-season visitor numbers or boosting sustainable travel. Such collaboration can provide inspiration and show ways to travel with respect for locals and the environment. Emphasis is placed on promoting real experiences that can be lived in a given place without, for example, breaking the law or otherwise taking risks in order to take pictures. This allows destinations to present themselves in the realistic manner and not raise unrealistic expectations that might frustrate visitors. This coordinated and responsible approach is the opposite of the trend where some individuals take photos and videos just to get attention and likes, often at the expense of authenticity and safety.
While social media are a great source of travel ideas, what matters most are our personal experiences with new places, cultures and people. We need to be responsible and respect them. This means for example following local rules and standards of behaviour, trying to minimise our negative impact on the environment and buying from local retailers.
Dr. Markéta Novotná is an assistant professor at the Department of Regional Economics. Her research is focused on sustainable development and consumer behaviour from the perspective of regional economics. She also participates with her students in the popularisation of sustainable tourism at such events as the Researchers’ Night or through the activities of the MjUNI Children's University.
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