Vacations have long been known as a time for retreat and relaxation. Today, many environmental concerns are encouraging people to immerse themselves into new settings to make a big difference in the world with their traveling dollars via sustainable travel, ecotourism.
Ecotourism: Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, to enjoy and appreciate the physical and accompanying cultural features (both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor footprint and provide socio-economic benefits to local people. (IUCN)
Whether you are thinking of offering ecotourism services or growing your already established travel company, we have some tips to help you boost your marketing efforts to promote your ecotourism company.
Burgeoning Ecotourism Market
Rules of ecotourism engagement:
Set by the International Ecotourism Society
- Minimize the impact of visiting the location (i.e., the use of roads)
- Build respect and awareness for the environment and cultural practices
- Ensure that tourism provides positive experiences for both the visitors and the hosts
- Provide direct financial aid for conservation
- Provide jobs, financial assistance, empowerment and other benefits for local peoples
- Raise the traveler’s awareness of the host country’s political, environmental and social climate
Learn from the Leaders
Although there are numerous ways to market your travel business successfully, what are people in ecotourism doing? Let’s take lessons from a remarkable ecotourism marketing leader: Journey Beyond Travel (JBT). The JBT team focuses on creating connections and providing content for the consumer at all stages of their ecotourism vacation buying journey.
The JBT team is comprised of former Peace Corps Volunteers and Staff that are eager to educate and transform the lives of people traveling to Morocco. They provide meaningful content through their blogs, eBooks, videos, online events, and social media. Their site serves as a platform for community building through a forum aimed at connecting “alumni travelers.” But it doesn’t stop there. A portion of the proceeds from each trip goes towards supporting foundations that benefit local Moroccans, including a Fair Trade Program in Morocco, High Atlas Foundation, Education for All, and the Village of Khemlia. This creates life-long connections and benefits far beyond the actual trip.
4 Major Things Niche Travel Agencies are Doing to Become Established Ecotourism Leaders
1.Starting the Conversation
Travel blogs have increasingly played a significant role in where people have decided to travel. Travel bloggers discuss their trips, experience, advice, and open the door to new ideas and adventures for their followers. People seek travel blogs to get a better grasp of what to expect on their vacations. The JBT team does a great job at this! Their blogs are comprised of content that supports a Moroccan trip including things to see, things to eat, things to know and why you should visit. With your knowledge and experience, you could be setting the bar high and developing the trust of your customers before you even meet them by hiring a team of bloggers dedicated to starting the conversation around the trips that your travel agency offers.
2. Sharing Their Ideas on Pinterest
Pinterest is another key platform for reaching prospective eco-travelers. People use Pinterest to map out vacation ideas and learn what to expect. The JBT team is active on Pinterest with 25 boards. Their Pinterest page drives vacation searches for anyone considering a trip to Morocco. Pinterest helps JBT to leverage education with and market their visual message. Join the conversation. Or better yet, start your own discussion, harness your existing ideas, and share why your eco-travel services are such a value to people considering an enlightened vacation.
3. Building a Community Based on a Love for Ecotourism
Community building is an excellent marketing tool for most businesses, especially when it comes to travel, and exponentially so with eco-travel. We can learn from the JBT team about the power of establishing and nurturing a community platform for future travelers, current travelers, and former travelers. By creating a travel forum, the JBT team inspires a feeling of unity, establishes trust, and allows for an opportunity to maintain a connection and offer future travel packages. Building a forum will give your audience a platform where they can share, suggest, advise each other while also giving you an opportunity to listen to your previous travelers and make future marketing decisions based on the information you gather. The people on your forum are your biggest promoters, they’ve booked, they’ve enjoyed, and now they are sharing amazing memories, videos, and pictures.
4. Creating a Unique Content Strategy
You already know what makes your company great, but does your audience? Like JBT, develop a content strategy that sets you, your travel destination, and your team apart! What is your team’s background? Why are you so passionate about eco-tourism? Did you stumble upon an “ah-ha!” moment of your own? JBT creates e-books, articles, videos, brochures, newsletters and so much more. They know they’re amazing at their specialty and are utilizing multiple channels to make sure their audience has access to them.
Need Help?
We’re a team of environmental professionals and educators who believe in a sustainable future for traveling. Just like you, we understand the power of effective marketing. We offer educational content marketing and specialize in environmental education. For more information on creating an effective marketing strategy for your unique company, contact us below!
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