Have Twitter, Will Travel
by Rachael Collier
According to The Economic Times, some countries have been slow to grasp the power of Twitter to draw tourism to their shores. With notable accounts such as @Israel, @Barbados, and @Sweden, it seems Twitter is indeed the new frontier for promoting travel and new business to one’s country.
Some governments are using Twitter to unearth new wonders to eager travelers, primarily by using the medium to push traditional branding; notable examples include Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and New Zealand. But is this what The Economic Times means by having a country-representative presence on social media? Where is the engagement?
As The Economic Times states, “Three out of five country accounts are either protected, dormant, inactive, or suspended and almost half of the 71 remaining active accounts are tweeting an automated news feed broadcasting news about the country.” You’d expect more governments and tourism organizations to make the most of the medium.
It will be interesting to see how developing nations utilize social media from a cost perspective. Twitter in particular is inherently cost-effective and has global visibility. Never mind its ability to help generate revenue through tourism. Twitter has the potential to be the ultimate equalizer in media exposure, connecting people to more destinations and spreading an appreciation for less-explored nations.
Over time, we will all see the payoff in having access to branded, informative and responsive government tourism organizations on Twitter. The question is, why in the world aren’t more countries already on board?
Photo Credit: Green Growth 2050