In an age where the affinities of the general public are influenced by content served on social networks, it’s a shame seeing a lot of businesses miss the chance to use social media as a marketing tool. The Tourist Board of Istria is a great example on how to create a successful campaign and attract thousands of future visitors, all the while keeping the region in the spotlight as a coveted destination.
In 2015, The Tourist Board started implementing a project called Share Istria, bringing together a large number of bloggers, travel writers, photographers, and other international authors with heavy social media presence to promote Istria worldwide. To mark the beginning of the new campaign season, the Tourist Board had a launching party in Hotel Nautica in Novigrad on 19 May, reports Glas Istre.
The participating social media influencers are required to have an online following of at least 50.000, some of them ranking way higher, exceeding a million followers. In 2015 and 2016, they were invited to spend a week in Istria each, and blog about the experience throughout the trip. The vacation was organised by the Tourist Board and included multiple wonderful itineraries taking the visitors around wine cellars, local taverns, olive oil tastings, organised schools of diving and sailing, truffle-hunting… Alternating bloggers travelling around Istria throughout the summer published a total of 13.000 posts about Istria on social networks, with a reach of 254 million users and over 3 million interactions online.
We’re living in a time where consumers change their behaviour and habits rapidly, making it an imperative for businesses to follow social media development and stay in touch with their targeted audience. The Tourist Board of Istria chose an innovative, attractive way of presenting their tourist offer, making sure to maintain a constant presence online. Judging by the yesterday’s ceremony and the gourmet delicacies already posted online, we’re headed for another promising season of the campaign!
