Can influencers save the travel industry from the woes of geotagging?
Geotagging drives foot traffic. Consider Horseshoe Bend, the sunflower fields of Bogle Seeds Farm, or the beaches of Boracay for examples of how GPS-located metadata on social media has the potential to skyrocket tourism to unmanageable heights while negatively affecting the local environment and community in the process. Some believe we are “loving nature to death.” We like to think of this as an opportunity to reflect on our travel and outdoor recreation habits and the motivations behind them in order to hopefully encourage others to travel and recreate responsibly. By tapping into social media influencers’ engaged and loyal audiences, we can get ahead of overtourism.
How to work with influencers to avoid a geotagging disaster
1. Seek out influencers that share your values
If your goal as a destination is to market your travel experience while preventing the detrimental effects of overtourism, then consider the type of traveler that you want to attract. Then, consider which instagrammers that person might be inclined to follow--those are the influencers that you should seek out. If one of your focuses is responsible destination management, your marketing partners should share those same values. The days of the influencer stereotype are gone -- nowadays, influencers come in all shapes and sizes. Seek out public land advocates, Leave No Trace (LNT) experts, environmental justice activists, science educators, outdoor adventurers and sustainable travel photographers. Influencers with sizable and activated social media audiences and who are mindful of the issues that are important to you are good candidates for a partnership.
Photo by Angela Liggs
2. Equip your influencer partners with the information they need
No one knows your destination better than you. If you’re tapping into influencers to help market your destination, share your knowledge with your influencer partners. Let them know where the most environmentally sensitive areas of your destination are and the locations you would prefer they avoid drawing attention to altogether. Additionally, you can request that influencers weave responsible travel best practices into the captions of the content they post, like adventure travel influencer Angela Liggs demonstrates in her post pictured above.
Related Content: Are Influencers an Effective Tool for Promoting Travel?
3. Encourage influencers to use generic geotags
Generic geotags remove the potential for any one place to receive more travelers than it can sustainably handle, while also inherently spreading awareness about the impacts of geotagging on a destination. The Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board’s latest marketing campaign has recently received media attention for its industry-leading effort to protect the region’s “highly ‘grammable” wild places. They implored influencers and non-influencers alike to use the generic geotag “Tag Responsibly, Keep Jackson Hole Wild” when posting photos from their trip to social media. Consider crafting a set of social media recommendations for influencers and travelers to employ during their visit. For some inspiration, visit The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics’ social media guidelines. Some influencers are taking matters into their own hands, and using their own influence as a force for good by making the deliberate choice not to geotag locations on their posts, like outdoor advocate and influencer Katie Boue (see below).
Photo by Katie Boue
4. Shift the Content Focus to Experiences Over Specific Places
As generic geotagging draws attention to a destination without giving away any specific locations, having influencers post content that features experiences or qualities of a destination can have the same effect. When working with influencers, request that they focus their social media content around the authentic experiences a traveler can enjoy anywhere in a destination. For example, travel influencer Marysia of My Travel Affairs Blog features Georgia from the perspective of its culture, food, and tradition without singling out just one restaurant, winery, or polyphonic choir. An additional consideration here might be to work with local influencers, since they’ll be most intimately familiar with a destination and will be able to speak to those experiences and je-ne-sais-quoi qualities more authentically.
Photo by @mytravelaffairs on Instagram
Related Content: New Video Campaign Reaches 5.7 Million in 2 Months
Looking Beyond Social Media Influencers in the Age of Overtourism
With influence comes responsibility and an ethical duty to wield that influence wisely. Work with content creators who recognize their role in helping to protect the people and places they showcase in their content, , and who have the desire and skillset to educate their audiences on the importance of adopting responsible travel practices.