Pandemic resilience and sustainable tourism in content marketing

Sustainable tourism is all about survival for generations to come and it is not surprising, therefore, that tourism organizations who get this, really get this, have survived the pandemic. This is why we were able to feature so many of these businesses in our #TourismStrong series of films, highlighting not only what beacons of light in tourism they are during the best of times, but also how they managed to light up the dark times.  

As we prepare, with cautious optimism, to emerge from the pandemic and worldwide lockdown, story-driven content highlighting the resilient nature of sustainable tourism providers is a strong strategy right now. Here are some of our top tips on how to combine resilience with responsible tourism in your content, and drive high-value business back to your destination. 

Authenticity

Whatever story you tell, be authentic. If, as a result of the pandemic, you don’t have all the facilities that you had planned for this year, don’t be afraid to share this. Authenticity is about telling both the good stories and the trials you have undergone. In post-pandemic times, travelers will appreciate your being candid. The fact that you have survived is real enough and, if you have a tourism tale to tell, that’s a positive right now. 

Photo by GLP Films

Purpose 

The most important thing to understand is the purpose of any content you are creating. What story do you really need to tell and why? Are you hoping to inspire travel back to your destination? Or did your business/destination have such a hit financially that you need to ask for help or support from donors, or volunteers? You may want to highlight precautions taken to ensure health and safety, or vaccination policies on the ground - or you may just want to show that your community is strong, active and ready to say hello to the outside world again. 

Conflict or Challenge

Sometimes a story needs to be told urgently, even if it’s one that revolves around a conflict or challenge. Indeed, it’s worth thinking, what’s at stake if this story doesn’t get told? In our #TourismStrong series of films, for example, Angie Genade’s Rhino Fund Uganda and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary were completely self-sustaining thanks to wildlife tourism. But when tourists stopped coming, rhinos were at risk. The story is not only inspiring but its distribution also then enabled them to seek urgent funding to keep their sanctuary and rangers above water.  

People 

Choose the right people to communicate your story. At GLP, we know that character-led films work well to get an authentic message out there. You can have a cast of several people, of course, to make the story even more diverse. Whoever you choose, we have plenty of expertise in guiding which stories are strong and which characters can narrate them perfectly. 

Locations 

What will be the location for your story? Tourism films so often try to cover too many places, but with character-led storytelling we find that it works best to zoom in on a very specific region. This has worked really well, for example, in our films about Raja Ampat, a 1500-island archipelago in the heart of Indonesia’s Coral Triangle. Or Salkantay Inca Trail, one of the lesser-known trekking routes to Machu Picchu. Travelers want to go beyond the norm, and it’s time to show them these special places, if you want them to know about them that is. Sometimes, they are also best kept secret. 

Photo by GLP Films

Structure 

Give your story structure with a beginning, middle and end. For example, start off by introducing the challenges you faced during the pandemic, such as feeding your community or protecting wildlife.  Leverage your character(s) and his or her authentic voice as a lens to tell the story. Be sure to tell the story of resilience, the silver linings that presented themselves during the pandemic, opportunities that arose, changes of direction you might have to take, or new partnerships that are going to happen. Finally, bring it to a close with positive outcomes, and discuss what you have learned and how excited about the future you have ahead. 

Medium

In choosing a medium for your story, or stories, a short film is usually the best way to see your destination through your eyes, while also emotionally engaging your audience. If budgets are tight, and many are at the moment, stories can also be told in words, with strong images. 

Get in touch to learn more about how GLP can help with your COVID-19 tourism recovery plans.