Top tips on how to market resilience in a tourism destination after a crisis

Laura Knudson & Hilary Lewkowitz | Updated June 03, 2021

We’ve all seen it, even in pre-pandemic times, a destination experiences a tragedy - natural disasters, war or political issues. Then global media outlets start to spread the word, bookings decrease and tourism drops dramatically. Negative and sometimes inaccurate press about whether tourists should go to a destination or not can be a challenging uphill battle. However, content marketing can very quickly provide solutions to change global traveler perceptions during such times, getting the message out there quickly that a destination is "open for business."

Several regions around the world have dealt with misperceptions of tourism readiness. In September 2017, for example, the Caribbean was hit by a series of deadly and destructive hurricanes. A small number of islands were impacted very severely: Maartens, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica and St. Barts. However, even though 70% of the Caribbean less affected by the hurricane were able to bounce back to business very quickly, these islands still suffered from tourism numbers dropping off.


“For many small island states, tourism is the dominant sector of the economy. When a natural disaster hits, this economic bloodline is cut off and that has a ripple effect on all aspects of society. Hence, getting visitors back as soon as possible is essential. But it is a chicken and egg dilemma - with limited tourism offerings, fewer visitors will come, and when fewer visitors come, there is little incentive for tourism offerings.” - Arno Boersma, UNDP Centre of Excellence for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States

Get the message out loud and clear

So, how can you quickly and effectively get the message out to the global travel community that a destination is still “open for business” even if it is still in a state of recovery? The key to changing perceptions is a strategic distribution plan driven by story-driven content marketing.

Character-Driven Storytelling 

When looking to share a message of strength and resilience in the aftermath of a crisis, the best place to start is with the communities and people impacted. These emotionally-charged stories of real people will not only tell an anecdote of resilience, but they create deep connections with your audience. Our #TourismStrong series of short films, created during the COVID-19 pandemic, does exactly this. Emotionally engaging content is the best way to stand out, pull your audience in, and connect them with your product. 


“When the pandemic happened, it was like the first descent of a river. No one had ever navigated it before. But if you’re able to, protect your community, protect your neighbors.” - Rafael Gallo, Rios Tropicales, Costa Rica

Keep it real

The ultimate goal being to drive business back to the destination. It is important to note that your stories need to be truthful and authentic. You can’t paint a pretty picture and make it appear that things are ready for business if they are not. So, be sure that your stories of strength and resilience are authentic, even if it takes a little longer to let a story fully develop and ensure the destination is truly ready for travelers.

HERE ARE OUR TOP TIPS ON TELLING YOUR BEST STORIES OF RESILIENCE:

  1. Authenticity - Whatever story you tell, be authentic. That means telling both the good and the bad. Your audience will appreciate honesty, and faking it will only hurt your business in the long run.

  2. Purpose - Before choosing your stories, identify why you are telling them. Are you hoping to inspire travel to your destination? Do you need to ask for help or support from companies, partners, donors, conservationists or volunteers? Or do you need to inform your audience of safety on the ground?

  3. Conflict or Challenge - What is at stake if this story doesn’t get told? What is the challenge or problem that your story will try to solve? And why should your audience care about it? For example, endangered sea turtle species lost critical habitat for nesting in the Caribbean during the hurricanes and, without intervention, volunteers and donor populations would have plummeted. The rescue mission was clear.

  4. People - Perhaps the most important piece of your story will be the characters or people in it. Ideally you should work with local people and communities as the characters in your story since they’ll provide the most authentic voice to guide your audience. Think also about ways in which you can empower women from the local community in your travel content.

  5. Locations - Determine the locations for your story. Which communities, businesses, or other natural heritage locations will provide the best setting? The locations should make sense for the context of the story and provide engaging but real visuals.

  6. Structure - Organize the story into a real plot with a start, middle and end. Start off by introducing the conflict or challenge; leverage your characters as a lens to tell the story; tell the story of resilience; and, finally, share the solutions.

  7. Medium - Video is the best way to capture and emotionally engage your audience. However, if you’re managing a tight budget, the story can take the form of an article with supplementary photography or video, to be shared on social media and other outlets.

“People don’t know a lot about Kosovo. They just know about the war. And we need to change this side of things.” - Nol Krasniqi, local mountain guide, Kosovo.

Distribution of Your Story with Earned Media

Once you have produced your story content, you need to make sure your intended audience sees it. The most cost-effective type of distribution is earned media. Earned media is coverage or placement on third party websites that is organic and not paid for, and therefore generally more trusted by your audience. Earned media placements help you build trust with your audience and provide tremendous value for awareness of your brand. Securing earned media relationships requires a thoughtful and strategic approach that takes time, but is free, can lead to a broader reach, and introduce your brand to new audiences.

So, how do you get your story out there?

  1. Know your target audience - It is important to narrow down your target audience. Don’t look at the entire global travel market. Instead, focus on the niche of travelers that best align with the products of your destination.

  2. Develop a hit list - Create a list of media outlets that line up with your target audience. Take the time to build relationships with editors and media contacts, or work with an experienced content marketing agency that can help you develop and manage a media strategy.

  3. Perfect your pitch - The pitch is your unique and authentic story, and not a sales pitch. Media outlets are interested in content that engages their audience. Put yourself in the editor’s shoes and ask, why does this story need to be told? And why now? Note that media outlets want stories that are timely, newsworthy, and unique. So tailor your pitch.

  4. Engage an expert travel writer who knows your destination and its issues.

“The pandemic - it came from nowhere. Literally from nowhere. It could have been a bushfire that burnt the lodge down. It was that drastic, that fast and that catastrophic.” - Nicky Fitzgerald, CEO and owner, Angama Mara Lodge, Kenya.