Getting content ready for the shoulder season in travel

Catherine Mack | August 5, 2021

Given there hasn’t exactly been a peak season for many destinations this year, it feels slightly odd to contemplate content for a shoulder season. It’s more of a case of shrugging shoulders for many in the tourism industry, as if to say ‘who knows what will happen?’ However, there is also a strong possibility that when the traditional summer season has passed, and the crowds have dispersed, those travelers who have been watching and waiting, getting vaxxed and waxed, are going to let their wanderlust go just a bit wild. Either way, you need to be content ready. Here are our top tips on creating content that gives a warm welcome, not a cold shoulder, to those who choose to travel during the off-peak seasons.

food and drink content

Food festivals in the fall are part of many northern hemisphere countries’ cultural heritage, when the grapes or grain are harvested, pumpkins are picked and just about everything is pickled. Attracting visitors to your region by showing off some engaging content of the growers’ goodies on offer, rather than just a list of fairs and festivities, will appeal not only to foodies but also hikers, cyclists or just road trippers who always want to eat. Read more in our article: Food tourism and content creation - a recipe that will be passed down through the generations.

shorter day trips

Travelers catch up on their city breaks during the shoulder season, having done the full-on outdoorsy thing when the sun is shining. In order to promote sustainable tourism during the shoulder season in cities, create content that encourages easy day trips from the city. Make it clear that these are accessible, not too long to take on in shorter daylight hours, and also lower on their carbon footprint. For example, you might consider creating short videos of a leading local guide taking visitors on a fall walk, a kayaker on moonlit outings, or an easy cycle on local trails, all of which should excite visitors to shake off any post-summer blues.

biodiversity is all year round

Your natural nirvanas don’t all go into hibernation in the shoulder season, but sometimes you just need a community expert to wake up visitors to all the biodiverse beauty in your area during this time. For example, you may be on a migratory route for birding fans, and a short video with a qualified birding guide who encourages everyone, not just birders, to get up for the dawn chorus, is excellent social media content. Coastal regions may have whale watching trips, such as in Newport Beach in California where you can see grey whales between December to April, and blue whales from May to November. Or if you are hiking in the likes of the Adirondacks, the moose come out to rut in the fall. Consult local regional flora and fauna experts to garner all the details, and don’t let your nature tourism content hibernate. 

Celebrating resilience and the return of tourism

In areas where your tourists are starting to return after the global lockdown, it’s a good time to create some video content that celebrates the resilience of your tourism providers, such as those who feature in our #TourismStrong series. In this quieter season, you may also want to consider taking time to make your visitors the main characters in some story-led content, especially those who are taking their first journeys out into the world again. You don’t have to rely on the likes of Tripadvisor to spread the word.

cultural festivals

The shoulder season is a superb time for arts, literary and music festivals, and yet they aren’t always given pride of place on destination websites. Content that captures the cultural leaders behind your festivals, from orchestras to operas, folk to film, not only attracts visitors but also empowers the artists making these events happen. There are many cultural events celebrating Black History Month in February, for example, but which are still underrepresented in mainstream tourism content. Leading the way in diverse and world-leading cultural events during Black History Month is the PDX Jazz Festival in Portland, Oregon. There are also many cultural events celebrating the Hindu Festival of Light, or Diwali, all around the world, which can be illuminated beautifully through quality content. The example below, from Auckland, New Zealand, celebrates not only the festival but also diverse and inclusive tourism. 

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