A Starter Guide to Cross-Cultural Tourism Marketing

Selling Experiences Across Cultures

According to the World Tourism Organization, 1.5 billion people travelled internationally last year. Tourism is “a leading and resilient economic sector”, which is growing at a higher rate than the global economy.

If we want to take a look at how technology has changed our everyday lives and expanded our horizons, we should look no further than the tourism sector. For instance, digital platforms have changed sales for this sector. Today, tourists can book hotels, tours and flights, all in a single website. A process that used to take weeks of research, and the intervention of a travelling agency is now far simpler.

Marketing has also changed dramatically. Social media has made it possible for destinations to be shared and promoted by millions of travellers. User-generated content is an organic and decentralized form of promotion that has been proven key to the industry. And, it also opens up the opportunity to attract large numbers of international travellers without a proportional investment.

But, when we do coordinate marketing efforts to attract internationals, how can we communicate with them if they don’t speak our language? For starters, you shouldn’t try to address everyone at once. The most successful marketing efforts are those that are precisely targeted. Begin by attracting demographics who are geographically close to the destination – or that are already visiting you.

Understand what attracts tourists to your destination, and don’t neglect the emotional dimension of tourism. What are you selling? Peacefulness and natural beauty? Adventure? A mythical cultural scene? What do tourists look for in your destination? In the tourism sector, translation and localization are key practices. Without native translators and cross-cultural consultants, marketing tourism and hospitality would be an odyssey.

Acknowledging cross-cultural differences is crucial. It will allow you to connect with international travellers in their terms, and it will improve the tourists’ experience once they arrive. Marketing is always an exercise in empathy. And even more so in the case of tourism.

In this free ebook, we will explore the steps you need to take to design an effective international marketing plan in the tourism industry. Plus, we will take a look at a success story, and derive some actionable tips that you can apply to your business.