All of those efforts; however, start in a place’s own hometown and mean little unless local stakeholders are as interested in welcoming and fostering tourism as the local visitor and convention board.
Our research into destinations’ local encouragement and education campaigns found that many organizations are using similar techniques. They ask locals to invite their friends and family to visit as well as identify associations interested in events and conventions. They work directly with hotels, restaurants and attractions to make them aware of the most current offerings and share information about upcoming meetings.
Engaging Locals
In addition to looking for visitors and evangelists outside of their own zip code, destinations are starting to ask their own residents for help in promoting the area for leisure travel and events.
