How-To-Guide To Access International Tourism Markets (Q&A Style)
Tapping into international tourism markets is complex. Destinations and companies not only have to deal with physical distance but also with cultural distance and trust.
However, attracting international tourism markets is important for many reasons:
There are more options to target niches that match the destination’s development goals.
Exchange with different cultures enriches the development of the host communities.
Visitors from stronger economies have attractive budgets to spend.
The Problem With The Usual Approach
When people, the media, or politicians think about attracting international tourism, they usually think about two things.
The first is building infrastructure or some sort of attraction. And the second is getting budget for marketing.
This phenomenon in tourism is known as the “cargo cult”.
The cargo cult refers to how people and destinations imitate the most visible aspects (such as infrastructure or marketing) of cases that they deem successful.
But this superficial approach ignores the underlying processes that actually led to the outcomes that a destination is trying to emulate.
As a result, destinations and companies get very poor outcomes, which undermines trust in tourism as a tool for development and well-being.
And yes, infrastructure and marketing are part of the process. But attracting international tourism starts with, and requires, other capabilities.
For example, the capacity to coordinate different stakeholders from the local to the international level.
My How-To-Guide To Access International Markets
Here are four questions, in the forms of a process, to access international tourism markets and how to do it.
1. What Is The Best International Market For You?
The short answer is: the one that suits your destination development goals.
Destinations and tourism companies do not simply aim at receiving visitors.
The underlying motivation is the promise of tourism to improve the lives of those involved in it.
Improvement could mean different things: better income, cultural exchange, environmental preservation, job opportunities, personal growth, or all of them together.
In any case, given the volume of international travelers, the good news is that there is plenty of room for any destination to attract the type of tourism they need.
So, it is not a matter of “if” there will be a market for a given destination. The current matter is “what market” a destination wants to attract.
Therefore, destinations should not start with the question, “which countries do we want to receive visitors from?” (typically, the USA, Germany, or UK are the targets).
Instead, destinations should start with the question: “what is the the profile of the visitor that matches the type tourism we want to develop?”
How to profile your desired type of visitor.
Here is an example of what a concrete visitor profile description could look like:
A visitor with 3 to 5 days available for the visit.
Interested mainly on natural heritage combined with cultural activities;
An experienced traveler who values authenticity and diversity;
Looking for non-massive experiences in non-traditional destinations;
Interested in personalized and flexible itineraries;
Cognizant of context, sustainability, and social responsibility;
In an age range between 30 and 60 years;
A traveler with a university or professional education;
Able to speak English or Spanish.
Whatever the profile you describe, it must resonate with the type of tourism the destination wants. This is fundamental to guiding efficient strategies.
Now you can continue asking yourself: “In which countries can I find these profiles?”, “Which source markets are closer?”, “Which are easier to reach?", and so on.
2. Why Would Visitors Choose You?
A brief answer is: because they are aware that you provide what they are looking for.
We live in a digital world with too much information. In this context, international travel influence is challenging and complex.
So, how to let your desired visitors know you are the perfect match for them?
It all comes down to using the right channels.
For this, you do not need expensive marketing or complex strategies to reach international potential visitors.
Thanks to social platforms and online tools, it is possible, on a really small budget or just using your current resources, to laser-target any type of international niche.
And although paid online advertising is advisable, that is not totally indispensable.
The key is that you create content pieces that are relevant to your dream visitors.
Such pieces can be: social media posts, article-like blog posts, multi-day detailed itineraries with practical suggestions, or similar content.
Nevertheless, this does require consistency in terms of message, frequency, and being active on social platforms, publishing relevant content, and interacting.
With time, you will grow an audience engaged with your content who has naturally approached you instead of you trying to sell them anything.
And if you also run paid marketing campaigns, they must amplify the content you are already sharing.
How to create and distribute relevant content.
There are many online tools with a lot of free functionalities to create, centralize, and distribute content.
I recommend Wix.com. It has a free version, is a no-code platform that is really easy to use, though powerful, and has all the tools you need in one place.
But regardless of the tool you use, you should start by having a blog where you centralize and publish your content.
Also, make sure your blog has, at least, social network sharing functionalities. This will allow you to push your content to your social accounts (e.g., Facebook, X, LinkedIn, etc.)
Start by sharing your content on one social platform. Choose the one that makes more sense to you. Stay consistent, and grow from there.
Another option is reaching out to professional content creators, with established travel related platforms, to help you out creating and distributing your content on a targeted way.
A great example of this is Untraveled.com. A platform devoted to helping lesser-known, uncrowded destinations attract international responsible tourism.
3. What Marketing Budget Do You Need?
Quick answer: less than you imagine, but none will suffice without the right capabilities.
As discussed, you might not need to spend on paid advertising at all when you consistently publish relevant content on social media and grow an audience.
Gone are the days when the only way to reach international markets was through costly traditional methods.
Those methods include: a partner at the target market (either a public relations firm or a travel agency), attending trade fairs, or paying expensive ads in billboards and magazines.
And although such methods are still valid, in contrast, online and social media platforms offer great advantages:
Highly affordable campaigns customized to your budget.
No need to travel to create relationships of trust.
Laser-target who to serve your ads to.
Tracking your campaigns' results.
Usually, “lack of budget” is the favourite argument from governments and companies to explain poor results in attracting international visitors.
Guess what? Consistent online content distribution offers a free alternative and paid online marketing offers a very affordable option.
Moreover, research drawing upon 48 years of data shows that among 46 barriers for international tourism market access, lack of budget for marketing was not even in the top ten barriers, showing up only on position 20.
How To Do International Promotion On A Tight Budget
Perhaps you have a very limited or no marketing budget at all for international.
No need to panic.
As discussed before, we mostly need time and consistency to grow an online global audience for our destination.
Actually, research and experience show that the top 3 factors for international market access relate to other things than marketing budgets, and they are:
Capacity to perform collective initiatives;
Well-define target markets (based on the type of tourism you want, read above); and
Implement and sustain efficient processes.
And this is why no marketing budget will suffice when essential capabilities are not present.
So, here is when key players at the destination, or the so-called “ochestrators”, make the difference.
The role of orchestrator can be played by different stakeholders. For example, public destination management organizations, private enterprises, or even individuals.
When skilled enough, orchestrators can facilitate their networks to mobilize resources towards a collective goal.
Such goals can include content creation, strategic online marketing, and deploying booking means to reach the target markets.
Another way to attract international tourism on a tight budget is through professional agencies specializing on online tourism marketing.
One recommended case is Herrmannglobal.com, based in the USA and Europe.
They have long experience with highly efficient marketing campaigns customized to the destination size.
In any case, look for agencies that place the emphasis on understanding the reality of the destination first. Only then decide on partnering with them based on your budget.
4. How Will Visitors Book You?
Short answer: you have to deploy the means to book your destination.
Many destinations think that accessing international markets ends at the marketing or publishing stage.
And they leave everything to the hope that people will see the adds / content and will visit.
But there is a big difference between “being aware of” and actually “taking action” to visit a destination.
Taking action means your audience get their credit cards out and book either an all-inclusive tour, or at least the flight or the hotel.
So, wait one more second before running your marketing, or renting a spot in the next international trade show.
Just make sure your destination or your partners have the means in place for the desired type o
f visitors to book their trip.
How To Deploy Booking Means
Wherever your content is published, online or printed, make sure you include information for the reader on how to take the next step to visit you.
Do not just publish your content or send your marketing message and leave the audience guessing: “ok, and now what?”
A basic way to guide your audience, is to include the contact details or links to specific service providers (e.g. transportation, attractions, hotels, etc.) or to all inclusive tour operators selling your destination.
A more sophisticated way is including links or QR codes to online booking platforms that sell online services or tours to your destination.
Currently there are many online booking solutions, for all sizes of companies and destinations.
Most likely, several tour operators and service providers at your destination already use an online booking solution connected to some type of online marketplace. Ask them about it.
You can also just google “booking system for tours and activities” or "travel and tourism online marketplaces" to learn more.
A concluding message for tourism practitioners.
Attracting international tourism demands leadership and coordination among stakeholders.
These are competencies where no technology, not even artificial intelligence, can easily substitute a proactive tourism practitioner.
Therefore, there exists a significant opportunity for tourism practitioners with orchestration skills to become an indispensable asset for true tourism success.
This is because many tourism stakeholders, mostly in the public sector, do not know how to improve their capacity to access international tourism markets.
If you are in the position to facilitate the actions of stakeholders, you are the one who can bring about a change.
Want to Dive Deeper?
If you want to learn more about how to access international tourism markets, consider checking out the course Attract The Tourism You Want.
This 60-minute course shows you how to understand tourism from a refreshed perspective. It equips you with the tools to plan and act in a practical way. And empowers you to develop the most beneficial type of tourism for you and your destination, in a sustainable and profitable way.
Join and learn how to Attract The Tourism You Want.
Summary
1.What is the best international market for you?
...the one that suits your destination’s development goals.
2. Why would visitors choose you?
...because they are aware that you provide what they are looking for.
3. What marketing budget do you need?
...less than you imagine, but none will suffice without the right capabilities.
4. How will visitors book you?
....you have to deploy the means to book your destination.
And remember that success in tourism is not just to bring more visitors, at whatever cost.
A successful tourism practitioner is the one who uses tourism as an effective means for personal well-being and for the development of host communities, while providing enriching experiences to visitors.
That is all for today.
I hope you find inspiring ideas in this article.
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