The document discusses using storytelling and social media to market responsible tourism offerings. It argues that storytelling helps cut through the noise, delivers a deeper impression, and differentiates offerings. The key is to communicate the experience first before mentioning responsible tourism. Case studies show how organizations like Hostelling International and G Adventures use social media to tell stories that highlight their responsible tourism impacts and benefits to local communities. The document encourages tourism marketers to experiment with social media to build depth, address environmental and social pillars, and have fun with storytelling.

1. Show, Don't Tell: How to Use Digital
Storytelling and Social Media to Market
Your Responsible Tourism Offering
Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott, Uncornered Market
UncorneredMarket.com
@UMarket
facebook.com/UncorneredMarket

2. Show, Don't Tell: How to Use Digital
Storytelling and Social Media to Market
Your Responsible Tourism Offering
Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott, Uncornered Market
UncorneredMarket.com
@UMarket
facebook.com/UncorneredMarket

3. How to Tell Your Responsible
Tourism Story…
Without Using the Words
“Responsible Tourism”

5. Roadmap
! Marketing Responsible Tourism:
the problem
! Storytelling: philosophy, business
case and approach
! The role of social media
! Case studies
Tweetable? @uMarket #RTClinics #ITBBerlin

6. What Business Are We In?
! Travel business?
! Experience business?
! Inspiration business?
! Differentiation business?

7. Framing the RT Problem
! 33% interested in environmental & socially responsible
tourism, but only 8% willing to pay more for
environmentally and socially responsible travel.
! 22% say that sustainability is among the top 3 factors,
while only 1/3 actually do book sustainable holidays

8. Backdrop: Too many messages
Too
many
messages…!
! Prospect, 6000 messages. Japan photo
Your
average
prospec-ve
customer
is
enduring
more
than
6000
adver-sing
messages
every
day

9. Storytelling: Why?
! Cuts through noise, helps customers retain message
! Delivers depth of impression
! Differentiator, not a commodity
! Goals:
! Plant the seed
! Change minds/Shift perception
! Story  Trust  Take action

10. Storytelling: What it is NOT
! A bullet list of sites, activites, or
amenities
! A mass distribution press release
! A bunch of statistics
! Fiction, making things up

11. What is Story?
! Story:
! An account, a telling of an
experience
! Does not need to be long form
! If experience is the new currency…
! Then storytelling is your bank

12. Storytelling Components & Techniques
! Show, don’t tell
! Involve characters
! Crux and conflict
! Emotional connection
! Multi-dimensional, taps multiple senses
! Pillars: People, Environment, Economy
! Communicates: what, but also how and why

13. Storytelling: Leading Questions
! Who is affected? And how?
! What is being done? How?
! Why is it important? (Is the community benefiting?)
! How can this impact a traveler’s experience?
Bangladesh Homestay

14. Storytelling for Responsible Tourism
! Communicate and market the experience first, not
“responsible tourism”
! Show why travelers benefit from choosing responsible
tourism: experience amplifier + feel good
! Travelers/stakeholders become part of the story, part of
solution.
! Effective storytelling = Greenwash killer

15. Why use social media?

16. Content and Context
Content is King
Context is Queen
Today: content without context = emperor
with no clothes

17. Case Study 1: Hosteling International
In Chicago, young people from Egypt, France, Germany, Morocco,
Tunisia, and the United States gathered together for the 7th IOU Respect
exchange, a program developed after September 11. This exchange
included two weeks of programs and activities focused on bridging
cultural divides and learning to approach the world and its people with
open minds.

18. Case Study 2: Morgan’s Rock, Nicaragua
For decades, sloths were nowhere to be seen in the
Morgan’s Rock area as the land had been cleared for a train
route and cattle farming. Thanks to reforestation, animals
have migrated back to their natural home. And this is where
– and how -- you’ll see them today.

19. Case Study 3: G Adventures, Cambodia
G
Adventures’
travelers
coming
through
Siem
Reap
make
a
stop
at
New
Hope.
All
the
money
from
the
sales
of
lunch
goes
to
New
Hope
and
its
work
in
the
local
community.
This
experience
oFen
comes
up
at
the
top
of
tour
feedback.

20. Leveraging Social Media Content

21. NO RECIPE FOR SOCIAL
MEDIA
EXPERIMENT!

22. Upshot & Take-aways
! Responsible Tourism isn’t a line item – build it in!
! Address all 3 pillars
! Use story as a differentiator
! Build depth of impression
! This is a human exercise
! Have fun!

23. Stay in touch…
Let’s continue the conversation. Connect with us on:
! UncorneredMarket.com
! Twitter: @UMarket
! Facebook: /UncorneredMarket
Thank you!