At social events and online people often ask me, why India? And they mean, What is it about India that keeps drawing you back?
I blog about India because of the pink sunsets in Delhi; the hypnotic rhythm of the Ganga, the country’s most sacred river; the pulsating stars above the sand dunes in the desert outside of Jaisalmer; the glittering string of fishermen’s lights at night on the black Arabian Sea off the coast of Kerala; the intense air of mad, joyful sanctity that permeates festivals and spiritual gatherings; the rich chaos of Indian markets and bazaars; and the incredible warmth of the people.
India is my muse. I love the adventure of travel in India and I never get bored. India is immensely diverse — it is the 7th largest country in size, the second largest in population and it changes from state to state as much as Europe does from country to country. Rajasthan is as different from Tamil Nadu as Greece is as different from Germany.
But the question, why blog about India? Or, why blog only about India is a good one, too — and I am surprised I am not asked very often. I am also surprised there are not more destination-specific bloggers. I know of a few — for example, Jessica Spiegel (@italylogue) on Italy; Samantha Brown (@babyexpat)/ Stuart McDonald (@travelfish) on Southeast Asia — but not many.
I do not blog about India for strategic reasons, but I have found there are some very distinct advantages to destination-specific blogging that make it a sound strategy. Here’s my top five:
1. Relationships. Over the years I’ve been going to India, I’ve built up a strong network of people within the Indian Ministry of Tourism, and among travel and tour operators, hoteliers, Indian writers and bloggers and the media; and I have carved a niche for myself in the Indo-Canadian community in Toronto, my hometown. (Toronto is home to the second largest Indian Diaspora outside of India.) Ultimately, business is all about relationships, so it pays to build and nurture them.
2. Profile. If you blog about one place — or one aspect of travel — you can build up a profile as an authority, which is great for marketing, PR and for business and writing opportunities. There are some great examples of this in the travel blogging world — people like Janice Waugh and solo travel (@solotraveler), David Lee and backpacking (@rtwdave), Dave and Deb and adventure travel (@theplanetd), Evelyn Hannon and women (@journeywoman), Anil Polat and technology (@foxnomad). And on and on.
3. Competition. Quick, how many travel bloggers can you name? Now, how many India travel bloggers can you name? Or Italy? Having less competition can help your SEO efforts, your “memorability” and your ability to attract sponsors and advertisers (see below).
4. Opportunities. Blogging about a specific region can be very good for business. It can give you a competitive advantage and the ability to offer advertisers and sponsors access to a specific target market. It can also increase your chances of going on press trips and working with tourism boards in that region. And you can develop partnerships with booking services, hotels, travel and tour operators, airlines, etc.; and get a commission on any travel booked through your site.
5. Cultural immersion. Blogging about one region gives you the opportunity to really get to know it and potentially cross the cultural divide. Some people argue that there is no such thing as authentic travel, but I think there is — though when you experience it you are no longer a tourist or traveler; you are an ex-pat or resident. I live part of the year in Delhi with an Indian family, as one of the family. It’s given me a unique and privileged window into Indian culture.
Of course, there are downsides to destination-specific blogging — just as there are to any niche blogging. You are somewhat limited by your destination focus, but there are ways around this. Your blog will no doubt also have underlying themes and values — you may feel strongly about eco-tourism or backpacking; or perhaps you love luxury travel or volunteering — and you can blog about these topics.
My blog is also about long-term, solo, spiritual, female and meaningful (or respectful or authentic) travel and I find ways to cover these topics and extend my subject matter and reach. For example, I recently launched an e-newsletter called Travel That Changes You that’s about meaningful travel, wherever it takes place. When I was thinking of launching it, I asked Chris Guillebeau (@chrisguillebeau) about it and he said, “An e-newsletter that appeals to all those people who bought Eat, Pray, Love? Great idea!”
Ultimately, I blog about India because it is such an inspiring destination; and because getting to know India and Indian culture had been one of the great adventures of my life.
Note: Thanks to Gary Arndt (@Everywheretrip) for inspiring this article.
Do you have a destination-specific blog? Let us know below…
Post Revisions:
- 20 December, 2011 @ 5:38 [Current Revision] by Mariellen Ward
- 17 October, 2011 @ 9:53 by John O'Nolan
- 17 October, 2011 @ 9:53 by Alastair McKenzie
- 17 October, 2011 @ 9:52 by Alastair McKenzie
- 17 October, 2011 @ 9:52 by Alastair McKenzie
- 17 October, 2011 @ 9:38 by Alastair McKenzie
- 17 October, 2011 @ 9:38 by Alastair McKenzie
Really interesting post. Totally agree with you Mariellen. But then I would say that, wouldn’t I?
Hehe, I was thinking of you, Annie, when I first read it! And Tom Aylmer http://www.tomschinablog.com/ and Laurel at http://myexpatgermany.com
I’d certainly hazard a guess that focused expertise on one area is where the money is…
Oh there’s loads of great examples. From Canada there’s http://annekostalas.blogspot.com/ & Judy’s http://roadstories.ca/ On Europe, there’s Alex Roe’s http://italychronicles.com/ and NZ based John Reese’s http://www.blog.france.co.nz/. This made me wonder though Mariellen, the expats have an obv advantage here, so what do you do to tip the balance in your favour?
Thanks for the mention, and I couldn’t agree more with the benefits you mentioned.
When I arrived in Medellin, Colombia almost 3 years ago, I instantly knew I wanted to spend time there — a lot of time. I looked to see if there were any authoritative blogs for the city on Google, and didn’t find any (just a bunch of older static sites that were poorly designed for AdSense).
That’s when http://MedellinLiving.com – my first destination specific blog, was born. And while it has taken some time for Colombia’s tourism dept to pick up on all the passionate bloggers writing about the country, there has been progress, and I think collectively, we’ve had a big impact on the increase in tourism the last few years.
ooh, another one… Darren Cronian’s ‘My Life in Leeds’ http://www.mylifeinleeds.co.uk/ Hard to get more destination-specific than that!
Thanks for the comments, and the sites you mention. I know there are other destination specific blogs, but they are in the minority compared to the many travel blogs published.
Dave, that’s a great example. A lot of destinations have been slow to catch on to the power of travel blogging. My destination, India is certainly one; and they could really use the help as a lot of people are nervous about traveling to India. Just yesterday, I got this email: “Hello Mariellen, I’m really enjoying your site. I have a real desire to go to India but fear of being in over my head is stopping me. Hopefully reading more of your experiences will provide me with some encouragement.”
Seeing someone like me — female, over-40, professional — traveling around India alone can do more for tourism in India than an advertisement with a picture of the Taj Mahal (nothing against the Taj Mahal — it is even more glorious in real life and blows away pretty much everyone’s expectations).
Great write up Mariellen and thanks for the mention. I totally agree with you about the benefits of destination specific travel. With all the general travel blogs out there it is important to have a strong identifiable niche. You have done an amazing job of being the authority on India and when people are searching for information on that country they come to you.
To elaborate on Jools suggestions, an amazing Canada Specific blog is http://www.ibackpackcanada.com it won the Canada Tourism Award for best Canadian Travel Blog.
Sorry for delay Deb. Just found this comment in spam folder
I believe that right now, the best way to monetize a site is by having a geographic focus (Italy, India, Toronto, etc). Not a demographic focus (women, singles, families, etc)
I am often asked questions by people about trips they want to take. I will often refer them to someone with a destination specific site, even if I had been there before. They will almost certainly know more about the destination than I will.
The vast majority of people I know who are making a living from travel sites are doing so with destination specific sites.
To add on to that, I think the location that’s chosen can make a big difference with regard to the potential money that can be earned (or at least how fast the blogger can start cashing in).
Colombia is ages behind Western countries in terms of blogging, online business and ecommerce.
When local businesses in Medellin contact me about advertising, they think in terms of Colombian pesos, whereas I value the space on my site in terms of US Dollars. A Colombian blogger told me they can’t even use PayPal, and I’m certainly not going to be taking taxis around town to collect payments!
There might be more competition to become an authority in countries like Italy, or cities like New York, but I’d venture to guess there’s also a lot more money on the table for those that can do so.
I agree with Gary but covering a continent or large country like the US is much more of a challenge and would advise to go as local as you can, but do your research to make sure people are searching for keywords around that destination. It is also important to write a mix of inspirational, informational and transactional content.
While I do blog about various destinations, I blog primarily about New Zealand. And I have found that many people get referred to me since I’ve written so much about the country already. So yes, I would definitely support the claim that destination-specific blogging can be a smart route. I kind of wish I would have started a NZ-centric site to begin with!
This comes back to the discussions we were having at TBU Innsbruck – Niche blogging not only allows you to become an expert in your field but from a PR/marketing perspective it means that you can be far more targeted when pitching to tourist boards and travel companies for support – you are talking to their market and may be able to prove return on investment to them far better than a blogger engaging with a range of travel markets. Ultimatley, if you’re looking to monetise your blog destinaton/ niche blogging is the way forward. Great article Marriellen.
It’s like you guys know me! I’ve spent the past 3 1/2 years in South Korea, where I’ve created a travel and life in Korea blog to match any other. A few others have started more recently, but none of them have come close in commercial viability or size.
The biggest issue with destination-specific marketing is the size and capability of the niche. A place like India – being quite high on many traveler’s lists – will be a wonderful market. South Korea is a bit smaller, and doesn’t garner the same level of tourists. That said, a number of ESL teachers tune in, which provides for a wonderful sense of community – and face recognition at most any Seoul-area bar I walk into :)
Focusing on a specific destination makes a lot of sense, for the reasons that you cited. If you can focus on serving people who intend to actually visit the destination (and who, ideally, are starting to research their trips), so much the better.
Of course, niches don’t have to be destinations: Cruising, skiing, diving, bike touring, and other types of travel are niches, too.
Have been giving this a lot of thought too. My idea is to reach the “grown-up traveller”, i.e. those for whom backpacking is a distant (if wonderful) memory but who cannot run to luxury holidays. I figure these people are capable of finding all the basic information about a place online or from a guidebook, but that I could offer lesser-known tips and tricks which are opinionated and regularly updated. However as an Englishman who has been living in Norway for 13 years I have an obvious destination-specific and relatively unique angle here too – Scandinavia (or just Norway if I wanted to drill it right down). Yet I am also planning to launch content in Norwegian for people here travelling to destinations I know well (London, where I grew up and regularly visit, Berlin, where I lived). Given all this, is it better to run the whole shebang from an umbrella site (my Grown-up Travel one) with destination specific areas or do I need to consider setting up a whole raft of different sites? Can I build up enough authority about a destination via a main blog or do I need an entirely separate one?
I don’t have a destination specific blog yet, but I had been pondering ideas for a blog with a specific theme. I have been looking for ways to combine my insight as a massage therapist and bodyworker with my love for travel and for indigenous healing traditions…maybe a blog about healing traditions around the world and their benefits for today’s society? These ideas are still just in my head (as I am working to get my first travel blog off the ground and running right now) but maybe down the road…
Compared to travel bloggers who focus on one specific destination because they want to, I focus on one very specific destination (where I live and work) because I have to. Traveling is expensive business when you come from a developing country. I’m hoping to eventually expand to cover the rest of Southeast Asia.
I would argue that that’s local blogging, rather than travel blogging
Ahhh. I still consider it travel blogging since I’m not originally from here (El Nido, Palawan in the Philippines) and still fly back to Manila during my days off from work. I’ll consider myself a local once I settle in the town for good.