Many PRs and tourist offices still think in ‘old money’.
At World Travel market this week, I was on the stand of a South Pacific island talking to their PR and marketing rep. I asked her what the island’s policy was on travel bloggers. I told her I’d be interested to hear of any initiatives they might have.
She said that they have limited resources. They might include a blogger on a press trip, but for the most part they look for specialist luxury long-haul writers with commissions from major newspapers or publications.
“But you’re thinking about the cost of flying journalists half way around the world. I’m talking about bloggers. They are already out there! I can name you at least two bloggers I know of who are out in the South Pacific region right now. If they get in touch or turn up on your doorstep what can you do for them?”
I could see the cogs whirring and the light bulb come on.
Of course! In terms of individual “facilities” bloggers don’t always need expensive plane tickets, just ground arrangements – a couple of room nights and some tours or experiences.
“I’ll come back to you”, she said.
Image: Geneva Wirth
You’ve hit the nail on the head with this one. There needs to be some PR for bloggers to educate the travel industry.
Great point Alastair. PR Reps could really be taking advantage of bloggers already in destination. It’s kind of a win-win situation.
This article is right on the money – pardon the pun! I know that I, we, Four bgb would be more than happy to hear form bloggers planning on visiting any of our clients. Journalists do it so why shouldn’t bloggers? You’re an influential bunch! However I would say that, even if you are planning on visiting anyway it’s worth getting in touch with the PR in advance rather than “turning up on the doorstep” as it were, as frequently travel companies, and especially government funded tourist boards need some time to approve any offerings however small. A great post though Alistair and seldom discussed! Spread the word….
Ms. Haffenden makes a good point about getting in touch with the PR in advance.
As for whether the PR/marketing rep at WTM should be cultivating bloggers who are in the neighborhood, I think the answer is likely to be “It depends on nature of the blogs and the size and demographics of the bloggers’ audiences.”
Good article as per Al.
Guys – can I make a suggestion – you need to give advertisers (DMOs, Travcos, Tourist Boards) a rough idea of your rates. The reason that the South Pacific island PR didn’t know about how “good value” bloggers/writers can be is coz no-one has told her and it is hard to find out. Really important to know this info at the budget stage. In fact I would go as far as to say that it has to be as easy as finding out how to contact you. Just my opinion. Keep up the good work
Cheers Stu
ps. Always think TNT is a good place to start if you’re looking at developing a good media pack. Good luck
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Personally, I amazed that some trad travel journalist still work on that old model. I work on the principle that if I expect someone to pay for my flights, I’ll never go anywhere. I make sure the commissions are right/ there’s enough of them, then book the flight. It’s much easier to sort the rest out after that as it can be more easily comped.
Surely the point is not that bloggers should get local invites, but that bloggers should be considered important enough to merit a full invite alongside their print colleagues? I’m sure a lot of travel blogs out there have as many readers if not more than some newspapers/magazines.
I think both, Bill.
There’s no question that some travel bloggers are just as influential and merit full invites, but I’m really just mentioning, for the benefit of DMOs, that they might have a policy in place for independently visiting bloggers, that they might keep a weather eye out for any bloggers heading their way, and that they might use the opportunity of an un-scheduled blogger visit to try out their own blog hosting skills (pay attention to wi-fi!) and as a soft introduction for their clients (local hotels & travel providers).
Well that’s true for sure. A third aspect of course are the joggers, who can use their big name publications to secure invites even where the natural place to put something might be on a blog they also work for.