Marketing a hotel or other tourism venue starts with solid branding and imagery.
Hotel and tourism marketing presents special challenges and opportunities. Tourism marketing has several channels unique to the industry, and use of these channels must be balanced with use of more conventional marketing channels.
Business to Business, Business to Consumer
Hotels and tourism marketers use both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing. Examples of B2B marketing in hotels and tourism are marketing a venue to bus tour operators, travel agencies and other sources of travel products. Examples of B2C marketing are marketing a venue directly to tourists through on line travel sites, direct mail and email.
On line Channels
On line channels are effective for both B2B and B2C hotel and tourism marketing. Examples include email marketing to both consumers and tour operators, inclusion in on line directories for both travelers and the trade and paid search advertising on specific keywords related to the region or interests served by the venue.
Print Channels
Print channels are also effective for marketing to tourism businesses and consumers. Examples include ads in consumer publications, direct mail pieces to bus tour operators and venue literature distributed at other venues and trade shows.
Convention and Visitors' Bureaus
Convention and Visitors bureaus play a large role in the marketing of hotels and other tourism venues. They provide training for marketers, group advertising that small organizations could not afford individually and venues for publicity, including email lists and destination websites. They also advocate on behalf of tourist venues and promote their regions through B2B channels.
Visual Branding
Visual branding is essential to hotel and tourism marketing. Attractive images of a venue and its offerings go a long way in selling a venue to operators and tourists.
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