In this article, we are showcasing best practice examples of tourism businesses and how they are excelling in fundamental areas of digital marketing.
Rationale
The data supporting our research comes from the assessment of over 1,700 tourism businesses through the Tourism Tribe Digital Engagement Health Check.
Our accredited digital assessors have conducted a 57 point assessment of the digital footprint of over 1,700 tourism businesses which includes key assets such as website, Google, Local Search, TripAdvisor, Facebook and Instagram.
The Tourism businesses assessed are mainly small businesses located across regions in Australia.
The aim of this guide is to showcase examples of the online footprint of the businesses that are industry-leaders in the areas assessed by the Digital Health Check.
For each asset, this article will link you to a Trello card within our Best Practice Trello board. Make sure you follow the links in the Trello cards, read the explanation as to why they scored high and view their digital marketing assets.
HINT: If you haven’t used Trello before, don’t be concerned as it’s very easy to use and is structured into cards within lists. Just look for the links in the Description of each card and scroll through the card to see the included images and other information.
Table of Contents
The above chart shows the average scores across all tourism industry sectors.
Best practice tourism websites
Our website health check has been designed to check the essential elements a website needs to have to meet the needs of today’s digital savvy online shopper requests.
The above chart shows the website score across average scores across all tourism industry sub sectors.
Website basics
Current score of small tourism businesses with regards to basic elements on their websites
This section focuses on the non-negotiable elements a website needs to have, such as:
- Click to call phone number
- Address information
- SSL certificate
- A number of other factors
If you have not scored 100% in this section it is essential you address each point by looking at the information below the question in your Digital Health Check.
CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE TO SEE BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
Website content
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This section focuses on important content elements on the website, such as
- A user-friendly navigation menu
- A search functionality
- A lead magnet or at least an e-newsletter subscription area etc.
Website sales content
This section focuses on ensuring the website has sufficient information about their product and/or services to entice the visitor to either convert or make an enquiry.
- Are the products/services accessible from any page and are they listed in a visually-pleasing way on the homepage
- Is the content of the website rich and does it make use of different forms of multimedia?
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Website online sales content
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This section focuses on ensuring the website is making it super easy for the prospective customer to purchase online. This means the website needs to have a live booking system/live shop and not a contact form.
Furthermore, the online sales system needs to be user friendly and easy to use.
Website destination information
This section focuses on ensuring the website provides information about the region. Not only will this help visitors understand how they could make the most of your destination, but it will also provide them with recommendations that should be aligned with your target market.
For example, an accommodation business targeting families with kids should showcase family tours, playgrounds, child-friendly restaurants, etc.
This makes total sense once explained to a tourism business, however destination-pages are very often lackluster if the content has been designed by web developers who have very little idea about your destination and target market.
CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE TO SEE BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
Website social proof
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Social proof is a simple yet underused way to showcase that other people have purchased and found value in a product or service offered by a business. Reviews are the quintessential example of social proof.
The Digital Health Check assesses elements such as:
- Reviews
- Industry accreditation
- Social media elements
Best practice local search listings
Our website health check thoroughly assesses the online presence of a tourism business on Google My Business.
The above chart shows the website score across average scores across all tourism industry sub sectors.
Meeting minimal requirements on Google My Business and Local Search is critical to any tourism business as these rank at the top of Google.
The Digital Health Check conducts an extensive review of Local Search elements, including social proof, imagery, frequently asked questions and more.
CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE TO SEE BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
Best practice TripAdvsior
Our website health check thoroughly assesses the TripAdvisor listing of tourism business to review whether the business is showcasing a high level of customer service.
The above chart shows the TripAdvisor score across average scores across all tourism industry sub sectors.
CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE TO SEE BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
TripAdvisor is one of the highest ranking third party reviews website in the industry.
The Digital Health Check conducts an assessments of best practice TripAdvisor concepts that a tourism business needs to meet to portray an acceptable level of online customer service.
Tourism Businesses should aim to have a ranking of at least 4 stars on TripAdvisor and inject the intelligence gained by their reviews back in their business.
Best practice Facebook
Our website health check thoroughly assesses the online presence of businesses on Facebook.
The above chart shows the Facebook score across average scores across all tourism industry sub sectors.
CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE TO SEE BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
- Facebook is a must-have platform for Tourism businesses. It is not only a social media platform but has become a full-blown communications platforms.
The Digital Health Check reviews elements such as:
- Engagement
- Messenger configuration
- Images and video
- Content variety aspects
Best practice Instagram
Our website health check thoroughly assesses the online presence of businesses on Facebook.
The above chart shows the Instagram score across average scores across all tourism industry sub sectors.
CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE TO SEE BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
Instagram is not only a social media outlets for prospective and existing customers of tourism businesses.
The Digital Health Check reviews elements such as:
- Engagement
- Page configuration
- Images, reels and videos
- Content variety aspects
