8 Strategies You Can Use as a Content Creator to Influence Against Mass Tourism
While each of us may assume that all countries want to encourage tourism, there are in fact, some governments that are discouraging people from visiting their countries.
This can involve many different reasons, such as environmental impacts, overcrowding, or even the economy.
Online influencers can make a difference by combatting unwanted mass tourism and creating content that shifts the tourism industry.
So whether you’re a blogger, a YouTuber, or an Instagram influencer, here are ways content creators can have a positive impact on the tourism industry.
Shifting Content to Become More Educational
Most travel content is usually upbeat and exciting. Consider shaping your content around the gravity of mass tourism by compiling video footage, images, and your selection of royalty free stock music to depict a more serious tone.
Tell the stories of countries that aren’t telling them themselves by representing them through your content, whether those stories are environmental, social, or cultural.
Creating Awareness About Mass Tourism in Certain Countries
Educating your audience about the problem of mass tourism is a good start for any content creator who deals with tourist-related information.
Your audience probably isn’t aware that this issue even exists, which is why you can create videos and blogs about why certain countries are discouraging tourism.
Highlight specific locations like Amsterdam, Galápagos, and Machu Picchu, which are experiencing a range of difficulties brought on by too many tourists.
Explain what your audience can do about these issues through their travel habits and destination choices.
Encouraging Travel Times that are Off-Season
If your content revolves around tourist suggestions, why not encourage your audience to travel during off-season times.
Explain how this has a positive effect on certain tourist destinations by preventing the problem of overcrowding and environmental effects.
There’s also a strong economic balance that takes place when certain destinations are visited all year round rather than all at once.
Exploring Different Modes of Travel
Flying from one destination to another is what causes the strongest environmental impact on certain tourist destinations.
Encourage your audience to consider other modes of travel that relax that impact.
Trains, public transport, and even smaller modes of travel offered by locals all possess a certain charm that can add to the adventure of visiting another country.
Combining Travel with Environmental Preservation
When a country is struggling with environmental or social problems, the last thing it needs is a simple “visit”.
These countries can be positively affected if tourists contribute solutions during their travels.
Combine your travel suggestions with initiatives that are already in place to assist with these issues, and cause tourism to complement these solutions rather than hinder them.
Sustainable tourism is when a particular destination controls its tourism to prevent over-tourism.
Another form of sustainable tourism is helping poverty-stricken homeless people in South Africa build shacks to live in.
There are plenty of different ways your audience can make a difference while they travel to less-privileged countries—and you have the ability to point them in the right direction.
Focusing on Local Dining Habits
Sampling local food is one of the major reasons why so many love to travel.
Tourist-focused hotels and famous restaurants don’t always necessarily add to the social and economic well-being of the local community.
Encourage your audience to frequent various local food vendors as part of their experience. This boosts the economy of the ‘man on the ground’, and supports local farmers in the area.
Maintaining Content with Up-to-Date Information
Keep updating your content to educate your audience about real-time situations happening within the countries in question.
In an almost news-like manner, let your audience know which countries could do without tourism right now, and which of those have been improving in their social, economic, or environmental challenges.
Encouraging Other Tourist-Hungry Destinations
A major way content creators can influence against mass tourism is to promote a variety of travel destinations.
We’re not just talking about countries here; we’re also referring to those parts of countries that are not traveled often enough.
Off-the-beaten-path destinations within countries that are experiencing mass tourism are also an excellent option which you, as a content creator can promote.
Alternatively, encourage your audience to visit countries that are actually hungry for tourism and balance out global visits.
Wrapping Up
Whether you’ve just learned about mass tourism or known about it for a while, you as a content creator can influence the situation in a positive way.
It starts with recognizing that these issues exist, educating your audience, and encouraging a change in travel behavior amongst regular travelers.