Step 8: Suitable Sustainability: How Destinations Can Woo Food-Loving Travelers
Welcome to my new 10 step series about what destination marketing organizations need to do to develop a strategy to woo food- and beverage-loving travelers. This is an excerpt — Step 8 of our 10-Step Guide — from our full report which you can download here.
You’ve done everything right and visitors are starting to come! People are talking about your area and its great food and drink. Congratulations!
But there’s a problem. As the word gets out, more and more people will come. Everyone will want to experience everything your destination has to offer. Sounds like a destination marketer’s dream, right?
Uh, not so much. You see, when too many visitors come, you’ll have the problem of overtourism (or in our case “overfoodtourism”). This is what cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Venice are currently experiencing. You might think, we’ll just build more hotels and woo more airlines to serve our airports. Now you are starting to change the very face of your destination — the very reason why people choose to visit in the first place. Visitors don’t want to see a new 1000-room hotel being built in the city center. We are visiting because of the image we have of your destination now, not how you are experiencing uncontrolled growth. Ouch! Now there’s a problem.
Over(food)tourism can mean long lines/queues for restaurants and attractions, increased vehicle traffic and pollution, and dramatically more food & beverage packaging waste (think: plastic water bottles & straws). None of these will attract visitors to your destination.
Solutions include diversifying your food tourism product portfolio (type and location; think well beyond the top 3 TripAdvisor attractions in your area); encouraging and incenting visitors to explore different neighborhoods; deploying sufficient garbage and recycling bins and increasing pickup frequency; and training local business owners how to do things better. Perhaps most importantly, if your area is starting to experience overtourism, you should make an immediate shift to quality and not quantity of visitors. Increase the daily spending of a smaller number of people, and everyone’s experience, even that of local residents, will improve.
Recently, visionary destinations like Iceland and Finland have been changing their strategies from destination marketing to destination management, which focuses on quality of the local experience — for locals and visitors alike.
Sustainability is not just about environmental impact; it’s also about the financial impact. Making the visitor experience excellent (that also means offering great service!) will result in good word of mouth and more money being spent. This brings more financial stability among your local merchants. More jobs, more taxes — it’s a win, win.
What are your thoughts about food tourism planning, strategies and action plans? Write your comments below OR reach out to me via Twitter or email.
