The use of web video in promoting travel and tourism

Web video marketing is no longer an eccentric concept especially in the travel and tourism industry. It is a vital tool that has made it possible for travelers to virtually visit a destination before traveling to it physically, learning of its essence, and creating a pre-experience that greatly influences their travel decisions. It is for this reason that travel companies, organizations as well as governments are increasingly becoming reliant on web video to boost tourism, in a bid to lure more tourists to their destinations.

The popularity of web videos in promoting travel and tourism is largely attributed to its high engagement level, and memorability. According to HubSpot Research, 55% of people online watch videos every day, and 78% every week. Additionally, 95% of those who watch videos retain the message, as compared to 10% who read it in text; making video the most popular among consumers in comparison to any other type of content.

Whether user-contributed videos or professional ones, when it comes to travel and tourism, they should be able to capture the experience; highlighting facts about the destinations, and the ambience that captivates the consumer to pack up and head there without second thoughts. Creativity thus is of utmost importance when generating promotional videos. Take for instance a recent video by Jumia Travel, that inspires not only international but also local tourists to visit local destinations such as the Masai Mara.

In this video, the travel agent displays the diversity of travel in Kenya and demystifies the common belief that the Maasai people can only be guides and not tourists. The cultural presentation is not only in the top-down Masai apparel and posture by the local tourist, but also in the Swahili language in a ridiculously comic foreign accent by the international tourist.

The wildlife scene tells of the safari destination that is Kenya, and so is the enquiry on the best location to have an up-close encounter with the wildebeests. Did I mention the incredible assimilation of the “Wakanda Forever” salute at the end? Genius right?

In less than two minutes, the video captures a whole lot of travel and tourism essence in a memorable manner and without limit to creativity. This is just one example of many others that show the evolution of web and social video in promoting destinations. If you haven’t already started, it’s time to catch up with the trend.