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Case study: How Campbell River rebranded itself from the inside out

April 27, 2018 by Think! Staff 2 Comments

Case study: How Campbell River rebranded itself from the inside out

Successful destination branding stems from the identity of the people who make a place what it is. Over time, people and communities change, places and travel habits change, and destinations need to ensure that brand strategy evolves along with them. Campbell River is a coastal city of some 35,000 people nestled within the stunning landscapes […]

Filed Under: Brand and Identity, Topic: Case Studies Tagged With: brand, campbell river, downtown disney, place dna, Topic: Case Studies, william bakker, Xcelerator

How Visit Flanders affects lives through social media, inspiring people to visit Flanders Fields

April 6, 2018 by Think! Staff Leave a Comment

How Visit Flanders affects lives through social media, inspiring people to visit Flanders Fields

Your destination’s most passionate advocates care deeply about the place where they visit or live. Often, this passion goes beyond a destination’s bucket list experience; the destination’s very identity (as described by its Place DNA™) can become deeply meaningful. Flanders Fields is a place where family heritage and world history converge. The region of Flanders […]

Filed Under: Content Marketing and Campaigns, Tips from Destinations, Topic: Case Studies Tagged With: content marketing, Facebook, Social Media, Topic: Always-on Content, Topic: Case Studies, visit flanders

Ottawa Tourism CEO: “We would become obsolete” without modern strategic planning

February 23, 2018 by Think! Staff Leave a Comment

Ottawa Tourism CEO: “We would become obsolete” without modern strategic planning

When Michael Crockatt joined Ottawa Tourism as President & CEO in 2016, the city was on the verge of a big moment. Ottawa was about to become the epicentre of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2017. Tourism was expected to increase by 6.0% in overnight visits as a result. It was an ideal time for […]

Filed Under: Checking In, Destination Marketing Strategy, Strategic Planning, Strategy & Performance Measurement, Topic: Case Studies Tagged With: frank cuypers, michael crockatt, Ottawa Tourism, Topic: Case Studies

Working in isolation is risky. Here’s why Tourism Calgary built strategy and brand with a team-wide, collaborative process.

February 9, 2018 by Think! Staff Leave a Comment

Working in isolation is risky. Here’s why Tourism Calgary built strategy and brand with a team-wide, collaborative process.

Destination marketers who develop strategy and brand in isolation risk not reaching their full potential. Successful destination marketing requires alignment and support. When teams work independently in silos, resources are squandered, years of hard work sit in someone’s drawer collecting dust, and the risk of ideas falling flat at implementation is high. Community and industry […]

Filed Under: Checking In, Destination Leadership, Destination Marketing Strategy, Strategic Planning Tagged With: brand strategy, collaboration, destination marketing, place dna, Topic: Case Studies, Tourism Calgary

Help travellers choose your destination with eye-popping visual content

November 24, 2017 by Katie Shriner Leave a Comment

Help travellers choose your destination with eye-popping visual content

Step out of your destination marketing shoes and into those of a traveller. Have you ever paused to think about how difficult it is to choose where to visit next? With so many beautiful destination photos and videos filling our feeds everyday, narrowing down the list to one location can seem impossible. How will you […]

Filed Under: Consumer Engagement, Content Marketing and Campaigns, Day Trip, Tips from Destinations Tagged With: southern queensland country tourism, Topic: Case Studies, visual content

Calgary spurs visitor and influencer stories in national campaign by positioning the city as the Basecamp to Adventure

March 24, 2017 by Think! Staff Leave a Comment

Calgary spurs visitor and influencer stories in national campaign by positioning the city as the Basecamp to Adventure

In Calgary, you can enjoy the world-famous Calgary Stampede, a vibrant music scene, and sled down the popular luge and bobsleigh tracks, part of the legacy of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Canada’s third-largest city has plenty to offer, but what truly sets it apart from other Canadian urban destinations? Proximity and ease of access […]

Filed Under: Consumer Engagement, Content Marketing and Campaigns, Passport, Tips from Destinations, Topic: Case Studies Tagged With: banff & lake louise tourism, basecamp to adventure, content marketing, Topic: Case Studies, Tourism Calgary, user-generated content

Copenhagen declares “The End of Tourism as We Know It” in 4-year destination strategy

February 2, 2017 by David Archer 18 Comments

Copenhagen declares “The End of Tourism as We Know It” in 4-year destination strategy

Wonderful Copenhagen has just announced the destination strategy that will lead it through 2020 and beyond. Written in consultation with Destination Think!, the plan outlines seismic shifts in the DMO’s role, and begins by describing what Copenhagen will leave behind, with a wink and a smile: “Wonderful Copenhagen concludes the end of the era of tourism, as […]

Filed Under: Destination Marketing Strategy, Postcards, Strategic Planning, Strategy & Performance Measurement, Topic: Case Studies Tagged With: frank cuypers, localhood, Topic: Case Studies, william bakker, wonderful copenhagen

Visitor empathy makes great experiences and good marketing: Strategic workshop with Limburg, The Netherlands

November 25, 2016 by Thomas Sprangers Leave a Comment

Visitor empathy makes great experiences and good marketing: Strategic workshop with Limburg, The Netherlands

When you need information, go straight to the source. That’s why some of the most important research your destination can do happens outside the four walls of your office, among your visitors. Destinations need to start meaningful conversations with both visitors and community stakeholders as they conduct research to assist strategic planning. It’s all part […]

Filed Under: Checking In, Destination Leadership, Destination Marketing Strategy, Research and Analysis Tagged With: limburg, Topic: Case Studies, Yvonne Kokkelkoren

#RainyDayShakespeare: Stratford, Ontario expresses its Place DNA™ to enhance the visitor experience

November 24, 2016 by Katie Shriner Leave a Comment

#RainyDayShakespeare: Stratford, Ontario expresses its Place DNA™ to enhance the visitor experience

Today’s tourism destinations are starting to understand the importance of defining their Place DNA™. What does this look like in practice? A small city in Southern Ontario has one answer: When it rains in Stratford, Shakespeare speaks. A creative project called #RainyDayShakespeare causes twenty unique Shakespeare quotes to appear on city sidewalks when it rains, […]

Filed Under: Day Trip, Innovation & Trends, Topic: Case Studies, Visitor Experience Tagged With: RTO4, Topic: Case Studies, william bakker, Zac Gribble

Small budget, huge impact: Content marketing success in Inuvik, Canada

June 29, 2016 by John Freeman 2 Comments

Small budget, huge impact: Content marketing success in Inuvik, Canada

Destinations work hard every day to build their communities on Facebook. But imagine the challenge when your destination faces some of the most detrimental factors in tourism: inaccessibility, lack of name recognition, high costs, low hotel inventory, sub-zero temperatures, and an entire month of 24-hour-a-day darkness. You read that correctly. There is, in fact, destination […]

Filed Under: Consumer Engagement, Content Marketing and Campaigns, Passport, Tips from Destinations, Topic: Case Studies Tagged With: arctic, canada, Facebook, gramfeed, hootsuite, iconosquare, Inuvik, media, picodash, Topic: Case Studies

Case Study: How Toerisme Gelderland shifted to consumer engagement by focusing on a niche experience

May 19, 2016 by Marthe Nordahl 2 Comments

Case Study: How Toerisme Gelderland shifted to consumer engagement by focusing on a niche experience

What if you could explore an entire province by bicycle – including a trail system the length of Chile – with the help of a passionate (and athletic) guide? Toerisme Gelderland’s “5000km Gelderse streken” campaign allowed community members to participate with Mirre, an intrepid destination ambassador for the Dutch province of Gelderland, in a 100-day […]

Filed Under: Consumer Engagement, Content Marketing and Campaigns, Passport, Tips from Destinations, Topic: Case Studies Tagged With: consumer engagement, cycling, gelderland, influencer, niche, POI, Topic: Case Studies, USP

Case study: How Destination British Columbia encouraged visitors to share their #exploreBC experiences through one-to-one conversations

April 13, 2016 by Think! Staff 1 Comment

Case study: How Destination British Columbia encouraged visitors to share their #exploreBC experiences through one-to-one conversations

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, particularly if it’s straight up a mountain. Few destination marketing organizations (DMOs) know this better than Destination British Columbia (DBC), and in particular, Leah Poulton, DBC’s Social Media Manager. Since 2011, Leah has been the driving force behind the growth, development, and strategy of […]

Filed Under: Content Marketing and Campaigns, Destination Marketing Tactics, Passport, Tips from Destinations, Topic: Case Studies Tagged With: Topic: Case Studies

Case study: How Tourism and Events Queensland’s innovative online listening campaign added “Surprise & Delight” to visitor experiences via Twitter

April 13, 2016 by Think! Staff 1 Comment

Case study: How Tourism and Events Queensland’s innovative online listening campaign added “Surprise & Delight” to visitor experiences via Twitter

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) is a bold and ambitious global destination renowned for its remarkable campaigns. One such campaign, “24 Hours in Queensland,” brought international filmmakers to Queensland to experience the Australian state for only 24 hours before being flown back home. Another campaign, “Room 753,” invited busy travel influencers to rejuvenate for a […]

Filed Under: Consumer Engagement, Content Marketing and Campaigns, Destination Marketing Tactics, Passport, Tips from Destinations, Topic: Case Studies Tagged With: Topic: Case Studies

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