PHOTOGRAPHY IN MARKETING LONDON AS A TOURIST DESTINATION

Analyse the impact of photography in marketing london as a tourist destination



Analyse the impact of photography in marketing london as a tourist destination

Introduction

With digital cameras, online sharing, and tools for improving, transforming and distributing images, the photograph remains an indispensable means for capturing intangible memories like travel experiences. It can also be the deciding factor in arousing interest in a destination, attraction or hotel. Up to 78% of people say that pictures of hotels and hotel rooms play a decisive role in the selection process, even more than online client evaluations. Although video may offer more possibilities, photographs still play an essential role. But go easy on the touch-ups … customers have a keen eye!

Discussion Analysis

The influence of images on the choice of destination

Travel and photography have long been intertwined. Photographs seem to concretize experiences and allow them to be shared. But with the Internet, the notion of “sharing” has taken on a new dimension. We used to show our photo albums to friends and family or hold a slide show on our return from a trip. Now the presentation of travel pictures has moved from the private to the public domain, and often in close to real time, with instant messaging, online photo albums, blogs and social networks.

Travel photos shared with friends on Facebook can be very persuasive. According to Skyscanner, a flight comparison site, more than half (52%) of Facebook members say that photos uploaded by friends inspire them to book a holiday in the same location. As noted by Sam Baldwin of Skyscanner, viewing our friends' travel photos on Facebook plants a seed in the mind and gives us travel ideas.

A study by HRS.com and eResult on hotel selection criteria reveals that photographs have the greatest influence on 78% of respondents, after online client reviews (67%) and star ratings (59%).

Matching images to customer segments

At the ITB Berlin Congress in March 2011, Markgraf and Scheffer presented the results of their marketing communication study and showed how they applied their findings to images in advertising brochures. Working on the assumption that up to 95% of our decisions are subconscious—arising from our personality, values, needs and desires— they concluded that a tourism ad aimed at the family should emphasize harmony and the interaction between family members, and depict a place where family members are happy in one another's company. The images below, for this type of market, show the evolution of the visual imagery.

Profiling users and non-users of photo-sharing media

About three-quarters of respondents (74%) took an overnight pleasure trip outside of Hong Kong. This figure corresponds to travel propensity levels noted in 2006 and 2007 (McKercher, 2009). About one quarter of the sample (24%) restricted their overnight pleasure travel to the immediate hinterland of Macau SAR and Guangdong Province in China, while one in seven (14%) traveled only as far as elsewhere in mainland China. About one third (35%) traveled internationally. The median age of respondents was between 36 and 45, ...