IN AN unprecedented initiative to both publicise a country and at the same time demonstrate how social media can be utilised to promote tourism, international digital strategist Jesse Desjardins launched various tourism projects promoting specific destinations through social networking.
In his most recent venture he spent 72 hours in Jordan touring and exploring the kingdom, while blogging, tweeting and sharing his travel experiences online.
Based in Paris, Desjardins offers insights on what the biggest brands are doing online and how the tourism sector can embrace social media as the ‘biggest marketing opportunity of our time’.
According to Desjardins, social media is one of the greatest, unexploited tools in presenting and marketing a destination to the world. “It is a very cheap and simple way to market a country as it involves a first-hand account of experiences and visits and includes pictures and videos, offering visitors the chance to comment and ask questions,” he said.
“It is a very simple and straightforward tool, providing an alternative for people and operators to share and gather feedback, from locals and tourists alike, about their country.”
And he added that for travellers and tourism providers setting up an account and receiving comments on it gets you noticed and makes it easier for customers to be informed about your journey and share their own thoughts and experiences too.
In his latest project, DesJardins’ ‘72 Hours in Jordan’ Facebook page allowed visitors to read a blog which he updated while on the go, through which he shared his experiences and thoughts with the world.
Stories shared on both Twitter and Facebook provided the country with free publicity while also increasing the number of followers.
Desjardins said it is important to tell your story at the right time as well as to focus on providing the right content.
“Contrary to advertising, such platforms provide a firsthand description of the places you are in,” he said. “Real fans will help spread your story to the world, as long as you make sure you have the right people helping you respond to the comments and questions, as this helps keep people engaged. Just setting up an account is not good enough. Dead accounts look bad.”
Organised by the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project II, Desjardins’ adventure-packed three-day tour began in Jordan’s modern capital, stepping back thousands of years as he explored the historic layers of the Citadel. From browsing around downtown and sipping cups of mint tea to dining at some of the city’s trendiest nightspots, the experience was as diverse as the major cities and historical areas around the country.
Desjardins has spent the past four years travelling the world consulting for clients throughout the advertising and tourism industry. Before arriving in Jordan, he had won ‘48 Hours In Denmark’ in 2009, an online competition which set out to find the ultimate traveller to advise the Danish tourism industry on the future of travel.
Based on that success, he was later invited by Jordan’s Siyaha to discuss the effects of social media and tour Jordan in 72 hours.
“This whole idea came as a result of my love for travel and my interest in internet and specifically social media. By seeing a potential in linking both, I began this experiment which will hopefully open the eyes of governments on the effective use of this unexploited tool” said Desjardins.