Visiting a destination first-hand is renowned for its ability to help agents boost sales, with increased product knowledge and personalised recommendations cited as some of the key influencing factors.

But there’s also an opportunity on the marketing side, and harnessing this can be an effective way to pique clients’ interest in the first place.

The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority recognised this potential when it developed its See Mauritius social media fam trip, which ran last month.

Inviting five marketers from a range of tour operators including Kuoni, Destinology and Hayes & Jarvis, it aimed to inspire them to create engaging content about Mauritius and offer opportunities to take photographs for their marketing materials.

Caroline Maincent, sales and marketing account manager for the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, joined the operators to give them tips and guidance along the way.

“The aim of the trip was to make the marketing teams at key trade partners aware of the island’s broad appeal and of the incredible culture, adventure and gastronomy on offer ‘beyond the beach’,” says Maincent.

“It was a great opportunity to work with other marketing professionals and for everyone to brainstorm ideas about how to maximise social media to promote the destination’s wide-ranging offering to their social media followers.

“Mauritius was the perfect destination for a social media fam trip because of its diverse and visually exciting appeal and the vast array of opportunities to take wonderful photographs for engaging social media content.”

The operators who attended were encouraged to think about social media activity from the off, receiving an itinerary, which included hotel and travel company hashtags, Twitter and Instagram handles and Facebook pages to follow.

But how did the operators fare? We hear from four of them with their feedback from the trip to find out what they learned.

Changing perceptions

Armed with iPhones, cameras and GoPros, the operators were ready from day one to create visual content across their marketing channels.

While discovering a different side of Mauritius, they were keen to shout about what they had learned on social media.

“Although the beaches were some of the most beautiful I’ve seen, it surprised me how much there was to do,” reveals Catherine Luther, marketing manager CRM at Kuoni.

“History, culture, adventure sports, culinary experiences – Mauritius really does have it all and is suitable for all types of traveller. This will come across in the article for our magazine and online.”

Betsie Barr, marketing executive at Travelbag, was surprised to learn that English was the country’s first language and that locals drive on the left.

“Mauritians have very similar road markings to those in the UK, making it ideal for a self-drive holiday, plus our trip is proof that you can see a lot in a week,” she says.

Hiking up the mountain of Le Morne Brabant was declared one of the trip highlights by many, providing stunning panoramic shots for social media and resulting in high levels of engagement. Interacting with the locals and experiencing the authentic side of Mauritius also proved a memorable experience for the group.

“I was playing dominos at one point with some friendly locals,” says Luther, adding: “These are the kind of experiences that will stay with you long after the holiday and become the topic of dinner-table conversations.”

A street food tour of Grand Baie, where operators were able to sample food and chat to the locals, also left a lasting impression.
 
“We learned that it’s hard to pinpoint a typical Mauritian cuisine because of the huge range of ethnicities on the island, resulting in a melting pot of flavours,” says Barr.

“This provided a great range of photos and highlighted another USP of the island that some people wouldn’t be aware of – its cuisine.”

It’s all in the post 

While the operators shared the common goals of posting captivating content about Mauritius, they went about the task of sharing it in different ways.

As well as posting regularly on Twitter, Jessica Higgs, digital marketer at Original Travel, created a Facebook photo album and took over the company’s Instagram account for the duration of the trip.

“It was great to focus on one destination for an entire week because it gave me the opportunity to show the many aspects of Mauritius beyond the beach,” she explains.

For Luther, Facebook was the main focus, while posts were also made on Twitter and Instagram.

“Facebook posts get the most engagement and reach when we get the right combination of short, snappy but expert-led copy along with jaw-dropping imagery,” she explains.  

Annie Johnson, marketing assistant at Destinology, posted across key social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+), with the strongest engagement on Facebook after she posted a gallery of images from the trip.

After Barr posted a collection of photos to the company’s Facebook page, bookings to Mauritius improved: in the week after she returned from the trip, the island was the fourth most booked destination of the week.

Original Travel’s Higgs shares another useful nugget of advice, which she put into practice on the trip: “For our audience, the best posts are those that give an extra level of detail and knowledge.

Anyone can post an image of a beautiful beach or a lovely waterfall, but if you can add a story or anecdote behind the image and add some cultural and historical context, that will have far more traction – that and going to town on the hashtags!”

Articles and blog posts about the fam trip have also proved a popular marketing tool, with examples including blogs from Hayes & Jarvis and Destinology, while Kuoni and Travelbag will both be publishing features in their respective consumer magazines.

With a far more rounded perception of Mauritius and invaluable insight into how to promote the destination effectively, these marketers will be reaping the benefits of their memorable trip for a long time to come.

It’s a great example of how carefully curated social media posts can add an extra dimension to a fam trip.