Delivering online marketing strategy to attract more guests. „All tourism is a cultural experience.“ (D MacCannell, 1976, The tourist: A new theory of the leisure class) Because the lines between cultural tourism and tourism for the sake of leisure blurred, the mere act of traveling to a different destination outside our homes can be defined as a cultural experience. With every trip, we learn something new, we meet people we do not know, we are exposed to unalike lifestyles, and we learn about local cultures while often taking in a speckle of tradition even when we didn’t plan for a cultural journey. But it’s time to “unblur” the lines and to get back to the basics. The "experience" is what travelers are expecting today and cultural values play an important role in what they take in when they visit a place. See how Airbnb impacts the experience and how to overcome the digital struggle to remain relevant and competitive.

1. CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW
TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS
WITH HERITAGE VALUES
Mihaela Lica Butler

2. THE MODERN TRAVELER DEMANDS
AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES
„All tourism is a cultural experience.“ (D MacCannell, 1976, The tourist: A new theory of the leisure class)
Because the lines between cultural tourism and tourism for the sake of leisure blurred, the mere act of traveling to a different
destination outside our homes can be defined as a cultural experience. With every trip, we learn something new, we meet
people we do not know, we are exposed to unalike lifestyles, and we learn about local cultures while often taking in a speckle
of tradition even when we didn’t plan for a cultural journey. But it’s time to “unblur” the lines and to get back to the basics.
The UN World Tourism Organization found that:
Apart from enhancing the visitor experience, cultural routes represent immense opportunities for economic growth and
inclusive development by creating employment and small business ventures, helping to distribute tourism´s socio-economic
benefits throughout multiple value chains. In addition, these routes stimulate cultural exchanges that instill local pride, enrich
the cultural identity and heritage of destinations and foster closer ties between visitors and host communities.
One of the most important traits of sustainable tourism according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is to:
Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional
values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.
The good news is that the modern traveler demands authentic experiences, albeit he/she may not always be ready to respect,
conserve, and contribute. It is the responsibility of the service provider (venue, destination) to change the status quo.
72% of people would rather spend money on experiences than things. (American Express)
For 88% surveyed by American Express, travel is the number one dream on their life’s bucket list, ranking higher than family or
wealth.
CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER

3. STATISTICS YOU
MUST KNOWOnline tours and attraction gross bookings are likely to be $21 billion in
2020 (from $9 billion in 2015). (Phocuswright, 2017).
Eco-friendly tours are in. Intrepid Travel offers more than 1,000 group
tours a year that are fully carbon neutral. (NY Times, 2017)
Like a local: Airbnb ranked as the most visited accommodation website in
Q4 2016, receiving nearly 88 million visits.
Airnbnb may be guilty for overtourism (Tnooz).
It boasts four million listings in 191 different countries. In Crete, there are
only 8322, according to AIRDna.
The revenue potential for an Airbnb can be 100-300% greater than a long
term rental. (Boise)
A 1% increase in Airbnb listings decreases hotel revenue by 0.05%
(Zervas, Proserpio, & Byers, 2016)
Airbnb brings new visitors to destinations and 70% of its listings are
outside of hotel districts. (Airbnb)
Airbnb “Experiences” is relevant for cultural tourism.
NOTE: Greece is not (yet) an Experience destination on Airnbnb. (But
things will change and early adopters will reap the benefits.)
Over 8300
active
rentals
Over 3300
active hosts
64% annual
growth
87% entire
home
rentals
21% rentals
available
full-time
Multi-
listing
hosts 73%
Single-
listing
hosts 27%
2018 Crete Airnbnb Statistics You Must Know
CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER

4. AIRBNB
EXPERIENCES:
BECAUSE
TRAVELERS
REALLY CRAVE
THEM
What are Airbnb Experiences? They’re activities hosted by
locals – like expert surfers, seasoned chefs, and other local
connoisseurs. Airbnb offers all kinds of curated tours, cooking
classes, art, workshops, and all sorts of brand new activities.
Since Airbnb is such an important player in the travel industry,
their focus on local “experiences” is a clear signal that cultural
tourism is trending now.
CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
On average globally,
Experience guests are
paying $55 per
booking.
Airbnb reports more
than 8,000 bookings
per week on the
Experiences platform.
Europe, the Middle
East and Africa top out
at more than 1400
Experiences on the
platform.
Weekly Experience
guests have grown by
20% since January
2017, and increase
will continue as the
service expands to
new destinations in
2018.
Experiences can be as simple as
meeting locals for dinner in a hidden
neighborhood spot or vintage
shopping with an antiques expert.
(Western Union)
It's a fantastic tool for an unforgettable date, trip
highlight, or fun new "staycation" with old friends
in your home city. It's also a low-risk way to try
out new hobbies. (Business Insider)
"Booking an Experience while on the
road is a natural extension and a great
opportunity for road warriors to
embrace their trip and live like a
local.“ (Airbnb)

5. CULTURAL HERITAGE IS
AN EXPERIENCE
Consumers look for uniquely memorable experiences. “Experiential” is the latest buzz word
in travel media. It’s a good thing it happens now, but strike the iron while it’s hot.
Experiential purchases (money spent on doing) tend to provide more enduring happiness
than material purchases (money spent on having). (Waiting for Merlot, 2014)
Experiences are a vital part of destination marketing. (TrekkSoft Destination Report, 2017)
Survey by Peak + Skift “The Rise of Experiential Travel” on UK and US travelers shows
interesting statistics:
Older travelers are still going for safety,
while the younger travelers are
thinking about local tour firms,
to give them more authentic,
deeper travel experiences.
It’s time to “push” experiences. And
Internet matters: as of December 2018,
there were 4,156,932,140 internet users
in the world – that’s over
half the population of Earth.
CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
TRAVEL WITH
FRIENDS AND
FAMILY AND …
TRAVEL
INDEPENDENTLY
USING LOCAL…

6. THE DIGITAL
STRUGGLEUnited States Tour Operator Association (USTOA): travelers today are
looking for more immersive experiences.
73% of organizations say that “a lot of effort” is required to stay
digitally-relevant. 27% believe they are ahead of the industry, 55% say
“we try our best to stay digitally relevant but struggle”. (TrekkSoft)
56% of organizations consider experiences a vital part of their
marketing. (TrekkSoft)
25 million business profiles on Instagram (Over 80% of
accounts on Instagram follow a business.)
78% social media influencers worldwide prefer Instagram to
collaborate with brands
65 million business pages on Facebook (as of February
2017)
CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
2%
24%
74%
How much effort do you feel is required to
keep your organization relevant in the
digital age?
Not very much effort
Some effort
A lot of effort
As far as reaching consumers with a variety of content types, almost all social media networks offer similar opportunities.
The best networks to reach large audiences are Facebook and Instagram, but all the major players can offer excellent value
when used right. Many businesses already use social media to boost ROI and brand awareness.

7. WHAT SHOULD YOU
POST?Brand videos of all kinds: can be shared
with ease on all social media networks.
Facebook even allows you to use a brand
video as your cover.
Sponsored video ads.
Live video broadcast.
Text updates: company news, quotes,
questions, polls, memes.
Contests and giveaways.
Sponsored image ads (terms and conditions
vary from network to network).
Sponsored text updates (ads).
CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
Mobile-first is an imperative – the most important
digital marketing trend of 2018.
Over 40% of people say they prefer to complete their entire
shopping journey on mobile—from research to purchase.
70% of travelers with smartphones have done travel
research on their smartphone.
In 2017, after researching on their smartphone, 79% of
mobile travelers completed a booking, which is significantly
higher than the 70% who did so in 2016.

8. CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
February 26,
2015: Google
announces
intention to
display more
mobile-friendly
search results
April 21, 2015:
Mobilegeddon.
Google rolls out
the mobile-
friendly update
November 04,
2016: Google
announces
mobile-first
Indexing
January 31, 2017:
Google introduces
Mobile-Friendly
Test API
December 18,
2017: Google
reminds
webmasters to
get ready for
mobile-first
indexing
January 17, 2018:
Google
announces that
page speed will
be a ranking
factor for mobile
searches starting
July 2018
March 26,
2018: Google
rolls out
mobile-first
indexing
globally.

9. CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
Mobile-first it is a mandatory Google requirement. Adhere to Google’s best practices for
mobile-first indexing.
Mobile SEO is a thing. See mobile SEO configurations from Google here.
From July 2018, page speed will be used to rank sites in mobile search rankings: 53% of
mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load. Check your site with
Google’s PageSpeed Insights.
Have a website that is optimized for mobile, not just mobile-ready. Do you pass the Google
mobile-friendly test?
Check your Search Console – Google will notify you when “Mobile-first” verification is
available for your site. Verify your site.
Beware of interstitials: popups, standalone interstitials, etc. There is a Google intrusive
mobile interstitial penalty in effect since January 11, 2017. In 2017, Google penalized hotels
(and not only) on the SERPS for using popups! Use action bars instead.
MOBILE-FIRST MUST:

10. HOW TO BECOME
RELEVANT
Travel brands have to be more active with online blogs to promote their product,
but many are not doing it well. They’re often afterthoughts relegated to pages
buried deep in the website, poorly written with subpar photography and/or too
infrequently updated. (Skift)
Your blog is the backbone of your online content marketing strategy. (Forbes)
The more frequently you publish to your blog, the more likely you'll generate
customers from it. (HubSpot) 92% of the most successful blogs are updated
several times a day with high quality content. No time? Go for weekly updates
with lengthy, in-depth content. See “Your First Book of Travel Writing Prompts”
by Mihaela Lica Butler for blog ideas.
Learn to master the top social media channels. Facebook and Instagram are top
priorities for travel and hospitality businesses. Create a social media posting
plan.
CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
In Q4 2017,
Facebook had
2.2 billion
monthly active
users
In March 2018,
WeChat
announced 1
billion monthly
active users
In Q4 2017,
Instagram
counted 800
million monthly
active users
In Q4 2017,
Twitter averaged
330 million
monthly active
users
In Q4 2017,
Pinterest
announced 175
million monthly
active users
The total number
of active member
on Google Plus is
395 million
Statista estimates that in
2019 there will be around
2.77 billion social network
users around the globe.
Facebook is already claiming
to have 2.2 billion active
monthly users. If their
numbers are correct,
Facebook is the most
powerful social media
platform in the world,
followed by Chinese-based
WeChat, and Instagram.
2200
1500
1300
1300
980
843
800
794
0 1000 2000 3000
Facebook
WhatsApp
WeChat
Instagram
World's Top Social
Networks in millions

11. HOW OFTEN SHOULD
YOU POST?Most statistics suggest: once a day for
Facebook, 15 times for Twitter, once or
twice for Instagram, and so on. Less is
more for most small to mid-size brands.
Best times to post: usually after 01:00
pm.
#hashtags? Easy: 1 for tweets, 11 for
Instagram, 1 for Facebook. Do not
ignore the hashtag. Don’t overdo it:
Tweets with hashtags get 200% more
engagement. Tweets with 3 or more
hashtags get 79% less engagement.
Tweets with images result in a 55%
increase in clicks. (Nulou)
Photos generate 53% more likes and
104% more comments than text posts
on Facebook. (Nulou)
Video is the new marketing secret
weapon: do it often, do it live!
CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
In 2017,
74% of
internet
traffic
was
video
content.
Online
video
viewing
is
increasi
ng by
118%
every
year.
Booking
s are
67%
more
likely
when a
video
tour is
included
on a
website.
65% of
busines
s
travelers
visit a
hotel’s
website
after
watchin
g its
video.
76% of
social
media
users
would
share a
video if
it were
entertaini
ng
52% of
marketi
ng
professi
onals
value
videos
as the
format
with the
best
ROI.

12. CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
Globally, IP video traffic will be
82% of all consumer Internet
traffic by 2021 (Cisco)
Live Internet video will account
for 13 percent of Internet video
traffic by 2021 (Cisco)
Facebook generates 8 billion
video views on average per day
(Avi Arya)
60% of US internet users
selected Facebook to watch
videos online in Dec. 2017.
(SproutSocial)
100 million hours of video are
viewed daily on Facebook.
(Facebook)
Snapchat users watch 10 billion
videos per day (Avi Arya)
VIDEO MATTERS...
o Brand videos – showcasing your venue in a
traditional advertisement or on your website.
o Event videos – highlighting e special event at your
location (conference, wedding, parties, etc.)
o Destination videos – introducing your venue in the
context of its location.
o 360-degree videos of your business – ideal for
websites.
o Live videos – for example during a special event at
your venue, or just to engage with your followers on
Facebook (most popular), Instagram, YouTube, and
Twitter. These are popular and highly effective. They
were trending last year and still going strong in
2018.

13. CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER
78%
66%
57%
59%
47%
43%
43%
35%
28%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Achieve deeper interaction with audiences
Make videos more accessible
Engage social audiences
Add human element to digital marketing
Hear directly from product experts
Increase overall viewing time
Capture emails via event registration
Learn and adjust from real-time feedback
Get higher eCommerce conversion rates
Top Benefits of Live Video Events

14. THANK YOU
Thank you for attending this
presentation.
For questions, please email me
mig@mihaelalica.com
or call me
+30 6955140313
CULTURAL APPEAL: HOW TO DAZZLE TRAVELERS WITH HERITAGE VALUES | MIHAELA LICA BUTLER