A new travel trade community initiative launched on Facebook, called #tourisminmyblood, is the latest in a heightened use of social media due to South Africa’s lockdown.
The Facebook group – founded by Sales and Marketing Director of Johannesburg digital marketing agency Zebra360Online, Greg Smith, and owner of Dark Giraffe Marketing, Richard de la Rey – has received attention from around the globe and has already grown to over 11 000 members.
“The travel and tourism industry is in survival mode and we need to stick together and share ideas on how to best deal with this global crisis. The #tourisminmyblood network focuses on sharing positive stories and marketing initiatives through creating a platform for industry colleagues to help and support one another,” said Smith.
“During times like these, the human factor comes to the forefront. Travel is all about people and experiences. This is a time to reconnect with acquaintances, re-establish business connections and explore new opportunities.”
The network established by the #tourisminmyblood platform focuses on forging solid working relationships that will be mutually beneficial to all parties in the industry post-COVID-19.
“It may be too early to say, and of course people are bound to have more frugal spending habits post-COVID-19, but there is potential for the rise in fully independent traveller (FIT) business. With an influx of irresistible travel deals coming on line, we could even hope for some ‘revenge spending’ on travel. Either way, the travel industry has to be ready,” Smith concluded.
