International tourism advertising is tourism-related marketing on the part of a private or public entity directed towards audiences abroad, and might target potential travelers and non-travelers alike. Wholly private firms such as travel agencies, hotel chains, cruise agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) often run their own advertising campaigns to market their existence, mission, or services and/or goods offered to the consumer, and these advertisements seldom carry intentional political messages.
On the other hand, advertising distributed by governments themselves, such as through tourism ministries or government-owned private sector enterprises, is sometimes intended to convey more than simply the value of the product, service, or experience; governments can use tourism ads as a channel for communicating directly to the public of other countries because tourism is a common and internationally encouraged industry and the advertising of it is subject to minimal content regulation.
As the global travel market continues to expand with yearly increasing flights among international destinations, advertising efforts on the part of the major actors in this market are also increasing. Advertising campaigns to promote travel to destinations abroad are particularly prevalent in western countries where the general public's expenditures on tourism tend to be consistently high, even in light of the economic recession.
Many advertisers, which include both private entities and foreign governments themselves, share the intended goal of increasing their own revenue by popularizing their service (e.g., airline or hotel chain) or destination to boost receipts from travelers; however, some travel campaigns have additional or alternative purposes, such as promoting good public sentiments or improving existing ones towards them among the target audience. Sometimes, states may use the branding of a product or service, itself, as a means of conveying a specific message without explicitly stating the message; this tactic is often used to soften the implied message itself, thus allowing the brander to sidestep or minimize controversy and/or opposition.
Types Tourism advertising can take many forms, utilize a wide array of advertising tactics, and be driven by a scope of private or public intents. Destination advertising is designed to make a location itself seem more appealing, while travel services advertising seeks to gain an audience's buy-in for the tourism-related service or product. Below are some instances of international tourism advertising overlapping with states' political, economic, and/or social interests.
Destination advertising A great degree of ads promoting foreign countries are produced and distributed by the tourism ministries of those countries, so these ads often serve as vehicles for political statements and/or depictions of the destination country's desired foreign public perception(s). Following are only a few of the many examples of government-produced tourism destination advertising that also serve political or social functions.
Bahamas The Bahamas are commonly considered to be a focal point of leisure and recreational travel in the Caribbean and the island nation advertises itself as such. Television ads and website produced by the government of the Bahamas specifically foster the image of the islands providing a care-free, exciting, culturally rich, and even romantic experience for travelers; a recent slogan for the marketing campaign was "It's better in the Bahamas" to reinforce the contrast between the desired perception as a low-stress getaway and the hectic nature of whatever living environment tourists would be leaving behind. The Bahamas have, however, actually traditionally seen high violent crime rates, so the tourism marketing attempts to focus the audience's attention on the azure water and beaches and draw it away from any negative elements of life there. Managing perceptions is a common part of advertising of many consumer products and services, focusing the audience's mind solely on the desirable aspects of whatever is being sold and away from any possible drawbacks or consequences.
India The common impression of India in the West has long been either negative—including perceptions of widespread poverty, lack of sophisticated hygiene, and violent ethnic and religious clashes—or ambivalent, so the Indian government's Ministry of Tourism began a marketing campaign, "Incredible !ndia," to emphasize the country's rich culture, historic sites, tourist attractions, and general sense of excitement and dynamism to western audiences. Tourism is an extremely lucrative and growing global industry so it is no surprise that India, a developing nation, is striving to capitalize on that market to boost its economy. In addition, India is also looking to strengthen its international security and diplomatic ties while broadening and deepening its trade relationships, especially with the U.S., so it is in India's interest to promote a positive light for itself among the American and western voting populations in order to garner future international support and aid.
Kazakhstan After the 2006 release of the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy Borat, which depicts a politically incorrect and socially oblivious fictional Kazakhi reporter who travels throughout the United States interviewing and meeting Americans from various walks of life, the government of Kazakhstan was highly offended by the depiction of its less than two-decade-old country and criticized the film and its creator as being defamatory and slanderous. The issue of preserving Kazakhstan's public image in light of the movie was of such high importance that Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev had it listed as a main issue when he traveled to the U.S. in September 2006 to meet with then-President George W. Bush. Coupled with Nazarbeyev's visit, according to Kazakhstan embassy spokesman Roman Vassilenko, the Kazakh government staged a large-scale public relations "blitz," including "running four-page ads in The New York Times and U.S. News and World Report and commercials on CNN and the local ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C.", as well as launching TV ads to promote tourism to Kazakhstan. These travel ads specifically featured cultural and historical features of the country as well as views of its developed infrastructure, specifically to counter the type of impression given by the Borat character to the West that Kazakhstan is socially and physically underdeveloped.
Mexico Recently in 2010 the Tourism Board of Mexico, a public office that aggregates the resources and interests of the federal, state, and municipal governments, launched a tourism advertising campaign in the United States and Canada—Mexico's two North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners—geared towards renovating common public political and social perceptions of Mexico, including impressions of poverty, government and law enforcement corruption, petty and organized crime and drug trading, and illegal immigration into the U.S.; the new campaign's purpose is expressly demonstrated by its marketing slogan, "Mexico, the place you thought you knew." The print and television ads feature views of Mexico's beaches, natural wonders, cultural festivities, and historical artifacts like Mayan pyramids and Spanish churches in order to provide a counterbalance to the less preferable popular preconceptions. The Tourism Board's stated goal of the advertising surge is to "generat[e] more than three [positive] impressions per person" among the North American audience. The eventual goal is likely to increase tourism revenue for the country, but, for now, the Tourism Board is focusing on managing perceptions among the general populations of Mexico's two major neighboring trade partners.
Destination slogans
Many countries use slogans in their international tourism advertising. Destination slogans aim to promote a positive identity for the country. Academic studies of these slogans have identified several common themes such as the physical beauty of the location or the positive experiences travellers can expect to have there. Country Slogan Albania Go your own way! Algeria Tourism for everybody Andorra The Pyrenean Country Antigua and Barbuda The beach is just the beginning Argentina Beats to your rhythm Armenia Visit Armenia, It is Beautiful Australia There's NOTHING like Australia Austria Arrive and revive Bahamas Life Is Grand Bahrain Ours. Yours. Bahrain Bangladesh Beautiful Bangladesh Barbados Brilliant Barbados Belarus Hospitality Beyond Borders Belgium The place to be Belize Mother Nature's Best-Kept Secret Bhutan Happiness is a place Bolivia Bolivia awaits you Bosnia and Herzegovina The heart shaped land Botswana Our pride, your destination Brazil Brasil – sensational! Brunei Darussalam A kingdom of unexpected treasures Bulgaria A discovery to share Burundi Beautiful Burundi Cabo Verde No stress Cambodia Kingdom of wonder Cameroon All of Africa in one country Canada Keep exploring Chad Oasis of the Sahel Chile All are welcome China China Like Never Before Colombia The Only Risk Is Wanting To Stay (2008) Colombia is magical realism (2016) Costa Rica Essential Costa Rica Croatia Full of life Cuba Autentica Cuba (2010) Cyprus Cyprus in your heart Czech Republic Land of stories Denmark Happiest place on Earth! Djibouti Djibeauty Dominica The nature island Dominican Republic Dominican Republic has it all Ecuador All you need is Ecuador Egypt Where it all begins El Salvador The 45 Minute Country Estonia Epic Estonia Eswatini A royal experience Ethiopia Land of origins Fiji Where Happiness Finds You Finland I wish I was in Finland France Rendez vous en France Gambia The smiling coast of Africa Georgia For the best moments of your life Germany Simply inspiring Greece All Time Classic Grenada Pure Grenada Guatemala Heart of the Mayan World (2011) Guyana South America Undiscovered Haiti Experience It! Honduras Everything is here (2008) Hungary Think Hungary more than expected Iceland Inspired by Iceland India Incredible !ndia (2002) Indonesia Wonderful Indonesia Iran You Are Invited Iraq The Other Iraq (Kurdistan) Ireland Jump into Ireland (2012) Israel Land of Creation Italy Made in Italy Jamaica Get All Right Japan Endless discovery Jordan Yes, it's Jordan Kazakhstan The land of wonders Kenya Magical Kenya Kiribati For travellers Kyrgyzstan Oasis on the Great Silk Road Laos Simply Beautiful Latvia Best enjoyed slowly Magnetic Latvia Lebanon Lebanon Passion for Living Lesotho The Kingdom In The Sky Liechtenstein Experience princely moments Lithuania See it! Feel it! Love it!