Tourism agencies are instrumental in not only attracting travellers to a destination, but also bringing the destination to travellers.

Venturing into the function of PR and communications within these organisations, Telum spoke with Julinus Jeffery Jimit, Chief Executive Officer at the Sabah Tourism Board, and Natalie Wong, Marketing Executive at the Macao Government Tourism Office Representative in Hong Kong, to explore the value of audience considerations, alternative tourism and authentic travel. 

How does the team tailor its comms efforts to suit different markets? What is key to making sure campaigns work in markets that are culturally different?

Julinus Jeffery Jimit, Chief Executive Officer, Sabah Tourism Board
Sabah Tourism Board (STB)'s primary responsibility is marketing and promoting tourism for the Malaysian state of Sabah. Since the tourism sector is one of the major contributors to Sabah’s gross domestic product (GDP), it is vital for us to continue our momentum in promoting Sabah to existing and potential markets.

Sabah’s top three international tourist arrivals are from Greater China, Brunei and South Korea. These markets have different cultures and travel interests, so we need to be dynamic with our materials and campaigns. We tailor our promotional efforts based on locations and consider the respective interests of these markets. We also prepare our materials in multiple languages to bring our brand closer to our audiences.

For example, the Sabah Tourism Board has its own Instagram page @sabahtourismkor, for Korean-speaking followers. The contents shared are attuned to the preferences of the Korean market, and captions are written in the local language.

Natalie Wong, Marketing Executive, Macao Government Tourism Office Representative in Hong Kong
As the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Representative in Hong Kong, we focus our comms efforts on the Hong Kong market. So, when conducting market research, we must set aside our own preconceptions and assumptions to fully comprehend the local cultural environment. We are also careful to identify and cater to popular preferences.

For example, food is one of the factors that influences travel decisions to Macao. Coupled with our finding that many Hong Kong travellers value dining and in-depth food journeys, we were inspired to highlight Macanese cuisine in several of our campaigns.

In June 2024, MGTO drew upon Macao’s standing as a designated UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and organised the International Cities of Gastronomy Fest Macao 2024. In Hong Kong, we worked to get online and print coverage with local media and organised media familiarisation trips for journalists to attend the physical event, which resulted in immediate positive post-trip coverage.

As MGTO steps up our efforts to drive international market development, Macao’s gastronomic identity can be further used to promote the destination to beyond Hong Kong and Greater China.

How has the comms team adapted its strategies in response to the rise of remote work, shifts in travel behaviour and other travel trends?

Julinus: We strategically craft our communications plan to strike a balance between traditional and modern media. We maintain our brand visibility and relevancy to a wide range of audiences with tourism industry updates and new products to promote.

We leverage traditional media such as print, radio and OOH advertising, which remain effective in reaching certain demographic groups, particularly older generations and domestic travellers. This includes coverage in travel magazines, newspaper features and radio interviews.

In tandem with traditional efforts, STB actively promotes on modern digital platforms, such as social media and website content. Through targeted online campaigns, we aim to engage younger, tech-savvy audiences looking for travel inspiration through digital channels. Social media have allowed us to share visually rich content, including immersive videos, and influencer collaborations that showcase Sabah's natural beauty and cultural heritage.

The growth of Gen Z has impacted our marketing strategy, and understanding social media activity is necessary to be visible to all market segments. We have extended our activity to Xiaohongshu and TikTok to meet the demand and interest in short-form travel videos.

In 2023, we collaborated with Sabah's local creative community to launch the Sabah Tourism digital sticker. Users can use our personalised GIFs to make their social media postings about Sabah more interesting.

Natalie: Alternative tourism is a new travel trend that we have observed. People are excited about non-traditional forms of tourism, such as ecotourism, slow travel and adventure travel. In response, we have introduced the “Macao Tourism+” campaign in 2024 to showcase Macao’s diverse tourism products and activities appealing to gastronomy, leisure, eco and culture-oriented travellers.

In Hong Kong, we launched the campaign via online and offline media coverage, advertisements, seminars, roadshows and travel expos. Our team secured MGTO’s participation and liaised our partnerships in the International Travel Expo Hong Kong 2024 and the Hong Kong Holiday & Travel Expo 2024 Autumn.

Also, with social media as a key influence on travel decisions, we have strengthened our efforts in consumer campaigns. Through ongoing Instagram Reels collaborations, we want to encourage families, couples and solo travellers to experience Macao from different perspectives and promote Macao as a “World Centre of Tourism and Leisure”.

Not every trip will end up an “Insta perfect” trip. Could you share tips for communications pros on helping to manage travellers' expectations and balance the "Instagram vs reality" of your market?

Julinus: Every travel destination wants to be aesthetically attractive, but it is important to be realistic to avoid misleading travellers.

We use realistic images and conduct background research on user-generated content to minimise errors in our content. We also add descriptive captions about the places to represent our destination more authentically.

The key is not to hard-sell but to let creative writing and local knowledge help our communications. We highlight real experiences and are transparent with information like "location is far from the main city", "limited access", and "weak telco signal". These are the small things that, when done right, can make the experience stand out.

Natalie: Though lots of people share seemingly perfect travel experiences on social media, each travel experience is unique.

Surprises, both good and bad, could trigger disparities between the expectations and reality of a trip. To share a positive example, there’s a misconception brought on by social media that Macao is all about casinos. But the fact is, Macao has diverse offerings for travellers looking to engage in cultural, wellness and other activities, which is what we want to promote through “Tourism+”.

To diminish the possibility of surprises and presumptions, we provide press trips for the media and KOLs as proactive approaches to introducing new attractions and festive events. We also encourage participants to share honest experiences with their audiences. The valuable feedback from the media helps us to better promote Macao as a diverse travel destination.