How Destinations Promote Travel Experiences By Letting Locals Tell Their Stories

Expert Team at TrainingAid
Newcastle Gateshead: "My Kind of Toon"
In order to promote the destination Newcastle Gateshead in Northeast England, the NewcastleGateshead Initiative has developed a series of testimonials from "passionate local and visitors" sharing their stories about what makes the destination special for them.
The "My Kind of Toon" series features "real people" whom potential visitors can identify with - for example, a mother, a student, a dog-lover, a couple, a local business owner, and people with particular interests in music, food, arts and culture. Each profile has live links to the activities and places that they like to visit in Newcastle Gateshead.
Davina Stanford
Senior Lecturer, Leeds Beckett University -
Course Leader for the Responsible Tourism Management MSc.
Author, VisitEngland Keep it Real for Destinations Toolkit
Lyon: Locals Help Visitors Discover the City
Lyon is France's popular cultural tourism destination known for the city's gastronomic and historical experiences. Lyon Tourist Office and Convention Bureau has invested a lot of efforts in designing a more interactive website than the previous one, highlighting popular topics such as local cuisine and cultural events. Notably, the DMO has managed to differentiate itself on one specific point: the Greeters initiative which is now supported by Lyon Tourism. Greeters are volunteers eager to share their love of their city with visitors.
The initiative is a great example of sharing economy, based on locals’ stories and anecdotes in their hometown, bringing guests to spots that are off the beaten path. The result: by having this program promoted through the Lyon Tourism website, the DMO has contributed to local economy as more new places are discovered by visitors, including those places that usually do not benefit from tourist expenditure.
Roxane Kaempf
Co-Founder, GreenHopping.eu
GreenHopping.eu is a platform promoting sustainable development
in leisure and hospitality at a destination level.
Montreal: Promoting Everyday Moments
Tourism Montreal has also engaged local residents in telling the stories of the popular city destination in the Canadian province of Quebec. Tourism Montreal’s use of social media, through the #MTLmoments campaign, helped empower locals to share "everyday moments that make Montreal the city it is".
This campaign was featured in this post, "4 Creative Uses of Instagram in Destination Marketing", by Social Media Today.
Tourism Montreal
Instagram: montreal
Twitter: @montreal
Facebook: Visit Montréal / Visitez Montréal