Page 212 - Tourism The International Business

9. The management of tourism

Publicity. Publicity is free and is carried among the regular articles, stories or programming of the medium.
Sometimes it is unsolicited. Dodge City, Kansas (USA) residents' consciousness of their heritage was raised
immeasurably by the American sitcom "Gun-smoke". The Poconos area in Pennsylvania, (USA) was pleasantly

surprised to be the subject of a five minute interchange about second honeymoons on another sitcom: "All in the
Family”. These cases are exceptions. A successful publicity program usually requires at least as great an effort as
advertising.
In considering publicity, remember media representatives are anxious to find newsworthy items of interest to
their readers. This sentence contains two key ideas: "newsworthy" and "their readers". Those who have experienced
difficulty getting an item published have frequently ignored one or both.
An item must be news. The day to day activities of the organization or its officers usually do not qualify. The

appointment of a new director may be an exciting event for those in tourism, but most of the community will not
share their enthusiasm.
Media have different audiences with different interests and items must be tailored accordingly. An agency's
news releases may often be ignored because they are intended for mass distribution in the hope someone will see fit
(or be desperate enough) to notice them. Higher success rates will be experienced if items are tailored for specific
audiences.
Some examples of successful publicity efforts follow.
• Arrange for and assist media representatives in the coverage of tourist events as news items.

• Arrange for documentary type coverage of the area's attractions and events.
• Participate in the development of a documentary or series of articles on the impact of tourism.
• Prepare news releases with individual outlets in mind.
• Try to stimulate editorial coverage of tourism and its impact. If the editor is friendly, great! If not, write and
submit thought-provoking letters to the editor.

Exhibit 78: Some resorts offer special prices
for residents. (Courtesy New Zealand Tourist &
Publicity Association.)

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