Tourism in Saint John, NB – Outside the Box?
- amymallen
- Jan 18, 2015
- 2 min read
The Saint John community is where I WILL live and work after graduation this year, no doubt about it. I have no plans to uproot my family and move away from my home. On that note, I am interested in what Saint John has to say to the rest of the world about itself, and how the city is involved in the social media space. Is Saint John thinking outside the box? Let’s find out by having a look at Discover Saint John:
A quick peek on the website will tell you that Discover Saint John, which promotes the city to tourists, is active on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. If you look closely, you’ll also see a small link to the High Tide Blog (which doesn’t appear to receive much focus). The real focus and activity for Discover Saint John is on Facebook and Twitter. Tweets are often several times daily, sharing news of events as well as highlights from local restaurants and businesses (I’m hungry now). The majority of posts appear to be shares and retweets, rather than original content. Facebook looks much the same. To me, this makes sense. If I were on vacation in another city, the first things I would look for on social media involve two questions:
What is there to do around here? AND…
Where can I get something yummy to eat?
In addition, photos are shared from many local photographers, both professional and amateur. Discover Saint John has collaborated with the public, letting the community “show their stuff” and promote Saint John from their own perspective. It is refreshing to see Saint Johner’s sharing their love for the city. There are some really nice photos on the Facebook page that give me warm and fuzzy thoughts, except for the snowy one in King’s Square, of course. It’s beautiful, but…brrrrrr…..
One thing you may notice when you hover over comments is that most of the engagement is from city residents, rather than from potential visitors. That being said, the content (mostly the lovely photos) has respectable share rates, likes, and commenting activity. Every share expands our network of potential visitors! What better way to convert a virtual visitor into a physical visitor than to hear it from the Maritimer’s mouth? Who better to sell the city than the residents who call it home?
All in all, the social media ingredients that one would look for as a visitor to the city appear to be well-mixed and spread over a variety of platforms for easy accessibility. That being said, a few tweaks to the recipe may be needed in order to increase engagement with those outside the region BEFORE they come for a visit. What do you think can help us reach outside the box and find that “wow factor” for a target audience of potential visitors?
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