Something that most tourists do before choosing a place to visit is a quick online search of the location. One of the best ways to catch someone’s eye on the web is with a video: hence, most websites featuring a tourist destination will have a tourist video (or several!). When advertising for tourism, you aren’t just selling a place; you’re selling an experience. Video is a much more effective way to convey an emotion or feeling than photographs.
There are many ways to go about structuring a tourism video—you could do a broad advertisement of the region as a whole, or you could focus on one specific thing that makes your area unique. You could make helpful showcase videos that show what there is to do in the area. It could also be documentary in style, exploring a local’s story. Keeping in mind a corporate tourism video needs to be professionally presented and with good production value, there are endless possibilities.
Here are a few general things that can help you present your region in the most appealing way.
Visuals
Obviously, the best thing about your video should be the visuals. Find locations that are colourful, exciting, and fun. Think like an editor—what places are going to look great placed side-by-side in post-production? If you’re stuck, think about some of the things you’re proud of having in your city or region. What gives the area its soul?
Here are some innovative shot ideas to give you inspiration.
Benefits
Talk about what tourists will get out of visiting your city—the conveniences, benefits, or just plain interesting stuff. Are you located close to the airport? Do you have any unique offerings tourists can get nowhere else? Has there been any important historical events take place nearby? Show the local culture, show what people will be able to immerse themselves in when they visit.
If you have the budget, why not think about featuring local celebrities? Having a well-known person in your video can add interest and credibility to your region.
Tell a Story
The best tourism video advertisements have an engaging story the viewer can get lost in. Brainstorm the types of stories that can be told in your area: if it’s known for romance, you could feature the story of a marriage proposal. If it’s rich in history, you could show someone exploring his or her heritage. It your city or region is difficult to get to, you could tell the story of someone’s rewarding journey to reach you. Is your city known for it’s luxurious vacations? You could portray a hardworking-couple finally able to relax. Your goal is to have content that people can connect to, and show an experience they would like to have.
Soundtrack
Don’t forget the soundtrack! A huge part of the appeal of your video will be auditory. Consider using a genre that is native to your area—this can add authenticity to your video. Reflect on the story you are trying to tell, and do your best to adapt the music to that story.
Some specifics during production:
Watch out for background noise. If you’re filming at a well-know location, chances are it will be highly frequented. Be prepared to do several takes to get the best shot/audio possible.
While speaking of shots, make sure you vary your imagery. Long takes are great to encompass the foundation of a location, and close-ups are good for providing the viewer with the little details that will really make the trip memorable. Don’t linger too long on anything, though: you don’t want to lose your audience.
When editing, think like a tourist: is this something you would go out of your way to see? Make sure each image has a purpose: even if it’s pretty, if it isn’t a feature a tourist would like to see, cut it out.
Recap
In conclusion, there area myriad of things you could feature in your tourism video. Your overall goal is to portray a place someone would go out of his or her way to experience. To do this, think hard on the topics discussed above: present visuals that are powerful. Show the benefits of visiting your area. Tell a story that will encourage people to visit. Embed it with music that will linger with the viewer, and remind them of your location when they hear something similar. When you’re finally putting together your video, remember to be prepared and edit ruthlessly.