W H AT ’ S H OT S A L E S & M A R K E T I N G
W H AT ’ S H OT S A L E S & M A R K E T I N G
AndBeyond offers a rhino-notching experience for
US $ 4,100 .
REAL I N F L U E N C E ?
PAY I N G
T O D O
G O O D
Adventurous travelers pay nearly US $ 4,000 per person for a five-day safari based at the Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa operated by the eco-tourism company AndBeyond . For another US $ 4,100 , visitors can sign up for a fourhour experience “ notching ” endangered rhinos to monitor and safeguard them from poaching .
Travelers increasingly want to do good , especially when they ’ re exploring developing nations that face the challenges of poverty , environmental degradation or animal endangerment . And they are willing pay a premium for the privilege .
“ As consumers become more socially conscious of the impact travel has on communities , we ’ re seeing an increase in people searching for ways to do good in their favorite destinations ,” says Bruce Horner , marketing director at Travelocity , which recently conducted a survey on U . S . traveler interest in volunteer opportunities .
In the Caribbean , the Sandals Foundation offers opportunities at its resorts for under US $ 100 . In Jamaica and Grenada , visitors who are certified divers can pay US $ 80 to hunt for lionfish , an invasive species . They are led by guide divers from the resorts .
In South Africa , guests at the Gondwana Game Reserve pay US $ 27 to help map the endangered Fynbos plant species . And there ’ s a three-or five-day conservation camp where volunteers monitor , research and track elephants , rhinos , lions and cheetahs and care for endangered species . Prices for a five-day camp typically run up to US $ 1,000 .
At AndBeyond ’ s rhino notching exercise , professionals locate and dart the animal from a helicopter . Once asleep , the veterinary team notches the rhino ’ s ear and inserts a microchip into the horn , enabling researchers to track the animal on the reserve . In participating , guests fund AndBeyond ’ s rhino conservation program .— J . C .
A ccording to Benji
Greenberg , CEO of Chicago-based social media solution-provider BCV , influencer marketing is projected to be a US $ 5 billion to US $ 10 billion market by 2020 . But there are challenges around government regulations and quality control . Here ’ s what Greenberg says about the evolution of influencers :
“ In 2017 , the FTC issued over 90 notices to celebrities and brands for not disclosing the paid sponsorship of their posts . Today , while the agency ’ s guidelines are still often overlooked , influencers and the companies that hire them are trying to toe the line while hoping that the # ad or # sponsored tag doesn ’ t hurt their performance . Additionally , the FTC has not issued guidance on exactly how to disclose a paid partnership and has not issued any further notices since 2017 . Social media platforms have introduced tools to help track and facilitate paid partnerships between brands in an effort to streamline what they see as a growing problem .
“ Does adding the proper disclosures affect the content ’ s
performance ? Good influencer marketing is meant to be genuine and relatable . An influencer will often refuse a partnership if they believe the content on their feed would appear inauthentic . With the increasing amount of opportunities available to influencers , they are working hard to protect their audience and ensure all content they post makes sense for the brand they are cultivating . Overall , hotels should show that they are using some form of disclosure for their partnership and expect it to not affect the overall performance of their posts .
“ An additional challenge for the average hotelier is how to assess whether an influencer is genuine in the size and quality of their audience and engagement . While social networks have taken down a massive amount of fake accounts , they continue to crop up and have evolved to focus on false engagement . One of the challenges networks such as Instagram face is how to balance the need for user privacy with the brand needs for deeper technologies that can give real insight into an individual ’ s ability to drive results .” — C . R .
18 hotelsmag . com June 2019