Social Media for Tourism Businesses - Content Visibility and Bookings

Social media is one of the most effective tools tourism businesses have for attracting visitors, showcasing experiences, and driving bookings. This practical workshop will help participants understand how to use platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to promote their tourism offering, create engaging content, and build a consistent online presence. Attendees will learn simple strategies for planning their content, how often to post, and quick wins that can improve visibility immediately.

At the end of the programme, each participant will
Understand the role social media plays in the tourism customer journey
Identify the best social media platforms for tourism businesses
Create engaging content that inspires visitors
Develop a simple and sustainable social media content plan
Understand how often they should post on social media
Identify quick wins that can improve their social media presence
Use AI tools to generate content ideas and assist with content planning

Course Content
Introduction: The Role of Social Media in Tourism
How tourists use social media to discover destinations
The tourism customer journey online
Examples of tourism businesses using social media well
Choosing the right platform (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)
How each channel differs

Practical Exercise
Participants review examples of tourism social media accounts and identify:
What works well
What type of content gets engagement
Ideas they could apply to their own business

Creating Content That Attracts Visitors
What tourism audiences want to see online

Types of content that perform well and how to create it in a form that works on each channel:
Experiences and activities
Behind-the-scenes content
Local recommendations
Visitor experiences
Seasonal moments
Visual storytelling for tourism businesses
Using photos and short-form video to showcase experiences
Quick Wins for Tourism Social Media
How AI tools such as ChatGPT can assist with content planning

Practical Exercise

Participants develop a 3-month content plan for their business with the assistance of ChatGPT
How Often Should Tourism Businesses Post?
Recommended Posting Frequency for Instagram, Facebook & TikTok
Analysing their accounts to gauge what content works best for them and the best times to post
Managing their content plan

Practical Exercise

Content & account analysis

Participants should come to the training with access to their social media accounts
Facebook: on PC/Laptop via their browser
Instagram & TikTok: via the app on their phone

The EU JTF Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund