But what if some brilliant twerp decides to put up a website, a travel blog smeared and spoiled with facts telling about how ugly the destination is. Would it catch the world's attention? Would readers and vacation planners have informed choices when they get to know the lies behind a historic landmark, a proud people, an exotic country parading itself as the best in the world? Would it be more amazing to learn the faults of a culture; the twisted belief of a society; a history without the revisions; the reality that even the most charming places get its allure only in tourist brochures?
Of course, the profound arrangement is done befitting a portal like Lonely Planet. It is just that nobody sugarcoats the places of interests with delicious descriptions and dreamy images: You tell the other side of the story - or experience - as repulsive or traumatic as it gets, not because you want to drive away the tourists.
It is just that you want the pilgrims and sojourners to see the destinations - and embrace them - even with their imperfections.
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| Tallinn, Estonia |
9 comments:
i don't understand why we can't use the templates in the successful tourism programs of other countries like Thailand, Malaysia even Hong Kong. why spend so much to develop our own when we can adopt and tweak for less money?
Travis:
I don't know either. Some places don't need to spend too much on promotion. The beauty itself is amazing.
Anyway, my thoughts are about completely changing how we present a travel guide. Hehe.
Honestly, I'm not a fan of Lonely Planet. Their write-ups paint a less-than-inviting destination which discourage the would-be traveller to go see the place. If there's a redeeming value, it's their "insider tips" on how not to get duped by the locals.
[travel guides] aren't supposed to ask us follow the same footsteps they've had, instead - encourage us to discover what our own would look like if we could go the distance.
What I just typed isn't ad-wise though, therefore pointless. hehe =)
aside from coming up with an original, cost efficient and effective way to lure tourists, we also need to make sure the tourists who are currently here have the best experience possible. after all, word of mouth is the best form of advertising.
Uh-huh! It needs to be as realistic as possible showing all angles. It's just that you don't want to be frustrated traveler. Travel shows/promotions should be as honest as possible. It helps the locals to improve if they are given awareness.
that's why i blog about HK and what i see here. sometimes travel and living is good. sometimes, it isn't. sometimes, lonely planet is good, sometimes it is too cheeky.
i don't know what people want to hear but one thing is for sure:
ALWAYS HAVE A FRIEND OR KNOW AT LEAST ONE (EVEN NOT-SO RELIABLE) PERSON IN THE COUNTRY YOU ARE GOING TO VISIT
it helps.
Kiks:
Mama, I want to see Ushuaia, Thimpu and Nuuk. Include Pyongyang and Mandalay. Wala yatang mga Pinoy dun. hehe.
Leo:
Realistic is good, also down to earth. Kaya tuwang tuwa ako sa Lonely Planet sa Discovery Channel before.
ZaiZai:
Yup, word-of-mouth sometimes beat pricey PR campaigns.
Gian:
Some basic information about the place would do. But to stick to the topic, parang angsaya lang basahin yung tungkol sa ugliness ng place (dagdagan pa natin: if the place is war-torn and ugly, write something beautiful about it. Lol)
Jake:
The old website is better. Ngayon kasi, commercialized na sila. But I still like how they play with words. The images really float in your head.
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