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Workshop held to promote online

Have you ever googled your business, or yourself? You may be surprised at the results.

Tourism Golden

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Have you ever googled your business, or yourself? You may be surprised at the results.

On Monday, September 10, at the Ramada Golden, Tourism British Columbia hosted a workshop in partnership with Tourism Golden. Daniel Edward Craig, consultant for Tourism BC delivered a workshop entitled ‘Managing Your Online Reputation’.

The workshop was attended by 27 participants representing all sectors of tourism businesses in Golden and Kicking Horse Country, from small B&Bs to large hotels, restaurants, and activity operators.

Increasingly, travelers are bypassing traditional sources of trip information and advice and using social networks to consult sources they trust: other travelers and friends.

The trend has given rise to a critical new function in tourism: online reputation management, the process of monitoring, reacting to, and generating online reviews and content.

Amongst other topics, participants of the workshop learnt about why online reputation management is essential to the tourism industry, creating a virtuous cycle using customer satisfaction to build loyalty and advocacy, which in turn drives reputation and demand, and best practices for reacting and responding to reviews and feedback.

Considered a thought leader in social media and online reputation management, Daniel Craig is the featured speaker at TripAdvisor’s Master Class events across North America.

Daniel wrote the recent guide for Tourism BC’s Tourism Business Essentials series entitled “Online Reputation Management.”

Daniel presented a stimulating and engaging workshop, encouraging and managing the lively discussions of the participants, and answering questions along the way.

Marketing Manager of Tourism Golden, Joanne Sweeting said, “With Tourism BC hosting the workshop, we have been able to deliver the first event of this type to our stakeholders.  I am extremely pleased with the interest and level of engagement shown, and Tourism Golden is already planning more tourism business related workshops for our stakeholders in the future”. She also recommends that tourism businesses utilise the free resources offered by Tourism BC which include free Tourism Business Essentials guides on tourism business fundamentals, marketing and promotion, and understanding unique tourism markets in BC.

Sweeting also commented that “as the Destination Marketing Organization for Golden and Kicking Horse Country, the workshop highlighted the important part that each stakeholder business plays in contributing to promoting the fabulous benefits that Golden has to offer to visitors. Together we create and reinforce an overwhelming and compelling image of Golden from which we will all benefit. I encourage all tourism businesses to review their online and social media presence, and to start managing it.”