I just returned from a South Africa trip fully sponsored by Wines of South Africa just to taste wines made in the country. Aside driving through Cape Town to learn how wines are made, we had the chance to tour the city.
Whilst there, I posted about 80% of our activities on social media for the world to know what the country has been blessed with.
I’m not the only blogger or social media influencer who has been on this fully paid expenses trip to other countries just to tour the place and learn the culture of the people.
Ghanaian art writers Francis Doku and Monte Oz are currently in Zimbabwe touring the beautiful sites over there just for their followers to also know what the country has. Countries like the above ones I just mentioned, Kenya and many others spend on Ghanaian bloggers and social media influencers just to visit and sell their county to the outside world but nothing like that happens here in Ghana – maybe it’s been happening but I have not seen it.
For the past weeks, I’ve been writing and reading publications of the Tourism ministry appointing celebrities as ambassadors for the sector and most of these personalities are individuals who endorsed the ruling government ahead of the 2016 polls. I’ve no issue with the government’s decision to appoint these NPP stars to sell the country but I believe these Ghanaian social media influencers and bloggers other countries spend a lot on can also be useful to the tourism sector.
There are several online guys with huge following who can assist these celebrities to help the tourism sector with their platforms. Most social media influencers for the past years have used their platforms to sell products for companies and they never regretted contracting them. In recent times, most movie producers contract bloggers and social media influencers to promote their premieres and products and they also get value for money so why is the government not making use of these guys for the tourism sector?
Social media has become an important tool in the lives of many people and these bloggers/social media influencers together with celebrities can sell our tourist sites or culture so the ministry should not exempt them.
Imagine the changes a person with over 500,000 followers and over million impressions a week on social media will make by giving live updates of everything he sees whilst touring the country. Not just on social media, Ghanaian bloggers get million views on their blogs so sharing their experience from these tourists sites on their platforms will definitely paint a good picture of the country and convince people to also visit the place.
Please this is to whom it may concern, let’s employ the services of bloggers or social media influencers in promoting the tourist sites in the country because other countries are using them.
My name is Zionfelix, a blogger, on air personality and social media guru and I am ever ready to help.