New Utah Tourism Campaign Focuses On Sustainability

Utah’s Moab Area Travel Council (Moab) is introducing what the organization calls a first-of-its-kind initiative to flip the role of destination marketing from attracting visitors to educating tourists about protecting local resources. 

Well, maybe one of the first.

Last year, the Palau Legacy Project, a sustainable tourism body, created a visa policy for the island of Palau to protect the nation from environmental damage. Host/Havas Sydney created a campaign to promote it called the "Palau Pledge." It was the most-awarded campaign in 2018, according to a WARC tally issued earlier this year.

Moab is home to two National Parks, Canyonlands and Arches, which produce over $227 million dollars in visitor spending annually in our community,” explains Elaine Gizler, executive director, Moab Area Travel Council. “This is a wonderful benefit to our community, but on the other hand, thousands of visitors a year can take its toll on our stunning red rock landscapes.

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The "Do It Like a Local" messaging, developed with AOR Love Communications, provides tips and advice to create what the group calls ""informed, sustainable visitors." The dedicated site, www.doitlikeamoablocal.com, features six basic tips for Moab's various recreational attractions, such as wearing the right shoes and carrying out trash.

The campaign will also engage in partnerships with travel industry brands and seek to benefit Moab's local community to further create well behaved tourists. 

The media strategy includes display and video intercept ads, as well as native articles on Trip Advisor and Adara. In-market advertising will run on TripAdvisor, while branded collateral will appear on table tents, street banners and vinyl window decals in Moab restaurants, bars, hotel lobbies and other local businesses.

Social and earned media will also play a role in spreading the sustainability message locally, nationally and internationally.

"We're having ongoing conversations with fellow locals about what "Do it Like a Local" means to them and incorporating their ideas into the initiative,” says Gizler. “Their input and comments are leading the effort to help educate Moab visitors to treat our precious environment kindly.”

 

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