How can social media be used to preserve, celebrate, share and educate communities about Heritage sites in their vicinity. This presentation also enlists steps on how social media can increase the number of tourists visiting heritage sites thus resulting in increased Heritage tourists. This presentation is apt for those who think social media is useless when it comes to encouraging Heritage tourism.

1. ROLE OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
IN HERITAGE
TOURISM
Ambuj Saxena
Co-Founder, BnBNation
BnBNation is the Synergy Partner of the ongoing PHDCCI 6th Heritage
tourism conclave

2. Heritage
Tourism
• Heritage sites includes temples, forts, battlefields,
museums, historical properties etc.
• Business and practice of attracting and
accommodating visitors” to these heritage sites is
called HeritageTourism (Advisory Council on Historical
Preservation, 2014).
• Objective: Preserve, celebrate, share and educate
communities about the significance of Heritage sites.

3. Need to do
Marketing
of Heritage
sites
• Engage with visitors before, during and after their on-
site visit.
• Increase footfalls
• Increased revenue for the parent organization and
country
• Increased awareness among successive generation
that is not as aware of the heritage facts.
• Feeling of belongingness

4. Traditional
ways of
Marketing
Heritage
sites
• Advertisements in Newspapers
• Printing brochures
• Pamphlets
• Purchasing advertising space in a magazine
• Guidebook

5. Problems of
Traditional
modes of
Marketing
of Heritage
sites
• Expensive projects for small heritage sites.
• Fast getting outdated
• Limited reach
• Limited scope of information dissemination
• One-way interaction
• No scope of feedback
• Return on Investment (ROI) is not discernible

6. THEN,
WHAT IS THE
SOLUTION?

7. What is
Social
Media
• Social Media can be defined as the online collection of
communication channels dedicated to community-
based input, interaction, content-sharing and
collaboration.
• These include forums, social networking,
microblogging, social bookmarking, social curation and
wikis.
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/social-media

8. Types of
Social
Media
• Facebook: Most popular free social networking website that allows
registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send
messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues.
• Twitter: Free microblogging service that allows registered
members to broadcast short posts called tweets. Twitter members
can broadcast tweets and follow other users' tweets by using
multiple platforms and devices.
• Google+: Designed to replicate the way people interact offline
more closely than is the case in other social networking services.
• Wikipedia: Free, open content online encyclopedia created
through the collaborative effort of a community of users known as
Wikipedians. Anyone registered on the site can create an article for
publication; registration is not required to edit articles.
• LinkedIn: Designed specifically for the business community. The
goal of the site is to allow registered members to establish and
document networks of people they know and trust professionally.
• Pinterest: Social curation website for sharing and categorizing
images found online. Pinterest requires brief descriptions but the
main focus of the site is visual.
• Others include:Youtube, Instagram, tumblr etc.

9. Utility of
Social
Media
• Word of mouth marketing – High reach at high speed
• Relationship building
• Real-time, low-cost and personalized communication with large
audiences
• Audience members can “like,” comment, and “share” postings and
pictures.
• Keep audience updated on construction or renovation projects in the
heritage sites.
• Share impressions and experiences with the heritage site
• Social listening and Conversing with the audience and gauge their
mood
• Receiving and responding to the feedback surveys
• Promoting and Branding a heritage site
• Crowd source innovative ideas from the audience to better existing
services or create new services

10. How does a
customer
spend
1-hour
online?
Social
26%
Entertainment
15%
Shopping
8%
Business
5%
Email
5%
Lifestyle
4%
Adult
3%
News
3%
Travel
3%
Others
28%
Minute-wise breakup of customer's 60 minute online activity
Source: www.adweek.com

11. Who uses
Social
Media
Age18-29, 86%
Age 30-49, 72%
Age 50-64, 50%
Age 65+, 34%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Age18-29 Age 30-49 Age 50-64 Age 65+
Age-wise breakup of Social Networking site use

12. HOW CAN WE TAP
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR
INCREASING
HERITAGE TOURISM?

13. Step by step
process
• Hiring a dedicated professional agency/ communication consultants
for creating the heritage sites’ Website, Facebook page,Twitter
handle
• Regular and timely posting on social media channels with attractive
creatives/graphics
• Regular sweepstakes contests on Facebook and Twitter
• Spread word of mouth through staff members, trustees and
volunteers.
• Intensive social media marketing in the build up of an event taking
place at the heritage site.
• Ensure that the word of mouth messages are true and positive
• Audience members can “like,” comment, and “share” postings and
pictures.
• Monitor people’s reactions on various updates.
• Keep audience updated on construction or renovation projects in the
heritage sites.

14. CASE STUDY:
FANS USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO
LIGHT UP EIFFEL TOWER
DURING UEFA EURO 2016

15. Fans light up
Eiffel Tower:
Case Study
• To celebrate how passionate fans
really are, fans will now be able to
influence how one of the country’s
and world’s most iconic buildings
will look.
• On the evening of every match day,
10 minutes after the final whistle,
the EiffelTower will be lit up with
the colours of the country playing
that day who received the biggest
support, by fans on social media.
• In addition, a number of the best
fans’ messages from social will also
be broadcast on the iconic building.

16. CASE STUDY:
SHOWCASING AND
PROPAGATING INDIAN CULTURE
ON SOCIAL MEDIA DURING
SURAJKUND MELA

17. Surajkund
Mela: Case
study
• Attract and retain tourists for
longer periods
• Holding daily cultural programs,
showcasing local culture,
traditions, heritage in the form
of handicrafts, handlooms,
plays, theatres, cultural
performances.
• ROI: Massive followers; Pan
IndiaTrending on twitter

18. CASE STUDY:
DELHI TOURISM’S GARDEN
TOURISM FESTIVAL-
SHOWCASING THE NATURAL
HERITAGE OF INDIA

19. Garden Tourism
Festival:
Case study
• Showcasing Spring bloom
• Holding daily cultural programs,
showcasing local culture,
traditions, heritage in the form
of musical concerts, and cultural
performances.
• Social media posting
• ROI: Massive followers;
impressive footfall.

20. About the
Speaker-
Ambuj Saxena
ambuj@bnbnation.com
+91 7042106011
• Co-Founder, BnBNation Hospitality Pvt Ltd (www.bnbnation.com)
• BnBNation is the Synergy partner of the ongoing PHDCCI 6th
HeritageTourism conclave
Academic Experience:
• MBA from Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad
• B.Tech (computers) from Jamia Millia Islamia
Professional Experience:
• Account Manager, Span communications (2014-2016)
• Communication Consultant in Govt of Gujarat (2013-14)
• Former Communication Consultant for GujaratTourism (2013-14)
• Assistant System Engineer inTCS (2008-11)
• Represented India in Regional Finals of Hult Case Challenge in Dubai
(2013) and Shanghai (2012)

21. Sources of
Inspiration
• http://cjgdigitalmarketing.com/blog/
• http://www.thestrategyweb.com/study-social-networking-eat-up-most-time-
of-web-usage
• https://www.i4cp.com/trendwatchers/2010/08/11/social-media-goes-to-work
• https://www.techinasia.com/india-web-mobile-data-series-2016
• https://difdesign.com/blog/news/advertising/2010/social-media-and-small-
business
• http://businessinsider.com/a-global-social-media-census-2013-10
• http://www.woodwing.com/
• http://www.econsultancy.com/
• http://www.impactbnd.com/blog/13-awesome-lead-generation-statistics
• http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com
• https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/4-
creative-ways-to-reward-your-facebook-fans/
• https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/4-
creative-ways-to-reward-your-facebook-fans/
• http://blog.sumall.com/journal/8-ways-social-media-affects-seo.html