Documentaries, Films, and TV shows have a way to inspire people to behave in certain ways. Television shows that explore the tale of traveling and touring new destinations have motivated many people to visit areas where the TV shows explored. The influence of television travel shows on tourists cannot be overly emphasized. These shows have proved to be an excellent medium for tourism marketing, and have also created opportunities for community and product development of the location.
But what are notable examples of TV shows? What is the role of TV Travel Shows on tourism and viewers purchase behavior? We’ll talk about all that as well as the benefits and downsides.
Notable Examples of TV Shows
An example of how much influence TV has on tourism was seen in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy which was filmed in New Zealand. There was a big increase in tourist visits to New Zealand, and about 70% of these visitors had seen one of the trilogy movies.
With the advent of streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Netflix, watching TV shows has become more widespread. You can sit in the comfort of your home and watch an American eat a scintillating meal of Chicken tikka masala from India. This can influence you to visit this beautiful Asian country. For other ways TV shows can do so, read here.
Other TV shows that have influenced viewer’s purchase behaviors include:
- Our planet
- First contact: the last tribe of Amazon
- Tales by light
- Street food
- Pedal the world
Role of Television Advertising in Tourism
Advertising is one of the major factors that boost a country’s tourism industry. It helps to generate new tourists from international and local areas. Since we live in a media-driven world, it is no surprise to see people easily influenced by what they watch or see.
Television is an effective advertising medium that influences many people’s travel decisions today. TV shows help a prospective visitor to understand what to expect from a city or country before visiting it. It does so by enticing the viewer’s purchase behavior. This can be through food displays, colorful cultural heritage, historical monuments, and fancy restaurants.
There are three (3) major roles that television advertising plays in tourism. These roles include:
- Informing viewers to visit a country
Letting them know everything about the destination, from the food to the culture, and other notable locations in the country. By giving more information, viewers are influenced to add the destination to their vacation plans.
- Persuading viewers to visit a city or country
TV shows tend to appeal to what people want to see. They show the best bits of a destination and show people living their best lives in these locations.
- Reminding viewers about a country or city
Television series would not only inform and persuade you to visit a location but would also remind you about it and help you know where you can book a ticket from.
Positive Influences of Television Travel Shows on Tourists
The following are some of the positive ways these TV shows affect tourists:
Explores Different Cultures
When you watch a TV travel show, you are exposed to different cultures, languages, and values. You begin to understand how people behave better and you understand how to relate well with those from the destination. Also, when you visit that country, you would already have a surface knowledge of their culture and enjoy your vacation better.
Reduces Racism and Other Stereotypes
When viewers learn more about a destination, their views about the people changes. Stereotypes about a particular country diminish. Tourists become less likely to behave in certain ways that show racism or stereotypical behaviors.
Cheaper Travel Destination
Travel TV shows introduce viewers to different countries that one can visit on a budget. These destinations may not be popular but through television shows, many people can see what they have to offer.
Positive Influences of Television Travel Shows on Tourism
The following are some advantages to tourism:
Showcase Culture and Food
A travel show will talk about the culture of a place and its traditional foods. It will contain visually appealing scenes that bring a destination to the positive light of TV viewers. TV shows to influence viewers to add a destination to their vacation plans.
Cost-effective
Many TV shows are not sponsored by the tourism industry of a country. So, without paying any money, a destination can have an increase in tourist visits. This will improve their economy.
Development of a Destination
Many countries improved their economy today due to tourism. The more people watch TV shows about travel, the more they visit different countries. These countries’ economies will keep growing as a result. There would be more development made to improve their tourism sector too.
Reaches a Wide Audience
One travel TV show can be shown to up to 100 million people at a go (instantaneously). The more people that watch the show, the more people visit the countries explored in the show.
Negative Influences of Television Travel Shows on Tourists
The following are some of these:
One-sided Information
A travel show might only focus on the positive side of a destination. It might not talk about negative important issues like how the country treats women, the rate of rape in the destination, terrorism, or danger zones to avoid.
Different Cultures
Since most people in the production of travel TV shows are tourists themselves, they might not fully understand the cultures of a destination. They will only relate what they know or heard, but not the real truth to tourists.
Negative Influences of Television Travel Shows on Tourism
They include:
Tourists Behaviors
Some natives of certain popular vacation destinations have complained about the way tourists behave. Some tourists might be hard to deal with and wouldn’t want to adhere to the rules of a place.
Loss of Control
The more popular a destination is on TV shows, the more tourists it will attract. This becomes more work for the tourism industry. Certain rules must be set for the visitors so they behave accordingly.
Summary
The influence of Television Travel Shows on viewers buying decisions is real. TV shows can make people fall in love with a place, enabling the place to be a permanent tourist destination. The power of TV to tourism is very important and necessary.
Why travel remains the perfect way to improve knowledge ? Read this article to know more about it!