tourismportals

Tourism Portals and the Social Web: A Global Index
related: communication, government, social web, workshops slideshare: [|Deepening Engagement How Local, Regional and National Governments Brag, Develop and Nurture Travel and Tourism] (13,000+ views)

The best way to encourage national, state and local government websites is to give them incentives for good practice.

Any interest in creating a ranking system of cities/countries and how social the the official tourism portals are on the social web? All we need to ask is how well institutions respond/interact/engage with locals and visitors on social web channels, including Facebook, Flickr, Google+, Twitter and YouTube.

We would love to see more current information on government portals about local culture - including food, sport and markets, as well as upcoming events for the public and for specialized audiences, aka business travel and workshops. We would also like to see more details about ecotourism, responsible travel, conscious travel and indigenous tourism services. And we would love to see more interaction!

Common Mistakes
No updates No specialization (database approach) No feedback Social web used for announcements only, no dialogue Social websites registered but not used

How to Get involved
Given the nature of the rapidly changing Web, links change all the time! We are creating this index so that you can assess how various governments are updating their websites.

Editors, please choose the country in which you live and one or more countries you might visit. Please update the following info. Non-editors ... let us know via Twitter (@ronmader) any good examples. If have the time and interest and you'd like to help edit directly, check out the requirements for editors.

Countries

 * **Country** || **Visitors** || **Government** || **Conscious Travel/Ecotourism** || **Facebook** || **Flickr** || **Twitter** || **YouTube** || **Comments** ||
 * Australia || [|Australia] ||  ||   ||   || [|Flickr] ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Austria || [|Austria] || [|Austria] || [|Umweltzeichen] || [|Austria.travel] || [|Flickr] || [|@austriatourism] || [|Austria] ||  ||
 * Belize || [|Belize] || [|Belize] ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Ecuador || [|Ecuador] ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * England || [|England] ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Mexico ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * New Zealand ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || [|YouTube] ||   ||
 * South Africa ||  ||   ||   ||   || [|Flickr] || [|GoToSouthAfrica] ||   || [|rss feeds] ||
 * USA ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Pakistan || [|Pakistan] ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Sweden || Sweden ||  Sweden || Natures Best || Visit Sweden ||  Flickr || @sweden || Sweden ||   ||

http://www.youtube.com/user/minturec http://twitter.com/travelEC

Cities
236,113 like this (10.2011) || Flickr ||  ||   ||   ||
 * **City** || **Visitors** || **Government** || **Ecotourism/RT** || **Facebook** || **Flickr** || **YouTube** || **Related Sites** || **Comments** ||
 * Barcelona || Barcelona ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Cape Town || [|Cape Town] ||  ||   || [|CapeTown.Travel]
 * Cancún || Cancún ||  ||   ||   || Flickr ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Copenhagen || Copenhagen ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Las Vegas || [|Las Vegas] || [|Las Vegas] ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * London || London ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Melbourne || [|Melbourne] ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Mexico City || [|Mexico City] ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Paris || [|Paris] ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Queenstown || Queenstown ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Quito || Quito ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Whistler || Whistler ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||

Index
[|Australia] Australia states: [|Queensland] - [|Tropical North Queensland] - [|Tasmania] - [|Victoria] - [|Northern Territory] - [|NSW] - [|Western Australia] Bangladesh [|Belgium] [|Belize] [|Botswana] [|Brazil] [|Britain] Canada - [|Alberta] - [|BC] [|China] - [|Hong Kong] [|Colombia] [|Cyprus] Denmark - [|Copenhagen] [|Dominica] [|Dubai] [|Ecuador] - [|Quito]; [|Quito tourism] [|Egypt] - [|@LoveEgypt] [|El Salvador] [|England] [|Germany] - [|@GermanyTourism] [|Guatemala] [|Holland (Netherlands)] [|Honduras] [|India] [|Ireland] - [|@discoverirl] [|Japan] - [|@Visit_Japan] [|Laos] - [|Ecotourism Laos] [|Lebanon] [|Madagascar] [|Mexico] - [|Michoacan] - [|Morelos] http://twitter.com/Visit_Morelos Cities: [|Cancún] - [|Cancún Flickr] [|Namibia] [|Nepal] [|New Zealand] - [|Media] [|Norway] [|Pakistan]Chitral [|Panama] [|Peru] [|Puerto Rico] [|Rwanda] - [|@TravelRwanda] [|Saint Lucia] [|Samoa] [|Scotland] [|South Africa] - [|Flickr] [|South Korea] [|Sri Lanka] Swaziland Tourism Authority [|Sweden] [|Sweden] Tanzania Tourism Board [|Thailand] [|Trinidad and Tobago] - https://twitter.com/TourismTT [|Uganda] United States: [|Alabama] - [|Arkansas] - [|Florida] - [|Hawaii] - [|Indiana] - [|Nebraska] - [|Nevada] - [|New Mexico] - [|Ohio] - [|Oregon] - [|South Carolina] - [|Tennessee] - [|Texas] - [|West Virginia] - [|Wisconsin] [|Wales]

Europe:

 * Austria || Belgium (Brussels Region) || Belgium (Flanders) ||
 * Belgium (German Community) || Belgium (Wallonia) || [|Bulgaria] ||
 * Cyprus || Czech Republic || Denmark ||
 * Estonia || France || Finland ||
 * Germany || Greece || Hungary ||
 * Ireland || Italy || Latvia ||
 * Lithuania || Luxembourg || Malta ||
 * Netherlands || Poland || Portugal ||
 * [|Romania] || Slovak Republic || Slovenia ||
 * Spain || Sweden || United Kingdom ||

**Quotes**
The greatest mistake tourist board sites make is not editorialising enough. Erroneous tendency to give every attraction equal weight. - [|david whitley]

**Headlines** http://skift.com/2014/03/04/the-11-tourism-boards-that-use-twitter-like-a-real-time-concierge [|social data dashboard SkiftIQ] http://skift.com/2013/06/14/inside-new-york-citys-eleven-tourisn-twitter-accounts

Editing
[|Reviewing National Portals: What Countries Say about Ecotourism, Responsible Travel and Indigenous/Aboriginal Tourism]

**Navigation** How effective is the navigation? Is there a search engine? How effective is the search engine?

**Content** Does the site publish in-depth reports? Does the site publish informative features?

**Participation/Engagement** Does the site accept feedback via email? Does the site accept feedback via an online forum or message board?

**Language(s)** What languages are used? Are languages depicted by word or by icon (such as a flag)?

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Timeliness** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">How often is the site updated? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Does the site include information about upcoming events in the coming week? The coming month? The next six months?

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Natural World** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Does the website tell visitors where to find tourist information on the ground?

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Links** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are there links to national operators? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are there links to international operators? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are there links to environmental agencies or groups?

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Popularity** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">How <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|popular] is the website? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">How influential is the website?

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Criticism
helicopterview

recommended book: join the conversation recommended reading: [|How Bloggers Can Work With Tourism Boards]

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Ecotourism and Repsonsible Travel** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">How does the site define <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|ecotourism] ? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">How does the site define <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|responsible travel] ? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What are the ministry or secretariat's short and long-term plans for developing ecotourism?

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Questions in Spanish** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">- Cuenta con datos de contacto? (teléfono, email, dirección) <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">- Cuenta con una descripción general de sus servicios? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">- Cuenta con un catálogo de los servicios (incluyendo costos, si aplica)? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">- Cuenta con un calendario de eventos especiales (incluyendo detalles)? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">- Su contenido se encuentra categorizado para facilitar la navegación? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">- Cuenta con un mapa del sitio?

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Social Web** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Is the site available via RSS ? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are there press releases? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are there links or embedded code to Flickr ? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are there links or embedded code to YouTube ? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are there links or embedded code to Google Maps ? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are there links to Facebook ? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Do officials comment on other websites? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Do official sites give awards for other websites?

Filing
https://www.facebook.com/GoToSouthAfrica

Misc What are the best ways to engage tourism officials in productive conversation? How are tourism boards collaborating with bloggers and appers? Do links and widgets appear on the official tourism portals?

Ranker
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Embedded Tweets
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