Tourism and the Myth of the Cave

Shadows seen by the prisoners

The caveman was unaware of the outside world. Cavemen could not move their bodies or turn their heads because since children they were tied up with ropes around the legs and by the neck. They could only look ahead to the shadows cast by the fire on the walls of the cave. If they said something, the echo of the cave imperfectly reproduced the sound of their voices and they were led to believe that their own shadows were replying to them. These men were missing the world that was out there, above their heads.

Something similar happens in the current tourism sector without Social Media. A destination without a Social Media Strategy suffers the same reality and ignorance that those cavemen endured.  Organizations without a Social Media Strategy are missing a wonderful world where they can find opportunities, communicate with others and learn and share things more than shadows cast on the walls of the cave. This is important in all sectors, but especially important in the tourism sector, where emitter and receiver are separated, sometimes by a few miles and others by thousands of miles.

When an organization decides to take  a social step, to listen to others, to provide solutions to needs and does not just look at those shadows, then it begins to acquire its own audience.
Having an audience itself is extremely important because it gives an organization the power to control something highly valued in a science – its marketing. Certain social networks, are full of uncontrollable social factors and it is imperative to patrol and control this.
The opportunities offered by a well developed Social Media Strategy are valuable if you know how to make these results a reality. It’s worth.

Do not let yourself fall into the depths of the cave. Break your chains, experience the world, see colors, feel the sun on your face, breathe in the sea breeze and... communicate your experience to an audience that is waiting for you. Be social.

David Terrón