Smart Citizen Engagement

SMART CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT:

The Case of Athens

Why branding matters?

Brand Knowledge

Brand Trust

Brand Loyalty

For Tourists:

Because they would choose a destination brand only when they can trust it.

For Destinations:

Because a trusted brand brings about tourist loyalty.

Source: Brand Knowledge, Trust and Loyalty { A Conceptual Model of Destination Branding/ Cathy Hsu Liping - A. Caiy

FOUR

KEY

FACTS

FACT #1

“Countries are judged by what they

do, as they have always been, and

not by what they say’’. Simon Anholt

FACT #2 Perception is more

Powerful than Reality.

FACT #3 There’s no smoke

without fire..

FACT #4

“No single national stakeholder has

control over all of the factors that affect a

country’s reputation’’

Source: ETC/UNWTO Handbook on Tourism Destination Branding

the question is..

Can you

successfully brand

an entire

destination?

At least most of us agree on that:

destination branding seems to be

working within tourism

what about

destination

branding

and citizen

engagement?

ONE MAJOR

CHALLENGE

lack of control and

multiple competing stakeholders

FOUR KEY

PRINCIPLES

A symbiotic relationship which needs

commonly accepted goals to evolve

Tourists Businesses/Investors

Residents #1

Strong Leadership with sufficient authority can set the focus point &

establish the necessary mechanisms of stakeholders engagement

about developing a shared and welcomed view of the future.

#2

#2

Online/Offline Integration at

the Core: From

Fragmentation to

Wholeness.

#3

It’s not just about heritage & culture.

brand-building must focus relentlessly

on creating new value frontiers

#4

citizen engagement increases when

civil order is ensured and urban

environment is clean & functional.

#5

The Case of Athens/Greece

A Story of Rise..

….and Fall

Not just an

economic crisis

social stability under

threat

no public funds

available

urban improvement projects &

policies on hold

on-going

negative exposure

Stage One: Identifying the Problem

aggressive media

in major source

markets

falling tourist

numbers (Athens)

social

depression

unfair competition

from inside =

Isolation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj06RMIo_Cc

however..

in every crisis lies

opportunity.

social awakening &

urban activism

movements

private

initiatives

public-private

partnerships

120m fund for historic

centre regeneration

This Is My Athens Program: Engaging Locals for Tourism

Stage One:

Setting the Goal

‘‘to engage local people, showcase the everyday

life in Athens, promote a flavour of true experiences

and an alternative image of the city through the

integration of online/offline marketing

methods’’.

Stage Two:

Plan & Develop the Program

PHASE ONE

PHASE TWO

Launch a volunteers visitor greeters

program

Stage Three:

Engage & Support

Listen to the (Athens) Locals

Engage Local Audience via online

channels

and offline activities..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJymu5KVENA

provide support via visitors

information & services

PHASE THREE

Evaluate Results

5.000+ photos

400+ Athens Locals so far..

Hundreds of Visitors Requests..

Monitor & Evaluate

Set KPIs # of requests

# of Athens Locals

# visitor satisfaction survey results

Web & SM Metrics

media coverage

Stay Relevant

Breathtaking Athens –

Real Time Tourist

Safety Information

To Sum Up..

We cannot control everything being

said about the destination’s brand

but by actively listening to

visitors & locals feedback

We can better manage the destination’s

reputation, improve our tourism product &

achieve higher levels of social engagement.

‘‘The way to gain a good

reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear’’

Socrates

Thank You

www.aboutourism.com

@about_tourism

Manolis Psarros

CEO/aboutourism

mprarros@aboutourism.com