Local tourism and hospitality providers can promote their offering for free through Tourism NI’s consumer website www.discovernorthernireland.com (subject to eligibility*)
You will firstly need to sign up to the Tourism NI Business Hub and an easy how to guide is available to assist. (Check out Tourism NI's useful webinar Navigating TourismNI.com which highlights all the benefits to business registration or their webinar Discovering the potential of your Discover NI listing) .
You will also find information here on how to create and update your tourism product on discovernorthernireland.com. This website also feeds www.ireland.com and allows for higher rankings for your business in google searches.
* Please note: Business listings are subject to the criteria outlined in the Tourism NI Contributor Agreement.
See events support section for further details on publicising events.
Destination Marketing with Visit Ards and North Down
Free Promotion Opportunities
Promotional channels include many free opportunities, such as listings on visitardsandnorthdown.com including things to do and news sections, regular ezines and tourism dedicated social media channels.
Visit Ards and North Down Website
• Activities and Events – we will list activities and events that meet the criteria for appearing on the Visit website (see the criteria below).
• Engaging content – we are always looking for new and inspiring content we can share on our channels, maybe a video, story or photographs of the area
• News - we are always interested to hear and share your significant good news stories which are of interest to the tourism audience e.g. award wins, refurbishment, new or enhanced product offerings you would like to let us know about.
You can share this content with us via our Share your story form or provide details of an event via our Submit an event form.
*Note – when submitting content you must read our Contributor Agreement, UK GDPR legislation and Ards and North Down content criteria both apply.
Website event criteria
Events that meet the following criteria will be eligible to feature on the Visit website:
• events which have visitor appeal to those beyond the borough of Ards and North Down
• events that are held in main tourism attractions, or that encompass a town/village in the Ards and North Down borough as the main venue
• events that are grant aided by Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Tourism Department
We cannot guarantee inclusion of all events/activities submitted – criteria must be met.
Visit Ards and North Down Social
Visit Ards and North Down Facebook and Instagram social pages with dedicated tourism focussed content. It would be great if you could give us a like and follow to keep up to date with what is happening in the region. We are keen to actively grow our following, so please help us spread the word about this great place. Tag us in your activities @visitardsandnorthdown giving us the opportunity to share as appropriate.
The main hashtags we will be using are #VisitAND, #ANDwelcome #LoveAND #TasteANDenjoy #ExperienceAND
Like and Follow us – Facebook | Instagram
Visit AND Regular and Relevant Ezines
If you are not already signed up, you can keep up to date with regular trade and consumer news. Our trade e-zine will provide tourism insights, upcoming training opportunities and business news and via our consumer e-zine we share short breaks ideas, unique experiences, events and seasonal special offers.
Trade ezine sign up Consumer ezine sign up
Further Promotion and Marketing Advice
Using Social Media Platforms
Check out this useful guidance from Tourism NI in relation to how to use particular platforms:
Hashtags and Photography
When using your social media platforms don't forget to use relevant hashtags and high quality imagery, linking to the core tourism brands.
Claim your TripAdvisor Listing
As per Google My Business, TripAdvisor is used to review hotels, restaurants and tourism activities, so that visitors can discover new places, offering positive assurance before booking. Make sure to claim or make your business listing here and take the opportunity to respond to customer feedback. Tripadvisor ratings are also displayed on business listings published on the Discover Northern Ireland website - check out an example here.
Claim your Google My Business Listing
Google My Business is the digital representation of your physical business so it is essential that your business information is 100% correct e.g. opening hours, location. Make sure to claim your listing if you haven’t already done so or create a listing if one does not already exist. This is also critical for reviews to build trust and credibility.
Seach Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Google Analytics
If you have a website this allows your site listing to be seen by users. The search results are displayed in a sequence according to relevance of match between the keyword phrase typed into the search engine and the web pages, according to the ranking process used by the search engine. Don't forget to optimise it as much as you can. Useful webinars and information can be found on the Tourism Northern Ireland website here. Also information on monitoring your website performance through Google Analytics is available oon Tourism Northern Ireland websit here nline.
Useful Resources
Check out the Visit Britain Digital Marketing Toolkit.
