A: Once you’ve been able to land a few partnerships with tours and attractions, as well as a few hotels and resorts, it’s time to start reaching out to tourism boards. Different creators will have different strategies when it comes to this, but I think that when it comes to outreach, the goal should be less about pitching them a specific trip and more about just getting on their radar.

That's because tourism boards typically allocate the majority of their budgets towards specific projects, at specific points in the year, with specific messaging. For example, spring may be the time they host family travel journalists and creators because they're trying to drum up interest in the destination ahead of summer travel. Early winter may be the time they host ski trips because they want to encourage people to ski there later in the winter.

Your best bet is to be considered for one of those planned projects/trips, rather than hoping that they'll find some leftover budget to put together a trip for just you and you alone.

I’d recommend finding the tourism board website by Googling "[destination] tourism board," looking for the press room or media room on their website to find the right contact, and then sending an email where you’re basically introducing yourself, telling them what you’re about, and what partners you’ve already worked with. Say something along the lines of, “I’d love to be considered for any suitable influencer activations you may have down the line.” Or, if you’re opening to joining existing group press trips, you can also say, “I’d love to be considered for any suitable press trips you have coming up.”

If you’re not familiar with them, group press trips enable journalists and travel creators to experience a city, for example, in a very curated way. The tourism board will create an itinerary that allows the group to see and do many of the things that city is known for and wants to attract visitors to come experience as well. The group will stay in the same hotel, dine at the same restaurants, tour the same sites, take the same boat trips or hot air balloon rides, just to name a few. You won’t always have a say in how you spend your time, who you bring with on your trip, or what deliverables to produce, but it’s a great way to get your foot in the door while securing a ton of content in one go.

Even if the tourism board doesn’t have anything right now that’s a fit, they may reach out to you when they do have a fit for the niche that you’re in. Also, don’t be afraid to check in again a few times a year and give them an update on things you’ve done lately. You don’t want to be a pest, but you do want to stay on their radar.

So do tourism boards pay creators? Some do and some don't. Budgets and policies are all over the place when it comes to tourism boards. And it's not always the bigger tourism boards that have the bigger budgets. You just have to shoot your shot, see what happens, and decide if you're willing to work with them on a hosted-only basis, or if you'd only proceed if they'll be paying you on top of covering all the travel expenses.

Got a question for me? Click here to submit it!

Want to read past issues? Click here for the newsletter archive!

Take care,

Carmen Sognonvi

Founder, Top Flight Family