The importance of consistency between text and images in tourism promotion.

One of the reasons Instagram, TikTok, and social media are so successful is that we are drawn to images. Photos and videos can awaken desires and emotions in us.

This applies to all areas, but it's particularly important in tourism. Who hasn't been seduced by a photo of a beautiful waterfall, or come to desire a destination after seeing that blue sea in an internet video?

The problem is when these images are accompanied by captions that contradict what we are seeing in the images, and our brain tends to pay more attention to the images, after all they are colorful, beautiful, and awaken sensations in us. Much more so than the captions, right?

We're not going to talk about the use of filters or image editing; that's a different discussion. But let's assess how important that is when we talk about pet-friendly tourism.

As a professional in the pet-friendly tourism industry, I always meticulously evaluate all the rules of the pet-friendly policy before finalizing a reservation, but as a mother of four dogs, I confess that the images always attract me, and often deceive me. It's common to find situations where images of pet-friendly destinations seem promising, but the rules hidden between the lines are not aligned with what is shown.

I've seen several establishments (many, to be honest) that hire pet influencers for advertising, but forget to consider whether it aligns with their rules. Countless times I've seen large dogs in hotel advertisements where the rule is to only accept smaller dogs. A classic example is having a golden retriever influencer and only accepting dogs weighing up to 10kg.

We often see pictures of dogs running around freely, and sometimes even swimming in the pool, but when we arrive at the location there is no space where they can be off-leash, and removing the leash means committing an infraction against the facility's policy.

It's crucial to analyze the entire customer journey, from the first contact at the top of the funnel to checkout and beyond. These details, which may seem small, make a huge difference in the customer experience. The customer experience with the destination doesn't begin upon arrival, nor with the booking. The customer experience begins when they discover the destination, start researching it, visit the website, look at photos on Instagram, and often make a decision even before contacting the reservations team. The top of the funnel starts there, with a simple photo or video.

Ah, but it's written in the rules and the person needs to read them. Of course! I agree that everyone needs to carefully read all the rules, and of course, respect them. However, the importance of aligning visual communication, both on the website and on social media, with the establishment's rules and protocols cannot be underestimated.

I understand that this is generally not done in bad faith, but rather due to a lack of guidance or attention to detail. In the world of pet-friendly tourism, where four-legged travelers are increasingly common, consistency between the visual experience and the rules is a fundamental requirement.

Tourism isn't about hamburgers, so it's not okay to put in tiny print at the end of the text: "photo for illustrative purposes only," okay?