The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has enlisted Facebook to help global destinations restart tourism. The United Nations special agency recently partnered with the social media giant to deliver a digital marketing primer in a series of sessions that welcomed participants from over 30 countries.

The three special sessions – each conducted in English, French and Spanish – delivered a range of key insights into how the effective use of digital marketing can help destinations gain a competitive advantage in the challenging months ahead and was the latest UNWTO initiative relating to market intelligence and marketing.

Participants were given an overview of digital tools and tips for communicating with their target audiences through Facebook and Instagram, plus Messenger and WhatsApp.

Alongside this, the sessions highlighted the importance of metrics and other key tools in measuring the success of digital marketing campaigns, and role of advertising and creativity in reaching new audiences.

“Our partnership (with Facebook) will help destinations be better prepared for a new market framework and allow them to use data and digital marketing to reach new audiences and restart their tourism sectors,” stated UNWTO Chief, Market Intelligence and Competitiveness, Sandra Carvao,

Nicolai Gerard, a director at Facebook, added, “In the times we are living, it is key for the travel industry to implement digital marketing strategies to accelerate the road to recovery. With this partnership, we believe that travel destinations will gain the necessary tools and skills that will allow them to use all the services available through our family of apps”.