A top advertising executive is telling the Niagara Falls tourism industry that it may be able to boost its success by promoting the negative.
A concept known as anti-tourism focuses on highlighting negative aspects that may go viral on the internet, contrary to the usual emphasis on positive aspects.
There’s no question that Niagara Falls is a major tourist attraction in Ontario, drawing millions of visitors annually. However, opinions about the Falls vary among those who visit.
A New York Advertising Executive, Eric Yaverbaum, says it might be a good idea to start telling people why they should not come to Niagara Falls.
The trend of anti-tourism is marketing a destination by saying the opposite of what you want to hear.
An example of this is Nebraska, with an ad campaign saying, “Nebraska, honestly it’s not for everyone. Lucky for you, there’s nothing to do here.”
Yaverbaum says it can work by actually telling people what’s good about Nebraska, or Niagara Falls.
“You have to have a sense of humour. You have to be a little bit self-deprecating and really all you need is a catchy headline. Nothing in the substance of what you’re marketing has to be what the headline says.”
Yaverbaum says other anti-tourism campaigns have had huge success, like “I hate Thailand,” or the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky that promoted themselves as one of the most disappointing tourist destinations in the U.S.
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