Never have I enjoyed a job as much as teaching "Web publishing" at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. The more I teach how to write for the (tourism) Web, the more I realize that most tourism websites are really bad. Yes, I confess, this has been more of a surprise that I had expected. I have seen: awful writing, broken links, poor readability, bad navigation and most often no content scope nor real object. I cannot believe the poor status of writing for the web. Good online copy is important. Much more important than flashy screen design and beautiful pictures. Even more so in the area of Web 2.0.

This is what I tell my students:

• Tourism websites are essentially marketing websites.
• The way you present information has to sell. That is the main goal!
• It is not an information website about your hotel, destination or service.
• Keep the potential customer in mind.

Make your tourism website a marketing conversation!

I have asked them to always remember this drawing by Hugh McLeod:

Always keep in mind, what “is in it” for your reader?
Remember: "I am the most important person in my life!"
That holds true for everybody.  So provide value to your reader.

What kind of value? Think about these questions?

• What is his or her pain?
• What is she/he trying to achieve while visiting your site?
• Address him/her directly. Do not talk about your guests, since your site visitor is your potential guest.

Here is a slide show of the campus and my very motivated students. They are wonderful! I had them scan tourism websites for worst and best practices. Some were so bad, I thought they made them up to pull my leg . The only one I liked – from the point of view of a lecturer for Web publishing – is this one by the Danish Hotel Fox.