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Travel guides play a vital role in serving as a valuable resource for journey planning, promoting tourist destinations and attractions, and driving the growth of the travel industry. In the vast ocean of online information, standing out with digital travel guide content is a significant challenge. To ensure gaining an audience and visibility, content authors should focus on providing engaging and informative content, first and foremost.
A visitor listening to engaging tour guide on SmartGuide
This blog provides travel content creators and writers with tips on how to write exceptional digital travel guides, including novel methods for location descriptions, anecdote sharing, and information presentation.
What constitutes an engaging travel guide content?
Content creators' task extends beyond merely generating informative travel guides. It requires looping narratives that intrigue and mesmerize the audience. When guides turn out to be lackluster, exploration can feel like a chore rather than an exciting adventure, underscoring the need for a fresh approach.
Considering the tone throughout the writing process is equally essential for creating an engaging guide. A friendly and inviting tone can make travelers feel as if they're involved in a vibrant conversation, rather than just perusing a dull document. Similarly, adding humor to the narrative is also a highly effective tactic. A touch of wit can bring the guide to life, making it engaging and memorable. A well-written guide stands out not only by providing facts and figures but also by stimulating interaction and engagement from travelers.
Detail is the lifeblood of any guide that aims to be perfectly compelling. The inclusion of unique stories and small, specific details - such as the aroma wafting from a bustling market or the distinct flavor of a local delicacy - has the power to offer an encompassing sensory experience. With a well-written travel guide, even for people who consume the content outside of the described destination, the experience is as vivid and real as actually being there. In addition to rich, tactile details, fact-checked content significantly improves the quality of travel guide content.
Digital travel guide platforms, such as SmartGuide, enhance the visitor experience with enthralling storytelling and visual content, catering to those who appreciate creative narrative-driven audiovisual guides.
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Comparing descriptive and engaging styles of digital travel guides
Both standard guidebooks and narratives that are engagingly delivered in travel guides act as navigational aids for travelers. However, they present different styles and tones. Let's take a look at some examples using the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
|
Descriptive guide |
Engaging guide |
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The mine has been a famous attraction for centuries and it was visited by many famous people, including Nicolaus Copernicus who visited the mines in 1493 |
The mine has been a famous attraction for centuries. Copernicus was one of the first guests as tourists were called just as Columbus discovered America. The visit was free for guests until the 19th century. I am sorry you came too late and had to buy your ticket, |
|
The grey rock ceiling of the first floor is a national treasure, made of impure salt which is 95% sodium chloride and 5% different impurities. It is these impurities that give the salt its grey colour. |
The floor, ceiling and walls of this chamber are all made of salt, to be precise 95% salt. It is dark due to some impurities and dust. If you don't believe me, feel free to lick it, 5kg of salt consumption is included in your ticket. |
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With 50 meters of height, The Stanisław Staszic Chamber in the mine is the largest chamber accessible to visitors. |
We have entered the highest chamber in the mine. The 50m high ceiling allowed this chamber to host the world's first indoor bungee jump and the first and likely the only ever indoor hot air balloon flight. |
As it suggests, while the descriptive guide style offers factual and reliable information, the narrative style of an engaging guide brings life to it with all its persuasive elements.
How to write an engaging travel guide? Supercritical style tips
There are noticeable differences between the old-school guidebook-like descriptive style and the more engaging travel guide style. While both aim to inform and assist travelers, their approaches vary significantly. It's safe to say though that using a dry descriptive style won't provide better travelers' interaction. Let's explore some style tips for creating an engaging travel guide:
1. Tone - Making it conversational
Standard printed guidebooks often have a formal, instructional tone, packed with cultural and historical information. However, to make a travel guide engaging, whether it be a digital audio guide, paper, or brochure, the content creator should adopt a more conversational tone, much like chatting with a well-informed friend.
To achieve this:
- Use first and second person: Using "I/We" and "You" makes the content feel more personal and direct. Your audience should feel like you're speaking just to them, guiding them through their journey.
- Ask rhetorical questions: This makes visitors an active participant, encouraging them to ponder their own experiences and expectations.
- Use contractions: Words like "it's", "don't", and "won't" sound less formal and more like everyday speech.
A conversational tone makes an engaging travel guide
2. Engagement - Invoking curiosity
A well-prepared travel guide doesn't just provide factual information like a static printed guidebook, it sparks interest, and curiosity and encourages participation. Digital travel guides offer a lot of options and flexibility to achieve this.
To boost engagement:
- Include interactive elements: This can be as simple as a quiz about the destination or a checklist of must-do activities.
- Use active voice: It keeps the language lively and makes the reader feel involved.
- Create suspense: Don't reveal everything at once. Tease upcoming information to keep the reader intrigued.
Beyond facts, a savvy travel guide sparks curiosity and invites participation
- Detail - Going beyond the facts
An entertaining travel guide goes beyond facts, telling stories, and painting vibrant pictures.
To add those extra details:
- Include anecdotes: Share personal stories or local legends. This adds a human element and makes the content more memorable.
- Use vivid descriptions: Instead of saying "The beach is beautiful", describe the softness of the sand, the rhythm of the waves, or the warmth of the sun. In the case of a digital guide, you can also consider adding a set of pictures of the place at sunset, for example.
- Add humor: A light-hearted joke or pun can make the guide more enjoyable and relatable.
- Ensure fact-checked content: Make sure all the information you provide is correct and updated. This not only increases credibility but also ensures travelers can trust your guide for their planning.
More than facts – an engaging travel guide weaves stories and paints vibrant pictures
Engaging travel guides created by SmartGuide AI
SmartGuide's AI, a specially trained model based on GPT-4, takes a leading role in creating truly original and engaging content. Using sophisticated large language models, SmartGuide AI can create humorous, fact-checked, and engaging content about all kinds of places, from renowned tourist attractions to hidden treasures.
The sole fact of hosting a travel guide content on a digital guide platform brings additional advantages. The SmartGuide platform, for example, provides personalized AI-powered recommendations to the SmartGuide app users, directing them toward places that resonate with their tastes and preferences - much like the services provided by platforms like Netflix or Spotify.
Conclusion
The engaging style of digital travel guides, like SmartGuide, combines factual data with intriguing storytelling. This blend of information and narrative not only heightens the journey but also makes a lasting impression. For those in the field of content creation, it's an opportunity to bring travel stories to life, attracting and educating your audience in new, dynamic ways.
Dive into the process of creating your own digital audio travel guides with SmartGuide, and witness the profound effect they can make. So why wait?
Start today!
