One of the byproducts, if you will, of living in a social media world,
is that people are becoming more and more demanding. Good is not good
enough and bad is not bad enough when it comes to virality. People want
awesome! People want extraordinary! People want amazing! People want
Bold! What are tourism marketers to do? On the positive side it forces
everyone to work harder at being better and it encourages creativity. 2
recent examples of this are the tight rope (cable walk) that Nik
Wallenda will attempt in Niagara Falls this coming Friday and the other
is the CN Tower's Edgewalk - where you might get a glimpse of what it's
like to be a Nik Wallenda.
Photo courtesy CN Tower
The CN Tower's Edgewalk is,
in my opinion, the most innovative tourism attraction in Canada in the
last several years (right up there with the Peak-to-Peak Whistler
Gondola). I can't wait to do the Edgewalk myself, and I'm disappointed
that I'm writing this post without having experienced the attraction
first hand. Regardless, the Edgewalk looks like a very exciting tourism
attraction, a conversation capital builder, a social media manager's
dream.
Photo courtesy Niagara Parks
Nik Wallenda's walk over the Falls has generated a lot of press and buzz
for both Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario. It's a
bold event. From what I understand, the idea has been around for a long
time, but the authorities were reticent to allow it. One can understand
why. An event of this nature is very exciting, but it's also very
dangerous. Wallenda's own family (the famous Wallenda's) has lost a few
members to stunts like these - something we would not want to witness.
The American TV network that has the rights to broadcast the walk
requested that Wallenda wear a harness for protection. I am personally
fine with that. If he trips, he won't die. Having said that, it's going
to be a great event for Niagara Falls and it creates so much buzz around
the world. Kudos to the Niagara Parks Commission for getting involved.
The difference between this event and the CN Tower's Edgewalk, is that
Wallenda's walk is a one time thing, whereas the Edgewalk may remain a
summer attraction in Toronto generating recurring revenue and constant
social media buzz. Niagara must continue to encourage investment in bold
tourism attractions - perhaps the Skylon Tower will open its own
Edgewalk in the future.
Go bold or go home!
Jaime
PS - I recently read of another bold project in Las Vegas - the High
Roller - a new Ferris wheel that will be the highest in the world (after
China's Star
of Nanchang and the London Eye). It will also have the biggest visible
ad space possibly in the world (and Canada should buy the AD space for
the inaugural season).
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