Rodger, that’s a good idea about non-destination locations, like the Days Inn, should also be using social media because if nothing else, it helps them win search so if someone is searching for a hotel near the airport, Days Inn would pop up.

Sally, staffing is always a concern especially when it comes to social media because the learning curve is perceived to be so high (even though it isn’t) that people look at their already heavy workload and think “I can’t manage that.” However, the budget isn’t a worry, since all these tools and their plugins are free.

This is a great post and outstanding reasons why travel and tourism destinations need to use social media. I would go a bit further to say all hospitality companies that aren’t necessarily linked to a tourism or travel destination should be using social media to connect their patrons to nearby destinations of interest. For instance, a Days Inn at the Indianapolis International Airport, which has no apparent ties to destination points around Indiana, could use social media to connect people with those attractions. By connecting people and building community hospitality businesses can build a better base of consumers. Best Western is an outstanding example of this in play.