CATCH-UP: The importance of ethics and sustainability in influencer marketing

As the world gradually opens up to tourism again, questions arise about the lessons we’ve learned and how we can incorporate these into new tourism strategies. A new stage awaits but what will we choose to showcase? Issues like ethical marketing, sustainability and community involvement will undoubtedly play an important role. Travel influencers and content creators are well-positioned to market a destination. Will the industry be seduced by big follower numbers or will a new set of factors be involved when selecting the right influencer to work with? In this session, the panel will discuss trends in destination marketing, how influencers and content creators can help to shape the new tourism landscape and why selecting the right influencer to work with is more important than ever.

THE PANEL

Keith Jenkins
CEO, iambassador

Keith Jenkins founded iambassador and began offering social media and marketing services in 2011. Keith is the Founder and Publisher of the Velvet Escape luxury travel blog. Based in Amsterdam, Keith left his ten-year investment banking career to travel the world and carve out a new career as a travel blogger and social media advocate. He has visited more than 70 countries across six continents.

Nicholas Montemaggi
CMO: iambassador

Nicholas Montemaggi, MBA speaks fluent Italian, German, and English. He spent five years (2010-2015) at the Emilia Romagna Tourist Board in Italy where he was responsible for Digital PR and International Online Media Relations. While there, Nicholas developed, with Traveldudes and Budgettraveller of the iambassador network, the award-winning Blogville project, which is now in its sixth year.

Peter Jordan
Founder: Gen C Traveller

Peter Jordan is a consultant and researcher specialised in the curation and interpretation of consumer trends for diverse clients from inside and outside the tourism industry. He has developed a reputation for delivering insights on travel and consumer trends that are trustworthy, thought-provoking and inspire people to take action. In recent years Peter has become widely respected for his work in the LGBT segment, charting the trends that are shaping this diverse market and helping destinations to craft solid strategies for success.

Lebawit Lily Girma
Global Tourism Reporter: Skift

Prior to joining Skift, she built a distinguished career as an award-winning Ethiopian-American travel journalist and photographer focused primarily on sustainable travel in the Caribbean region. A former corporate attorney who ditched the office for the road in 2008, her writing and photography have been published in numerous travel publications including BBC, CNN, Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, AFAR, Sierra Magazine, Lonely Planet, and The Guardian, among others.