December 15th and 16th 2011 marked the success of the innovative marketing collaboration between the Jordan Tourism Board and 8 top travel bloggers. The 8 travel bloggers were ones that had visited Jordan earlier in the year and wrote about their experiences. The bloggers were hosted by JTB on an individual basis, with customized itineraries created to accommodate the preferences of each blogger. Each blogger was invited to create his/her own experience and blog about it with full editorial control.

For the two days, they shared their experiences of the country with their readers and followers. On December 16th, along with @VisitJordan, they hosted a special Jordan hour to answer questions from those interested in travel to the country and wanting to learn more about it.

The campaign made more than 40 million impressions on Twitter, with over 1 million people reached. Many of those tuned in to the #GoJordan hashtag shared their experiences in Jordan, some reminisced and shared their favorite memories, and even more expressed their interest in booking their trip to Jordan in the coming year. The overwhelming response was that people learned things they didn’t know about Jordan before and are now enticed to visit.

The campaign also marked the launch of a special microsite dedicated to all the writings that all the travel bloggers that have come to Jordan in 2011 have posted. The special Postcards from Jordan website features postcards from the bloggers, a special message from each of them, and all their posts, categorized by blog or by experience. The campaign is innovative in that it goes beyond the standard industry practice of hosting press trips and breathes new life into published writings about the destination. Each of the 8 created a special Jordan page, highlighting the country as a Featured Destination. The pages will highlight their posts, the new Postcards website, and their reasons why they recommend Jordan as a travel destination to their readers.

The Jordan Tourism Board is pleased with its social media strategy for 2011 and its collaboration with travel bloggers. Their efforts have lead to increased awareness of the destination. In 2012, JTB will go past awareness and focus on the special needs and experiences that travelers are looking for and will collaborate with different bloggers to highlight the many aspects of these available in Jordan with specific projects targeted at the different travel niches.