Digital Strategy for Tourism: Why Success Isn’t Measured in Followers or Likes

How many times have you thought that the success of a digital project is measured by followers or likes?It’s normal. We’ve been taught to think that bigger numbers mean better results. But in my experience in marketing for tourism and food, I’ve learned that a real strategy uses different metrics.

Summary

1. Likes are not a strategic metric

A post that gets 500 likes can be completely useless. If the people who click “like” aren’t interested in your services, if they never land on your site, if they don’t become clients, what are you really getting?

A like is a vanity metric. Pleasing to the eye, but it doesn’t move the business.

2. Why we let ourselves be fooled by numbers

Because they’re easy to read, to communicate, to show off. “We got 10,000 views.” Yes, but from whom? With what effect?

A real strategy requires more effort: it asks you to look deeper, to analyze the journey, to understand who is moving and where to.

3. The real strategy is invisible to the eye

Often, the projects that really work are not the ones that “explode” online. They are the ones that generate silent but steady results: qualified contacts, bookings, sales, personalized requests.

I talked about this in another article: there are marketing plans full of actions… but without direction.

4. Real example: lots of followers, few clients

A destination had a very active community on Facebook, with posts reaching even 1,000 shares. But in terms of arrivals? Nothing. There was no strategy to convert interest into actual visits.

On the other hand, a small producer with fewer than 500 followers increased their revenue thanks to strategic content and targeted landing pages.

5. The metrics that really matter

Here’s what I look at when evaluating a strategy:

Average time on site
Number of qualified contacts
Return rate
Conversion rate
Questions received (offline and online)
Branded keywords searched on Google

Everything else is just extra.

6. The difference between noise and impact

A strategy might make less “noise” online, but produce real impact: grow a brand, improve its reputation, increase word of mouth, build customer loyalty.

Often these effects are not immediately visible. But they’re the ones that last. As I explained here: strategy comes before any content.

7. Slow but powerful strategies

A destination can’t be promoted in 3 posts. A restaurant’s perception doesn’t change in 2 reels. What’s needed is consistency, coherence, and the ability to adapt to real data. Not inflated numbers.

8. Questions I ask my clients

When I start a new project, I always ask:

What is your real goal? (Spoiler: it’s not “getting more followers”)
How will you measure success, beyond social media?
Who do you want to reach and what do you want them to do?

These questions change your perspective. And they pave the way for marketing that really works.

9. The right metrics for tourism and food

For hotels, destinations, restaurants, producers, metrics need to be concrete and linked to the context. You can no longer accept a strategy that “looks good” but doesn’t convert.

I also recommend reading: the 3 fundamental KPIs before starting a tourism project.