Conservation efforts through running an ecotourism destination are admirable and should be well-recognized. However, a negative review, a nature encounter gone south, or even misinformation from a tourist on social media can put a significant dent in your noble efforts to do your part for the planet. Lack of preparation for when, not if, a crisis occurs can make it difficult to bounce back from the negative media attention.
With ecotourism public relations, you can be prepared for almost any crisis with an expertly devised crisis communication plan.
- Assign roles
- Who speaks to reporters?
- Who manages social media accounts, responding to negative comments, messages and reviews?
- Who handles negative phone calls and emails?
- Prepare statements
- While you can’t arrange for every detail, having a baseline, agency-approved statement ready for the press will lighten the load and ease your stress.
- Experiment
- Test your plan. Especially if you don’t have a professional PR agency at hand, you’ll need to ensure that everyone knows their role and has prepared their individual part.
A major component to bouncing back from a media crisis is getting ahead of it, and with a crisis communication plan in place, you’re already on the road to recovery. Want to make sure you’re prepared for a media crisis? Give Orange Orchard a call at (865) 977-1973 or visit us online.