In the wake of the Coronavirus, there’s a new breed of castaway. Unlike the classic Robinson Crusoe or Tom Hanks image of someone stranded on a desert island, the 2020 version is stuck home alone. While lost souls like Gilligan and the rest dreamed of going home, this year’s breed wants to get back out into the world.
As bored, lonely tourists in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis imagine where they’d like to be or where they might go once the green flags fly again, a pair of Caribbean destinations are using social media to send an S.O.S. to the world.
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority turned to social media to answer the world’s travel S.O.S.
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority turned to Instagram to launch its Message in the Sand campaign hoping internally to boost the island economy post-virus — while externally “spreading kindness and encouraging travelers to keep Antigua in mind for a future trips.”
Antigua is the primary island between the two, snuggling into the West Indies. Like most of its Caribbean neighbors, the island relies heavily on tourism to drive its economy.
Tapping into social media on a weekly basis, the video and photographic messages will be dug into the sand of Antigua’s 365 faraway beaches. The Tourism Authority’s first Instagram post came with the following message:
MORE FOR YOU
?????? ????? ?? ????, ????????????? ??? ???????? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ?? ?????. .
?? ???? ?? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ???????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????? ?? ??? 365 ??????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ????. .
?? S??? ??? ?? W???. .
#????????????????? #?????????????????? #stayhome #staysafe
The first message in the sand (“Stay Safe”) was written on the shore of Antigua’s Fort James Beach and can be viewed across all of Antigua’s social media channels.
