For the real dish on PBC, ask the Instagram foodies
Area’s marketers call in social media mavens to spread the tasty word.
DELRAY BEACH — On a rainy Friday evening in June, a group of women from Miami gathered at Salt Seven — one of the busiest restaurants in downtown Delray Beach — armed with cameras and a small flash light.
As soon as the food arrived at the table, they started clicking away. Two used their iPhones, another had a larger digital camera with a specialty lens. They all have the same goal — taking the perfect picture and sharing it with their tens of thousands of social media followers.
Palm Beach County tourism officials invited the women, who all run Miami-based Instagram accounts focused on food, to spend the weekend in Delray Beach in hopes their posts would persuade other food lovers from South Florida to take a trip here.
Local tourism leaders are trying to showcase southern Palm Beach County’s growing food scene to promote the area as a
Instagram users, many of With more tourists turning whom live within driving disto the internet for inspiration tance of Palm Beach County. for their travel decisions,
During the busy winter Discover has been increas- vacation destination for food- tourist season, Discover The ingly using social media influies across the state — particu- Palm Beaches, the county’s encers to help promote the larly during the slower sumofficial tourism marketing area as a vacation destinamer season when the indusgroup, focuses its efforts on tion. In addition to food, the try typically targets travel- tourists from cities such as nonprofit agency is also tarers within driving distance Boston, New York, Baltimore geting influencers who speof the county. and Washington, D.C. Those cialize in a number of niche
The three-day trip resulted “fly markets” are among the topics, including fashion and in more than a dozen social county’s most important family travel. media posts, including at tourism generators because The tourism group invites least one blog post and three of the large number of flights (and sometimes pays) bloglonger “Instagram stories,” to Palm Beach International gers, Instagrammers and featuring multiple photos Airport. other social media influenc- from a number of eateries But in the summer and ers to spend time in Palm in the southern part of the early fall, tourism officials Beach County. Discover’s county. shift their focus to the state’s members, which include
There’s a picture of the cin“drive market.” area resorts, restaurants and namon roll French toast at “One of our primary mar- attractions, typically provide Latitudes Ocean Grill at the kets is Miami,” said Ashley the influencers with compliDelray Sands Resort, where Svarney, the director of pub- mentary hotel stays, meals the group stayed. There are lic relations and communi- and tickets to attractions. images of the sushi sliders cations for Discover — the In the case of the food at Salt Seven, and the guava group that organized the influencers, Discover paid cheesecake from Bamboo influencer’s weekend trip. for some portion of the Fire Café. “One of the things we like group’s meals.
In all, the group’s food to tout is the diverse culiIn exchange, the influphotos have more than 4,000 nary scene. We know that encers take to social media “likes” on Instagram. people in Miami and Fort — posting pictures, videos
Although officials say it’s Lauderdale enjoy dining.” and other information about impossible to know how So do most other travelers. Palm Beach County’s tourmany travelers outside of Roughly 93 percent of ism hot spots.
Palm Beach County have American travelers are inter“We are trying to build viewed the images or how ested in unique food and awareness about the destithose pictures may influence beverage experiences while nation,” Svarney said. “We their travel decisions — they traveling, according to the understand that everyone agree the photos are likely to 2016 Food Travel Monitor is getting their news differreach a new audience who released by the World Food ently, and social media is may not have known about Travel Association. one of those ways.”
Delray Beach’s restaurants Culinary travelers are Alexandra Farnsworth, or nightlife scene. more motivated to visit a the program and market
“We are reaching a target destination because of a post- ing manager for the Delray demographic that is kind of ing about food or drinks on Beach Downtown Developthe foodie movement,” said social media. ment Authority, said hosting Kyle Gonzalez,the marketMeanwhile, 64 percent of groups of social media influing director for Salt Seven. leisure travelers share their encers is a way to leverage
The group included three food and beverage experi- the organization’s limited social media experts — or ences on social media, the marketing budget. what the marketing industry study found. Officials say the social refers to as “digital influencTravelers interested in vismedia posts could sway ers,” because of their abil- iting Palm Beach County last-minute travel plans. ity to steer followers toward spend close to two hours a “We really want to drive a product, service or estabday on social media, accordstaycations in the summer,” lishment. ing to a study commissioned Farnsworth said. Delray “is a
Stacy Moya, who uses the by Discover. Roughly one- good place for a staycation, Instagram handle @Bestthird of those travelers plus there are a ton of sumFoodMiami, has nearly choose a vacation destinamer deals.”
75,000 followers. Jessica tion based on what they have Daez, one of the Miami InsDaez, who is known on Ins- seen on social media, the tagrammers, said her followtagram as @EatItMia, has study found. ers frequently ask for dining 32,300 followers. And Dana Discover officials said 26 recommendations. Rozansky, who runs the Inspercent of tourists say they “Food has become an tagram account @miami_ partake in fine dining while experiential trend,” Daez foodporn, has more than visiting Palm Beach County, said. “It is just as fun for peo79,000 followers. and 4.4 percent of those visple as going to a movie.”
In all, the Miami-based itors say fine dining was the group has the potential to primary or secondary reareach more than 186,000 son for their trip.