Administrators of websites specifically designed to attract tourists to the UK are being given a chance to tap into the potential of social media to spread their message by tourism experts.

Visit England, a non-government body which oversees activity promoting the UK as a destination for both domestic and international visitors, has launched an instructional video informing tourism bodies of the main channels available, and how to use them.

This is aimed at encouraging tourism bodies to use the likes of Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and TripAdvisor to gain exposure for their attractions.

It also offers tips on search engine optimisation, and giving marketing campaigns a more personal touch.

The wizard is available to anyone with an attraction they want to promote, whether it is a location, restaurant, pub, or any other entertainment venue.

Visitors are first shown an introductory video, which explains the benefits of sharing content across various of the free platforms available, and are then asked to sign up for a free account, allowing content to be shared with Enjoy England.

The Enjoy England site is designed to offer individuals and groups ideas for days out around the country, whether they are walking, cycling or visiting by car, bus or train.

The additional tools now offered to tourism promoters will mean that the site greatly increases its interactive content, and promotes an even wider range of locations and attractions.

In the world of digital/social mapping, Google Maps seem to be the first choice. In the world of photo sharing, however, Yahoo! Flickr has been holding the reins. Now the two come together, thanks to the recent development from Google Maps.

As Barry Schwarz and Matt McGee reported for Search Engine Land just days ago, this recent innovation appears to be the long-promised move from Google on the way to accumulating all geotagged information out there in Google Maps and Google Earth. It is interesting to note that Panoramio continues supplying the photos for spots on the actual map – but as far as map search results go, this has changed: “api.flickr.com” results now show up on, as well.

This is Google Maps results for Lakestar Media:

You probably already know how to geotag Flickr images, but if not here’s the guide:

Flickr: Putting Images to Maps

Don’t forget: once geotagged, your photos are available to be found via Flickr’s Nearby feature. And can be found in search results in Google Maps, as well. Oh, and more reasons to think about online branding and geotagging.