Social media campaign from Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism encourages guests to savor the journey to the beach through Foodspotting, Instagram and Facebook

GULF SHORES AND ORANGE BEACH, ALA. – “Your beach vacation begins the moment the family pulls out of the driveway, and we wanted to celebrate the great food along the way to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach,” said Joanie Flynn, vice-president of marketing for the area’s tourism bureau (CVB). “From famous barbecue locations to savory sweet tooth stops, our state is filled with so many wonderful locations for food, and we are excited to encourage our guests to check out all that Alabama serves up in addition to other great bites in the Southeast.”

Through a mutli-platform social media campaign with Global Marketing Solutions, Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism has recently launched the “Eat Your Way to The Beach” campaign that promotes all of the unique dishes of the Southeast and brings a particular focus to the Year of Alabama Food promotion by the Alabama Tourism Department.

“We have found that social media is the perfect way to interact with our consumer base, and the high level of this engagement is clear when our Facebook page reached the 100,000 fan milestone,” Flynn said. “We wanted to create a fun family activity, and since the journey here is part of the adventure, this ‘Eat Your Way to The Beach’ campaign was born.”

Guests can participate in a number of ways:

Foodspotting: Go to www.foodspotting.com, and search for the “Eat Your Way to the Beach” guide. The two routes featured on this guide encourage traveling families to check out a multitude of food stops along Interstates 65 and 10 and participate by uploading a photo of each dish they consume on their trip. After spotting three dishes, one will earn a badge.

Instagram: People are encouraged to take photos of their tasty meals and use the #eatyourway hashtag in the caption on Instagram. Details, such as the name of the restaurant or dish, are welcomed.

Facebook: Enter either the favorite beach recipes contest or submit food photos from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach restaurants to win a beach vacation in either contest. Check out the “Eat Your Way to The Beach” tab on the facebook page of Gulf Shores Orange Beach for more details.

Web: Visit www.eatyourwaytothebeach.com for additional food fun, including information on the Year of Alabama Food campaign, local dining lists, sponsor details and so much more.

Families and other guests may also participate in this food campaign when they are in the Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan areas by submitting their recommendations for places to eat locally on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Go to www.facebook.com/GulfShoresOrangeBeach for complete details.

Flynn added that “we want our guests to have fun with this effort, make some new family memories along the way and enjoy their entire journey to our family oriented destination.”

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Media Contact:
Kim Chapman
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism
kchapman@gulfshores.com
1-800-745-SAND
251-974-4625 (direct)
251-752-8448 (cell)

About Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism:
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism serves as the official destination marketing organization for the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach in addition to the unincorporated area of Fort Morgan. To learn more about Alabama’s 32 miles of sugar white sand, visit either www.gulfshores.com or www.orangebeach.com. This convention and visitors bureau is an accredited Destination Marketing Organization (2012-2016) and is an official corporate sponsor of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).