# Real-Life Social Media Mayors Mayor Bob Buckhorn of Tampa Uses Foursquare to Promote City By Katherinev123 | Published 2011-11-27 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mayor-bob-buckhorn References: [psfk](http://www.psfk.com/2011/11/tampa-mayor-creates-a-tour-guide-for-the-city-using-foursquare.html) & [foursquare](https://foursquare.com/bobbuckhorn) While social media is undeniably useful for promoting consumer products and services, it's also effective for tourism purposes, something that Mayor Bob Buckhorn of Tampa Bay, Florida, has discovered. Mayor Bob Buckhorn is using the [location-based social media app](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagram-map) [Foursquare](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/home-away) to provide visitors with information on things to do in his city. Buckhorn has essentially created a virtual tour of Tampa Bay for tourists, including great places to eat and shop in the city, as well as attractions, government buildings and recreational parks. For each of the places, Mayor Bob Buckhorn has even provided his own personal tips. For example, referring to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Buckhorn says, "Looking for a thrill? Cheetah Chase is one of my favorites!" Social media as a mechanism for tourism seems to be a burgeoning new thing (remember the [Swedish city that used Facebook](http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/obermutten-campaign) to attract tourists?), so it will be interesting to see whether other mayors will jump on board in the near future. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 0.6/10 - Popularity: 5% | Activity: 5% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Branding](https://www.trendhunter.com/branding) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Social Media Tourism:** Social media is increasingly used by mayors and city officials to attract tourists and promote tourism in their cities - **Location-based Marketing:** The use of location-based platforms such as Foursquare to personalize experiences for tourists and visitors can give rise to customized marketing opportunities - **Virtual City Tours:** Virtual city tours using social media offer an engaging and interactive way for tourists to explore and learn about cities ### Where This Applies - **Tourism and Hospitality:** Social media tourism can help drive foot traffic and attract visitors to tourist destinations in various cities around the world - **Marketing and Advertising:** Location-based marketing provides a more personalized customer experience, which can lead to increased brand loyalty and visibility for businesses - **Technology and Social Media:** The use of social media platforms to promote tourism presents an opportunity for tech companies to develop new tools, services and features to meet the needs of tourism stakeholders ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Augmented Reality Travel Murals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/travel-murals.md) - [Virtual Game Tourism Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cape-town.md) - [Location-Based Social Media Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spotselfie.md) - [Social City Exploration Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/geometrik-app.md) - [Civic-Led Buy Local Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/love-local.md) - [Real-Time Trending Spot Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/trending-spots.md) - [Event-Based Social Networking Applications](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plus-1.md) - [Real-Time App-Based City Guides](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-welcome-app.md) - [City Exploration Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/social-exploration-app.md)