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Nikki Lynas​​​​, travel specialist at Rainbow Tours, shares top tips for marketing the destination after falling in love with the island on a fam trip:

What are your tips for identifying clients who will love St Helena?
St Helena is remote and isolated, having only opened up to tourism when its airport opened in 2016. It’s definitely somewhere for the off-the-beaten-track traveller looking for a more authentic experience.

What are your tips for getting these clients excited about holidays to St Helena?
I think it’s really important to have your own first-hand knowledge of a destination, particularly when it comes to an under-the-radar country like St Helena, as there isn’t a lot of content out there about it. I visited myself in March and came back with my own insights and photos, which I think really helps get clients excited and understand why it’s such an enriching place to visit.

What St Helena experiences do you think resonate best in marketing campaigns?
Although it’s an island, it’s not a beach destination –  it’s very much an active holiday! The marine life is really varied and it’s great for wreck diving. Dolphins can be seen year-round, humpback whales can be seen from July through to December, and whale sharks come to the waters from December through April. It’s the only known location in the world where adult male and female whale sharks congregate in equal numbers, plus it’s also home to Jonathan the tortoise – the world’s oldest living land mammal!

There’s lots of history too: most famously it’s where Napoleon was exiled to. But, there’s also a lot of slave trade and Boer history as well.

For anyone wanting a challenge, they can attempt to climb the 699 steps to the top of Jacob’s Ladder. There is a road out of Jamestown that leads to the top so any visitors who want a less exhausting experience can still check out the view.

What marketing methods would you recommend for opening up conversations about St Helena?
Social media is great for sharing visuals and inspiring people – we post to our Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts with our latest inspiration regularly. We also include St Helena in our email marketing communications and print pieces. Most important though is to share those expert tips with clients to have a genuine and open conversation about what the country offers and if it’s right for them.

What are your tips for booking Rainbow Tours’ St Helena product specifically?
What makes Rainbow different is our level of expertise. We visit every country in our portfolio ourselves, so we know how to plan a seamless journey, which is particularly useful in St Helena as it’s fairly new to tourism. With our tours, we handpick the best places to go, ensuring clients get the most out of their experience. We understand the history and natural highlights of the island, and can advise on when is best to visit for each client – whether they want to spot whales or make the most of walking routes. It’s never just an off-the-shelf package; we work with the client to refine every detail. We find most clients really value this expertise, so it’s an important selling point.

Any other tips?
I’ve been lucky to travel a lot and the Saints are probably the friendliest and most welcoming people of anywhere I’ve been. You’re treated like a friend rather than a visitor and I came away feeling like I had a true insight of what life on the island – the good and the bad – was really like. That was a definite highlight for me.

In addition to utilising Nikki’s tips, share this video with your customers on social media or via email to get them excited about visiting St Helena: