Hot Tea Monday: Luck Won’t Save Bad Tourism Marketing

Ah, St. Patrick’s Day—the annual reminder that some destinations will slap a leprechaun just to get attention. 🍀

This week’s Hot Tea Monday is all about the tourism plays that are actually working—and the ones that are banking on luck instead of strategy.

☕ The Destinations That Get It

Some places own their brand so well, they don’t need gimmicks. They just lean all the way in.

✅ Dublin, Ireland—Obviously, the gold standard. While other cities are tossing up green lights and calling it a theme, Dublin gives visitors actual reasons to come back—think multi-day festivals, immersive experiences, and full-brand takeovers that last beyond March 17.

✅ Chicago’s Green River Move—A masterclass in destination branding. The city doesn’t just celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, it turns the damn river green and gives tourists a reason to visit that they can’t get anywhere else. If your city is still thinking parades = tourism strategy, take notes.

✅ Savannah, Georgia—Surprise, Savannah has one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the country. Why? Because they marketed it that way. The city leaned into heritage, culture, and pure party energy, proving that bold destination branding beats “but we’re not Ireland” excuses.

🍵 The Destinations That Are Just Hoping for Luck

Not every destination gets it right. Some places toss out a cliché promo and hope for the best.

🚨 Slapping a Shamrock on an Ad and Calling It a Campaign If your St. Patrick’s Day marketing could be swapped out for any other holiday with zero changes, it’s not a campaign—it’s a Canva template.

🚨 Cities Claiming an Irish Connection That Doesn’t Exist Just because you have one pub with Guinness on tap doesn’t mean you’re a St. Paddy’s destination. Tourists can smell the inauthenticity from a mile away. (Looking at you, places that “suddenly” have an Irish heritage tour. 👀)

🚨 Throwing a Parade and Calling It a Tourism Strategy Listen, parades are cute, but they don’t book hotels. If your destination is still banking on a one-day event without a follow-up strategy to bring people back, you’re missing the point.

🍀 What’s the Real Tourism Lesson Here?

The destinations that own their space don’t wait for luck. They build brand loyalty year-round, not just for the holiday hype.

And that’s the real tea: A strong tourism brand doesn’t need a themed promo to get attention. It already has it.

💬 Who’s doing St. Patrick’s Day marketing right? And who’s hoping for luck instead of strategy? Drop your takes below.