How Calgary Discovered "Love" in 10 Million Conversations
When Tourism Calgary analyzed social media chatter about their city, one word kept appearing in positive mentions and it changed everything.
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How Calgary Discovered “Love” in 10 Million Conversations
Tourism Calgary had a problem.
Despite being Canada’s energy capital with world-class attractions, the city struggled with its reputation. So instead of hiring another creative agency, they tried something different.
They listened.
Over two years, they analyzed 10 million social media conversations about their city using big data and natural language processing. What they found surprised everyone: the word “love” appeared consistently in positive discussions about Calgary.
Not “exciting.” Not “dynamic.” Love.
This insight became the foundation for their 2016 LoveYYC campaign and it worked because it reflected how people actually talked about the city, not how marketers thought they should.
What Calgary Understood
Calgary’s approach represents a fundamental shift in destination marketing. Instead of guessing what resonates with travelers, they discovered what already did. This is social listening analyzing conversation patterns across social media to understand genuine sentiment and identify opportunities.
The difference from traditional social media monitoring is profound. Monitoring tracks mentions and responds to comments. Social listening reveals the deeper story behind those conversations.
VisitBritain applies this same principle to their influencer partnerships, using social listening to identify authentic advocates rather than chasing follower counts. Their #ValueBritain campaign achieved 1.7 million true reach and 180,000 engagements through this data-driven approach.
Four Ways Smart Destinations Listen
Understanding Real Sentiment: Social listening reveals how people actually feel about destinations beyond official reviews. Every social media conversation becomes market research, showing what travelers love, what frustrates them, and what they wish existed.
Seeing Problems Before They Explode: Rather than managing crises after they happen, social listening works as an early warning system. Destinations can spot negative sentiment patterns and address concerns before they become major problems.
Learning from Competitors: Social listening provides competitive intelligence that traditional research can’t match. Destinations can see what works for competitors, what doesn’t, and where opportunities exist.
Finding Genuine Advocates: Instead of partnering based on follower counts, social listening identifies people who genuinely care about destinations and have real influence with engaged audiences.
The Authentic Advantage
Social listening aligns with travelers’ growing preference for authentic experiences over polished marketing. This mirrors Reddit’s rise as a trusted travel planning resource, where community-driven advice often carries more weight than official tourism content.
Destinations that understand these authentic conversations—like Calgary discovered with “love”—can create campaigns that feel genuine because they reflect how people actually think and talk.
The Opportunity
Other industries have embraced social intelligence, but tourism destinations are still catching up. This creates real advantages for early adopters who can establish deeper audience understanding before it becomes standard practice.
Calgary’s success wasn’t about having the biggest budget or the flashiest creative. It was about listening to 10 million conversations and finding the one word that mattered most.
What would your destination discover if you started listening?
Thanks for reading :)
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Kevin