GoPro x Tourism Authority of Thailand: Champions of Ocean Conservation

Thailand's islands and reefs are among the country's strongest tourism assets and its most fragile. The Tourism Authority of Thailand wanted World Ocean Day 2024 to be more than a date on the calendar: an activation that created a lasting legacy of ocean stewardship among the travellers it invites.

Building on the previous year's Songkran partnership, GoPro was the natural creative partner, but the brief was harder. Conservation messaging can feel like a lecture, and a tourism body asking visitors to protect the sea has to show that responsible tourism is also the better experience.

The strategy was to make conservation the adventure. Champions of Ocean Conservation took creators into Thailand's marine environments with GoPro cameras, using underwater footage to reveal the country's ocean treasures and to inspire awe before asking for action.

Ruder Finn Era's Thailand team ran the programme on four objectives: unveil the ocean's wonders through creator content; ignite change by empowering viewers to become ocean advocates through sustainable tourism practices and everyday actions; showcase GoPro's ability to capture underwater exploration; and build a community of ocean enthusiasts around a shared commitment. Hands-on activities such as the seaglass workshop on Koh Tao meant the content showed responsible tourism being practised, not just described.