Planeta.com, the Local
Travel Movement and the WHL
Group teamed up to review how satisfied you are with the way
local travel is marketed.
This survey (announced
earlier this year) endeavors to understand how localities are
promoted by asking the locals.
In the first phase of a collaborative review prepared by Local Travel,
Planeta, WHL analysis shows a strong disconnect among passionate
locals working in tourism and the authorities developing and marketing
tourism. When asked if participants felt that they could share information
with the institutions or organizations responsible for marketing
tourism in the locale, 33% replied no, 30% replied sometimes, and
37% replied yes.
When asked How satisfied are you with the tourism marketing of your
locale? The response was 3.091.
Anecdotally, a number of participants detailed the complexity
of being able to communicate with one authority but not another.
Of consultation processes which lacked adequate consultation.
Ron Mader: "Tourism authorities have an unprecedented opportunity
to connect locals and visitors with social web tools and old-fashioned
lo-fi technology, including maps and information kiosks. The survey
points out that the failure to communicate and collaborate are global
in scope though not predestined. There are ways to improve the communication
and survey respondents supplied a number of proposals."
Marcus Bauer: "Plenty of local ideas not being considered for
destination marketing. But as destination managers are paid to produce
measurable results (however stupid these are), chances are little
that they give up top-down style and understand their work as 'destination
coaches' who lead a team of players within the destination."
Raw Responses
What did participants say? Here are some of the raw responses
with personal identifying remarks removed:
I'd think twice about pitching ideas to the public sector as there's
a history of such ideas finding there way into procurement processes
and open tenders, which is a shabby way of treating intellectual
property.
Structures in Cologne normally are not open to outsiders. So if
you don't know someone in the tourism hierarchy or have some connection
to the "apparatus" it's difficult to become part of the
discussion.
We push to share ideas with our competitors but we have never been
involved with Ministry of Tourism - we have tried! Reports have
been written about tourism in Malawi though we were not consulted
and the World Bank report was not available to tourism companies
in Malawi unless specifically requested which seems mad!
There is still TOO much duplication despite what everybody says
about it.... The key is to DO the bits that need doing, that nobody
else is doing - not doing the easy things and things we have always
done.... DOING THE RIGHT THING, NOT THINGS RIGHT. Too many people,
public and private sector too are still playing safe and NOT making
REAL differences. Simplify strategies and local actions and get
BASICS right at GRASS ROOT LEVELS. Wholesale change, not just tinkering.
There is no overall plan for local tourism. When we began our DMO
6 years ago our city had a tourism budget, though no plan. Now it
has neither, but we continue to market the community outside the
community for now.
The local CVB should accept that they are a marketing organization
and stop trying to be all things to all people, their primary responsibility
should be to market the destination and the private business should
then be the sales side.
Less image marketing and more direct marketing of the companies
and products.
Tourism Marketing in Africa is still traditional and not internet
inclined. Destination managers would therefore do travelers and
the industry a great deal if all service providers in the sector
should go online.
Marketing could be more destination specific, most promotional activities
abroad are done on a national level. Regional and local initiatives
could reach out more actively through various media or the internet
both to domestic and international tourists. At the moment, they
are rather passive. In general, there is a vast pool of information
and resources, but it needs to be communicated to the people, those
involved need to speak out.
Building new and more findable information places around the main
touristic areas. To be honest you see none.
There are plenty of creative and pro-active people within our community
who aren't consulted and do things off their own backs.
We need a state tourism department.
Activities and Attractions should be the marketing focus and Accommodation
as an add on.
Public organizations must improve their websites and promote active
use of it. Website information in English has been very insufficient.
Travel facilities like proper mountain trails should be built across
the country.
Comments
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