Going beyong the call of duty
TOURISM authorities
have their hands full.
Beyond organising
workshops, roadshows and
putting together educational
trips, they also strive to add
as much value as they can
for agents on a daily basis
– and this often means
dealing with all kinds of
special requests.
Lesley Simpson, SA
representative of the
Tourism Authority of
Thailand, says TAT has
formulated key partnerships
with tour operators selling
the country, whereby they
work together to identify
suitable joint marketing
ventures on an annual
basis, to which TAT
contributes.
“Usually this will involve a
year-long campaign, which
is then carefully monitored
for its duration. Examples
of traditional print and
digital campaigns must
be submitted each month
throughout the venture,
which in turn is reported to
TAT’s head office,” she says.
Additionally, the number
of travellers from each tour
operator are monitored year
on year, which, in the long
term, contributes to the
operator’s invitation and
sponsorship of flights and
accommodation to annual
exhibitions such as TTM+
and the Andaman Travel
Trade event, says Lesley.
On the road
Johnathan Hollard, trade
and MICE executive of
Development Promotions
for Abu Dhabi Tourism, says
he spends a lot of time at
travel agencies, teaching
agents more about the
emerging destination that is
Abu Dhabi.
“I do at least four store
calls a day, telling agents
all about Abu Dhabi as
a destination, but also
spending the time to listen
to what the agents need
from us,” he says.
Around the clock
David Germain, director
of the Seychelles Tourism
Board in Africa and the
Americas, says being
available to agents at all
times of the day is key.
“We do a lot of activities,
workshops and destination
training, but being available
24/7 is vital. We are totally
open to local agents, and
we’ll be there to assist
them any time of the day or
night,” says David.
Though promoting a
destination is important,
dispelling any previous ideas
and assumptions is just as
vital – which it has started
to do through its Affordable
Seychelles campaign. The
campaign aims to dispel
the notion that Seychelles
is only a playground for the
rich. “This has been a great
way to help agents sell
the destination and, as a
result, help them boost their
income,” says David.
Special events
Philippa Piguet,
spokesperson for the
Mauritius Tourism Authority,
says interesting and fun
events are a great way to
offer support and show
gratitude to agents.
“We held a trade
appreciation event last year
that was an educational and
fun evening to thank and
acknowledge travel agents
for their support. The event
was based on the game
show ‘A minute to win it’,
which ensured everyone
had a fun time while
answering questions about
the island. Prizes included
trips to Mauritius that could
be used to further their
familiarisation with the
island,” says Philippa.
She says online training
workshops held on
Travelinfo were a great
success. As well as group
workshops, they offer oneon-one
training for agents
who request it.
Tech at the forefront of destination promotion
NEW technologies
are often touted as
replacements for
human interaction.
The travel industry
is no different, and
many disruptors
have made a serious
dent in agents’
bottom lines. But
many innovations
are being introduced
to improve agents’
lives and help them
do their job better –
some of which are
being developed by
tourism authorities.
At the forefront
of destination
promotion and
accessibility are
smartphone apps.
Johnathan Hollard of
Abu Dhabi Tourism,
says the Abu Dhabi
app, which is available on the
Google Play and Apple App stores,
was developed to add more value
to clients’ trips.
“The app does not
take business away
from agents. It was
developed purely as
a way for travellers
to learn more about
Abu Dhabi, and
guide them to where
they want to go,”
says Johnathan.
Thailand has also
focused on utilising
technology to assist
agents, with Tourism
Authority of Thailand
launching a number
of platforms over
the years. “These
range from video
footage that can be
found on YouTube to
e-brochures, e-cards,
and podcasts. TAT
is very in tune with
technology, including
online training [for
agents],” says SA representative,
Lesley Simpson.
Philippa Piguet, of the Mauritius
Tourism Authority, says social
media engagement is a key driver
for traffic. “We are very active on
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
“We also engage on a regular
basis with travel bloggers
and social
influencers
who in turn
create
content
and
awareness about Mauritius. Our
digital team create a range of
engaging social content such as
videos, GIFS and competitions that
highlight all the great aspects
and activities of
Mauritius outside
of just sitting
on the
beach,”
she say
FAM trip experience
Bronwyn Maule, team leader at Flight Centre Holidays in Pretoria,
recently spent five days in Abu Dhabi on an educational organised by
the tourism authority. She used the time to soak up a city she calls a
‘one-stop destination’.
Expectations:
GOING in, I was quite nervous. The UAE
is a very strict country and I expected
a culture shock on arrival. As this
was an educational, I knew we would
have quite a busy schedule, which
included inspecting the Qasr al Sarab
resort, which is managed by Anantara.
Together with this, I was looking forward
to spending some time in Abu Dhabi’s
markets and going to Ferrari World.
Trip highlights:
Abu Dhabi really is a one-stop
destination. It is still developing as
a destination and this meant that
there was more on offer than I had
expected to find. For me, some
of the highlights of the trip were
definitely the Qasr al Sarab resort,
which is in the desert. Driving there,
you’d expect nothing but sand,
but I was so surprised to see lush
greenery that has been cultivated
next to the road to beautify it. I
saw that the people of Abu Dhabi
have a great respect for plants
and animals. The resort is most
beautiful at night when you can see
thousands of stars light up the sky.
Yas Island was another highlight.
I loved it and know most South
Africans will too. The hotels are
vibey and have pubs that offer live
entertainment.
Top tips
Abu Dhabi isn’t a cheap destination.
Going there, you need to budget, as
there are many fantastic markets
to shop at. It is a shopper’s
destination. Be sure to look out for
as many free services as you can,
like the Yas Express shuttle service,
which is offered on a complimentary
basis to all guests on Yas Island.
This truly was the best educational
I've been on. I am excited to be
able to come back and sell a new
and exciting destination from firsthand
experience – a place that I
think all other South Africans will
love.
SA Tourism launches digital asset library
SOUTH African Tourism has built
a new digital asset library to
create a platform that will help
stakeholders with marketing
collateral.
The digital asset library will
give access to real information –
accompanied by image, footage
and marketing collateral – that
could possibly excite travellers.
“All the work that we do
toward growing our industry is
a collaborative effort. That is
the only way to ensure amplified
and inclusive growth. The SAT
digital asset library is where
all the assets pertaining to our
brand will be housed in order to
enable us to provide stakeholder
engagement tools and collateral
that can be used at various
points in the travellers’ decisionmaking
journey. It is an exciting
development and definitely a
step in the right direction,”
said Sisa Ntshona, ceo of
SA Tourism.
The platform allows various
partners to download digital
elements in high resolution at
no cost. The library is a simple,
easy-to-use interface, allowing
anyone to search based on
keywords, themes, locations
and experiences. Simply type in
a search phrase based on your
needs and all related assets
will appear.
Once the option is selected,
the user may view the relevant
technical information including
dimensions, formats, resolution,
file size, keywords, metadata
and keywords.
After the relevant download
icon has been selected, the
user is ready to go. The library
does not require users to create
an account.
The library will also give
users access to predesigned
marketing collateral for
partnership support, by allowing
cobranding options for various
partners. To access the South
African Tourism digital asset
library, visit http://digitalassets.
southafrica.net.
Promoting affordable Seychelles
IN THE past
eight years,
the number of
South Africans
travelling to
the Seychelles
has more than
doubled, with
more than
13 000 SA
travellers visiting
in 2016. In the
first six months
of 2017, there
has been a 21%
increase compared with the
same time last year.
David Germain of the
Seychelles Tourism Board
attributes this rapid
growth to the ‘Affordable
Seychelles’ campaign it has
been running in South Africa
for the past three years.
“In South Africa, there
is still a perception that
Seychelles is only for the
high-end market. This is not
true. Therefore, we have
been working really hard to
promote the Seychelles as
an affordable
destination,
showcasing the
great variety of
accommodation
and activities on
offer for every
budget,” says
David.
But getting the
message across
has been hard
work. From agent
training to public
exhibitions, the
Seychelles Tourism Board is
spreading their message far
and wide.
“We have been promoting
the affordability of the
Seychelles across the
country, and have also
focused on smaller cities
and provinces to get the
message across. This
has really paid dividends
for us, but there is still
a lot of work that needs
to be done to dispel the
false perception of the
Seychelles,” he adds.
You’re invited!
THE Seychelles Tourism
Board is embarking
on a MICE and leisure
roadshow and will host
a series of workshops in
Johannesburg, Durban
and Cape Town.
The roadshow kicks off
in Johannesburg on July
18 at the Protea Hotel
by Marriott Johannesburg
Balalaika Sandton, and
then travels to Durban on
July 19 at aha Gateway
Hotel, concluding in Cape
Town on July 20 at the
Southern Sun Cape Sun.
This is the sixth
roadshow of this annual
event and suppliers from
Seychelles are travelling
to South Africa to meet
with local travel agents
and tour operators,
showcasing their
products and establishing
working relationships.
David Germain of the
Seychelles Tourism Board,
says: “The workshops
also serve as a platform
and opportunity to update
the trade about events,
new developments,
destination news and
product updates.
THE Seychelles Tourism
Board is embarking
on a MICE and leisure
roadshow and will host
a series of workshops in
Johannesburg, Durban
and Cape Town.
The roadshow kicks off
in Johannesburg on July
18 at the Protea Hotel
by Marriott Johannesburg
Balalaika Sandton, and
then travels to Durban on
July 19 at aha Gateway
Hotel, concluding in Cape
Town on July 20 at the
Southern Sun Cape Sun.
This is the sixth
roadshow of this annual
event and suppliers from
Seychelles are travelling
to South Africa to meet
with local travel agents
and tour operators,
showcasing their
products and establishing
working relationships.
David Germain of the
Seychelles Tourism Board,
says: “The workshops
also serve as a platform
and opportunity to update
the trade about events,
new developments,
destination news and
product updates.
To thhe point
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that two new public holidays have been instated in Thailand.
The first is on July 28 – H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s (Thailand’s new king) birthday and the second on
October 13 – King Bhumibol Adulyadej Memorial Day, marking the passing away of the late king. Travellers
should be advised that certain attractions, restaurants and other facilities may be closed over these days.
