Tech-Maven
06-04-07, - 03:39 PM
THE TOURIST EXPERIENCE IS OUR PRODUCT
Given that tourism is our number one industry, it's important to highlight and market those elements of our country that differentiate us from others within the Caribbean. In business, we call the act of placing emphasis on what makes us unique "product differentiation" -- it's about showing off our best qualities and assets so that we stand out from the crowd. Although Toursim might not seem like a product in the traditional sense, the experience and the memories that tourists get when they visit us are every bit as real and lasting as a photograph or a video. We fall short as a nation when we forget that our main industry's product is an "experience" that can be made or broken by what a visitor sees or how they are treated when they are among us. For that reason, tourism is not just a priority for those of us who work at hotels and restaurants - it's the priority of our nation and of every individual who cares about our future. With this in mind, the growth and success of our Bahamas hinges on our ability to be the Caribbean's best embassadors.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUSING ON OUR STRENGTHS
Part of marketing our assets means that we've got to take a close look at what we bring to the table in the tourism industry and focus attention on those elements where we have the greatest potential to shine. It's not hard - walk outside your door and look around - we've got some of the best scenery on this earth. People who dont have what we have spend months - even years - saving money to come and experience just a few days of swimming in our waters and taking their children to play under the Bahamian sun. That's why pictures of our pink sand and crystal clear ocean very literally sell themselves. But are pretty pictures really enough to keep tourists coming for years to come? Are our visitors one-timers who will go home with complaints or will they come back again and again? Sure, we've got the added advantage of being close enough to Florida that we've been dubbed the "gateway to the Caribbean", but what happens when countries like Aruba, Jamaica and Trinidad start offering cheaper flights and more attractive package deals than us over the internet to millions with one click? Will people still come to us for their vacation memories or will they be drawn somewhere new? People are fickle and the stakes are higher than one might realize. Are we ready to compete for attention? There's only so many people that travel a year...so we need to do all that we can to make sure that they want to come here first to get the kindof experience that they're looking for.
INNOVATION IS THE KEY TO STRENGTHENING THE BAHAMIAN TOURSIM INDUSTRY
So how do we innovate and stay ahead of the curve? How to we adapt our messages to target tomorrow's tourists today? Is it even possible when your product is the same as it was last year, and the year before? Of course it is! One way is to focus on building a relationship with different types of tourists. It's important to remember that not everyone comes here for the same reason. We've got families, gamblers, honey-mooners, week-enders, adventure seekers and more - and they're all looking for a different type of experience. If we can successfully capture and quantify what particular groups want, anticipate their expectations and find packages and solutions that fit their various unique experiential desires, we will remain the front runner in the Caribbean. Period.
SPOTLIGHT ON ECOTOURISM
One of the newest and fastest growing groups of tourists out there is the "Ecotourist". These are people who want to get off the beaten path and to experience nature in its rawest form. This is NOT an Atlantis package deal seeking group - nor is it a casino or straw-market goer. They are looking to have a very specific set of experiences and catering to this niche is going to be an increasingly important strategy in our future. There's plenty of opportunity to start and grow healthy businesses around ecotourism. Some examples of existing ecotourist attractions include The Abaco Wild Horse Preserve, the Abaco National Park, and the Lucayan National Park. It's easy to see why the econsystem of the Bahamas is a natural playground for a variety of ecotourism pursuits. What we need to do is focus on building a strong marketing message around what we've got to offer for foreign visitors and protect, at all costs, the assets which will bring them here.
For more on ecotourism, you can find links and announcements at
http://www.bahamas.com/bahamas/experience/experience.aspx?experience=ecot
For more articles like this one, please visit http://bahamiansonline.blogspot.com.
Given that tourism is our number one industry, it's important to highlight and market those elements of our country that differentiate us from others within the Caribbean. In business, we call the act of placing emphasis on what makes us unique "product differentiation" -- it's about showing off our best qualities and assets so that we stand out from the crowd. Although Toursim might not seem like a product in the traditional sense, the experience and the memories that tourists get when they visit us are every bit as real and lasting as a photograph or a video. We fall short as a nation when we forget that our main industry's product is an "experience" that can be made or broken by what a visitor sees or how they are treated when they are among us. For that reason, tourism is not just a priority for those of us who work at hotels and restaurants - it's the priority of our nation and of every individual who cares about our future. With this in mind, the growth and success of our Bahamas hinges on our ability to be the Caribbean's best embassadors.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUSING ON OUR STRENGTHS
Part of marketing our assets means that we've got to take a close look at what we bring to the table in the tourism industry and focus attention on those elements where we have the greatest potential to shine. It's not hard - walk outside your door and look around - we've got some of the best scenery on this earth. People who dont have what we have spend months - even years - saving money to come and experience just a few days of swimming in our waters and taking their children to play under the Bahamian sun. That's why pictures of our pink sand and crystal clear ocean very literally sell themselves. But are pretty pictures really enough to keep tourists coming for years to come? Are our visitors one-timers who will go home with complaints or will they come back again and again? Sure, we've got the added advantage of being close enough to Florida that we've been dubbed the "gateway to the Caribbean", but what happens when countries like Aruba, Jamaica and Trinidad start offering cheaper flights and more attractive package deals than us over the internet to millions with one click? Will people still come to us for their vacation memories or will they be drawn somewhere new? People are fickle and the stakes are higher than one might realize. Are we ready to compete for attention? There's only so many people that travel a year...so we need to do all that we can to make sure that they want to come here first to get the kindof experience that they're looking for.
INNOVATION IS THE KEY TO STRENGTHENING THE BAHAMIAN TOURSIM INDUSTRY
So how do we innovate and stay ahead of the curve? How to we adapt our messages to target tomorrow's tourists today? Is it even possible when your product is the same as it was last year, and the year before? Of course it is! One way is to focus on building a relationship with different types of tourists. It's important to remember that not everyone comes here for the same reason. We've got families, gamblers, honey-mooners, week-enders, adventure seekers and more - and they're all looking for a different type of experience. If we can successfully capture and quantify what particular groups want, anticipate their expectations and find packages and solutions that fit their various unique experiential desires, we will remain the front runner in the Caribbean. Period.
SPOTLIGHT ON ECOTOURISM
One of the newest and fastest growing groups of tourists out there is the "Ecotourist". These are people who want to get off the beaten path and to experience nature in its rawest form. This is NOT an Atlantis package deal seeking group - nor is it a casino or straw-market goer. They are looking to have a very specific set of experiences and catering to this niche is going to be an increasingly important strategy in our future. There's plenty of opportunity to start and grow healthy businesses around ecotourism. Some examples of existing ecotourist attractions include The Abaco Wild Horse Preserve, the Abaco National Park, and the Lucayan National Park. It's easy to see why the econsystem of the Bahamas is a natural playground for a variety of ecotourism pursuits. What we need to do is focus on building a strong marketing message around what we've got to offer for foreign visitors and protect, at all costs, the assets which will bring them here.
For more on ecotourism, you can find links and announcements at
http://www.bahamas.com/bahamas/experience/experience.aspx?experience=ecot
For more articles like this one, please visit http://bahamiansonline.blogspot.com.