REPORT – 55th PATA CONFERENCE – THAILAND: The use of stories from real life is a key success factor for marketing campaigns. PATA Gold Award-winning tourism marketing experts confirmed that travellers like to…
REPORT – 55th PATA CONFERENCE – THAILAND: The use of stories from real life is a key success factor for marketing campaigns. PATA Gold Award-winning tourism marketing experts confirmed that travellers like to check different points of view before making a decision and this includes learning from the experiences of other people.
Delegates at the 55th Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Conference learned this during PATA Forum 1: Winning Strategies – 2006 PATA Gold Awards Case Studies.
Tourism New Zealand`s Make Yourself 100% At Home campaign and Tourism Malaysia`s Europe Web site both used stories and comments from real people in their campaigns.
Research confirming that people used the Internet to validate information they had seen or read elsewhere inspired TEQUILA-MYALO to approach actual tourists in Malaysia to help gather material for the Tourism Malaysia Web site.
The agency`s Chief Operating Officer Mr Tim Garland said: We asked tourists if they would mind being followed around for a few days and used their video footage and photos to add to the feeling of authenticity.
The Tourism New Zealand campaign, which targeted the travelling supporters of the British Lions rugby team, included a Fan of the Week promotion that told of individual travellers` experiences.
Tourism New Zealand Regional Manager-Asia Mr Tony Everitt said: We interviewed the fans when they left and they were overwhelmed by the friendliness of the New Zealand people.
He added that a critical success factor of the campaign was that it not only invited the tourists to feel 100% at home, but also reminded New Zealanders to make them feel welcome.
Langham Hotels International Vice President-Brands Mr Andrew Jessop said the award-winning television commercial The Butler used stories about real people from the past who had stayed at Langham, such as Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill. The rich heritage of the Langham Group is valuable real estate and we wished to leverage that, he said.
Banyan Tree Holdings Managing Director-Group Marketing Mr Edwin Yeow said his company also used heritage values for promoting the award winning Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel by Colours of Angsana. The brand identity we are selling is the destination`s heritage, not just the hotel, he said.
The power of third party endorsement and word-of-mouth was reinforced by industry experts who joined in the discussion from the floor, including Tourism Enterprise and Management Managing Director Mr Roger Carter, who said that referrals or return visits accounted for 40-60% of all destination visits.
The session was moderated by PATA Director-Communications Mr Ken Scott.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
