Tourism is a business that thrives on multiple customer visits to maximize profitability. The amount of money invested to attract new customers can be significant – recouping that expenditure transpires through repeat visitation, affirmative word-of-mouth and more recently, positive word-of-web. The Republic of Croatia proudly asserts that its foreign customer base averages six visits. Many nations would rejoice with any repeat customers.
Understanding your customer and crafting your business strategy to accommodate them on their first visit is the focus of this article. What follows in neither rocket science nor brain surgery, but is equally effective in both improving service delivery and executing corrective measures. Here are fifteen tried and true tips toward assuring better first impressions with your guests. Some are relatively easy to implement. Periodically, I’ll post more helpful hints based upon questions I receive. Please provide feedback and questions as you wish.
1) Communicate effectively, and use fewer trees to do so.
When reaching out to unfamiliar customers, be prepared to respond to their questions or fulfill their requests for information in a timely and professional manner. Opt, if possible, to avoid paper communication in favor of electronics, as practical: phone, text or e-mail. Make certain that the person who is responsible for responding to customer requests is capable of communicating in an accurate, timely and convivial manner. It is not a sound idea to enlist customer fulfillment suppliers from persons sentenced by the courts to provide community service.
2) Human capital is significant equity; train your team or devalue your investment.
Business giants like Louis Gertsner Jr. and Michael Milken have long espoused that human capital will become the single most valuable determiner in the differentiation of businesses and countries in the twenty-first century. The brain is now considered the most-favored organ as individuals, communities and nations embrace education in a race toward gaining or maintaining a strategic advantage over their competitors. Inspired programs like Renaissance Education, Twenty-first Century Thinking and Think Quest are the tip of the iceberg in global educational enrichment. Aristotle, in 330 BC said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” That sentiment could be no truer today.
3) Body language is important!
When approaching a hotel receptionist, restaurant host, border police officer or airline customer service representative you will be met with one of three body language styles; either open, closed or neutral. Border guards comprise the first line of defense of a nation and convey the seriousness of their position. Short of the police, however, the composite tourism industry of a nation must present an 'open face' whenever possible; affable, hospitable and respectful in posture, with the face illustrating these beliefs. Consider your facial expression when smiling to greet a newborn baby. A likeable expression denotes a competitive impression.
A 'neutral face' is just that, neither happy nor sad, pleasant nor angry. Unfortunately, this appearance reflects an air of unconcern or disinterest and should be avoided.
A 'closed face' offers the impression of exasperation, disturbance and annoyance. This expression should never dishonor a customer -- at least not one you wish to see again. Master communicator Arch Lustberg puts it best: "Likeability in business communications is key to personal and professional success."
4) Don’t inflate the quality of your property, product or service.
Western and Asian quality standards prevail in today’s complex, highly competitive travel marketplace. In assessing your property, product or service, encourage independent rating of it by Michelin, AAA, Forbes or other recognized objective rating service. Nothing derails the creation of positive first impressions faster than the unearthing of miss-truths, inflated quality pronouncements or maligned ‘trust’ issues.
5) In Tourism, synergy is not important, it’s imperative.
The public and private sectors in the Tourism Industry are inextricably linked to one another in more ways than in any other industry besides Defense. Governments see constructed and manage the infrastructure required to the safe entry and egress of tourists to any nation. Governments, likewise, contribute to airline safety, railroad management, road repair and construction, creation and placement of all directional and informational signs, provision of emergency services and many other critical components of tourism.
A viable public-private partnership needs to exist for a nation's tourism economy to thrive. Governance bodies must be introspective, to ascertain if they are acknowledging the private sector’s contribution to the health of the tourism experience. Both need to be sturdy; neither can be vigorous without the other.
In the ideal setting, a tourism policy and management board, comprised of a near-equal number of leaders from the public and private sectors. This board would report directly to the president, prime minister or parliament of a nation, and assume responsibility for planning and execution of all approved tourism policies, infrastructure improvements and market development strategies.
In an effort to continue discussion about creating positive first impressions, here are a few more examples to aid in your tourism promotion efforts. As stated in the initial posting of this blog, periodically, more will be added. Your feedback and discussion is encouraged!
6) Charge the same price for identical services.
For decades, price differentiation was a common practice within businesses of the Eastern European and Central Asian nations. That practice is becoming more scarce with the arrival of greater numbers of foreign visitors. However, it still rears its unsightly head from time to time, notably in an economic downturn. It resembles a “friends and family rate structure," allowing for two or three-tiered price configurations.
The first grouping favors domestic customers (immediate family) at the lowest price point. The second tier would be extended to clients from allied or former member states of the Soviet Union (extended family), who receive the next favorable price point. The final tier includes customers from all western or far-eastern nations (or any tourist with his or her head in the clouds), the highest pricing possible.
Traveling in Eastern Europe last year, my wife and I were invited to a lounge by local friends who ordered for us a bottle of wine. The price was very reasonable. The following night, we returned to the same lounge, but without our friends. We ordered the identical wine to the night before, only to learn that the price had doubled.
In another city, we hailed a taxi, and accompanied by a local guide, drove to a restaurant for dinner. The price on the meter was approximately $4 (US). We returned to our hotel using the same route but without the guide for $9.50 on the meter.
We dined in yet another city, and observed the menu without English translation with one price – the same menu with English translation had a price point seventy percent greater.
Lastly, in yet another instance, we ordered from a menu that was without Western translation and were told at the time of presentation of the bill that the cost listed on the menu was out-of-date, the new price was approximately fifty-five percent higher.
Unless a patron has earned differentiation rights through brand loyalty, there should be no discrimination among customers. The tenure of multi-tier valuing structures based upon implied political sanctity has concluded its run on the Eastern world stage. Do not stack or hide charges, or deviate from what has been promised to your customers. Tell them what they can expect and deliver it. If you believe it to be more manageable to bundle activities, goods or services thereby adding value to your customers’ experience, have at it!
7) The perception of fear is as great a deterrent to travel as fear itself.
Factual accounts that detail actual or perceived events, which negatively influenced visitation to a tourism destination are numerous. Whether an occurrence is caused by nature or is man-made, either or both may be responsible for declines in visitation. A fear-generating episode can escalate in its market-debilitating effects through uninformed media reporting of it, or its mutation into a viral-posting on a social-networking site.
A forest fire proximate to a tourist area, for example, can instill trepidation in any traveler. If the blaze is hastily reported as out-of-control or 'headed directly for the attraction," both the traveling public and local businesses will not be well-served.
I have experienced dozens of forest fires, extreme winter storm events, avalanches, flash floods and other natural disasters that could have produced panic in the traveling public or cancellation of a pending visit. Avoiding this is possible through the rational, attentive and informed reporting of a professional media representative.
Conversely, under-reporting or ignorance of an event often results in catastrophic consequences. An approaching tsunami without alert, a local history of flash-flooding, a concealed terrorist threat, or organized-crime violence that targets travelers can prove toxic to visitation and cause permanent damage to a tourism industry.
With respect to the incidence of opportunistic crime in your community and its effect on your business, ensure your guests are safe and secure in their surroundings, and tell them why. A naive visitor will find as many personal dangers in Canada as he or she will encounter in any other country if placing themselves in harm’s way. Offer to your customers suggested ways they can avoid opportunistic crime; they will appreciate the 'head's up."
However, if there are popular tourist venues where visitors are targeted by pickpockets, swindlers or thugs – let your guests know the locations. Advise them that care needs to be taken in those venues and suggest practical safety tips that can lessen the opportunity for victimization. See to it that the municipality increases its patrol presence in those areas to certify a stronger appearance of safety and a timely response if necessary.
8) The visible availability of qualified medical treatment and pharmaceutical medication is required.
Highly visible medical complexes and pharmacies provide travelers an added assurance of safety. Be proud of the fact you have them – showcase where they are located and how travelers can access them.
Specialty medical treatment facilities that have a proven record of competency, and patient approval can assist in establishing a high-value international medical tourism niche.
Be cautious in authenticating and reporting both the quality of services provided and support systems available in your community as compared to optimum patient quality standards found elsewhere. Otherwise, the client experience may prove to be contrary to his or her expectations; a dissatisfaction that could result in verbal and written criticism and discourage repeat visitation.
9) When something goes wrong – work with your customer to make it right.
We all make mistakes, yet in the business of tourism, often an employee’s unfortunate mistake results in Ostrich-like proprietor behavior – a head deeply buried in the sand.
Customer complaints do not disappear by being ignored. If your business receives a criticism – resolve it in as timely a manner and as completely as you can. If you cannot correct the problem through replacement, compensation or up-grade, be straightforward and as prompt as possible. Inform the customer as to what form and from whom a final response will be forthcoming.
Deviousness is not a defense for dastardly deeds.
10) It matters that your property is pristine, but the route to it must also be clean.
Travelers are much more forgiving about reparable historic structures in gross disrepair than they are about litter. Trash clean-up is everyone’s responsibility! Eco-sensitivity's thankfully is now a life course for our children and for generations yet to come. Demonstrate that your community is respectful of an increasingly environmentally-sensitive traveling public. Tourism promoters will give your community higher referrals for it. It’s that straightforward. Recycle, reuse, restore, respect.
Frustration with a government’s inaction or inability in moving a country upward economically, or to prosecute its internal corruption has resulted in protestations, including the careless disposal of trash. I have participated in several ‘clean-ups’ in foreign lands, sponsored by professionals within the tourism industry who are likewise frustrated with governmental ennui. However, they can clearly see the propriety in establishing litter-free routes to historic, scenic or recreational attractions.
Beaches or rivers fouled by oil or other chemical spills or damage caused by natural disasters; all can be massively destructive to life and property and negatively affect the lifeblood of a community. However, the structural and ecological harm caused by an event must be mitigated rapidly or its damage may result in long-term economic devastation.
11. When renovating, reconstructing and advancing new capital investment in facilities, give high priority to enabling safe access to your property by customers with disabilities.
In several cultures around the world, but mostly in Asia and Africa, people with disabilities are considered gifted and deserving of poise and stature within the society. In Taiwan, for example, the sightless are highly trained and subsequently revered as therapeutic massage specialists, being better able to locate and focus attention upon areas of distress, weakness or other malady.
In a Tanzanian study of indigenous people proverbs, Kisanji writes:
“Attitudes represented in the proverbs include respect for individual differences, support for active participation in appropriate activities (as training for survival and independence). Furthermore, included is a demand for parents to take full responsibility in the care and upbringing of a disabled child, the value attached to having children (whatever the condition of those children). They assert disability is a source of inspiration for honesty and ‘good Samaritanism’ (helping people in need). These attitudes are clearly positive, providing the basis for understanding between disabled and non-disabled community members and promoting the quality of life within the 'consciousness of the community.'"
In Confucianism, to achieve harmony, one must ensure physical safety and adhere to the moral imperative of keeping one’s dignity unimpaired. Persons with disabilities require the provision of respect and dignity according to the now 2,500-year-old philosophy.
The United Nations is endeavoring to mainstream disability policies into all of its member programs by 2015.
Clearly, Eastern European and South American cultures are more likely than others to stumble on the staircase leading to respectful treatment of disabled persons. In those countries ease of access, dangerous entry points, and few technology advances for the sightless and hearing impaired can be found. There are only scatterings of disability criteria being applied to the construction of both public and private facilities.
In the former Yugoslav, Soviet and Satellite countries, I frequently trip on door frames, room dividers and severely uneven floor elevations. I can only imagine what the construction code regarding disability access is worded. It must include language to the effect, "If the unevenness is less than five centimeters (about two inches), the building is acceptable by EEDA (Eastern European Disability Act) standards.
On one occasion, I parked my rental car in a newly constructed multi-level parking garage located next to an older building in which I had a meeting on the fourteenth floor. The parking structure had the Braille floor number identifiers in its elevators (so the sightless could find their cars?). However, there were no Braille floor identifiers in the elevators servicing the building in which I had my meeting.
With more Western and Far Eastern chain hotels, restaurants and attractions dotting Eastern European landscapes, the impaired will eventually find the impetus to accommodate all customers, disabled or not. It would be gratifying to witness the increase in safe and accessible construction techniques sooner rather than later.
12. Travel budgets for destination management organizations are slim – be transparent in its expenditure.
BIT Milano, ITB Berlin & Asia, WTM London, FITUR Madrid, JATA, PATA & ATF Asia, and MITT & Otdykh Moscow are just ten of the more powerful destination marketing exhibitions around the world today. There are several hundred global trade shows, exhibitions and tourism sales events showcasing generic or niche market segments.
Niche markets that are represented through a trade show event today include (but are not necessarily limited to):
Understanding your customer and crafting your business strategy to accommodate them on their first visit is the focus of this article. What follows in neither rocket science nor brain surgery, but is equally effective in both improving service delivery and executing corrective measures. Here are fifteen tried and true tips toward assuring better first impressions with your guests. Some are relatively easy to implement. Periodically, I’ll post more helpful hints based upon questions I receive. Please provide feedback and questions as you wish.
1) Communicate effectively, and use fewer trees to do so.
When reaching out to unfamiliar customers, be prepared to respond to their questions or fulfill their requests for information in a timely and professional manner. Opt, if possible, to avoid paper communication in favor of electronics, as practical: phone, text or e-mail. Make certain that the person who is responsible for responding to customer requests is capable of communicating in an accurate, timely and convivial manner. It is not a sound idea to enlist customer fulfillment suppliers from persons sentenced by the courts to provide community service.
2) Human capital is significant equity; train your team or devalue your investment.
Business giants like Louis Gertsner Jr. and Michael Milken have long espoused that human capital will become the single most valuable determiner in the differentiation of businesses and countries in the twenty-first century. The brain is now considered the most-favored organ as individuals, communities and nations embrace education in a race toward gaining or maintaining a strategic advantage over their competitors. Inspired programs like Renaissance Education, Twenty-first Century Thinking and Think Quest are the tip of the iceberg in global educational enrichment. Aristotle, in 330 BC said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” That sentiment could be no truer today.
3) Body language is important!
When approaching a hotel receptionist, restaurant host, border police officer or airline customer service representative you will be met with one of three body language styles; either open, closed or neutral. Border guards comprise the first line of defense of a nation and convey the seriousness of their position. Short of the police, however, the composite tourism industry of a nation must present an 'open face' whenever possible; affable, hospitable and respectful in posture, with the face illustrating these beliefs. Consider your facial expression when smiling to greet a newborn baby. A likeable expression denotes a competitive impression.
A 'neutral face' is just that, neither happy nor sad, pleasant nor angry. Unfortunately, this appearance reflects an air of unconcern or disinterest and should be avoided.
A 'closed face' offers the impression of exasperation, disturbance and annoyance. This expression should never dishonor a customer -- at least not one you wish to see again. Master communicator Arch Lustberg puts it best: "Likeability in business communications is key to personal and professional success."
4) Don’t inflate the quality of your property, product or service.
Western and Asian quality standards prevail in today’s complex, highly competitive travel marketplace. In assessing your property, product or service, encourage independent rating of it by Michelin, AAA, Forbes or other recognized objective rating service. Nothing derails the creation of positive first impressions faster than the unearthing of miss-truths, inflated quality pronouncements or maligned ‘trust’ issues.
5) In Tourism, synergy is not important, it’s imperative.
The public and private sectors in the Tourism Industry are inextricably linked to one another in more ways than in any other industry besides Defense. Governments see constructed and manage the infrastructure required to the safe entry and egress of tourists to any nation. Governments, likewise, contribute to airline safety, railroad management, road repair and construction, creation and placement of all directional and informational signs, provision of emergency services and many other critical components of tourism.
A viable public-private partnership needs to exist for a nation's tourism economy to thrive. Governance bodies must be introspective, to ascertain if they are acknowledging the private sector’s contribution to the health of the tourism experience. Both need to be sturdy; neither can be vigorous without the other.
In the ideal setting, a tourism policy and management board, comprised of a near-equal number of leaders from the public and private sectors. This board would report directly to the president, prime minister or parliament of a nation, and assume responsibility for planning and execution of all approved tourism policies, infrastructure improvements and market development strategies.
In an effort to continue discussion about creating positive first impressions, here are a few more examples to aid in your tourism promotion efforts. As stated in the initial posting of this blog, periodically, more will be added. Your feedback and discussion is encouraged!
6) Charge the same price for identical services.
For decades, price differentiation was a common practice within businesses of the Eastern European and Central Asian nations. That practice is becoming more scarce with the arrival of greater numbers of foreign visitors. However, it still rears its unsightly head from time to time, notably in an economic downturn. It resembles a “friends and family rate structure," allowing for two or three-tiered price configurations.
The first grouping favors domestic customers (immediate family) at the lowest price point. The second tier would be extended to clients from allied or former member states of the Soviet Union (extended family), who receive the next favorable price point. The final tier includes customers from all western or far-eastern nations (or any tourist with his or her head in the clouds), the highest pricing possible.
Traveling in Eastern Europe last year, my wife and I were invited to a lounge by local friends who ordered for us a bottle of wine. The price was very reasonable. The following night, we returned to the same lounge, but without our friends. We ordered the identical wine to the night before, only to learn that the price had doubled.
In another city, we hailed a taxi, and accompanied by a local guide, drove to a restaurant for dinner. The price on the meter was approximately $4 (US). We returned to our hotel using the same route but without the guide for $9.50 on the meter.
We dined in yet another city, and observed the menu without English translation with one price – the same menu with English translation had a price point seventy percent greater.
Lastly, in yet another instance, we ordered from a menu that was without Western translation and were told at the time of presentation of the bill that the cost listed on the menu was out-of-date, the new price was approximately fifty-five percent higher.
Unless a patron has earned differentiation rights through brand loyalty, there should be no discrimination among customers. The tenure of multi-tier valuing structures based upon implied political sanctity has concluded its run on the Eastern world stage. Do not stack or hide charges, or deviate from what has been promised to your customers. Tell them what they can expect and deliver it. If you believe it to be more manageable to bundle activities, goods or services thereby adding value to your customers’ experience, have at it!
7) The perception of fear is as great a deterrent to travel as fear itself.
Factual accounts that detail actual or perceived events, which negatively influenced visitation to a tourism destination are numerous. Whether an occurrence is caused by nature or is man-made, either or both may be responsible for declines in visitation. A fear-generating episode can escalate in its market-debilitating effects through uninformed media reporting of it, or its mutation into a viral-posting on a social-networking site.
A forest fire proximate to a tourist area, for example, can instill trepidation in any traveler. If the blaze is hastily reported as out-of-control or 'headed directly for the attraction," both the traveling public and local businesses will not be well-served.
I have experienced dozens of forest fires, extreme winter storm events, avalanches, flash floods and other natural disasters that could have produced panic in the traveling public or cancellation of a pending visit. Avoiding this is possible through the rational, attentive and informed reporting of a professional media representative.
Conversely, under-reporting or ignorance of an event often results in catastrophic consequences. An approaching tsunami without alert, a local history of flash-flooding, a concealed terrorist threat, or organized-crime violence that targets travelers can prove toxic to visitation and cause permanent damage to a tourism industry.
With respect to the incidence of opportunistic crime in your community and its effect on your business, ensure your guests are safe and secure in their surroundings, and tell them why. A naive visitor will find as many personal dangers in Canada as he or she will encounter in any other country if placing themselves in harm’s way. Offer to your customers suggested ways they can avoid opportunistic crime; they will appreciate the 'head's up."
However, if there are popular tourist venues where visitors are targeted by pickpockets, swindlers or thugs – let your guests know the locations. Advise them that care needs to be taken in those venues and suggest practical safety tips that can lessen the opportunity for victimization. See to it that the municipality increases its patrol presence in those areas to certify a stronger appearance of safety and a timely response if necessary.
8) The visible availability of qualified medical treatment and pharmaceutical medication is required.
Highly visible medical complexes and pharmacies provide travelers an added assurance of safety. Be proud of the fact you have them – showcase where they are located and how travelers can access them.
Specialty medical treatment facilities that have a proven record of competency, and patient approval can assist in establishing a high-value international medical tourism niche.
Be cautious in authenticating and reporting both the quality of services provided and support systems available in your community as compared to optimum patient quality standards found elsewhere. Otherwise, the client experience may prove to be contrary to his or her expectations; a dissatisfaction that could result in verbal and written criticism and discourage repeat visitation.
9) When something goes wrong – work with your customer to make it right.
We all make mistakes, yet in the business of tourism, often an employee’s unfortunate mistake results in Ostrich-like proprietor behavior – a head deeply buried in the sand.
Customer complaints do not disappear by being ignored. If your business receives a criticism – resolve it in as timely a manner and as completely as you can. If you cannot correct the problem through replacement, compensation or up-grade, be straightforward and as prompt as possible. Inform the customer as to what form and from whom a final response will be forthcoming.
Deviousness is not a defense for dastardly deeds.
10) It matters that your property is pristine, but the route to it must also be clean.
Travelers are much more forgiving about reparable historic structures in gross disrepair than they are about litter. Trash clean-up is everyone’s responsibility! Eco-sensitivity's thankfully is now a life course for our children and for generations yet to come. Demonstrate that your community is respectful of an increasingly environmentally-sensitive traveling public. Tourism promoters will give your community higher referrals for it. It’s that straightforward. Recycle, reuse, restore, respect.
Frustration with a government’s inaction or inability in moving a country upward economically, or to prosecute its internal corruption has resulted in protestations, including the careless disposal of trash. I have participated in several ‘clean-ups’ in foreign lands, sponsored by professionals within the tourism industry who are likewise frustrated with governmental ennui. However, they can clearly see the propriety in establishing litter-free routes to historic, scenic or recreational attractions.
Beaches or rivers fouled by oil or other chemical spills or damage caused by natural disasters; all can be massively destructive to life and property and negatively affect the lifeblood of a community. However, the structural and ecological harm caused by an event must be mitigated rapidly or its damage may result in long-term economic devastation.
11. When renovating, reconstructing and advancing new capital investment in facilities, give high priority to enabling safe access to your property by customers with disabilities.
In several cultures around the world, but mostly in Asia and Africa, people with disabilities are considered gifted and deserving of poise and stature within the society. In Taiwan, for example, the sightless are highly trained and subsequently revered as therapeutic massage specialists, being better able to locate and focus attention upon areas of distress, weakness or other malady.
In a Tanzanian study of indigenous people proverbs, Kisanji writes:
“Attitudes represented in the proverbs include respect for individual differences, support for active participation in appropriate activities (as training for survival and independence). Furthermore, included is a demand for parents to take full responsibility in the care and upbringing of a disabled child, the value attached to having children (whatever the condition of those children). They assert disability is a source of inspiration for honesty and ‘good Samaritanism’ (helping people in need). These attitudes are clearly positive, providing the basis for understanding between disabled and non-disabled community members and promoting the quality of life within the 'consciousness of the community.'"
In Confucianism, to achieve harmony, one must ensure physical safety and adhere to the moral imperative of keeping one’s dignity unimpaired. Persons with disabilities require the provision of respect and dignity according to the now 2,500-year-old philosophy.
The United Nations is endeavoring to mainstream disability policies into all of its member programs by 2015.
Clearly, Eastern European and South American cultures are more likely than others to stumble on the staircase leading to respectful treatment of disabled persons. In those countries ease of access, dangerous entry points, and few technology advances for the sightless and hearing impaired can be found. There are only scatterings of disability criteria being applied to the construction of both public and private facilities.In the former Yugoslav, Soviet and Satellite countries, I frequently trip on door frames, room dividers and severely uneven floor elevations. I can only imagine what the construction code regarding disability access is worded. It must include language to the effect, "If the unevenness is less than five centimeters (about two inches), the building is acceptable by EEDA (Eastern European Disability Act) standards.
On one occasion, I parked my rental car in a newly constructed multi-level parking garage located next to an older building in which I had a meeting on the fourteenth floor. The parking structure had the Braille floor number identifiers in its elevators (so the sightless could find their cars?). However, there were no Braille floor identifiers in the elevators servicing the building in which I had my meeting.
With more Western and Far Eastern chain hotels, restaurants and attractions dotting Eastern European landscapes, the impaired will eventually find the impetus to accommodate all customers, disabled or not. It would be gratifying to witness the increase in safe and accessible construction techniques sooner rather than later.
12. Travel budgets for destination management organizations are slim – be transparent in its expenditure.
BIT Milano, ITB Berlin & Asia, WTM London, FITUR Madrid, JATA, PATA & ATF Asia, and MITT & Otdykh Moscow are just ten of the more powerful destination marketing exhibitions around the world today. There are several hundred global trade shows, exhibitions and tourism sales events showcasing generic or niche market segments.
Niche markets that are represented through a trade show event today include (but are not necessarily limited to):
- M.I.C.E. and Strictly Business
- Leisure and Cruise
- Medical and Spa
- Sports, Adventure and Recreation gaming, shopping, and theme park)
- Academia, Historical, Cultural, Nature, and Environmental
- Gastronomy, Epicure, Oenological, and Agricultural
- Visiting Friends and Relatives
- Religious Pilgrimage
One could travel across the world and participate in a tourism marketing event every day throughout the year. Competition among shows is fierce, and the incentives used to attract new participant nations can be as seductive an activity as a person can complete with one's clothes on.
As a result, even the more seasoned tourism professional can be titillated by the glamour of these events as well as sincerely flattered by the attention paid to entice his or her participation.
When constructing the annual travel budget for a public tourism agency, it is assumed that management has a grasp of its product and markets. It is also anticipated that they understand from which markets prospective customers can be influenced. Lastly, it is expected that a focused presentation to galvanize its intended audience will be presented. The Walt Disney Company never attends a trade show without Mickey Mouse; Las Vegas marketers couldn’t be found without at least one statuesque showgirl; and, Hawaiians play a ukulele to the tune of a hula when on the show circuit.
When I search the attendance documents of costly trade shows, I find delegations from many of the CIS and former Soviet nations in attendance. Is the product they represent competing with tourism powerhouse communities in East Asia, Western Europe, Oceania or North America? Are they savvy or astute enough to enter the competitive fray with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Croatia or the Baltic States? Or, is the trade show experience a learning holiday paid for by a generous and considerate public?
The magnetism of any big show is luring. Each of those notable events offers credible source material for motivated and competent tourism staff to observe the unparalleled and the dazzling. For more than fifteen years I have observed the activities of former Soviet, Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Bloc tourism staff at several of the main international shows.
As a result, even the more seasoned tourism professional can be titillated by the glamour of these events as well as sincerely flattered by the attention paid to entice his or her participation.
When constructing the annual travel budget for a public tourism agency, it is assumed that management has a grasp of its product and markets. It is also anticipated that they understand from which markets prospective customers can be influenced. Lastly, it is expected that a focused presentation to galvanize its intended audience will be presented. The Walt Disney Company never attends a trade show without Mickey Mouse; Las Vegas marketers couldn’t be found without at least one statuesque showgirl; and, Hawaiians play a ukulele to the tune of a hula when on the show circuit.
When I search the attendance documents of costly trade shows, I find delegations from many of the CIS and former Soviet nations in attendance. Is the product they represent competing with tourism powerhouse communities in East Asia, Western Europe, Oceania or North America? Are they savvy or astute enough to enter the competitive fray with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Croatia or the Baltic States? Or, is the trade show experience a learning holiday paid for by a generous and considerate public?
The magnetism of any big show is luring. Each of those notable events offers credible source material for motivated and competent tourism staff to observe the unparalleled and the dazzling. For more than fifteen years I have observed the activities of former Soviet, Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Bloc tourism staff at several of the main international shows.
In that time, fewer than ten of these teams have been innovative or prominent enough to position their destination as competitive with its neighboring nations let alone a Western or Far Eastern attraction. That staff represented cities now catapulted onto the world tourism stage. They are Prague, Budapest, Dubrovnik and Split, Krakow, St. Petersburg and the palaces of Leningrad Oblast, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius.
I have, likewise, witnessed administrative staff frivolously travel to destinations not likely to become a customer source in the next two or three decades. Two examples include the tourism chief from a Baltic State procuring a two-week familiarization excursion in Havana, Cuba; alternatively, the sports and tourism director spending a week hiking the back country near Dushanbe, Tajikistan;
The overarching gist to this critique is transparency. As a conscientious advocate for tourism improvement in any country, the tourism staff must endorse internal, and external, if required, financial controls that chronicle the organizational marketing suppositions – objectives moored to achievable results, and endeavoring to realize a confirmable return on investment. If sales leads can be supported, expenditures will be justified.
Mismanagement of a travel or marketing budget by community may produce an undulation calling into question the superintendence of similar expenditures by comparable communities. This can have disruptive and time-consuming results. Tourism ethical standards, including fiscal responsibility, will become a first impression indicator by 2020. In anticipation of that eventuality, all publicly funded tourism agencies should strive toward complete transparency in financial management as soon as practical. A sage starting point in that effort might be an analysis of trade show attendance and expenditures.
I have, likewise, witnessed administrative staff frivolously travel to destinations not likely to become a customer source in the next two or three decades. Two examples include the tourism chief from a Baltic State procuring a two-week familiarization excursion in Havana, Cuba; alternatively, the sports and tourism director spending a week hiking the back country near Dushanbe, Tajikistan;
The overarching gist to this critique is transparency. As a conscientious advocate for tourism improvement in any country, the tourism staff must endorse internal, and external, if required, financial controls that chronicle the organizational marketing suppositions – objectives moored to achievable results, and endeavoring to realize a confirmable return on investment. If sales leads can be supported, expenditures will be justified.
Mismanagement of a travel or marketing budget by community may produce an undulation calling into question the superintendence of similar expenditures by comparable communities. This can have disruptive and time-consuming results. Tourism ethical standards, including fiscal responsibility, will become a first impression indicator by 2020. In anticipation of that eventuality, all publicly funded tourism agencies should strive toward complete transparency in financial management as soon as practical. A sage starting point in that effort might be an analysis of trade show attendance and expenditures.
13. Leadership in destination management should report directly to the Chief Executive and be supported by a public-private sector advisory council.
The United States is one of a handful of nations that does not possess a position of Secretary (Minister) of Tourism, instead opting for a senior manager appointed by the Secretary of Commerce. This person serves as the leading national governmental tourism executive in the country. Several US states have Secretariat positions named that rise to cabinet rank and report directly to that state’s Governor. These positions at the state level are not subservient nor answerable to the federal officials in any way.
A government’s role in the realization of domestic and foreign visitation is inextricably linked to its ability to oblige tourism demand. Federal officials are more engaged in the spectrum of infrastructure management than with any industry aside from defense.
These administrators are responsible for:
- Border protection,
- Custom's inspections,
- Airport operations,
- Seaport management,
- Road construction and maintenance,
- Railroad operation and management,
- Informational and directional signs,
- Safety and security,
- Cultural and scenic attraction development and upkeep,
- Historical icon preservation,
- Environmental protection,
- Destination brand promotion.
With so many obligations, how can a chief executive effectively navigate through layers of bureaucracy that possess line authority over infrastructure superintendence? What support should a chief executive rely upon to exact competency from substructure and promotional management?Tourism administrators have realized that a management structure encouraging direct communication with the chief executive is efficient, more so than that which has bureaucratic strata. Attendance to tourism infrastructure challenges in a timely and effective manner is beneficial to customer satisfaction, resulting in improved visitation and positive travel impressions.
In today’s fiercely competitive marketplace, indecision can presage pining visitor volume. Timely and resolute action that supports practical solutions to intractable tourism industry challenges distinguishes one destination from another. This type of activity may be as uncomplicated as initiating a series of one-way streets accommodating seasonal traffic; maximizing taxi-cab fare structures; extending effluent water pipes several thousand meters offshore to improve wastewater dilution and dispersal away from resort areas.Straight-line administrative authority can be an effective tool when wielded by a tourism governance board comprised of senior managers from both the private sector and public agencies. These groups have been known as tourism policy or promotional councils, commissions and visitor’s authorities.
The resulting synergy engendered through a public-private governance board supports business competency in tandem with infrastructure expertise. Examples of actions taken from this type of union are numerous and can be simple or complex. Scheduling road maintenance so as not to interfere with holiday or peak tourist seasons is logistically difficult but satisfying for tourists. Up-staffing border inspection zones during special event times oblige multiple agency agreement. Use of public venues to host private events during soft or shoulder seasons adds a layer of competitive diversity to a community's menu. Governance bodies bring to the table transparency and accountability that are critical to the health of a destination’s travel trade. Unbiased but experienced professional oversight in destination management is influential in the effective presentation of a brand. Public-private partnerships engaged through a DMO, and its suppliers are equally urgent for brand acceptance.
Timely response to a venue in crisis provoked either by man or nature is enhanced through a structure powered by a governance board with direct communication to the chief executive.
14. Are you seeking foreign investment for hotel / resort / restaurant / golf course construction or restoration? Do you want to open a casino? Trying to preserve historic icons and other cultural attractions? Desiring to entice a major sporting event? The perception of corruption is just as debilitating as corruption itself.
A positive first impression is never more important than when encouraging foreign business-people to invest their money in your country. Western and East Asian countries learned that capital from abroad is a necessary component in the race for a healthy and competitive GDP. The following catalogue of questions is presented through contact with economic development bureaus in foreign countries. Each submitted the most frequently asked questions posed by prospective investors:
- Is there transparency in the application, permit and inspection process?
- Are there time-certain deadlines for automatic approval to the permit procedure?
- Do ownership or deeding restrictions apply?
- Is the request for proposal (RFP) practice cumbersome?
- Is the zoning and application process managed through the rule of law?
- What are the licensing parameters (including compensation for suspension of the license)?
- Are there incentives to encourage foreign investors?
- Are foreign lenders allowed to provide the necessary funds for the project?
- Is it acceptable to grant credit to customers?
- Is the collection of debt enforceable?
- Are there anti-money laundering considerations in place?
- Are construction permit fees quantified and not able to be manipulated?
- Are there special-use fees or taxes (e.g., gaming, resort, golf, taxes)?
- Is there a regulatory practice, either parallel to or substantially similar to that found in other gaming destinations whose start-up was funded through foreign investment.
Negotiating with investors respectfully and in a timely, uncomplicated manner will increase the likelihood that your country will receive foreign tourism investment. Be cautioned that taking bureaucratic advantage, or manipulating the circumstances of even one transaction can have a chilling effect on your ability to attract future financing.
15. If you are encouraging foreign travelers to visit your destination, resort or community, examine your country’s visa requirements as a first impression hurdle in the invitation process.
Last September, I was invited to speak at a national tourism conference in a Central Asian country. I visited that country on one prior occasion remarking during that visit the cumbersome nature of its visa process. I first forwarded my passport with two additional photos of myself to the country’s embassy in Washington, D.C. This accompanied a completed application to visit and a letter of invitation from an official source within the country.
I received notice that my visa application process would take between ten and fifteen days to complete. I then realized I would not be able to travel outside of the United States during that period. It was also unsettling forwarding my passport to any agency other than an official United States government department.
I received in the return mail my passport with the appropriate visa affixed. It provided me with inflexible, time-certain entry and exit status within the country. If I found the need to leave early or extend, it would likely be possible in my circumstances because I was a guest of the government. But, what about a tourist who simply wishes to visit historic sites, enjoy the scenery, or relax on the beach at one of a dozen new resort hotels? Non-competitive, disrespectful, and draconian would describe the entry requirements in this country.
If anticipating attracting visitors from the United States, understand that less than one-third of the American public possesses a passport. Upwards of seventy-five percent of those who do, use it one or two times. In this, they typically visit their ancestral homeland, experience religious pilgrimage, or venture to one of the most popular global destinations.
Most Americans have not much desire to visit a land where language, practices, food and beverages and access are inconsistent with their daily regimen. The collection of activities, predictability of experience and ease of entry to domestic United States venues can outweigh a persuasive argument to travel abroad.
Accessibility will be a key factor in competitive success.
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