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IN THE ZONE 17T H I S S U E 2 0 1 8 THE POWER OF TOURISM MARKETING WITHIN THE GREATER CARIBBEAN In the Zone: is a publication of the Directorate of Sustainable Tourism of the Association of Caribbean States to increase interaction and cooperation among the ACS countries, Observer Countries and International and Regional Organizations featuring destinations, projects and events in the Greater Caribbean. The Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Greater Caribbean (STZC) was formed in 2001 and has 40 destinations. EDITORIAL CONTENTS | ARTICLES | The Directorate of Sustainable Tourism (DST) of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) is pleased to present its 17th Edition of Association of Caribbean States ‘In The Zone’ focusing on “The Power of Tourism Marketing within Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela the Greater Caribbean”. Colombia El Salvador Tourists and travel companies will continue to search for new Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis destinations, which is why the correct combination of tourism Grenada marketing strategies, innovation, competitiveness and technology Guyana will improve the opportunities for the Greater Caribbean to Martinique continue to experience increasing tourism indicators and progress Mexico towards Multidestination. St Lucia In this edition, the DST wishes to showcase some effective tourism Central American Tourism Agency marketing strategies successfully implemented by the Ministries, Singular Foundry National Tourism Authorities, Regional Organisations and | GENERAL INFORMATION | Marketing Experts. SCST-29 Meeting The ACS Celebrates its 24th Anniversary The ACS understands that marketing cannot be addressed in | WHAT’S NEW? | isolation, but must do so within the context of the international GTA Launches ‘Tourism and Me” Children’s Booklet agenda, considering the importance of sustainable development. STZC Preliminary Sustainability Profile As such, the 29th Meeting of the Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism held in June, 2018 highlighted the importance of marketing of the Greater Caribbean such as the First Sustainable Tourism Zone in the World. We hope that you enjoy this edition and that it enriches your knowledge. We continue to stand together confident that the Greater Caribbean will be positioned among the leaders of Tourism Marketing in the coming years. Directorate of Sustainable Tourism STZC Destination: Bocas del Toro, Panama ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES THE POWER OF MARKETING IN TOURISM Author: The Directorate of Sustainable Tourism of the Association of Caribbean States Photo Credit: INGUAT ith global international tourist arrivals reaching marketing through social media in the contemporary Wone billion and growth only expected to increase, market environment. yet many destinations and tourism businesses fail to achieve First, viral marketing is based on the power of word-of- success. Why are so many destinations struggling in a climate mouth which is commonly recognized as one of the most that is ripe for tourism? Marketing is a major part of the effective marketing tools as consumers are more inclined to problem, but it is also an integral part of the solution. accept information from personal social sources than from A successful tourism business requires a brand that speaks to commercial sources (Smith et al., 2007). Statistics show that its target markets, content that successfully generates 52% of travellers were so influenced by social media that potential clients and a level of service that listens to they changed their original travel plans. customers’ demands. In order to target the desired audience Second, social media that connects billions of consumers and strengthen the links with other tourism institutions, the around the world enables the ease and accuracy of repro- Association of Caribbean States (ACS) acknowledges the duction of electronic messages by general users actualizing importance of these various forms of destination marketing. the exponential growth of the tourism product or service Stakeholders in the tourism industry are keeping up with the marketed (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2011). 76% of TripAdvisor most fashionable strategies in marketing. The Internet is users agree that travelers who shared photos of their vaca- consistently accepted as a powerful and effective marketing tion influenced their booking decisions (TripAdvisor, 2015). tool in tourism which is widely recognized as a unique com- Third, contents used for contemporary viral marketing munication support different from all other means of tradition- through social media meet consumer's motivation for al mass communication due to its inherent characteristics. sharing. According to Schutz's (1966) Fundamental Apart from these aspects, the web stands out as an important Interpersonal Relations Orientation theory about means of communication of knowledge and information in interpersonal behavior, consumers are motivated to share today’s society, and enhances the relationship between the electronic content because its entertaining effect and organizations and their public. Theories in social psychology personal relevance satisfies one or more of three and marketing provide reasons behind the success of viral interpersonal needs: inclusion, affection, and control. ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES THE POWER OF MARKETING IN TOURISM Author: The Directorate of Sustainable Tourism of the Association of Caribbean States According to Kotler et al., 2010, collaborative marketing is Tourism Sector. As a result of TVET e-surveys conducted in another important trend in the area of Marketing. 2015, priority areas were identified by the participating Collaboration is particularly important in destination countries including; Belize, Colombia, Dominica, El Salvador, marketing efforts due to the fragmented nature of the Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, tourism industry. Relevant studies suggested that Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This collaborative marketing is a feasible solution to various study validated that the countries were in agreement to challenges in destination marketing (Wang & Xiang, 2007) and prioritize training in customer service, use of technology, is effective in building consistent brand identity and offering foreign languages and sustainability related to the competitive value proposition (Park, Cai & Lehto, 2009). implementation of technical vocational education and training in the formulation of their national strategies and actions. In Advancement of social media technology is moving the essence, the ACS seeks to carry out initiatives that aim to collaborative effort toward a more profitable value incorporate a component dedicated to innovation and the co-creation pattern (Cabiddu, Lui & Piccoli, 2013). Value application of technology in the training and education of co-creation between tourists and organizations has become a people working in the tourism sector. hot topic in contemporary tourism research (Rihova et al., 2015). Therefore it is reasonable to predict that collaboration The communications landscape is evolving and social media with consumers and other organizations will gradually has assumed a prominent place in the marketing and public become one of the mainstream marketing strategies in the relations equation with currently over 330 million users on tourism sector in the coming decade. Twitter and over 2.19 billion on Facebook (Statista, 2018). Not engaging in social media could result in missed opportunities; The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) understands that therefore, efforts have been made to encourage tourism marketing cannot be addressed in isolation, but must do so partners to cultivate their social media presence on Facebook, within the context of the broader international sustainable Instagram and Twitter to target their audience. development agenda. The 29th Meeting of the Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism held in June, 2018 The DST is currently spearheading a social media campaign, highlighted the importance of marketing and creating based on storytelling, to take advantage of the opportunities synergies with tourism partners in sustainability. available online by promoting the work of the Regional Network of Artisans. Through this platform, various Developments have been made to create synergies between craftswomen from the region of the Greater Caribbean have various institutions these include, the Regional Network of been sharing their fascinating stories about their interactions Artisans in Tourism of the Greater Caribbean and the as well as collaborations with one another on the ACS Inter-American and Caribbean Network of Small Hotels Facebook and Instagram pages (acs.aec). (INCAPH) to promote collaboration marketing and strengthen the Tourism industry. This collaboration is based on the Finally, with the correct combination of tourism marketing importance of both Networks joining efforts to identify strategies, tools, and technology, travel businesses would solutions to common challenges and in this way, promote the continue to find potential client as well as to enhance competitiveness and sustainability of the tourism industry of opportunities for the Greater Caribbean to gain their share of the Greater Caribbean. tourism market. The Directorate of Sustainable Tourism (DST) has developed training courses to provide participants with knowledge, skills, tools, best practices and a forum for discussion about current innovations in Tourism. This will be carried out through the thematic
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