The brand message of every tourism board embodies the spirit of the land, its culture and ethos. Express TravelWorld highlights the powerful impact created by some of the most abiding brand messages of all times
Be There! Do That!
 |
Brand message
‘Be There! Do That!’ is a proactive invitation to discovering France, the experiential way. This dynamic branding allows us to approach those visitors who are interested in going beyond the tried and tested and want to create a holiday replete with unique experiences. We wanted our visitors to spend time discovering France’s regions, connecting with local culture, acquainting themselves with the French way of life or art de vivre. A host of diverse activities appealing to different genres of travellers are possible and through ‘Be There! Do That!’ we wanted to promote these different facets of France.
We have consciously promoted every communication campaign for 2013 under the ‘Be There! Do That!’ banner with an effort of achieving maximum visibility. The campaign enjoyed a privileged launch at the French Ambassador’s Residence in New Delhi in March 2013. Its launch was complemented by a pan India communication campaign in various reputed lifestyle, travel and business magazines in collaboration with Air France, regional partners such as Rhone Alpes and Champagne Ardenne and Galeries Lafayette. In order to target the dynamic youth segment, we have also promoted ‘Be There! Do That!’ through a contest on our website, www.rendezvousenfrance.com as well as through the youth magazine – Youth Inc and their social media sites.
The impact
The campaign has been well received by the travel industry and the end consumer. The campaign has sufficiently motivated travel agents/tour operators to create packages around the idea of experiential travel. Travel agents have been including newer French destinations in their itineraries which is essentially in keeping with the spirit of ‘Be There! Do That!’. The branding has helped us in creating an awareness about lesser known regions and activities. Discerning travellers have also expressed an interest in visiting or engaging in activities that have so far been promoted as part of the campaign.
Future vision
We will continue to tempt our potential travellers by presenting different facets of France through ‘Be There! Do That!’. We will look at possible associations with travel agents/tour operators and our partners – local and French. We will aim to establish a connect with the end traveller through communication activities across diverse media platforms. We will also be tapping into the rapidly emerging segment of youth travellers by participating in a youth-centric workshop and engaging in media related activities with Switzerland Tourism.
– Catherine Oden, Director, Atout France India
There’s Nothing like Australia
 |
Brand message
The key objective of our global marketing campaign ‘There’s Nothing like Australia’ is to position Australia as a must-visit destination with some of the world’s best tourism experiences. Australia has a wealth of assets, natural and man-made, that differentiates it from other destinations around the world. ‘There’s Nothing like Australia’ campaign showcases these assets in a contemporary, sophisticated, energetic and an inspiring way. At the core of all our brand initiatives is the ‘There’s Nothing like Australia’ campaign messages which emphasises on showcasing ‘Best of Australia’ experiences. Advocacy is a key element of our strategy and we have been using that through effective use of social media platforms, public relations and international media hosting programmes. To build awareness and interest for the destination, we have also executed innovative campaigns on television, print, out-of-home and digital mediums.
The impact
Brand initiatives have contributed towards building awareness and increasing the intention to visit Australia amongst our target audience. We have witnessed a healthy growth in tourist arrivals from India, led by leisure visitors. India now features amongst Australia’s top 10 inbound tourism market for visitor arrivals and the 11th largest source market in terms of expenditure, accounting for three per cent of all international expenditure.
Future vision
In alignment with the India 2020 Strategic Plan, Tourism Australia will continue to use the ‘There’s Nothing like Australia’ brand campaign to build an emotional connect with its audience and showcase Australia as a nation with diverse and exciting experiences. There will be a focus on promoting key Australian experiences that find strong resonance with Indian travellers. Apart from our brand campaign, we will also be joining hands with key airline and distribution partners for cooperative campaigns presenting potential travellers with exciting offers to visit Australia.
– Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager India & Gulf, Tourism Australia
Amazing Thailand: It Begins with the People
 |
Brand message
Our new tagline ‘Amazing Thailand: It Begins with the People’ showcases the increasingly human-centric aspects of the Amazing Thailand brand. It intensifies the destination’s emotional appeal and encompasses Thai hospitality and the spirit and attitude of the Thais. We expect to achieve two goals from Thailand’s new tagline. People will have more local experiences/immerse themselves further into the destination’s culture and local living and will come back and share these experiences with their friends, family and neighbours. In tourism, marketing 1.0 is aimed at people recognising your brand/being aware what the destination is about and therefore recognising it as a brand. The second step is about positive, active engagement, where people purchase packages. We achieved this with ‘Amazing Thailand: Always Amazes You’ campaign. Thailand welcomed one million Indian travellers in 2012 and 2013 was positive with 958,921 Indian tourists coming in by end of October which represented nearly a four per cent increase over 2012. When your brand has matured beyond that, you want to capitalise on word-of-mouth publicity. The new tagline is a core component of our adherence to the marketing 3.0 concept whereby customers are treated as complex, multi-dimensional human beings that they are. To achieve key product differentiation given this market scenario, we identified the true charm of Thailand which are its people.
The impact
The tagline has been launched only about a month ago. However, judging from the success of our previous ‘Amazing Thailand: Always Amazes You’ campaign, we expect the market to respond well. Our new marketing strategy targets the luxury traveller and HNIs out of India. Our new marketing strategy promotes luxury stays that allow people the best experiences of Thai hospitality and exclusive attractions that allow the best possible view of the destination. We are drawing attention towards festivals like Songkran and Loi Krathong. Moreover, we want people to experience more that they can get from the Thai people. We want people to come, experience and learn Muay Thai (Thai boxing). We are honing interest in Thai cuisine because Indians who once insisted on Indian food are now indulging in food trails across the destination and are even taking culinary classes during their stay. Masterchef Travel has Thailand itineraries among its destination choices in response to the huge demand for it.
Future vision
We have food festivals planned along with a Muay Thai camp and various experiences that will create aspiration for local experiences in Thailand. To showcase new areas of Thailand and an adventurous way of going about them, our Big Bike Tour will soon be aired.
– Sethaphan Buddhani, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand – Mumbai Office
It’s more fun in the Philippines
 |
Brand message
The Department of Tourism, Philippines (DOT) launched its global campaign for promotion of tourism in the country under the tagline – It’s more fun in the Philippines, early last year. The campaign intends to create buzz by encouraging people to use internet tools, images and words to sell Philippines as a top tourist destination. It highlights the hottest destinations in Philippines and singles out what no other destination can offer. We have enjoyed the success of this campaign throughout the year and recently celebrated its first anniversary.
The impact
The campaign was a success and there were memes circulating in many social networking websites highlighting the fun element in everything that is Filipino. This helped increase the popularity of the destination. Moreover, it helped the campaign receive an enormous response from all over the world.
Thousands of followers in social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter have also been regularly writing and promoting the destination. We have branded Philippines as a fun destination and we have capitalised on our content to present a unified brand image of the country.
Future vision
Philippines has been witnessing continued growth in the number of visitor arrivals from India. India is an emerging market with a vast source of potential travellers. The tourism board is expecting to bolster Indian travel to Philippines through integrated marketing efforts in 2014. It is predicted that there will be an increase in the number of travellers from India in the coming years as Philippines is fast becoming a destination of choice among Indians coupled by increasing level of disposable income for leisure and travel related pursuits amongst the affluent class.
– Sanjeet, India Representative, Department of Tourism, Philippines
Taiwan – The Heart of Asia
 |
Brand message
Asia’s heart and Taiwan’s warmth is what the Taiwan Tourism Bureau wants to offer to tourists. Taiwan is a fusion of tradition with new trends. Its special characteristics and diversity presents what is precisely a microcosm of Asia. It has an immensely rich cultural and spiritual heritage, food, world-class hot-springs and scenery. ‘Taiwan – The Heart of Asia’ reflects an obvious preference for the emphatic. Recently we forayed into the East India market with a travel mart and B2B workshop and are currently working on a number of MICE incentive plans with increased benefits which will facilitate MICE movement to Taiwan. Our regular promotional activities are done through various print advertisements, outdoor branding that showcases various reasons for a traveller to visit Taiwan. Few of the reasons include: 24 hours shopping in Taipei, the experiential weddings and honeymoon amidst the natural beauty at Sun Moon Lake, scenic attractions of the country such as the Taroko Gorge and famous cultural festivals of Taiwan. We are ensuring that the essence of the country is rightly being communicated to the right audience.
The impact
With our branding initiatives, we’ve brought in clarity and have built an admirable salience of the brand. Taiwan has reported an increase in leisure, business and MICE travellers.
Future vision
We are planning to roll out a few joint co-op advertisements in the near future along with our regular marketing and promotional activities. We are looking forward to potentially gaining advantage by utilising our presence amongst travel trade consumers, media and also using modern strategies and technologies to reach out to the masses.
– Noel Saxena, Country Head, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Representative Office, India
The More You Do, The Closer You Get
 |
Brand message
Our brand campaign is a beautiful amalgamation of words and visuals which aims to stimulate the curiosity and interest levels of Indian travellers by showcasing not only South Africa’s popular destinations, but also attempting to capture the overwhelming experiences and infinite opportunities that the country has to offer. Our message this year on ‘The More You Do, The Closer You Get’ attempted to create a strong and lasting imagery of South Africa and its fun-filled offerings in the minds of people. The campaign aimed to showcase the varied experiences that not only bring travellers closer to each other but also helps in strengthening the bond further. In fact our brand tagline, ‘Inspiring new ways’ is a description of the best of our national character, our values and the fabric of our people. It is on the business, government and civil society to build on our reputation for inspiration and innovation.
The impact
Marketing a country to the rest of the world in taglines, limited text and visuals is not an easy task, especially a multi-faceted country like South Africa that has so much to offer. We have always tried to depict what we believe by capturing the essence of the country through our branding initiatives. For South Africa we have definitely seen growth spurt from the whole of Asia and Australasia region. We have seen a tremendous increase in our length of stay, an uptake in tourism activities and a remarkable growth in repeat travellers coming in to the country. Talking about India, we have an established marketing presence across the country through various interesting initiatives undertaken to popularise the destination among Indian travellers. We have seen an incredible growth in Indian tourist arrivals to South Africa year-on-year.
Future vision
Seeing the tremendous response from last year, we plan to announce a similar consumer outreach initiative with Jonty Rhodes in 2014 as well, the details of which will be revealed closer to the launch of the initiative. In 2014, we will be launching our cinema campaign across multiple cities in India during which select joint marketing agreement (JMA) partners will place their travel desks at prominent multiplexes and sell South African holiday packages to consumers.
– Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism
Canada. Keep Exploring
 |
Brand message
Being the second largest country in the world, Canada offers myriad of experiences to a traveller. The collection of these travel experiences is so wide that a traveller never repeats an itinerary; hence we insist to explore endless opportunities with our brand – ‘Canada. Keep Exploring’. Our once in a lifetime Canadian Signature Experiences (CSE) portrays what Canada has to offer and much more. Our brand motivates and inspires travellers to see Canada as a destination where they can experience something extraordinary and unique, each time they travel. In other words, there is so much to explore, so keep exploring.
The impact
In 2010 and 2011, FutureBrand’s Country Brand Index (CBI) ranked Canada as the number one country brand out of 113 countries. In 2012, Canada ranked number second. As a result of our effective branding initiatives, we have been able to create and establish the image of Canada as a premier-four season destination. Our strategically placed year round marketing activities ensure excellent visibility making Canada top of the mind recall for its end consumer. All communication done by Canadian Tourism Commission is brand aligned. The more we do to align Canada’s tourism brand and marketing initiatives in our 11 geographic markets, the stronger our voice gets in the competitive international marketplace. We communicate this consistent and compelling image of Canada in all markets including India through social media, videos, blogs and much more.
Future vision
To engage more consumers with our brand, we recently launched our CSE collection in the India market. The collection features a whole list of once in a lifetime travel experiences found only in Canada to create optimum awareness about our tourism products including the iconic world famous Niagara Falls and CN Tower. We have adopted a trade centric approach since our inception in India and believe that 80 per cent of Indians go through travel agents while deciding/booking an international trip. Hence, we plan to continue investing with the trade in order to increase the number of travellers. This has worked well in the past and emulating it for the coming years is the crux of our strategy for moving forward.
– Tina Singh, Account Director, Canadian Tourism Commission, India
Where it all begins
 |
Brand message
Egypt is a brand that has a long relationship with India. We have a lot of similarities in culture, food and religion. Celina Jaitley, the Indian actress has been the brand ambassador for Egypt since a long time and she will continue to support us. Egypt is now going through a transition into democracy phase but tourists are always welcome. There have been incidents but we should see the bigger picture.
The impact
Egypt Tourism is planning a promotional campaign specifically for the India market. Earlier we had one campaign for all the markets. But now we will have one only for India where we will use well known Indian film celebrities. This promotional campaign will be executed in two phases. We will invest half a million US$ in the first phase and one million US$ in the second phase. The first phase is expected to be rolled out by March 2014. We want to promote the ‘New Egypt’, so we will focus on new products like honeymoon packages, adventure sports, etc. We want to target the Indian youth for adventure activities, the middle class for culture and history and senior citizens for religion and culture. Recently in Luxor, we invited 13 travel agents from India who signed an MoU with the Egypt ministry of tourism to initiate ‘The Million Indian Tourists’ campaign which will run for two years from September 2014 to September 2017. Egypt Tourism will support the Indian tour operators by funding 25 per cent of their promotional spending for Egypt.
Future vision
We will have FAM trips, training and joint marketing for them. We also plan to increase our brand visibility through the media, both trade and B2C as well as through outdoor hoardings, online, cinema and on board domestic flights in India. A special campaign for the MICE segment will roll out in the next three months.
– Dr Adel Masry, Director, Egyptian Tourism Office
Germany – Simply Inspiring
 |
Brand message
One of the most important objectives of German National Tourist Office (GNTO) is to promote Germany as a leisure destination. Germany has already made it big in terms of business destination. All our marketing and PR activities are executed in order to reinforce and create more demand among Indians to make Germany as one of the prospective destinations to visit. Further, we have come a long way from the perception of Germany merely being a trade fair destination. There is increasing awareness of Germany’s leisure attractions and more visitors are travelling to Germany for vacations from India. This is evident from Germany being a part of many European itineraries of Indian tour operators. However, the destination will always be a leader in Indian MICE arrivals to Europe.
The impact
From January to September 2013, Germany registered 459,241 overnights from India. The growth has been positive so far. Although there has been economic uncertainty prevailing in the country and devaluation of the rupee, which has affected the Indian outbound, Germany has still been receiving a fair amount of Indian travellers as confirmed by tour operators. Our joint activities with Cox & Kings, Kuoni, Kesari, Via, etc have borne positive results and we have been able to sell Germany as a destination on a broader spectrum.
Future vision
In 2014, we are looking forward to having more and more queries on MICE and incentive trips from corporate companies. We expect an increase in series departure, FIT travels, leisure trips from Indian families especially from northern and western regions of India. Apart from this, we have witnessed growth in niche segments wherein visitors have shown interest in self drives, wine regions, culinary events and festivals, industrial visits. We see lot a of potential in these segments and expect them to grow further in 2014. For Germany, India is a critical market not only in business but also in leisure travel. GNTO with its India pool will be investing over Euro 500,000 within this year in marketing and communication activities with the trade and end consumers to maximise the visibility of the country. Also looking ahead at the theme of 2013, Germany will concentrate its marketing efforts on ‘Germany for young people.’ Further GNTO will continue to focus on regular destination training and study trips for the media and travel trade.
– Romit Theophilus, Director, Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office, India
Turkey-A Million Reasons…What’s Yours?
 |
Brand message
The key objective of our brand message – Turkey – A Million Reasons…What’s Yours? is to promote Turkey as a destination where every type of traveller has multiple opportunities. Our communication and marketing strategy is aimed at encouraging potential tourists to have the motivation and willingness to visit Turkey. Our brand message and campaigns together helped spread awareness amongst potential tourists to visit and experience Turkey by creating a unique identity that appeal to Indians. Turkey has so much to offer to its visitors – breathtaking natural beauty, unique historical and archaeological sites, great hotels coupled with a tradition of warm hospitality and competitive prices. From different facets of tourism to geographical diversity consisting of majestic mountains and valleys, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and grottoes perfect for winter or summer tourism and sports of all kinds, Turkey provides the perfect comprehensive travel itinerary.
The impact
The branding initiatives helped us construct the idea and desire amongst our target audience inspite of the current economic uncertainty and the concern over the global economy. Turkey’s demand as an international tourism destination continues to show resilience which is not only promising but also engaging for potential tourists and boasts of their motivation to visit.
Future vision
We are planning to continue our roadshows in association with Turkish Hoteliers Federation and Travel Agents Association of Turkey. We have been using this annual roadshow to actively promote Turkey as a destination of choice among Indian travel agents. We will continue our pan India advertising campaign with a new slogan in 2014. We recently launched a new India-centric website.
– Ozgur Ayturk, Culture and Tourism Counselor, Turkish Embassy in India
Jordan – It Takes You Beyond
 |
Brand message
There are only a few places in the world like Jordan that offer you diversity of options. There is culture, ancient civilisations, great food and natural vistas; each segment compliments each other to make Jordan historically rich, yet retains its modern edge. Jordan is the perfect place to travel for incentive; for history and culture; and is a great destination for leisure, honeymooners, wellness, religion, nature, fun and adventure all together. So the key objective behind Jordan’s brand message: ‘It Takes You Beyond’ is to communicate to our audience that Jordan has more than you expect to offer. We are strengthening the branding of Jordan as a distinctive, secure, exotic world class destination to travel to. Our marketing activities and communication strategy have been promoting the diversity of Jordan on multiple platforms. For example, we have had advertisements showcasing the Dead Sea for leisure and wellness, Petra for heritage and culture, Streets of Amman for shopping and many others in newspapers with joint partnerships with key travel agents, television, radio, at outdoor locations and we also have online promotions. We are reaching out to a variety of consumers and are showcasing the richness and vast offerings and experiences one can enjoy at Jordan.
The impact
Our branding initiatives have made Jordan attractive to a diverse tourist base, and have also created unique opportunities for travel retailers to specialise in key areas, targeting niche markets of Jordan such as art, culture, adventure, etc to maximise their potential to deliver on defined outcomes.
Future vision
We always seek fresh marketing initiatives powered by a collaborative spirit with a purpose. We are looking forward to potentially gaining an advantage by utilising our presence amongst travel trade consumers, media and also using modern strategies and technologies to reach out to the masses. Digital marketing, information and communication will become the cornerstone of the sector in the coming period.
– Munnmunn Marwah, Representative, Jordan Tourism Board in India
‘Our key objective is to increase Indian overnights to Flanders’
 |
Brand message
Flanders as a destination represents cutting-edge craftsmanship and this is reflected in our strengths. From artisan chocolates to exquisite hand-crafted diamonds, from traditional home-grown boutique breweries to the intricate art of lace-making, they all display the exemplary cutting-edge craftsmanship that is intrinsic to the region. It is our objective to promote these facets of the destination. So this brand message is constantly reinforced and reflected in all of our communications to the media and trade.
Visit Flanders organises educational seminars for the travel trade on regular basis. Additionally, one of the important promotions in Flanders from 2014-18 is The Great War Centenary.
The impact
Our branding initiatives have encouraged curiosity about the destination among potential travellers. People who have already explored other destinations in Europe now find something new and exciting in the heart of Europe in Flanders.
Future vision
Communication with potential travellers is an ongoing process. We regularly conduct media and trade familiarisation trips and engage in several tactical joint advertising campaigns with our trade partners to ensure top of the mind recall for the destination. Our key objectives are to increase Indian overnights to Flanders and to increase their length of stay by encouraging tour operators to use Brussels as a gateway for their European itineraries by leveraging on the cities’ connectivity to other popular destinations in Northern Europe and the UK.
– Sunil Puri, Managing Director, Visit Flanders, Tourism Office of Flanders & Brussels (Belgium) in India
Mauritius: It’s a pleasure
 |
Brand message
Through its brand message ‘It’s a pleasure’, Mauritius targets and caters to all types of traveller segments in India with world class hotels and friendly services. Mauritius as a brand projects blend of culture, taste and history. It is well projected in all our marketing and communication strategies. Offering a perfect vacation including adventure, relaxation and wellness, Mauritius only leads to strengthening its brand message. Mauritius has also successfully built itself as a MICE destination. Recently, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) in association with Lakme Fashion Week showcased the resort collection with designer Ranna Gill wherein she displayed the art forms of Mauritius through a fashion event.
The impact
Since Mauritius attracts every segment of Indian travellers, there has been an increase in number of visitors every year. Mauritius branding is denoted in four colours signifying Mauritius as a colourful destination with a blend of culture, taste and history. This catchy nature of Mauritius has helped in creating a huge impact on Indians. Furthermore, Mauritius is also regarded as a preferred destination for weddings among Indians. Mauritius is also famous for its golfing experience in Indian markets. With a grand total of seven 18-hole golf courses, Mauritius also specialises in golfing activities and holidays. In 2008, the island was awarded the title of Golf Destination of the Year, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf States by International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO). This growing popularity has resulted in increase in number of people who are opting for a holiday to play golf. Not only leisure, the island is also emerging as a MICE destination in India having high-end luxury and professional arrangements. Mauritius witnesses an inflow of both small and large MICE groups every year.
Future vision
It is too early to comment on what all new initiatives we will be doing for 2014. We are optimistic about 2014.
– Soma Bhattacharya, Destination Manager, TRAC Representations, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, India
The Seychelles Islands: Another world
 |
Brand message
The objective of our brand message is to convey the uniqueness and diversity of the Seychelles islands, a place where tranquility and simplicity can still be found. Seychelles can offer the best of whatever you want – a perfect tropical retreat or a holiday filled with adrenaline pumping activities or a combination of both. Seychelles is a place that is truly different and magical. Our tagline – Another world stands for the diverse wonders and attributes of our islands, the vibrant culture and exceptional natural beauty that qualify the Seychelles islands as a world apart and another world entirely.
The impact
We have set up an office in India only in the last quarter of 2013. Our branding/marketing initiatives will commence from January 2014. However we have begun interacting with the travel trade and educating them on the product. All our activities are and will be in line with our overall brand message. Every aspect of our marketing plan – artwork, tag line, branding content, the choice of media for promotion, events we will participate in and so on will all be focused towards conveying the same overall brand message.
Future vision
In 2014, we will focus on increasing awareness and breaking myths about Seychelles among the target traveller segments. We want to present Seychelles as an exotic and aspirational destination. Along with having the world’s best beaches, there is much more that the destination has to offer. Seychelles also has close cultural ties with India as some of the earliest inhabitants of the islands were from India. Our target segments are the honeymoon, luxury, adventure and experiential travellers. We will be targeting a mix of above the line (ATL) and below the line (BTL) media platforms like print, web, out of home and electronic to reach out to them. We will be working closely with the travel trade in India.
– Rose-Marie Hoareau, Director for Marketing, Seychelles Tourism Board
It’s GREAT
 |
Brand message
To keep up with its competitors, Britain requires a stronger brand in India. The ongoing cross-government GREAT image campaign will be the main way of building awareness of Britain and maintaining its profile as a destination. We will work closely with the FCO, UKTI and the British Council on a sizeable co-ordinated campaign to promote Britain in India for tourism, education, business, trade and investment. A cohesive and joined-up approach among these UK government agencies involves more joint work on events and activities, and integrating messages to ensure they reach wider audiences such as business travellers and students. Elements of the GREAT image campaign relating to tourism will include media supplements, Bollywood engagement, association with fashion and luxury as well as broadcast programming to engage consumers. The messages will centre on the new and experiential and give a richer perspective of the UK as a destination.
The impact
India’s consumer market was previously broadly defined as a pyramid; it is being replaced by a diamond – a relatively large affluent class at the top, a huge middle class in the centre and a small economically disadvantaged class at the lower end. Our aim is to identify the high-yield travel segments and tap their potential through B2B engagement and tactical partnerships, reach out to tier two cities and create aspiration through Bollywood connections.
Future vision
Our ambition is to attract 425,000 visits from India by 2016, worth GBP 380 million in annual visitor spend. If successful, this target would deliver 70,000 more visits a year by 2016, GBP 65 million more visitor spend annually. Business and MICE are important – and higher spending – segments, reflecting the strong trade and commercial links between Britain and India. In 2011 it accounted for 28 per cent of all outbound visits and 45 per cent of total spend. Britain is India’s second-largest business partner, receiving 50 per cent of Indian direct investment into Europe. The average holiday visitor in Britain from India spends GBP 504, while the average business visitor spends GBP 1,419.2 The work of the GREAT image campaign, positioning Britain as a place to invest in and do business with (as well as visit) means that there is a natural fit across the public diplomacy partners to address this market at a Britain level. The national tourist boards and destination management organisations (DMOs) are also interested in this segment. PR will be central in supporting the message and branding. It will convey the value message with the aim of dispelling the notion that Britain is an expensive holiday destination. The clear message ‘holidays for all budgets’ will be conveyed. Outreach into tier two cities will involve building relationships with media in new markets and exploring synergies. We will use existing and new media contacts to produce high-value broadcast and print coverage focusing on the specific target segments and geographical areas outlined previously. We will work with non-tourism partners to reach the high net worth segment. Working closely with public diplomacy partners such as the FCO, UKTI and the British Council will help us identify opportunities to target and influence this high-yield segment. Internet access is increasing at a fast pace in India, reaching small towns and villages whose residents are outside this strategy’s target segments. Developing a clear strategy for digital channels by 2014 will be the next step.
– Shivali Suri, Country Manager, VisitBritain
Malaysia Truly Asia
 |
Brand message
In Malaysia, cultures have been meeting and mixing since the very beginning of its history. Malaysia’s cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures that have a lasting influence on the country. This image has led Malaysia to select cultural diversity as its brand image and positioning. In this uniqueness lies the strongest selling point for Malaysia. The philosophy and values that form the brand ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ is not only to verbally and visually portray what the brand represents, but also to be able to showcase the values and identity of a destination and capture the perceptions of its visitors.
The impact
The proof that ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ sells is in the increasing number of tourist arrivals every year. Malaysia has seen increase in tourist arrivals from India from 2001 till date with a growth, growing from a mere 49,000 Indian visitors to 700,000 in 2012. The achievements have been unprecedented, making Malaysia the envy of some of the competing destinations. Malaysia has moved from being a destination combined with Singapore and Thailand to stand alone holiday destination; with its plethora of offers it is a destination that is suitable for every travel segment. From being a destination for a once in a lifetime, it has become a popular destination for repeat short holidays. We are a destination that proudly promotes a year round calendar or events and festivals some of which have become very popular, like the Shopping Mega sale, The Petronas Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Colours of Malaysia and many more. Aggressive promotional campaigns and relaxing visa norms for Indians have attributed to the growth of visitor arrivals from India. The national carrier Malaysia Airline’s support in introducing and increasing frequency over the years has added to the numbers.
Future vision
2014 is the fourth Visit Malaysia Year, in which we will be ‘Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia’ theme. Besides this, Tourism Malaysia aims to promote high-end tourism like spa and wellness, eco-tourism, golf, sports and exotic destinations and products among other experiences. We are also looking at reaching a wider audience by going beyond tier one markets to tier two and tier three markets.
– Manoharan Periasamy, Director, Tourism Malaysia
