CTO AMERICAS INTERIM MARKETING REPORT OCTOBER 2009 APRIL 2010

Transcription

1 CTO AMERICAS INTERIM MARKETING REPORT OCTOBER 2009 APRIL 2010 April 2010

2 OVERVIEW CTO-USA, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CTO Barbados, handles the marketing activities of the Americas from its New York office. Economic Climate and Outlook Prognosticators believe that the worst of the recession that forever changed consumer attitudes and lifestyles is behind us. However, we hold firmly to our opinion that the recovery will be gradual, and that personal consumption, while showing signs improvement is unlikely to return to the non-sustainable pace that typified recent years. In the USA, stock markets are climbing to levels not seen since 2008, while retail sales had healthy increases year-over-year in March. The improved outlook was bolstered with the release of the government s latest monthly employment report which showed the economy adding 162,000 new jobs. Canada continues to stage a remarkable recovery which is the envy of many developed nations. The job market is part of the rebound, with Statistics Canada reporting 20,900 new jobs in February. Canada s disposable income is growing at twice the rate of its neighbors to the south. This statistic should be of particular interest to our tourism marketers in spite of the recent loss of low-cost seats with the shutdown of SkyService. With the first quarter behind us, our poll of bellwether wholesalers for the Caribbean suggests that cautious optimism continues to be the watchword as advance bookings show expected gains over this time last year but profitability remains harder to attain under competitive pressure to provide the low prices the consumer has come to expect. Our own national tourist representatives have reported varying levels of increases in arrivals for the first quarter with optimism for the coming months. Source: Adapted in part from Tourism Executive Brief, Issue 3, Caribbean Tourism Organization Regional Marketing Fund Thirteen countries paid a total of $1,145,638 into the Regional Marketing Fund in Four countries have paid so far for 2010 for a total of $477,665. The Regional Marketing Fund is the source of funding for marketing activities in the Americas and Europe and we stress, as usual, that the slow payment affects programs in these markets. MARKETING ACTIVITIES USA 1. Branding We continue to prominently display the logo representing the Caribbean Brand in our web presence and in materials we produce with our various business partners. 11 governments include the logo in their advertising and/or collateral materials Anguilla, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Curaçao, Grenada, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands. Saint Lucia has recently requested it for that purpose.

3 2. CaribbeanTravel.com The Website During the period under review, CTO-USA s management activities of the site included: Continuation of Search Engine Optimization/Search Engine Marketing; sourcing and uploading Hot Deals ; responding to feedback in a timely manner, and providing fulfillment; among other necessary tasks to ensure the content is current and accurate. We appeal to members to provide hot deals to enable us to respond more readily to the many requests. 3. Caribbean Week in New York A significant portion of staff time has been spent on planning Caribbean Week in New York, which will be held June 6-12, including the development of a dedicated website, NTO representatives have been integral to the planning, serving on various sub-committees. Caribbean Week in New York capitalizes on the synergy created by the fact that June is celebrated as Caribbean Heritage Month in the United States. Caribbean Week continues to be the event that attracts the single largest volume of press concentrated solely on the Caribbean. The aim each year is to exceed the level of media coverage ever obtained through more aggressive promotion and the addition of new events, with the critical objective of featuring the diversity, authenticity and other attributes of the Caribbean to generate more business for our members. Keeping the Region front of mind is vitally important in this economic climate. In addition to the Business meetings, the schedule includes a re-introduction of an Interfaith Celebration on Sunday, June 6; Celebrity Chef demonstrations at Macy s and Bloomingdale s (June 6-12); Caribbean Meetings & Incentive Showcase (June 9); Diaspora Forum (June 9); Media Awards, followed by Media Marketplace (June 10); Travel Agent Workshop (June 11); Rum and Rhythm (June 10); Caribbean Marketing Conference (June 11); Governments of the Caribbean State Ball (June 11); and Caribbean Travel & Cultural Fair & Auction (June 12). Plans to stage Caribbean Weekends in other major cities are on hold, contingent upon the availability of funds. 4. Caribbean Brochure CTO-USA is currently finalizing the production of a Caribbean Guide. The brochure, which is being funded entirely by the sale of advertisements, will be distributed to the trade and consumers in the USA and Canada. 5. STC-11 Significant staff time was also spent on planning the 11 th annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development (STC-11). 6. Membership Chapters The changes to the CTO Chapter system, previously reported, had the objective of streamlining its operation and making it more responsive to the needs of the CTO member countries. As a result of these measures some Chapters disbanded. There are currently 11 Chapters, about half the number of CTO Chapters as before. We are however, experiencing

4 challenges in major markets like Philadelphia, where some NTOs are refusing to support the Chapter s reorganization. We are appealing to you to encourage your NTO representatives to support the growth of the Chapter system. NTOs We have met with the National Tourist Office (NTO) representatives twice during the reporting period January and March - to share reports on the status of the industry at the destinations and to plan and seek input on activities to promote the region. Meetings will continue to be held every two months and we will continue to build the clearing house as we receive information on member marketplace activities. Allied Members During the review period, CTO-USA conducted a membership drive as a result of which eleven new companies joined: AM New York newspaper; BarkleyREI marketing company; Bleu Emeraude Residence hotel (St. Martin); Caribbean Travel Network N.V. online travel company (Curaçao); Cititech Computer Services, Inc. information technology services company; Dive-In (Caribbean) Magazine magazine (Trinidad & Tobago); The Fairmont Royal Pavilion hotel (Barbados); Metro US (newspaper); Sacred Cows Group Limited creative agency (St. Lucia); Verde International, Inc. cleaning products company; The Wall Street Journal (newspaper) 7. Media Co-op ventures We continue to review media proposals that will provide economies of scale have the potential to generate repeat business and will provide significant exposure at minimal cost. As a result, we secured a complimentary full-page ad in the current issue of Executive Travel Magazine, an American Express publication, that reaches the luxury market. 8. Strategic Alliances CTO continues to establish relationships with various entities to leverage its spend on the various marketing initiatives and activities. Black Meetings and Tourism is again collaborating with CTO to produce the Caribbean Meetings and Incentives Showcase, to be held during Caribbean Week. We are considering a proposal from the National Tour Association (NTA) about collaboration between the two organizations to deliver programs that would be mutually beneficial. In an effort to continue building the relationship between the organization and the Caribbean Diaspora, we met with the Consulates General in New York to seek their support and recommendation of activities to target this demographic. CTO has also reached out to the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) based in New York to support the Diaspora Forum to be held during Caribbean Week (CW). We have also engaged several leaders of the Caribbean Diaspora, including the media, in the planning of CW. We continue to interact with the Caribbean American Business Association (CABA) in New Jersey to determine how the two organizations can collaborate to drive business to the region. In developing the program for the Interfaith Celebration, we are working with Christians United to Save and Heal (CUSH) a group of 100+ leaders of various religious faiths in Brooklyn.

5 CTO is currently in discussions with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to increase the areas of cooperation between the two entities. Benefits for our members include CTO-hosted webinar series for CLIA travel agent members, CLIA e-newsletter coverage with a Destination Partner column with stories about the CTO member countries, special discount for member countries to participate at Cruise3Sixty, CLIA Seminars at Sea for travel agents members of the CTO Chapters, with proposed destination site inspections. A similar agreement is being pursued with ASTA. We are continuing discussions with Tour Operators to integrate them into our programs and to work with them on developing super specials for sale at CTO events and special packages for the Caribbean Diaspora. We are beginning to see some success. We are also strengthening our relationship with Colleges with tourism programs by hosting tourism students as interns and as volunteers. We are currently hosting 3 students from Monroe College. 9. Trade and Consumer Shows CTO has partnered with several trade and consumer shows to secure special rates for government members and to create Caribbean sections that raise the profile of the organization as well as to showcase the diversity of the Caribbean product. The shows include Luxury Travel Expo (Las Vegas, NV December 2009); Adventures in Travel Expo (Los Angeles, CA January 2010/Chicago, Il March 2010/Washington, DC March 2010); Boston Globe Travel Show February 2010; New York Times Travel Show February Caribbean Goes West Road Shows CTO is finalizing plans for its series of road shows from May Caribbean Goes West will be in Newport Beach, CA; San Francisco, CA; Portland, OR; and Seattle, WA. The objective of the shows is to identify and support top producing travel agents, including Chapter travel agents, on the West Coast by having them interact with Caribbean governments and suppliers in a Caribbean-only learning environment. The Shows which also provide an opportunity for our chapters to recruit additional qualified travel agent member are supported by major wholesalers including Apple Vacations, Classic Vacations, Gogo Worldwide Vacations, Island Destinations, MLT Vacations (Delta Vacations), Pleasant Holidays, The Mark Travel Group (Funjet Vacations), Travel Impressions and TravelSpan Vacation. In addition to the Tour Operators, the following government members have already committed to participate: Anguilla, Aruba, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Martin, Trinidad & Tobago and the US Virgin Islands. 11. Volleyball Vacations Week For the third consecutive year, CTO supported championship volleyball in the Caribbean. GObeachfest 2009 took place from November 7-14, 2009 in the Turks & Caicos Islands and featured Olympic and pro volleyball players and coaches. The event, organized by Volleyball Vacations, usually attracts celebrities. Several media outlets, including WPIX, provided coverage.

6 PUBLIC RELATIONS - AMERICAS Lou Hammond & Associates (LH&A) continued to aggressively outreach to the media to promote the Caribbean brand. Tactical activities included: - Key Highlights, October 09 April 10: Agency generated print, online and broadcast media coverage with total reach of 121,821,862. Highlights include: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Toronto Star, Travel + Leisure, Travel Weekly, Travel Agent, USA Today, CNN.com, T Magazine, Global TV, CTS-TV and CITY-TV, among others. - News Bureau: Handled over 200 requests and opportunities in the quarterly period. - Editorial Calendars: Secured more than 130 editorial calendar opportunities. - CTO News Newsletter: Drafted copy, provided images and coordinated layout and design for monthly newsletter from October 2009 December Press Releases: Disseminated 14 Caribbean press releases. - Partner Outreach: Organized meetings of the Caribbean PR Council, to brief PR partners about STC-II and CW, providing an overview of publicity opportunities and promotions, and to address the Region s response to the global economic situation and how to collectively meet the ongoing challenges in Hot Tips: Provided more than 50 "hot tip" complimentary media leads to members. - Interviews: Coordinated interviews with trade, consumer and Diaspora media for CTO officials, and assisted with speaking points for Secretary General Hugh Riley. - Caribbeantravel.com Blog: Edited content for several blog entries. - Crisis Communications/Destination Speaking Points: Crafted statements in response to the earthquake in Haiti and developed releases for the CTO Relief Fund. - Beach Volleyball event: Staffed event in Turks & Caicos Islands and secured participation with three national media participants, including WPIX 11 and Latina Magazine. - Caribbean Week in Canada: Drafted releases on Caribbean week in Canada, the Caribbean Rum & Rhythm Festival and the Caribbean Awards luncheon. Due to PR outreach agency secured placements on Breakfast TV and CityTV as well as Caribbean News Digital, CanadianImmigrant.com, South Florida Caribbean News, The Toronto Star, Travel Press, TravelPulse.com, Vacation Agent, Travel Industry Today, and TravelHotNews.com.. - STC: Agency drafted releases and secured the CTO s media wish list to attend the STC. Due to PR outreach agency secured STC coverage in VacationAgent, TravelPulse, TravelPress, Caribbean News Digital, Agent@Home, Travel Weekly and Solocaribe.com. - Caribbean Week in New York: Drafted announcement release. Currently coordinating and tracking Celebrity Chef Program, Media Awards program, exhibitors for Media Marketplace and media attendees for Media Marketplace; as well as pitching advance interviews and promotional partnerships leading up to the event. Secured the lighting of the Empire State Building for Friday, June 11. Promotional partnerships include Macy s and Bloomingdale s. Attended CWNY planning meetings.

7 MARKETING ACTIVITIES CANADA The main activity during the period was the 4th annual Caribbean Week in Canada, held October 23 to November 1, Caribbean Week in Canada Activities included: SITV Show in Montreal, October 23-25; Media Briefing Toronto October 30; Media Marketplace & Awards Luncheon - October 30; Rum and Rhythm Festival October 30. The events during Caribbean Week were promoted in trade publications and online portals, consumer and ethnic publications and dailies as well as Facebook pages and over 50 websites. Press releases were sent to all stakeholder segments including trade, consumer, Diaspora and corporate sponsors. Postcards were distributed to consumers in high traffic locations in the city. Media sponsors included Toronto Star, Share, takeoffeh.com, Baxter Publications and Dreamscapes promoted the events in their publications. 2. Private/Public Sector Cooperation CTO Canada continues to work closely with various tour operators and niche agencies with the goal of promoting and increasing vacation packages to the Caribbean. Suppliers include including Luxe Weddings, Weddings by Ocean, Wedding Planner and itravel2000 and golf operators Voyages Gendron, Merit Golf, Ultimate Golf Vacations, MonCasa Homes. 3. Media Co-op Ventures CTO coordinated the production of supplements and other media related items with some established media houses and negotiated special rates for member government participation. - Toronto Star Caribbean Supplement The October 2009 supplement included editorial on the Caribbean including niche markets, festivals and member country Canadian website listing. Copies were distributed at all Caribbean Week events and in the Toronto Star with a more than 1,000,000 distribution. - Baxter Publications Caribbean Directory Published October 2009, the directory featured contact and product information of all Caribbean Destinations and was distributed to all Canadian trade members. - TravelWeek Caribbean Directory This trade publication was distributed to all travel industry members in October 2009 and featured all CTO members with their websites and contact information. - Canadian Traveller Caribbean Supplement Caribbean educational and consumer pull-out section of the magazine was produced. The publication was responsible for soliciting advertising in this special supplement which appeared October Trade & Consumer Activity Our staff participated in key trade and consumer shows with the goal of taking advantage of the opportunity to turn these show attendees into Caribbean vacationers by offering Caribbean specials wherever CTO has a booth. We have been encouraging our member countries to do the same. The shows included: Select Addison Trade Shows; Thomas Cook

8 Canada; Air Canada Vacations; Transat; Sunwing and Signature Vacations. CTO also attended various NTO hosted events. 5. Caribbean Calendar/Map An October 2009 December 2010 Calendar with the Map of the Caribbean region that features all Canadian websites of Member countries was produced for distribution at trade and consumer events. 6. Travel Agent Program We negotiated with the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors (CITC) for travel agents attending any CTO sponsored seminar or training program to earn ACCESS points. We have also developed a generic Caribbean seminar for Canada which includes an overview of the region, niche product updates and selling skills. 7. STC-11 CTO Canada secured reduced airfare from Air Canada for STC-11. Promotion information of the conference was distributed to all media and trade members to solicit interest and participation. 8. Presentations to College Students CTO has been making presentations to students at tertiary institutions that offer Hospitality and Tourism courses, to highlight the role of CTO, selling features of the region and initiatives to promote the Caribbean. A seminar was held at George Brown College on November 10, 2009, and another at Ryerson University in March. CTO enlists the assistance of students at events including Caribbean Week and consumer shows. 9. Strategic Alliances CTO has established strategic relationships with a number of entities to utilize their reach in promoting tourism to the region. The Alliance of Canadian Travel Agents (ACTA) was provided with statistics on Travel to the Caribbean vs. Mexico for reports they were preparing for their stakeholders. ACTA provided CTO with a database of their Canadian members to be used on the CTO consumer website. CTO assisted in promoting a fund-raiser for the Yellowbird Charity which builds schools in the Caribbean.