CARIBBEAN TOURISM ORGANIZATION THE AMERICAS Marketing Report September 2011-April 2012 Presented by: SYLMA BROWN BRAMBLE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, THE AMERICAS JUNE 5 TH, 2012
Market Conditions US economy grew at a rate of 2.2 % in the 1 st quarter of 2012 Consumer spending in the US, which accounts for 70% of the economy, rose 2.9% in the 1 st quarter, beating expectations In Canada, businesses continue to see sales growth, confidence and optimism remains stable Travel agents surveyed by CTO in US, expressed optimism towards bookings to the region Major tour operators reported a slight lengthening in advance booking times
Market Conditions Bookings increased Room nights increased Smaller growth in head counts Longer stays Average room rates were up as were airline fares Little consumer resistance
Regional Marketing Fund Our financial resources dictate the scope of our activities to tap into our target markets 2,620,000.00 2011 2012 2,920,000.00 727,000.00 308,000.00 Assessed Collected SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR MARKETING PROGRAMS GLOBALLY
#1: To increase the value and volume of tourism to member countries Objectives #2: To create greater awareness and understanding of Caribbean tourism #3: To develop and implement a comprehensive tourism system
Maximizing Participation in Trade & Consumer Events to Increase Profile of the Region
Maximizing Members Participation in Trade & Consumer Events to Increase Profile of the Region USA Boston Globe Travel Show The New York Times Travel Show (Focus on the Caribbean) Boston Globe Travel Show LA Times Travel Show New York Times Travel Show
Maximizing Participation in Trade & Consumer Events to Increase Profile of the Region Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show Travel & Adventure Shows in CA, NY, IL and GA Taste of the Caribbean in Hartford, CT
Maximizing Participation in Trade and Consumer Events CANADA SITV in Montreal October Outdoor Travel Show in Toronto - January The Good Food Festival in Toronto April Latin America ABAV in Brazil October ABAV TRAVEL FAIR Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Strengthening CTO s Relationship with Travel Agents Engaged professional producing travel agents Developed website as a platform to better manage the Chapter system Presented 20 seminars in 7 markets to about 500 Chapter members Hosted 5 webinars for our member countries to 300 IATAN travel agents Surveyed travel agent members to learn about their booking patterns as well as destinations of specializations and level of optimism towards our region Toronto, Canada San Diego, California Northern California Chapter
CaribbeanTravel.com Management and operation of CaribbeanTravel.com continued to be handled from the CTO New York office Hits Entire Site 27,256,755 Hits Average per Day 149,183 Page Views Impressions 3,505,025 Visitor Sessions Average per Day 5,237 Visitor Sessions Unique Visitors 447,422 Visitor Sessions Average Visitor Session Length 13mins, 13 seconds
Using Social Media to engage consumers and increase traffic to our websites
Engaging NTO representatives in CTO activities Met to review marketing activities in the marketplace and for Caribbean Week planning meetings in Canada and the US Conducted a workshop for NTO representatives in Canada on How to Look and Communicate Effectively during a Crisis Workshop for NTOs on Crisis Communications in Toronto Workshop for NTOs on Meetings and Incentives in New York
Relationship Building and Strategic Alliances CTO-USA, Inc - Monroe College MOU in the amount of $250,000.00 for the CTO Foundation Scotiabank /CTO Scholarship Foundation in Canada College Internships American Airlines JetBlue Caribbean Airlines Delta Vacations NTA
Engaging the Diaspora Consuls General Diaspora groups in Toronto, Hartford and Boston Caribbean American Chamber of Industry & Commerce, New York Caribbean American Business Association, New Jersey The Caribbean Committee of Mount Vernon The East Orange Caribbean American Committee, New Jersey Face of Fashion, New York Global Wedding Association, Connecticut Caribbean Tales, Toronto
Growing Non-Government Membership St. Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association The Humane Society International St. John Specialties Tourism Intelligence International Hospitality Growth Solutions Sixel Consulting Group Banco Popular Sustainable Travel International Development Counsellors International Opusseven, Inc. Producer Gabriela Moennig Argyle Communications Quinn & Company Dream Vacations Unlimited Jadd Fong Travel Tourism Agency IRT
Continuing to develop niche and general interest programs Canada Subway station promotions Weekly Twitter Contest Destination of the Month Promotion
Caribbean Week New York Media Marketplace Marketing Conference Caribbean Travel, Cultural Fair, Wedding & Vacation Mart Caribbean Diaspora Forum Rum Rumble pre-event Promotions Rum & Rhythm Benefit Celebrity Chefs Program Workshop for NTOs Workshop for Travel Agents
Caribbean Week Toronto Media Marketplace 15 countries - Generated 26 stories with a reach of 13,127,395 Diaspora Forum 61 leaders NTO Workshop 15 NTO reps Travel Agent Workshop - 78 agents Rum & Rhythm 7 countries & 1 private Diaspora Forum in Toronto company Montreal Media Marketplace 10 countries and 16 media Resulted in excess of 300,000 market reach Rum & Rhythm in Toronto Media Marketplace in Toronto
Caribbean Guide Funded entirely by advertisements Distributed to consumers, trade, travel shows Revenue goes to the CTO Foundation
CTO Conferences Sustainable Tourism Development Conference State of the Industry Conference One Caribbean Sales Experience Diaspora Conference
Forecast Bookings usually fall off drastically after Labor Day and the Fall looks very weak at this point. Bookings for the Mexico Riviera are up substantially as they are for Hawaii and Europe. Cruise bookings are fairly strong for the Summer but heavy discounting is still the order of the day with the exception of river cruises, this year s hottest ticket.
2013-2014 Restructuring of CTO s presence in NY Core Objectives Membership Development & Services Caribbean Diaspora Increase number of scholarships CTO Chapter System Advocacy Trade & Consumer Shows Conferences
THANK YOU!