2. Agenda
1. Commercial
2. Who is your competition?
3. Your target market?
4. Defining the experience
5. Expanding your season
6. New products, expanding existing product
7. Stretching your promotion dollar
8. What about new media?
9. Another Commercial
3. Our Mandate
To be a strong voice for the tourism
industry in Ontario. TIAO advocates
and educates on behalf of the tourism
industry – to government, the
business community, the media, the
public, and the tourism industry itself.
TIAO will work proactively with
stakeholders to resolve tourism’s
diverse challenges and issues.
4. Long Term Objective
To ensure a strong, financially
sustainable tourism and
hospitality industry that
contributes to the provincial
economy through jobs,
investment, taxes and foreign
exchange earnings.
5. Who is your competition?
Haliburton?
Toronto?
Business
nextdoor?
Algonquin
Park?
6. Who is your competition?
Not your neighbouring business
Not your RTO partner DMO’s
Not urban areas
Not sun destinations
Other rural, outdoor destinations
8. What Influences a Traveler when
choosing a Destination?
A Compelling
Reason to Visit
Awareness of
Destination
Ease of
Getting Here
The Product
Marketing
Infrastructure
10. Knowing the Marketplace
Avoid the Shotgun approach
Focus your marketing dollars
You can’t be “all things to all people”
Take advantage of the OTMP
demographic analysis
Cost of making an impression:
11. The Cost of Making an Impression
Media Threshold Costs*:
– Ottawa $ 258,000
– London $ 246,000
– Windsor $ 165,000
– Buffalo $ 1,050,000
– Rochester $ 825,000
– Detroit $ 1,500,000
– TOTAL $ 4,044,000
* Based on 12 weeks of Print/Radio
12. Defining a Memorable Experience
Put yourself in the visitor’s shoes.
Creating that “Compelling Reason” to visit
the region.
Match your product with the appropriate
target market – more than geographic.
Consider packaging like products
13. Matching Your Product with the Market
Timeframe:
Daytrip
Overnight
Weekend Getaway
Weeklong Vacation
Lifestyle:
Outdoor Adventurer
Fun-Seeking Families
Urban Experience
Extreme Adventurer
Camping & Cottage Life
14. Matching Your Product with the Market
Bill’s profile
Weekend getaways
Likes outdoors – hiking, cycling,
x-country and downhill skiing, camping
Looking for memorable experience
Partner – hiking, cycling, restaurants,
fine inns & upscale B&B
Two kids – 20 & 13
15. Expanding the Shoulder Seasons
Start with your current customers
o Cottagers and Campers
o VFR
Day Trips, Weekend Getaways
Great drives – link with other DMO’s
Festivals & Events
Need for local champions to make happen
16. Stretching Your Promotional Dollar
Assess effectiveness of Destination Guide.
What distribution channel is most effective.
Partner with your neighbouring DMO’s to get
better “bang for your buck”.
Buy into regional approach through RTO.
Invest your extra dollars in making website
more interactive.
Hook into a booking engine.
17. Stretching Your Promotional Dollar
Promotion should focus on driving potential
visitors to your web.
Look for media hooks.
Chase earned media.
18. New Media
Increasing us of the web to compare product
offerings, compare price
More booking on line
Interactive, dynamic web-site
You need a tourism focused site
Show your products
Link to a booking site
Building a database of potential clients
Use of social media
20. EnAbling Change Project
Customer Service Standard under the AODA
comes into effect for all businesses in Ontario
January 1,2012.
TIAO has funding from the government to:
• Raise awareness through presentations to tourism
businesses
• Deliver workshops to train owners and managers
of tourism businesses who in turn will train their
staff
• Microsite for tools, templates, sample policies
21. EnAbling Change Project
Workshop scheduled in Peterborough
November 19th
.
To register contact Emily Harper-Hawkins
emily.harper-hawkins@tiao.travel
416-483-1691
Editor's Notes
There are three general factors which visitors take into account when choosing a destination – “A compelling Reason to Visit”, “Awareness of a destination” and “Ease of getting here”. From a destination’s standpoint these factors equate to “the product being offered”, “an effective marketing strategy” and “the infrastructure and services that make it easy to get to our destination”.
It is important to note that the more successful destinations pay attention to all three factors in an ongoing, sustained way. Resourcing only one factor will at best provide a short-term bump up that won’t be sustained over the long haul.
