Seminar bookingsdominica-final report

knowledge engineering

Dominica e-Commerce Seminar
TOURISM SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME/SFA 2006/PE
April 27 – April 30

Consultants Report

Submitted by AXSES SCI
Submitted to Discover Dominica Authority
May 4th 2010

AXSES Systems Caribbean Inc.
P.O. Box 16-B, Baslen House, Kingston Terrace, St.Michael, Barbados
Tel: (246) 429-2653 Fax: (246) 436 5704 E-mail: info@axses.net

Knowledge Engineering, Web Communications & Marketing


1. Seminar Overview
Marketing Dominica – Providing Individual Hotels with Technology – Creating
the Dominica direct travel shopping platform.

The seminar was well attended with 50 participants on day one and 30 or
more who stayed right through to the end. Feedback has been very positive.
We are aware that we lacked individual terminals for each property so the
tactile learning was not optimal. Attention was made to using real live
examples throughout the seminar and involving users in setting up solutions
specific to their properties.

The Consultants spent over a week each in preparing their individual
presentations and in research, group discussions and planning. Much time
was spent in anticipating the diverse users’ requirement and in making the
seminar relevant, practical and very useful.

Months were spent in developing content and in creating a working
marketing platform for Dominica.

The seminar delivered on its objective and in addition put in place a working
model giving tools and training to all participants. Over 24 hours were set
aside for one-on-one meetings with participants and team members.

Stated objective: To assist hoteliers:
 In communicating their packaging ideas to prospective clients in e-format.
There was some resistance to using e-commerce; some said they
preferred the old ways of barter and personal involvement. Consultants
were able to demonstrate by way of example the benefits and necessity
to move forward. In all cases the consultants emphasised that it is the
traveller’s choice to use the best technology and that the systems
proposed did not eliminate choice or the opportunity for personal
interaction with the traveller using emails etc

 To convey to property owners the economics and gains of effective
marketing.
Consultants shared research showing how travellers book more when
given the right tools. Cases studies showing the different approaches
were given.




 To provide a background in small business entrepreneurship and lay
foundations in mathematical and organizational development.
All participants are provided with the tools needed and are trained in their
use. The industry Travel Platform is established where hotels are given
marketing access via the BookingsDominica e-commerce and marketing
portal which is to be closely linked with the DDA website and marketing.
Attendees and DDA are trained in managing their content for best impact.

 To learn and understand the importance of e-approaches in marketing
and build participant’s technological skills enabling them to handle the
basic day to day needs of the current online trends.
Many examples were given on all major aspects of the current technology
and trends. The seminar was comprehensive in its coverage and at the
same time aimed at the right level of understanding. Consultants felt that
the message was very clear to all.

2. Deliverables
Booking Engine

Each participant will have a Booking Engine to install on their websites.

Consultants have provided training on the engine and have trained DDA who
will be the first level of support.

The Consultants provided the necessary widgets which participants will give
to their webmasters for installation. All participants have been given personal
usernames and passwords for access to their online content.

Direct Marketing

With the contribution of DDA every certified tourism operator will be
advertised and linked on the directory pages of the BookingsDominica Portal.
Immediate Quotes and Shopping is available for all approved properties with
valid rates.

The DDA has also made it possible for all participants to be represented and
directly bookable on this Portal.

e-commerce direct travel shopping platform




The Consultants (AXSES) contributed the direct marketing portal and
travel shopping platform for the entire tourism industry. This platform was
pre-populated with rates and content on the themes and offerings of all
participating resorts.

The Properties are provided with Booking Engine tools that power this
shopping/booking platform, supplying up to date rates and content to all
channels and all pages, i.e. as suppliers change their content the portal will
also change.

Themes Marketing

The platform is designed for niche marketing using holiday themes that can
be promoted via Search Engine Optimization and where images and content
are made to match with the target needs and expectation. This is an Extra
Feature which suppliers may subscribe to. The Consultants provided all DDA
Certified properties with the two complimentary themes.

Packages Marketing

The platform has been customised for Dominica to allow travellers to
dynamically create their own packages by adding activities of choice.

A module that allows resorts to create pre-packaged holidays is also
available. This is an optional module for which suppliers may subscribe.

Specials Marketing

The platform will also distribute individual resorts specials and content to a
host of other websites including mobile platforms, social media, other portals
and direct to subscribers who may be travellers and resellers. This is an
optional module for which suppliers may subscribe.

Distribution and channel management

The platform is able to manage numerous channels such as Facebook where
rates, rooms, photos and content can be added directly by a resort using
their familiar booking engine. This is an optional module for which suppliers
may subscribe.




Reduced Rates

The consultants have significantly reduced rates of all optional modules given
the small size of suppliers and the constraints on the market for Dominica.

The seminar agenda was as follows:

Day 3
One-on-one meetings with the team.

The entire seminar is available on line at
http://www.slideshare.net/irclay/seminar-bookings-dominica




3. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Follow up is essential. Participants will forget the material and not
implement features that are essential to success without reminders and
coaxing. Suppliers must be encouraged to participate to the fullest extent.
DDA is to provide emails of all participants. AXSES will email reminders and
instructions.

2. Dominica Marketing. Participants are not likely to greatly expand their
marketing and advertising budgets. Where possible the DDA should market
the destination and the holiday themes represented by members.

3. Web Design. Participants were given special examples of the power of
good web design and exposed to key criteria for web design and SEO. We
feel that while this is vital many will not have the budget. DDA may consider
working with the webmasters to offer this service.

4. Dominica Branding. The Brand of Dominica as the Nature Island of the
Caribbean is very strong but it is not pervasive (best kept secret) and it is
not immediate. Nature is a soft and indirect market niche. We feel that the
DDA should expand the Brand and focus on a marketable product or products
related to Nature. Just as the Brand “Natures Way” supplies health products
the Nature Island can focus on clear, sustainable and growing tourism
products like Health and Wellness (H&W).

5. Dominica Target Marketing. Health and Wellness is a good fit for
Dominica. Many of the suppliers are already offering retreats, health and
diet, yoga, sulphur baths, natural springs, local herbs, local fruits, natural
foods, fitness programs and healthy holidays. There are many natural,
human and physical resources. Writer and “Everyday Personal Development”
enthusiast, Christophe Joseph, and others like him, have a wealth of
knowledgeable on foods and nutrition. The Carib People are actively using
herbs and natural plants for heath and healing. There is good knowledge of
alternative health by elders and by many of the tourism operators in
Dominica. The environment, the services, the culture and the resources
available in Dominica all support this niche.

6. Going Global. Reaching a global market for the target selected will
require a different marketing strategy. Both Dominica.dm and
BookingsDominica.com are not the optimal vehicles to support this initiative.
By their nature they are Dominica initiatives which do well in topping the
search engines for terms that are Dominica-based. They are an important
part of the strategy but a global portal dedicated to this emerging marketing




niche is required and we recommend that DDA commission this undertaking,
prominently extolling Dominica in the context of a global site.

For example, BookingsDominica.com is ranked on top of page 1 in Google
searches for “dominica travel planning”. The Pages that determin this are
Dominica-travel-planning.cfm and Dominica-travel-guides.cfm. These pages
cannot be positioned as Travel Planning. A completely different strategy is
required for global positioning.

7. Geo-targets. We have observed that the BookingsDominica site is
disproportionately viewed by Californians. This needs further validating, but
it may mean that there is a lifestyle match. If this is so then California should
be a geo-target. Clever geo-target marketing is generally lower cost and very
effective. Trade shows, travel agent fam. trips, travel agent calls and
distribution of brochures to health clubs and such in California can be
effective. Radio and TV spots showing Dominica as the words largest natural
Spa could catch fire.

8. Industry buy-in. Niche marketing of this sort must be industry wide and
coupled with going green eco initiatives on an island wide scale. We suggest
that each tourism operator adopt a H&W theme and do its own part in
promoting in concert with the wider DDA initiative.

9. Dominica Tourism Development. Dominica must strive to protect the
nature of its Niche market. It should resist the urge to open doors to the
typical mass market travel options. We believe that a very high quality brand
such as Four Seasons could be persuaded to consider a very focused small
scale villa hotel development for Dominica. DDA might like to approach
developers with this idea. We might have contacts that can help.

10. Collateral. Dominica has good printed material in the form of Travel
Guides and Product Description. What is missing is the Dominica story. The
Consultants have created a mock-up of a Dominica Magazine that can fill the
gap. The prototype can be expanded to cover the Dominica niche market.
Articles by Dominica authors like Chris Joseph, Paul Crask and other may be
included. A personal story (not a historic account) of the Carib people and
their nature-driven healthy lifestyles should be featured.

We recommend that the publication be Print on Demand (POD) aimed at
short runs and easily customized for geo-targeting and niche marketing. This
concept and the draft POD was warmly received at the seminar.

For the concept of POD http://TravelersInsights.com – for prototype of
Dominica POD see http://axses.com/travelersinsights/dominica.html



Seminar bookingsdominica-final report

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