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Eco Tourism
Posted By: alain* on 9/1/2004 4:00 AM (CST) 125 Points
Hi i have been asked to market a new eco tourism resort in South Africa along an undeveloped stretch of beach, the resort will be luxury tents and will have the full array of adventure sports, a large part of the project will be to help develop revenue for the local rural communities. my target market is corporates (for training, and incentives for high performers) , african restuarants that cater to tourists and foriegners. any suggestions ?

Posted by: Mushfique Manzoor Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 5:59 AM (CST)
Hi alain

here are my ideas
- prepare a list of potential consumers
=corporate clients from business directory.
=One for Corporate Training,
=another for Corporate Executives who can
afford to avail your resort.
= High Commission/Embassies and their foreigner staff
- Prepare an attractive brochure that states the resort facilities for training, price/rent, your contact numbers etc, Package Price etc for Official and Leisure purposes.
- the brochure must highlight your USPs and other benefits(ecological resort, economic development of rural people etc.) to the consumers and make your resort stand out from others.
- Tie up with leading restaurants most-frequented by foreigners/tourists. Place attractive posters and brochure at the counters for the consumers to be informed.
- Tie up with Airline/Transport company and offer a Package deal for a 3 nights 4 days stay at your XX resort for the consumers.
- Tie up with banks/financial institutions/credit card companies whereby the consumers can avail the resort now and pay back the money with NO interest in 6/12 months.
- Tie up with travel agencies/tour operators to woo consumers to your resort.
- you can offer people to learn Scuba Diving, Para Jumping from aircraft at 15000 ft, Surfing etc.

those are from the top of my head, hope this helps.

Cheers!!
 
Posted by: alain* Author Response
9/1/2004 6:03 AM (CST)
Great thanks, those are good suggestions.
 
Posted by: pkemper* Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 7:48 AM (CST)
Do not forget the portion of middle and upper class families with children between 4 and 10 that want active and alternative holidays. I have witnessed this first hand in The Netherlands myself and there are quite a few families that are looking for such holiday resorts.
 
Posted by: alain* Author Response
9/1/2004 7:55 AM (CST)
Hi, do you think that families with small kids would consider a tented vacation? how would i pitch to Netherlanders?
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 8:43 AM (CST)
I think families would like that. My daughter stays in a camp for four to six weeks in a tented building for 8 persons. She loves it.

I believe that if you are promoting the term 'eco', people are looking for something as a tie in. Perhaps a mini-eco challenge, and other outdoor events, such as the 'ropes' course, climbing walls, mini-survivor course elilminating family members during the day.

The previous gentlemen who responded, has a point...families are seeking alternatives to the boring hotel room experience.

Randall W. Montalbano
Senior Advisor
White Mountain Marketing Associates
 
Posted by: better* Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 8:58 AM (CST)
Do something new...The best target group for that kind of things are always people with a problem..Make there special program for people with extra weight..., give a right promise that they will lose that in 3 weeks bring treners,masage people and really make itwork...Then, another group, place for lonely people, that people can come alone and to have a good time, make new friendships, organize some dances for them...And at the end, of course, invite us..I am sure that most of us would like to come...
Nice greetings,
 
Posted by: alain* Author Response
9/1/2004 9:17 AM (CST)
Nice, a bit like a Survivor/fantasy island series for dateless McDonalds fans. ill get Ronald to make the guest list
 
Posted by: NuCoPro Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 9:31 AM (CST)
Maybe I'm out of the loop on this, but I don't see eco-tourism appealling to corporations. I think a more "natural" audience are those who identify themselves as environmentalists, like members of the Sierra Club in the US. I would also look to link up with tour packagers who special in the eco area.
 
Posted by: alain* Author Response
9/1/2004 9:43 AM (CST)
mmmm its a good point, i thought that the corporates would be a good market from the perspective of that there are a number of team building style activities(through the adventure group partners), it would be a nice incentive prize for staff and also then i could sell time share style segments of the market, enabling me to ensure the sustainabilty of the venture.
but i think that i need to relook at my target market properly, the question then is the best channels for promoting the service. What do you think of hosting survivor style events? linking with corporates as promo "buy lardies chips and stand to win a holiday" style
 
Posted by: virago* Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 9:50 AM (CST)
Are you looking for international or local targets?

How luxury are you talking about? I have seen these offered previously and for the international traveller these can be very expensive. If this is the case it could rule out the middle class and even many retirees.
 
Posted by: NuCoPro Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 9:56 AM (CST)
I think the promo idea is a good angle, particularly using the survivor model. I would target consumer companies selling into the 20-something market - apparel, cell phones, entertainment, sporting goods, etc.

I can see your thought on the team building, but I believe you will find that your audience is only a small portion of corporations - mostly startups with young staffs. Then you have to deal with the issue of whether these companies could afford this. There is some potential here and it should be pursued, but I wouldn't make it the primary target.
 
Posted by: alain* Author Response
9/1/2004 10:38 AM (CST)
Hi Virago, to give you an idea, there is a simular development that is being sold for R280 000 (aproximately $40 000) per unit. Which gives you ownership of the unit with 50% usage per annum, the balance of the time is offered for time share of which you make 80%.

but the one in question has the advantage of the adventure co.
if anyone would like a look at renderings they can mail me.
 
Posted by: pkemper* Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 11:56 AM (CST)
Alain,

Two things:

1. Marketing to consumers might be done through travel agencies, through eco web sites. Especially in The netherlands we have a public portal site (pagina.nl) which lists sections on all kinds of subjects. In some of them you can freely add your links.

2. You could definitely target corporations. I bet many event organizations are not making use of the timing possibilities. To give you some ideas:
- many organizations, after a major re-org or after a merger, are trying to re-establish teams and eco teambuilding events are a definite way to do that. Track these company changes and call them.
- At the beginning of fiscal years, many organizations usually include a kick-off meeting in the first few weeks fo the new fiscal year. An excellent time to prompt them of your offers actually, 4 months before would be a good time)
- Many international companies have incentives for their sales force and channel partners. Maybe a scan or search for these things on the web can show you some prospects.

good luck.
 
Posted by: thinkmor Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 1:21 PM (CST)
Hi Alain

What market research have you done about your competitors and you proposition, how does it compare? What stage is the resort at?

Finding the most profitable customers will only come down to you doing the right marketing planning and your due diligence.

Evaluate the potential sustainable revenue you can capture from researching your different customer segments.

There are alot good suggestions given but you do need to think where your resort will be in 5 -10 years time to ensure you choose the right business and brand strategy for long term success.

Don't forget about PR. Whoever you target, your PR will play an important part in your marketing mix that you can't afford to do without.

For PR, try contacting relevant trade and specialist editors with an angle, according to your different segments, and offer them a free weekend for a review once you have your resort ready.

If the resort is still a project in its infancy, get feedback from these specialists. They will be able to give you more than there opinion about your proposition and future posssibilities.

You also need a strong PR strategy to ensure you contact and influence the right opinion leaders representing the different segments you want to attract to and create a word of mouth buzz. E.g. Invite a celebrity from Survivor, Key Travel/Specialist sites and Travel web/forums

You have to think about your resort in terms of a brand and its proposition and how it will differentiate itself from your competitors.

You will not be able to appeal to everyone and nor should you. What will your brand resort represent? How will it develop in the future? What will its values be and how will these relate to your different segments of customers?

You may also need to think how will your local community react and sit with some of your more affluent customers attitudes for e.g.

There are alot of opportunities but you need to have a vision that will clearly position your brand resort in the right customers' minds.

I think it's great what you are doing but to build your brand for the future you will need a more strategic approach to give you the best chance of making your resort a success.
 
Posted by: Frances* Accepted Answer
9/1/2004 6:42 PM (CST)
What about marketing some activities that promote interaction with the rural community, but not in the usual 'visit our cultural village' way. Maybe:

- workshops on African art, showcasing local artists
- cooking classes where you prepare traditional delicacies - you can even (try to) catch the fish in the traditional way.

In terms of promoting development, I would focus on real needs of the community - rather than just trying to generate revenue for it. Eg, in many rural areas, transporting goods is a big barrier to any business. So perhaps you could use your infrastructure to provide transport to the nearest city, so that farming produce could be sold there. I'm trying to say that the usual 'craft-market' idea is not ideal in that it tends to become saturated very quickly as there is no real growth potential. (At least that's what I saw when I last visited one of these resorts.)
 
Posted by: alain* Author Response
9/2/2004 3:28 AM (CST)
Hi, those are some realy brilliant idea. thanksyouguys have given me a lot of direction.
thanks
 


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