Sports stars and events are among the latest aces in the hole being played in the global marketplace
2012-11-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — No quarter is spared in the race for traveller attentions. CTC News is your trusty umpire in sifting through the latest jostling for position by international travel big-hitters.
The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)’s colleagues, partners, general sales agents and other industry friends in its key international markets put their best sleuthing hats on to gather this batch of news. Gold stars all round!
- Howzat! Tourism Australia has recruited recently retired Aussie Test cricket legend Brett Lee to bowl over the cricket-mad India market. Lee’s first act as part of the “Friends of Australia” advocacy program was to give 70 Indian travel agents a personal tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, followed by dinner. India is currently Australia’s 10th largest market, worth almost one billion dollars in 2011.
- Olympic afterglow: VisitBritain has continued to bank on the effects of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London by launching another big advertising splurge. This despite a tumble in visitor numbers to the old country during August, with Heathrow Airport clocking a 2% drop. With airline partner British Airways, it’s lavishing £5 million in the China, India, Japan, Middle East and US markets to encourage consumers to head for the UK for Christmas shopping and the January sales. A partnership with STA Travel is also targeting the youth market through music and culture.
- Traveller segmentation: Tourism New Zealand believes it has identified a new type of traveller. “Halal tourism” encompasses people who follow the Muslim faith as well as their particular food, accommodation and facility needs. Recent research indicates that by 2025 Muslims will comprise one in three of the global populace. Tourism New Zealand has identified India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Middle East as the markets with most potential.
- Up and away: British Airways has become the first major airline partner for Brand USA. One of its first duties will be to fly a few soccer teams’ worth of UK travel agents to the US on an inaugural mega FAM (familiarization) trip.
- Catch a Kiwi: Tourism Australia is casting avaricious eyes at New Zealand travellers. A new partnership launched in September with Fairfax Media and Qantas looks to tempt New Zealanders beyond the traditional Aussie gateways and on to other experiences. A photo competition is the other carrot in this campaign, with an AUS$10,000 prize being dangled for the winner.
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Competitive intelligence: international tourism marketers vie for podium places