1. Marketing Regional Tourism Products : Good practice Approaches
Jim Ayorekire - UNECA SRO-EA
Richard Makopondo - Technical University of Kenya
REGIONAL TOURISM MEETING FOR EASTERN AFRICA
Kigali, Rwanda
1st - 3rd June 2016

2. How do other regional organisations market their tourism products?
What strategies do they employ?
What are their key success factors – learning points?
What can IGAD adopt/learn - recommendations

3. Tourism Marketing
Communicating the value and appeal of a destination to potential customers

4. Regional Tourism Marketing in IGAD?
No joint marketing of IGAD as a destination
Fragmented/competiting tourism products
Individual country marketing – at varying levels
International market focus (traditional markets) – less on domestic and regional markets
IGAD STMP highlights gaps and proposes strategies

5. Good (Best) Practices & Learning Experiences

6. East African Community
Market as a single tourist destination
Participate in international fairs as a bloc – since 2006
Single Visa – Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda
National IDs as travel documents
Single currency – in plan
Challenge: All member state participation

7. RETOSA – responsible for joint marketing
Southern African Development Community – SADC Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa - RETOSA
RETOSA – responsible for joint marketing
Brand and communication strategy
UNI-VISA single visa system – in process
Challenge: unequal member states benefit

8. European Union - EU
Single destination marketing - European Travel commission (ETC) – Non for profit making organisation/private sector
Transnational products – cultural routes, cycling (EuroVelo) River Rhine (1,320 km’s)
Schengen single visa system
European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) (selection, support & promotion of little-known, emerging tourism destination)
Challenge: Security Vs borderless Europe
(609 m arrivals )

9. Association of Caribbean States - ACS
Single destination marketing by Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)
Key role by Caribbean Travel Association (CTA) -Private sector
Equitable contribution to joint marketing - countries contribute based on tourism arrivals formula
Challenge: Natural disasters
Life needs the Caribbean

10. Association of South East Asian Nations - ASEAN
Single destination marketing
Visit ASEAN campaign
ASEAN-ASEAN strategy
Visa exemption for nationals
Sub-regional marketing and branding – Equator Asia ecotourism marketing

11. ASEAN Tourist arrivals
Source: ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy

12. Success Factors
Regional marketing framework – institutional - RETOSA, CTO, ETC - Marketing working group
Regional tourism product development
Marketing strategy –harmonise strategies, joint planning
E-marketing strategies – regional tourism web portals

13. Success factors contd……
Balance between competition and cooperation – stakeholder engagement
Marketing financing mechanism – equitable arrivals based system – Caribbean, ASEAN tourism fund
Build on national marketing structures/initiatives

14. Lessons/ IGAD adoption
Tourism marketing institutional structure – Tourism council – working group
Marketing strategy – countries unique stories maintained and integrated
E-Marketing - IGAD online tourism web portal
Country marketing support and guidance mechanism
Develop transnational tourism products to market

15. Transnational/regional tourism products in IGAD

16. Lessons/ IGAD adoption contd……..
Intra Vs Inter regional marketing – ASEAN lessons
Niche marketing – ecotourism, sports tourism, agro tourism??
Easing travel – single visa, visa on arrival, visa exemption
Marketing financing - private-public partnership approach
Research and Development

17. ‘’Only by working in cooperation and by building bridges will tourism community be able to capitalize on strong potential of the sector’’
UNWTO secretary General – Taleb Rifai
May 2016 – UNWTO commission for Europe meeting

18. Thank you for the kind attention
Jim Ayorekire
Tourism Lecturer/Researcher/Consultant