The CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Vincent Vanderpool Wallace, is staring across the table from me. He seems polite and gracious, but I instinctively know that his time is precious so I better make this good. I explain that I’ve come to see him fundamentally to interview him for my Meka blog. It’s focus? I’m planning to explore marketing within the tourism industry worldwide and then apply it to the Caribbean market. Therefore, my starting block needs to be at the CTO to look at the current status of Caribbean marketing and, the way I see it, why not go for the top? Hence – Vincent Vanderpool Wallace.
Truthfully? I’m very scared, verging on a little terrified... So, my strategy is to ease into things. Start fluffy. Let’s do a personal profile. Let’s get to know the current man at the helm…
I’m immediately asked the rationale for asking such as question. Not the response I was expecting…I’m caught off guard and, now I’m officially terrified.
I think it’ll be a good way to get a younger readership to identify with him? Hmmm…not good enough… Tourism, an industry that is so crucial to our region, is bigger than just one man. I don’t get my personal profile.
I recover quickly and get directly into some marketing questions. I’ve done my research, I’m armed with my stats, just in case, and I’m ready.
But so is he. And, he’s been ready for years.
“The Caribbean is the world’s best known, un-owned brand”. That’s certainly true. Not one island in the region can claim full ownership of the Caribbean brand, yet we simultaneously all own it. Because, we’ve all contributed to it. The Caribbean is a fusion of Bob Marley, Fidel Castro and, especially Josephine of the Napolean and Josephine fame. We’re special, world famous even.
If you’ve heard of Vincent Vanderpool Wallace, you’ve heard of his “One Caribbean” vision: a federation, in which companies affected by regional tourism would join and pool their resources. A unified front! This would ensure sustainability of tourism throughout the region. I agree with this. Surely CARICOM and the European Community demonstrate the benefits of working together. But his example is the US and it’s mutli national nature. He’s thinking along the lines of the “United States of the Caribbean”. Interesting. I’m definitely listening. Yes of course, there must be communal ties that we all adhere to – if we’re paralleling this to the United States, the example would be their Federal laws - but the value or “richness” of the US is that each state has it’s customized laws. They appreciate each other’s differences and can live with them. The Caribbean’s cultural differences are certainly unique. We are everything and everyone. “We’re different because of our variety”. Again, he’s right. It’s our strongest selling point.
Ok, so we’ve talked about what we have and why Caribbean tourism has steadily grown at a rate of 3% a year. Like I said before, we’re special, but Vanderpool Wallace thinks we can do better, we can grow by 10% a year. Ambitious and achievable? We’ll see. But, let’s talk about our competition. Asia – Bali, the Maldives, to name a few... In fact, I even posted a previous blog note (“Visit the Competition, Visit Indonesia”) bemoaning the fact that the United States has lifted their travel-warning ban to Indonesia. What will this mean for Caribbean tourism? Surely this will have a significant impact! He’s not fazed. Tourism is a resilient industry. Of course, the Caribbean benefited when the tsunami occurred, not the most politically correct fact, but a fact all the same. Asia’s tourism industry recovered quite quickly. Natural disasters always happen, it’s a part of our life in the Tropics. Warm waters are arguably a double-edged sword. As the US is our closest first world country, it is the biggest supplier of travelers for Caribbean tourism. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) report notes that the largest tourism economies in the Caribbean are the Puerto Rico (US$9.0 billion) and the Dominican Republic (US$5.2 billion). The majority of traffic to Puerto Rico is from the US, as well as, a significant amount to the Dominican Republic. The average traveler prefers to spend more on their vacation, rather than their travel. So therefore, our biggest competition is not Asia, it’s within the US. It’s their domestic tourism. Orlando attracts 49 million people every year, “74% of which drive to their destinations”. Tourism in Florida has never been better apparently, this summer it’s expected to attract more visitors with a new form of the British Invasion (see blog post). But wait, he’s now said something that’s caught me off guard again, “there’s no such thing as a US market”. Sorry? Now, that’ll certainly need explaining. It’s important to look at each state separately as their buying power is so substantial. According to Vanderpool Wallace, California, in itself, is the 8th largest economy in the world. Ah, now that is solid and focused marketing thinking... It’s crucial to always be focused on a specific group. Know your customer and then tailor and target your message directly to that specific market.
So he knows our product, the competition and the audience. So how are we distributing our message? Ladies and Gentleman, this is where things get exciting…the Internet.
The CTO has a brand new website, (www.onecaribbean.com), which I know from my research, will be available in various languages that will even include Mandarin Chinese. The site also has it’s own CTO TV on which CTO members can send in video footage to be uploaded and available to anyone who visits the site. I’m particularly interested in this. Especially as I can drop in one of my fast facts – the market research company supply predicts that by 2010 advertisers will spend an average of US$3.3 billion on Internet TV. This is potentially a future money making venture for them and Vanderpool Wallace notes that the Internet does allow the transmission of “rich media” like never before. But he wants to talk about something else. Something bigger…
He’s gotten the approval to split the site into three:
1. A Consumer Site – for the potential traveler. Pertinent information on the Caribbean region.
2. A B2B Site that will facilitate people working within regional the industry.
3. A Diaspora site, which will include a domain name that will be available for use, once again drawing the group back to their Caribbean roots.
We talk for a bit about the Diaspora. Word of mouth is certainly an important aspect of marketing any product and within the tourism industry it’s fundamental. Experiences and recommendations are crucial. As a result, the Diaspora is one of our biggest resources. They’re our traveling recommendations.
But he’s not stopping here. He’s really utilizing the Internet. Let’s revisit that word “experience”. It is the key to the tourism industry. Literally. Providing the traveler/tourist/customer with a positive experience from the “get go” will ensure that they come, enjoy, spend and then come back and hopefully bring a few friends next time. So, how’s he doing that? He’s developing software to show the real or “authentic” Caribbean from as early as the booking stage. He’s thinking about a program that will organize the tourism industry from the grass roots come up. He’s talking, structure and nothing brings sustainability like a good system. My British years taught me that. Couldn’t have done it better myself…I think this is the edge we need.
My pencil is blunt. I’ve been desperately scribbling the entire interview, trying to take in all the facts and stats that have been thrown my way. But then Vanderpool Wallace uses an analogy that completely simplifies the business model of this complex, spiderweb industry. “Barbados is nothing more than a big theme park”. You need to know what your attractions are and then highlight them to increase revenue capture. You also need to provide that great “customized” experience throughout the entire stay. Now, I’ve never been to Disney World or Disneyland. Like I said before, I had the British experience, so I went to Euro Disney. But, what I remember most of all was that spontaneous water fight I had with a French Goofy in front of the Disney Castle. People make memories and therefore, in this sector, every individual is important and of the highest value. Vanderpool Wallace knows this, but from his conversation, you get the impression that the bottom line is also fundamental. And, according to him, “the worst thing you can do [in a theme park] is raise the price of the ticket…”
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