Whatever it may be called, “Destination Marketing” is a relatively new term to me. Trust the marketing people to coin a new jargon for everything (which I don’t blame being a marketer myself but I have to admit it’s a wide term). The word “Destination” conjures up immediate images of sun, surf, beaches and exotic getaways. So, I guess to piece it logically, “Destination Marketing” is very simply put, a concerted marketing effort to promote a place, city or country of interest by any destination marketing organisation. My logical Sherlock Holmes deduce proved to hit the bulls-eye when I “googled” up its rather informal definition on the web.
I suppose this term has different meaning to different parties depending on which fence you’ll be sitting across. Drawing local examples of our own, promoting destinations of interests has recently become an “everyday marketing strategy” for the red and blue national airlines (if you know what I’m referring to). Splashes of red and blue print-ads seem to be ever pervading our national tabloids of late.
Without a doubt, Air Asia, the World’s Best Low-Cost airline and Datuk Seri Tony Fernandez, has come a long way. In the start of last month (July 2009), it announced that it will be expanding its route network in the northern gateway with the inclusion of another international flight from Penang to Hong Kong. This new service is set to commence on 31st July 2009 and is AirAsia’s 6th international service from Penang after Singapore, Bangkok, Medan, Jakarta,
Macau and 3rd international service from Hong Kong after Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. AirAsia is establishing Penang as its 8th hub after Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Bandung, Bali, Jakarta, Bangkok and a ‘virtual hub’ in Singapore. AirAsia’s new service from Penang to Hong Kong is certainly timely and will be well received by many as it has great advantage by the virtue of its extensive route network and low-fares to the masses without compromising on safety and quality.
In addition to that, the pioneer of low-fare flights in Asia is also increasing its second frequency to Singapore from Penang, the city which is dubbed as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ to cater to the overwhelming demand from leisure and business travellers. The new sector to Hong Kong and the introduction of 2nd frequency to the ‘Lion City’, opened for sale for the booking period from 7th – 12th July 2009 for the travel period from 31st July 2009 – 30th April 2010. AirAsia will be offering an all-in-fare from RM99 to Hong Kong and RM51 to Singapore to mark the launch of these sectors and are made exclusively online
Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial AirAsia, says “At a time when some airlines are cutting routes and downsizing capacity, AirAsia is breaking the trend with our aggressive expansion plans, increasing frequencies where there is proven demand, which there certainly is for the Penang to Hong Kong and Penang to Singapore routes. We are very proud to establish Penang as a hub and position the city as an affordable travel option. With the inscription of George Town as UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, the city will draw more attention to its endless attractions, heritage sites, fast-growing industrial and trading centre thus its air connectivity has to be expanded to cater to the ever increasing traffic demands from the inbound and outbound travelers. Moving forward, we are hoping to introduce new sectors to Shenzhen and Guangzhou from Penang in the future,”
In June itself, Air Asia abolished the administration fee with the aim of further stimulating travel and tourism in Malaysia and the region. This presents further real savings to AirAsia guests as they now only have to fork out the seat fare and airport tax. Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes, AiAsia Group CEO, said: “At AirAsia, we are continuously ramping up our efforts to give the best to our guests. This will distinguish us from our competitors as we are going the extra mile to live-up to our brand promise to have the lowest fares in the market. Our recent Q1 result showed that there was a surge of over 21% in our passenger growth compared to last year, which goes to prove that people appreciate the true value we offer especially in these difficult times. We will continue our commitment to provide more affordable and transparent air fares for business and leisure travelers. We were the first airline to abolish our fuel surcharge and we are proud to lead again in removing our admin fee.”
“With ‘No Admin Fee’ more people will travel with AirAsia, especially in view of the current economic uncertainties and travel worries. AirAsia as the pioneer of low fares in Asia is always committed to delivering low fares to the people and at the same time ensuring that they enjoy only the best quality service from us. The World’s Best Low Cost Airline award from Skytrax speaks volume of our quality and efficiency,” added Fernandes. The numbers of pre-booked sales are testament to their success with the launch of each new destination. The recent new route to Taipei was an overnight sensation that saw 20,000 promotional seats sold-out in less than 12 hours. On 17th July 2009, Air Asia celebrated the much awaited Perth-Bali flight launch. The inaugural flight from Bali – Perth carried 100% load both ways signifying the stout demand for the sector. Commencing August 19, 2009 AirAsia will be servicing the Bali-Perth route between Ngurah Rai International Airport and Perth Airport with 2 direct daily flights marking a major tourism and economic coup for both countries.However, destination marketing is not just about marketing promotions with airlines. Drawing more specific examples, we can evaluate how the country has been actively promoting tourism here in Malaysia with its “Truly Asia” tagline since few years ago. Not wanting to be left out of the race, we have our friendly neighbor Singapore jumping on the bandwagon with its “Uniquely Singapore” theme and cultural Thailand with its “Amazing Thailand” positioning. India has launched several tourism campaigns since 2001 with its “Explore India” theme to “Mystical India” theme. This year, India launched its latest campaign of “Incredible India 2009” theme. India indeed has much to offer in terms of its mystical pilgrimage and holy
sites, eco-tourism as well as its historic Taj Mahal site which is one among the “seven wonders” of the world.
In 2008, Korea announced the years 2010 to 2012 as the “Visit Korea” campaign period, to prop up efforts to strengthen the nation’s tourism industry. The Visit Korea campaign 2010-2012 will be a nationwide project aimed at attracting 10 million tourists and drawing $10 billion in profits annually by year 2012. This is the third installment of the Visit Korea campaign, following the first in 1994 and the second between 2001 and 2002. During the campaign period, various statefunded and privately-sponsored programs will be implemented, such as on-site promotions at target market regions including Japan, China and Southeast Asian countries. Overseas advertisements will also be enhanced while various hospitality campaigns will be held. The government and each municipality will also overhaul the convenience level for foreign travelers such as signboards on the streets.
Tourism in South Korea has been growing ever since the regional Korean fad started. Over six million foreign tourists had visited South Korea in 2006.
Foreign tourists spent $2.92 billion on sightseeing that year and foreign spending on business trips came to $2.31 billion. Most non-Korean tourists come from Japan, China, Taiwan or Hong Kong. Seoul is the principal tourist destination for non-Korean visitors. Popular tourist destinations outside of Seoul include Seorak-san national park, the historic city of Gyeongju, and semi-tropical Jeju Island. Travel to North Korea is not normally possible except with special permission, but in recent years organized group tours have taken South Korean nationals to Kumgang-san mountain.
Taking all counts into perspective, I think Malaysia has actually done pretty well in its efforts to draw tourists into our country. Its Visit Malaysia Year campaign over the last few years has been pretty consistent in terms of its communication deliveries, with its “Malaysia, Truly Asia” jingle easily remembered and sticking at the tip of your tongue. Visit Malaysia Year 2008 campaign saw an increase of additional 2.0 million tourists versus 2007. If we pan this back to tourism in Malaysia ten years ago, we’ve definitely shot to an all time high.
Malaysia’s “My Second Home Programme” allows citizen of other countries to retire and reside in Malaysia with their spouses and children. Successful applicants will be granted a social visit pass initially for a period of 10 years, which is renewable thereafter (subject to the validity period of their passport).
Websites with factual information have also become increasingly important for potential visiting tourists. Every country now has its own “Visit Malaysia
or Singapore or Thailand website, loaded with useful information for the discerning travelers. The emergence of low cost airlines such as famed Air Asia, JetAir, Tiger Air and FireFly, have helped to ease travelling between ourselves with our neighboring countries and vice versa.
Thailand is an equally strong competitor in terms of its tourism campaigns. Being such a rich cultural country, Thailand has much to offer from scenic sights to shopping and its fantastic beach get-away the likes of Phuket and Koh Samui. However, the recent political unrest in its main capital is affecting its draw of travelers to some extent.
So I think to sum up, while the term “Destination Marketing” maybe relatively new in this part of our world, marketing efforts of such nature is not at all new. Efforts to promote tourism have always been at the heart of interests of each country, while partner airlines and tourism agencies work on ways to maximize the natural resources, cultures and beauty that each country and city has to offer in terms of price promos. Top that up with exciting websites, writeups, advertorials and online escapades competition and you’ll end up with a sure winner.
In fact, all of us are walking ambassadors for our own country and city, and whether we realize it or not; we have been actively promoting our cultures
and cities in our daily mingle with friends and associates. And that, my dear Watsons, may probably be one of the best and most efficient strategies yet.