Product diversification in an island destination

PROBLEM

Tourism is all about people and creating unforgettable experiences. But differentiating as a tourism destination is tough. How do you differentiate your offer when there are new destinations popping up with new facilities and experiences at highly competitive prices?

The client faced tough competition, reduced revenues, struggling businesses and unemployment. To make things even more complex tourists are more informed and more demanding than ever before.

APPROACH

• Firstly we needed to understand the underlying issues facing local business and communities, as well as the needs of tourists.
• The team conducted extensive research through data analysis, workshops and interviews with stakeholders from the public and private sector, as well as with local communities.
• Working closely with the local team, we created tourism products which we validated with customers and stakeholders.

OUTCOME

• The national Tourism Master Plan provided the foundation for the development of tourism. It defined key strategic projects with short and longer term goals.
• The plan was validated in multi-stakeholder workshops with +120 participants.
• The Plan was approved by Cabinet and a task force put in place for implementation.
• 5 Programmes were developed in order to develop new products and build capacity.