06.11.13 News GROWTH PLANS


New strategy to boost Mauritius low-season sales


MAURITIUS TOURISM Promotion Authority (MTPA) is to focus on the island’s active and wellbeing products to encourage visitors during the low and shoulder seasons. Speaking to TTG, MTPA director Dr Karl Mootoosamy explained that he would be working with the private sector to offer good- value holidays and to make quality a priority. “We have a new airport that can


accommodate Airbus A380s, and the Thomson Dreamliner will fly in from next summer – all of which will be an indicator of the quality visitors to Mauritius can expect,” he said. “Mauritius is a destination where there


are opportunities to be pampered... we have a range of Ayurvedic, Chinese and high-end western treatments and the island boasts three Ayurvedic centres,” he continued. Mootoosamy explained that while France


was the island’s strongest market, he saw high potential in the UK market for 2014. The island will also offer an incentive


for the MICE market next year, with groups in excess of 250 enjoying events such as a catamaran cruise or fireworks, worth approximately £2,000, courtesy of the MPTA.


COUNTRY AMBASSADOR


Barbados Tourism has to convert Rihanna-mania into ‘hard dollars’


BARBADOS TOURISM Authority must work hard to convert the interest generated by tourism ambassador Rihanna in to business for the island, a senior government representative said during WTM yesterday. Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner said that while the superstar singer had created significant social media interest, with a billion impressions on digital channels such as Youtube and Instagram, the country had not necessarily seen a boost in arrivals. “Everybody’s interested in Rihanna, but


we need to convert those impressions into hard dollars,” she insisted. Overall, visitor numbers to the island are


currently up 1.3%, compared to the same period last year, but numbers from the UK – its largest market – are down by 2.8%. “We will finish 2013 slightly down overall, but we are beginning to claw back,” said


Sandiford-Garner. The BTA trialled a cashback scheme this


summer, offering $200 per person “spending money” to tourists booking between August and October, staying for seven nights or more, and travelling by December 21. The Barbados Island Inclusive programme has cost the BTA around £3.4 million so far, with 10,000 tourists applying for the incentive to date. “It’s been successful in attracting the middle and lower-end travellers, but we will be reviewing it for 2014 to see if we will repeat it,” said Sandiford-Garner. She added that Sandals’ launch on the


island – having taken over Couples Barbados – was a boon for the destination. “We couldn’t pay for the mileage that we


are getting out of Sandals,” she explained, adding that it is the latest in a string of internationally recognised brands launching on the island. “Fifteen years ago Hilton was the only


international brand we had; since 2008 we’ve had Marriott, Radisson; we’re now much more open to that investment,” she said.


Facebook tool to ‘help sector sales’


Abigail Challenor


FACEBOOK HAS told travel companies they must ensure individual products have their own pages on its site linked to location if they want to achieve highly personalised results for searches. The social media giant claimed its new


Graph Search tool will offer users more relevant suggestions. Speaking at the WTM Travel Perspective seminar, Lee McCabe, head of travel at Facebook, said people searching for hotels in New York will


INSTAGRAM TOPPING THE SOCIAL MEDIA CHARTS, SAYS SABRE LABS DIRECTOR


Instagram users are 40 times more engaged with brands than they are on Twitter, and 20 times more than they are on Facebook, according to Sabre Travel Labs. Sarah Kennedy Ellis, director at the


research arm of GDS Sabre, said Instagram was the fastest growing social network. “There has been 350% growth over the


receive recommendations based on friends’ experiences. “Unlike traditional search, which would


bring up all hotels in New York, Graph Search will present the user with results based on where their friends have stayed,” said McCabe. “With 70% of people updating Facebook


while travelling and 80% of people more likely to book a trip as a result of a friend liking a page than in response to a traditional advert, sharing is at the heart of travel and apparent in every stage.”


last six months in brands engaging on Instagram,” she said. She added that it would be interesting to


see how the newly integrated “promoted Instagram” function would be received as brands have traditionally struggled to make money out of other social networks. Kennedy Ellis said that, on Instagram,


employees of airlines were the most visible part of the brand as they were the ones taking pictures and sharing experiences.


McCabe told seminar delegates that a UK


launch date had not yet been confirmed for the tool, currently in beta mode. but added that: “Over time, it will be able to ask more sophisticated questions such as: ‘Find me New York hotels staying with my family at Thanksgiving, including a theatre trip’.” McCabe discussed Graph Search in the


context of a presentation looking at how Facebook can help travel companies convert sales. He cited Facebook Connect, a function that allows users to sign in to a website using their Facebook login details. “TripAdvisor is a good example of how


this can work. Facebook Connect helped the website increase conversion by removing the need for the user to remember another username and password, and also provided more data on its customers, which it could then use in its display and its CRM,” he said. McCabe added that his top tip for small


businesses using Facebook was the Custom Audiences tool. “It allows you to take your CRM database


and match it with Facebook so you can find those same people on Facebook and communicate with them through that channel,” he said. “If you use Custom Audiences to find


your customers on Facebook, they will then share details about your company which will widen your audience. They will become marketers on your behalf. “Compared with your average online


reach which is only 38% accurate, Facebook reach is 89% accurate,” he added.


A WINNER’S WELCOME: Olympic decathlon gold medallist Daley Thompson enjoys St Lucia hospitality with Caroline Donaldson (left), business development manager, Barrhead Travel, and Leah Marshall, head of sales for Sandals Resorts.


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