Emirates could lure Asian markets with new campaigns

Asian markets are turning to be a gold mine for promoting tourism in the UAE, according to futurist speaker and founder of the research and consultancy organisation Fast Future, Rohit Talwar. Companies in the Emirates need to gear up with enhanced advertising and marketing campaigns to lure visitors from the Far East.

The demographic and economic indicators that are increasingly showing vital signs of a massive shift of wealth, as well as the growth of the middle class in Asian countries are factors that will go a long way in boosting the tourism sector of the Middle East.

Seeing beyond the current crisis, Talwar says, the opportunities if seized would turn the region into a winner after the re-emergence of the global economy.

Asian audiences, according to Talwar, will be an ideal target, with more than one billion people in those areas expected to have the financial capacity to travel by 2050, which is higher than the current global travelling population of about 900 million.

Meanwhile, Talwar advised that marketing budgets should be reallocated from the US market to countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in Southeast Asia, and African countries such as Angola, Rwanda, Maurtius and South Africa.

"You could market to US associations for business events, but not to the public. I believe those in the US who would want to visit the region, would do their homework. Therefore, marketing money spent on trying to attract them is probably not worthwhile at the moment," said Talwar.

"On the other hand, European markets will continue to suffer from the global crisis. Those markets will be depressed for a long while. So instead of trying too hard to generate more traffic out of declining markets, I would focus more on the emerging markets. China and India have already started picking up again. Africa is also a very strong market. African people like to come to Dubai, and currently many airlines are operating flights between Dubai and African destinations."

Vietnam, Indonesia, Korea and Singapore, are expected to join the top 20 in the next 20 years, said Talwar. "This is the right time to tap into those developing markets as they are cheap. Later as they grow, you can grow with them."

Emerging from the downturn, marketing the UAE brand as a tourism destination, would require a different two-level approach. According to Talwar, both the marketing elements as well as channels have to be reconsidered in light of new technologies and innovations.

"This, however, is not an individual effort. It requires co-ordinated destination marketing targeting numerous countries. The traditional advertising route, including broadcasting TV-sponsored programmes and advertising to build the brand, is indespensible, yet, more focus should be directed towards trade fairs and tourism shows," he said.

"The UAE has set a goal of attracting 15 million visitors by 2010. The main challenge is to keep the 15 million tourists flowing every year, once it is achieved," he said.

From a business perspective, the UAE has all the right elements, said Talwar. Etihad and Emirates airlines have adopted very aggressive business plans and are operating more flights to numerous new destinations.

"With the airline sector now facing huge losses abroad, fewer flights are being operated to various destinations, opening up landing slots for regional airline carriers in international airports around the world. Airline mergers and acquisitions are also a good opportunity at the moment, because they offer wider presence at a cheaper price."

From a marketing perspective, differentiation and product innovation are two important drivers. Talwar said: "While advertising is useful for brand visibility, a differentiating aspect should be adopted to stimulate interest. In this sense, research brings on a massive value. If money spent on a traditional advertising campaign were to be diverted towards commissioning market research by a third party, brand visibility may last much longer, while establishing integrity and credibility through tangible data will be referred to occasionally over a long period of time."

"Audiences are too smart to fall for advertorials. There is a need for an objective and independent research initiative. It is true that in research neither the content nor the results can be controlled, but investors who are willing to come to the region are seeking insights on potential opportunities, and would always welcome such initiatives.

"In addition, awards programmes help raise profile, mainly those related to quality management. The government sector has already started, but the private sector still has to follow, especially on ISO 14000 and 9000 certifications and the European Foundation For Quality Management (EFQM) programme. In addition, you have to make sure there is innovation in the product in order to keep 15 million people coming and that requires a level of investment," he said.

Talwar noted that such awards help and serve as effective marketing tools.

"The internet is a very powerful tool, with cyberspace currently inhabited by 1.5 billion users around the world," said Talwar. "With social networking growing popular, building up positive word-of-mouth publicity is now even more possible through the internet.

"The Middle East still lacks the culture of destination ratings and it is much slower in adopting the concept of destination portals, unlike countries such as the US, the UK, Korea and Australia. They allow travellers to provide destination ratings and share their travel experiences with other people. This, if utilised, could be another way to encourage people to visit the UAE."

In the region, Talwar said the UAE should focus on developing its image as a family leisure destination.


Rohit Talwar Founder of Fast Future

Talwar is also an award-winning futurist speaker, entrepreneur, specialist advisor and strategic change agent.

He was profiled as one the top 10 global future thinkers by the UK's Independent newspaper. He spends his time travelling around the world researching ideas that will shape the future and meeting people and organisations behind them.

His book Designing Your Future – Key Trends, Challenges and Choices was published in August 2008.

He is currently leading major studies on the future of global travel and tourism, the future of travel and tourism in the Middle East and the future of travel and tourism investment in Saudi Arabia.

Rohit has also completed major global studies on 'The future of China's economy – The path to 2020' and is working on scenarios for 2030 and the implications for global migration.

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