PERSONAL OPINION PERSPECTIVE 1

6th March 2001

A TWO-SIDED COIN
By Graham C. Hornel

Shoot The Messenger has become an increasingly common trait amongst both Government and Industry decision-makers in tourism destinations that find themselves with an image problems on their hands.

All too often the messengers that are being shot at or shot are the very same media contacts and outlets whose coverage these destinations have been very happy to receive, as a bonus to their destination publicity and promotion efforts during less-troubled times.

The Media: fair weather friends, or stormy weather foes – or just calling it as they see it? Or is it really now a case of, as the Fox News Network is proud to boast, “We Report. You Decide.”?

Today, the marketing and promotion of most tourism destinations is directly enhanced by a variety of Internet Web sites. These sites, plus a very wide range of quality news and information that is instantly available on-line from global, national and even loca,l sources, offer all of us – and particularly the potential traveller – facts that enable them to make a much better Go or Don’t Go judgement and decision than any Government Travel Advisory, or short TV News report.

Today’s reality, as many of those directly retailing travel to a much better informed traveller are fast discovering, is both that much more information and options are offered to anyone with access to the Internet –and that an increasing number of us are opting to make our own travel decisions based on information we gather ouselves.

Others have bought into this debate, sometimes understandably from a loss of business, or from the claims of unfair or unbalanced reporting perspective. As in most matters, however, this particular coin has two sides.

Ms or Mr. Media: we love you when you report something that we regard as nice, or as positive, but we hate you when you tell it as it is. The rest of the time, you just won’t even hear from us. Strangely, this still appears to be the Tourist Office philosophy in too many cases today.

Despite the steady growth of the Internet and its many dimensions such as email and its increasing use as an effective communications and information tool it is both amazing and apalling that, even in 2001, many Government Tourism Offices still do not issue regular news and information bulletins to key publics, such as media and tourism and leisure industry contacts, by email. In the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions, those who do – and who do it well – can be counted on two hands.

Now the effective utilisation of email as a communications and even marketing tool is in no way rocket science and few of the frequently used excuses like limited resources genuinely apply.

Perhaps it is all too hard. Perhaps it is the reality that, despite Tourism becoming a highly competitive business, the decision-makers - particularly those atop NTOs and similar bodies -have yet to grasp the true value of effective communications as an excellent, and indeed cost-effective, means of keeping a destination positively visible – especially through the media.

Either way, each time that a Tourist Office in a destination in which community mayhem erupts, or natural disaster strikes, fails to let those who should know exactly what the true situation as regards travel, then they fail their stakeholders and they neglect the true interests – and even livelihoods - of those who rely on them.

Informing key contacts, and informing them regularly and in detail in both troubled and happier times is a fundamental and core marketing communications role of any capable Tourist Office today. If the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) now do this so well and so successfully, why then, do so few other NTOs reach anything like that standard – and why, in 2001, do so many NTOs still do nothing?

The media does deserve its fair share of the blame on some occasions at least. A much closer look by umbrella bodies like ASEANTA, IOTO and PATA, at which of their NTOs should be sharing this blame would make a truly meaningful contribution to respective Regions’ tourism and leisure industries.

Graham Hornel, was a Staff Director with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for 14 years. He launched the Indian Ocean Tourism Organsiation (IOTO) and served as CEO and Secretary General for six years, before launching The Questbay Group and heading it as Group Chief Executive, in January, 2001.

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