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 Celia
Ho, regional manager - South Asia, Tourism Victoria in conversation
with Charmaine Fernz elucidates the board’s plans to tap the
latent Indian market. Excerpts
With
a number of established tourism boards set up in the Indian
sub-continent, how does Tourism Victoria plan to tap the Indian
market?
We
plan to adopt a two-pronged strategy, first targeting the
trade and secondly, the consumer. With the trade, we plan
to work closely with travel agents, airlines and the Australian
Tourist Commission to promote the destination’s desirability
through participation at travel missions (within the market),
trade shows like ATE organised by ATC, regular market visits
to provide product updates and support airlines’ familiarisation
programmes. This year, with the aim to further strengthen
our trade partners’ knowledge of Melbourne, Victoria,
we have engaged Marco Marketing Concepts to organise comprehensive
training workshops. Through these workshops, we plan to target
planners and counter sales personnel (inclusive of Aussie
specialists) in key cities.
Subsequently, where the consumers are concerned, we are working
closely with ATC to generate necessary media and PR coverage
on Melbourne, Victoria.
What is the USP of Melbourne, Victoria?
The city provides its visitors a romantic, contemporary, stylish
and festive city lifestyle. Other features include easy accessibility,
unique culture and dining experience and a wide range of shopping
to suit every style.
Who is your target clientele? Why?
Our target clientele are upscale family groups, young singles,
DINKs (Double Income with No Kids) and incentive travellers.
We have great family attractions such as Phillip Island’s,
penguin parade, gold panning in Sovereign Hill, hand-feed
kangaroos in Ballarat Wildlife Park and strawberry picking
in Mornington Peninsula. The Melbourne aquarium and Melbourne
museum are both educational tours and provide fun and interaction
amongst parents and children.
For the young at heart, Melbourne, Victoria has it all; lively
café scene, magnificent architecture, excellent hotels,
outstanding galleries and theatres to a dazzling nightlife
and scenic country escapes that are a leisurely drive away.
What are Tourism Victoria’s targets for the coming year?
Through travel agents’ increased knowledge and confidence
of destination Melbourne, Victoria, we plan to achieve higher
traffic and longer length of stay to Melbourne, Victoria.
We also plan to heighten consumers’ awareness and desirability
of destination Melbourne, Victoria through ATC, public relations
and media activities.
What marketing strategies have you incorporated to boost the
image of Victoria and augment tourist inflow?
Our strategies include our partnership with ATC to work on
trade and consumers, media visits to Melbourne, Victoria and
directing traffic to our website: www.visitmelbourne.com.
Other plans include the development of our latest five minute
destination video clips, motivational brochures and travel
planners which are distributed to travel agencies and airlines
as a tool to aid travel agent’s in their selling of destination
Melbourne, Victoria.
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