OECS Destinations hit the Road in Germany for another Joint Promotion Event
The OECS Commission is once again coordinating another joint promotion activity for its Member States to promote their respective destinations. The OECS Road Show in Germany follows three successful joint promotion activities coordinated by the OECS Commission, to showcase the region’s sector in the yachting sector in the United States, Canada and Germany.
The joint presence of the OECS at what is dubbed to be arguably the world’s largest boat show in Germany earlier this year, unveiled the tremendous potential of the European market, Germany in particular, to enhance the performance of the Tourism sector in our region. Formal surveys conducted at the Eastern Caribbean Village at the Boot Dusseldorf Boat Show as well as informal interactions with residents revealed a high level of desirability for the region by Germans; and strong alignment of the Caribbean product with their interests and travel trends and patterns. It was very clear that from the Germans’ fascination by the beauty, heritage and culture of our region, they were an ideal market to target. They are savvy, and are keenly interesting in enriching, engaging, adventurous, and educational activities, which are all available in the OECS region.
Germans also have longer vacation periods compared to visitors from North America, and are higher spenders. According to the latest statistics from ITB 2016, 77% of all Germans travel. In 2015, Germans spent 71.5 billion Euro on travel and stayed an average 10 days. They are also interested in the spectrum of available accommodations, from guest houses to high-end boutique hotels.
The German Travel Association’s President, Norbert Fiebig designated the year 2016 as: “The Year of the Caribbean,” referring to the opportunities for growth for the Caribbean from German travellers. This declaration is mainly because the appeal of several of the traditional popular travel destinations for Germans such as Egypt and Turkey have declined due to recent events that have triggers concerns related to safety and security.
These promising trends have compelled the OECS region to intensify marketing efforts in the German market via an OECS Road Show. The OECS Commission administered a survey to determine the preferences of the marketing personnel in all OECS Tourism Boards/Authorities in respect of the modalities for joint promotion by OECS Member States. One hundred (100%) of survey respondents reported preference for an OECS Road Show, compared to participation in a general tourism trade show such as ITB or World Travel market, primarily because the Road Show was more cost-effective and more focused. The results of the survey were endorsed by the OECS Council of Minister (Tourism) at their Meeting in Grenada in July 2015, where the Ministers agreed for the OECS Commission to undertake a European Road Show in 2016 as a pilot exercise.
The OECS destinations of Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada and Saint Lucia will be showcasing their respective destinations to travel agents, tour operators, travel bloggers and other travel media from June 6th to 6th to 9th 2016, with an intense promotion of our region in the cities of Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Cologne.
