A destination must climb the social (media) ladder to attract millennials

Jul 03, 2016 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

---

A sizeable gathering of Tourism Ministers, Directors and Commissioners from countries across the Caribbean met in New York, in early June, to assess the gains the tourism industry has made, discuss the challenges, identify the new direction(s), reward and recharge the major players in the industry. The occasion was the annual Caribbean Week hosted by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO).
This year the focus was on the means and methods needed to attract and keep the attention of millennials all over the world. They account for approximately 65 percent of the global population, and it is agreed that special marketing strategies must be employed by Caribbean countries which, for all intents and purposes, are in direct competition with Miami, Florida, the Mecca for young people.
The theme for the Caribbean Tourism Marketing Workshop was “Climbing the Social (Media) Ladder”, acknowledging the pivotal role that young people are beginning to play at the business end of Tourism. The presenters were carefully selected from Fortune 500 companies in the USA, not least among them is Google.
The youthful Ting Ting Yan, Snr. Marketing Strategist for Google Travel, led a lively discussion titled: “How to engage the Millennial Market and keep them engaged”. Her objective was to place millennials, their behaviours, their preferences and their go-to mechanisms such as social media, into the tourism context.
She was pellucid about several things that she proved to be true, one of which is that in most generations going back to the 19th Century, young people have displayed very similar characteristics. She took her audience back to the era of what’s now known as the Baby Boomers of the 1970s, through Generation X in 2007, to the current Generation Y.
“They have all made full use of the facilities and technologies available to them during their time to broaden their own worlds,” she said.
Recent statistics confirm that mobile video plays a significant role in helping millennials choose their vacation spots by destination, accommodation, facilities. They research hotels, activities online via YouTube and other easily accessible sites that feature videos.
She was also adamant that it is a myth that millennials do not use the services of travel agents, since they are known to gravitate towards expert, experienced advice.
“They like to talk to live people even when they’re online.”
Ms. Yan assured her audience that the marketing strategies they currently utilize across the Caribbean only require minor adjustments, and the addition of a new concept called “bleisure”. This concept is acknowledgement of the fact that young travellers more often combine business with leisure.
Tourism today is business unusual. She advised that service providers – hotel and resort owners, tour operators, vacation planners, etc. – spend more time and resources advertising in millennial language styles on social networks (YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest) since these sites are the young generation’s go-to places for information. She also proposed several internal adjustments to visitor itineraries and catering e.g. younger Baristas and Greeters, and youth-friendly beverages and concoctions more suited to the tastes of Generation Y.
A pair of media specialists from the US-based publication, the Caribbean Journal, Alex Brittel and Guy Britton, added their own basket of goodies to the discussion under the title: “Sharpening y0ur social media competence to enhance your company’s message”. They believe that Caribbean destinations are in direct competition with Florida for young visitors. Young people, Mr. Brittel said, have become the largest addressable audience when social media is factored in. Therefore, messaging and commercial content must be displayed on websites, Facebook, Pinterest and other social media platforms, in accordance with the tastes and preferences of millennials. Photographs and videos must be the DNA of any product display.
Tourism education is critical to Tourism sustainability in any country and since the focus this year was on the youth, a lot of emphasis was placed on the Caribbean Students Colloquium. College level students across the Caribbean and the USA were encouraged to explore sustainable tourism initiatives, research and present a project with a practical Business Plan during Caribbean Week at the Students Colloquium. In fact, all proceeds from Caribbean Week went to the CTO Scholarship Foundation for young Caribbean nationals who wish to pursue higher education in Tourism, Hospitality and Languages.
CARIBBEAN MEDIA MARKETPLACE
Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations did not get lost in this thrumming milieu of tourism development techniques and technologies. Guyana was referenced repeatedly throughout the week and the Journalists present from Grenada, Barbados, Antigua, Turks & Caicos, Jamaica, CMC, CMS, Carib Vision, Business & Travel magazine and others, actively sought out Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, who has held the Tourism portfolio since June 2015.
They were very interested in Guyana’s achievements over 50 years and our plans to sell our unique eco- and adventure tourism products to the world.
Minister Hughes highlighted the fact that Guyana’s Caribbean-different brand of tourism is tailor-made for the young and the adventurous. She talked up the country’s tourism trajectory as a vital component of economic growth at home and as a choice destination in both the Caribbean and South America, while expressing a measure of satisfaction that the aggressive ‘Guyana visibility campaign’ launched in 2015 was beginning to bear fruit.
“We have come a long way in just one year,” she concluded.

---

---