The conference began with welcome speeches by GIE Tahiti Tourisme’s President, Jacques Teheiura, Minister of Tourism and Air Transport, Marc Collins, and Jacques Witkowski, General Secretary to the High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia, Anne Boquet. Each speaker in the morning session noted the importance of tourism for the economy throughout the islands of Tahiti. The encouraging increase in tourism arrivals to Tahiti from several countries were noted as well as the urgency to address the challenges that currently exist with other markets (including the US) and the low number of return visitors to the islands of Tahiti were also addressed.
Following the welcome speeches, the conference went into full swing by 2:00 PM. GIE Tahiti Tourisme began the afternoon presentations, covering the following areas:
- Arrival Figures
- Anticipated Arrivals (for the full 2007 year)
- Operational Strategies (including local strategies based in Tahiti)
- Network Production (regionalization and organization)
- Transverse Regional Coordination Units
- Emerging Markets (Specifically China, Korea, and India)
- Vision for 2008
GIE Tahiti Tourisme’s presentation was followed by 2007 Year-in-Review Presentations from each of the Tahiti Tourisme worldwide offices:
- Italy
- France
- England
- Spain / Portugal
- Germany
- North America
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Australia
- South America
Presentations included the current state of the respective markets, promotional actions, advertising, public relations, communications and trade based programs. There was a large emphasis on the Tiare Agent Specialist Program from each of the markets – confirming Tahiti Tourisme’s worldwide support of the Travel Agent community.
Presentations continued Tuesday, October 16th. Each market presented their Integrated Marketing Research study and Product Review to the local partners. The first presented by the newly developed European Coordination Unit – presented by Alessandra Bitetti of AIGO, Tahiti Tourisme’s representation in Italy.
Following the European presentations, Tahiti Tourisme North America (TTNA) presented a condensed version of the 2007 Integrated Marketing Research Study and Product Review. Many of the themes that were presented throughout the morning from Europe were very similar to the results that TTNA presented. By the end of the day, it was clear that the islands of Tahiti are perceived as pristine, beautiful, unique, untouched and authentic, to mention a few of the adjectives that were used to describe the natural beauty of the destination throughout the world. However, there was also a common theme among both prospective travelers and prospective repeat visitors that were interviewed, noting that the primary reasons for not coming (or not returning) to the islands of Tahiti were the distance and the relative high cost of the destination.
Specific to the North American market, the repeat guests and the prospective travelers had very similar viewpoints on their perceptions of the islands of Tahiti. Below are a few highlights of the information received from interviewees while comparing various attributes of the islands (note: “Tahiti” refers to the “islands of Tahiti” as a destination):
- Tahiti scores exceptionally high on attributes associated with natural beauty, relaxation and a destination that provides a memorable and unique experience.
- Tahiti is also closely identified with honeymooners, couples and a place to spend an anniversary.
- Tahiti does not perform nearly as well with those attributes associated with history, culture and nightlife.
- Tahiti does not rank high as providing good value for the money.
Tuesday afternoon offered each of the markets the opportunity to present their 2008 Objectives and Strategic Projections. TTNA covered the following areas:
- Research Implementation
- Cruise Ship Retention Program
- Promotional Calendar
- Advertising Programs
- Public Relations
- Communications
- Web Projects
Wednesday and Thursday, October 17 and 18, were very full days with 20-minute one-on-one sessions with the local partners. These two days gave each Tahiti Tourisme Representative the opportunity to meet face to face with the Airlines, Hotels, Cruise Lines, Spas, DMCs, Yacht Charter companies, Activity Centers, Associations, Local Businesses and more. The TTNA team was very pleased to have the opportunity to meet with all of the partners that scheduled meetings over the two day period.
A special thank you to our head office, GIE Tahiti Tourisme, for their hard work in ensuring an efficient, effective conference. We would also like to thank each of our local partners for their efforts, their support, encouragement, and kind words. Last, but surely not least, we’d like to say nana, kia ora, ciao, au revoir, tchau, adios, tschüs, sayanora, e noho rä, and g’day to the Tahiti Tourisme teams based in Tahiti and each of our worldwide partners representing the destination. We are lucky to have such a strong, professional network of support and we look forward to seeing each of you next year!
|
TTNA Team Attending Reps Conference (clockwise from top left): Leila Laille, Al Keahi, Jonathan Reap, Jeanine Cater, Maureen Furedi
Al Keahi, Managing Director, TTNA; Jacques Teheiura, President GIE Tahiti Tourisme; Mik Iwata and Kei Mori, Tahiti Tourisme Japan
One-on-one sessions with the local industry
|
