UK Outbound Tourism Badly Hit by Global Recession, but DOT London Rises to the Challenge

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  UK Outbound Tourism Badly Hit by Global Recession, but DOT London Rises to the Challenge

UK Outbound Touris Badly Hit by Global Recession, but DOT London Rises to the Challenge

It is said that the United Kingdom officially entered recession on 23 January 2009 when the Office for National Statistics reported that the economy had shrunk through the last two quarters of 2008. By February and March, unemployment was hitting a record low and the financial sector was teetering in the brink of collapse. In April, official data showed the recession further deepened, with the economy shrinking by 1.9% during the quarter, the worst since 1979. All this served as the gloomy backdrop for UK outbound travel in 2009.

Being a country of voyagers and adventurers, the recession did not discourage the British from travelling; however, most opted to travel within the United Kingdom and nearby destinations such as the countries along the Mediterranean Sea. A new concept of travel – “staycation” – became the fashionable trend during the spring and summer holiday break, with families investing in local British tourism destinations that can be reached by means of mobile homes. 2009 proved to be the year for domestic UK tourism, but quite the contrary for long-haul travel to Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Despite the economic turmoil that embroiled Great Britain in 2009, the Department of Tourism (DOT) London Field Office continued to push the Philippines aggressively to the UK and European travel markets. DOT London persisted in implementing project after project despite the crisis, believing that steadfast destination marketing will pay off handsomely once the recession breaks.

As a result, the office managed to participate in 15 UK and European travel show in 2009, creating positive impressions in various markets about the country being a choice holiday destination. In the first quarter alone, the Philippines was prominently displayed in the major national fairs of the UK (Destinations in London, Holiday World in Manchester and Glasgow, London International Dive Show, others), Ireland (Holiday Show), Spain (FITUR and Salon dela Cornella), Italy (BIT and EuDI), Norway (Reiseliv), Sweden (TUR Gothenburg) and Finland (MATKA). By the last quarter of 2009, DOT London capped its year of vigorous appearances by spearheading the Philippines’ attendance in Dive Birmingham and the World Travel Market in London, in cooperation with private sector partners.

DOT London was simultaneously organizing site inspection and familiarization trips for dozens of TV and print journalists, the most prominent being that of Charley Boorman’s “By Any Means 2: From Sydney to Tokyo”. This project earned the Philippines a special place in this BBC hit adventure series, as Charlie showcased the exhilarating yet peaceful lifestyle in rural Philippines. Another visit by prominent photojournalist Mark Stratton resulted in an article in Wanderlust adventure magazine proclaiming the Philippines as the must-see destination of 2010. Two other visits by British and Spanish photographers resulted in the donation of over 7,000 images to the DOT London library, for free use in its promotional campaigns.

Special attention was showered on a new market niche – birdwatching. Given the green light to pursue this rare yet highly lucrative segment, DOT London launched an advertising campaign with top birdwatching magazines, distributed two volumes of Philippine birdwatching guidebooks, joined the British Birdwatching Fair for the first time as a major sponsor, became a champion for endangered Philippine bird species, and organized the visits of bird tour operators, media and special guests, among whom were Mr. Tim Appleton (organizer of Birdfair) and MP’s Mark Pritchard and Kenneth Clarke.

On the other hand, European admiration for Philippine diving opportunities has grown from strength to strength. Names such as Donsol, Malapascua, Puerto Galera, Coron, Bohol and Dumaguete have become synonymous to top-quality and high-adventure diving. More dive operators are featuring the Philippines in their diving catalogues, with some claiming that it has become the second most-popular choice for diving after Egypt/Red Sea. This may again be attributed to DOT’s non-stop pursuit of this prized market niche, used to paying top dollar for top-quality diving experiences.

Another efficient area of operation for DOT London has been its internet marketing strategy, which is anchored on its highly-successful and interactive website www.wowphilippines.co.uk . The site attracted an average of 10,000 visitors per month, 75% unique, with an average rate of 50 hits per visit. This figure is estimated to be up by as much as 300% over the past three years of consistent website development. This success is attributable not only to the amount of content that has been uploaded to the site, making it more interesting for visitors to browse and secure data, but also to a timely Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign launched in 2008 to 2009.

The internet marketing strategy of DOT London played an important role in this increasingly-dependent internet tourism community. The office has maximized its usefulness by

• having a monthly newsletter sent to over 12,000 clients with updates on tourist destinations and news
• offering up-to-date tour packages on the front page of the site
• providing a medium for the promotion of partner hotels, resorts and tour operators
• enabling users to view, request or download information such as images, videos, logos and brochures, among others
• having a flight comparison and search engine embedded in the site for immediate use of visitors
• installing a “translate” tool that can immediately adapt the entire website and translate the contents for specific use of our other European markets

DOT London produced a vast quantity of information materials that were distributed in travel fairs, consumer events and daily mailing activities. These comprised of maps, destination flyers, special interest brochures and packages offered by partner UK tour operators, all of which were essential to convincing the British traveller as regards their choice holiday destination. These materials were printed locally and did not require costly shipment expenses when coming from the Philippines.

DOT London also continued to work closely with the UK travel trade, its core clientele in the tourism industry, by organizing joint sales presentations and meetings, participating in joint advertising campaigns and inviting representatives to participate in the yearly Philippine Travel Exchange.

Lastly, DOT London worked hand in hand with the Philippine Embassy and other government agencies in promoting cultural links, investments opportunities and in the handling of special projects, like the official Presidential Visit in September 2009.