The tourism market is a very competitive market

Dan Taylor

Tourism Development Expert
Prince Edward County (Ontario), Canada

– Mr. Taylor, how does the Canadian government encourage tourism development in the country? What are the challenges and opportunities facing Canada’s tourism industry today?

– There is one agency – the Canadian Tourism Commission – which is a strong body and advocate for developing tourism in Canada. They have some funding and some programs. They encourage mostly larger initiatives, like major urban centers. They put some packages together and reach out to the market place. The Commission does a lot of partnerships with the provinces and has really strong tourism marketing campaigns. It partners with a province, who, in turn, partners with smaller communities. It goes to trade shows, it opens up trade routes, it works with airlines on trade routes. It targets specific tourism shows to promote Canada and connect with tour operators. Interestingly enough, in domestic tourism – tourism within Canada by Canadians, there are some shifting trends. Millennials are seeing less value in travelling within Canada. It is more like a life-style choice and convenience. With regard to transportation, we are a very car-centric society. Air travel is expensive, and travel by rail is not always convenient. The quality is fine, but the convenience, frequency of service is not ideal. One of the biggest challenges in Canada right now is definitely keeping domestic travel. The tourism market is a very competitive market. And in many ways Canada is behind other countries in terms of branding, awareness and being aggressive in the market place to bring tourists to the country.

– We are eager to hear about the part of Canada you come from – the province of Ontario. You live in a beautiful county – Prince Edward County. What can Prince Edward County offer tourists both from within Canada and outside Canada? And what makes it special in terms of tourist attractions?

– The province of Ontario has very strong branding. They have spent years developing and refining their brand. And they are quite prominent and aggressive in targeting the international market, getting the branding out there and linking that branding to tour operators and packages. So the province does a great job. Within Ontario, the province created 13 tourism districts. Each district has a tourism organization and a budget from the province. Each district has created their own brand. They partnered and they created product. The province has been very helpful and supportive of that. In Prince Edward County, we are fortunate in that the stakeholders, the actual businesses that have got together and do some strong public relations. I was mentioning today in our meeting that the Drake Hotel, part of the small chain out of Toronto independent hotel operations, has very strong public relations. So what they do is less about promoting their hotel but more promoting the region which has fabulous beaches, incredible dining, excellent wine.

– Is this your first time in Ukraine? Have you heard anything about Ukraine before?

– Yes, it is my first time in Ukraine. I had awareness of Ukraine. As a country, it is well-known in Canada. We know Ukraine, but we do not know much about it. Personally, I knew about your decorated eggs, embroidered clothing, pyrogies, proximity and your relationships with Russia. That was my understanding of Ukraine.

– So, when planning their trip to Europe, Canadians do not tend to include Ukraine in their itineraries?

– I would say that certainly when Canadians think of Europe, they definitely think of Western Europe. They are now starting to think of Central and Eastern Europe – the Czech Republic, Poland. Estonia, Romania. Ukraine it is not high on their priority list unless they have ties to Ukraine through family and friends.

– You have visited Odesa recently. What do you think of recreational and tourism resources of Odesa Region in particular and Ukraine in general? In what ways can Ukrainian cities ensure tourism development and attract foreign investment in their tourism assets?

– I was fortunate to visit Odesa – both the city and part of the region. I have seen a lot of promise there. You have incredible culture and history there, as well as some great architecture. You have got a nice wine region too. We visited Shabo – one of the wineries. It’s a first-class operation. Very classy. And you have got beaches and resorts. It looks like you already have some tourist products that are market ready. But other product needs work to become market ready. There are two real opportunities to fulfill – one is to get a bit more market ready, get the packages together. I think the biggest challenge will be the marketing and creating awareness and helping people understand what is there to see and do in Odesa region. Regarding Ukraine in general, I suspect it is a similar story. Each region really needs to understand what its strengths are. For me, building packages is like getting market ready. And then, I think, building relationships with kind of broader regional and international media. And then bringing them here. That is your market challenge to get the word out about Ukraine. From what I see, you have got history, culture, architecture, food and other experiences. Tie that together and get the market aware of that stuff.

Number one is that the leadership of the cities must commit to tourism. They need to say that tourism is a priority. The second thing is meeting with professionals in the communities. They need to start branding their communities and developing more marketing. I think if they make it a priority, if they do the branding, the packaging and the marketing, and then seek to create awareness, and if they get good at that, it is the key to their success.



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