Post on 13-Sep-2020
DELIVERABLES 5.4
NAUTICAL ROUTES TECHNICAL MANUAL
Creating diverse and exciting tourism products in coastal and
nautical tourism
CALL: NAUTICAL ROUTES OF EUROPE
GA: EASME/EMFF/2016/1.2.1.12/03/SI2.765242 – MELTEMI
COORDINATOR: SURF CLUB KEROS – I DOUMTSIOS
START DATE OF PROJECT: 1 DEC 2017
DURATION: 18 MONTHS
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Maritime and Fisheries Fund
under the Grant Agreement # EASME/EMFF/2016/1.2.1.12/03/SI2.765242 – MELTEMI
Dissemination Level
PU PUBLIC
PP Restricted to other PROGRAMME PARTICIPANTS
(including the Commission Services)
RE RESTRICTED
to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission Services)
CO CONFIDENTIAL
only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services) X
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Revision History
V# Date Description / Reason of change Author
V0.1 30/06/2018 First Draft K Galatsopoulos
V0.2 30/07/2018 Second Draft/ Review from Partners F Galatsopoulou
V0.3 20/08/2018 Final Draft K Galatsopoulos
Authors & Contributors
Contributors at this WP are the end user partners. WP1 provides feedback to technical
partners.
Authors
Partner Name
SURF CLUB KEROS Rick Krystalis (Mr)
Contributors
Partner Name
AUTH/SJMC Fani Galatsopoulou (Mrs)
Reviewers
Partner Name
SURF CLUB KEROS Ioannis Doumtsios (Mr)
PROGRESSIVE BOARD Ltd Dominic Whiting (Mr)
AUTH/SJMC George Kalliris (Mr)
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Table of Contents
1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 7
2 Introduction & Rationale ....................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Rationale ........................................................................................................................ 8
2.2 What is the “Nautical Routes” product? ....................................................................... 8
2.3 What should you expect from this manual ................................................................... 8
3 Creating a Nautical Tourism Product ...................................................................................... 9
3.1 STEP 1: Envision the result, define the need ................................................................. 9
3.2 STEP 2: Explore the Resources ..................................................................................... 10
3.2.1 Why catamarans? ................................................................................................... 10
3.2.2 Safety procedures ................................................................................................... 11
3.2.3 Watersport Procedures ........................................................................................... 14
3.3 STEP 3: Prove the Feasibility ........................................................................................ 17
3.4 STEP 4: Address the technicalities ............................................................................... 18
3.5 STEP 5: Marketing and Sales ........................................................................................ 20
3.5.1 Overview & Campaign Goals .................................................................................. 20
3.5.2 Campaign Structure ................................................................................................ 20
3.5.3 Building Desire. Main approach hooks ................................................................... 21
3.5.4 Content ................................................................................................................... 21
3.5.5 Budget ..................................................................................................................... 21
4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 23
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Glossary
Abbreviation /
Acronym Meaning
AIESEC Association for International Students of Science, Economics and Commerce
APE-MPE Hellenic Athens News Agency – Macedonian News Agency
AUTH/SJMC Aristotle University of Thessaloniki / School of Journalism and Mass Communications
CDP Communication and Dissemination Plan
DoA Description of Action
EACD European Association of Communication Directors
EASME European Agency for SMEs
EC European Commission
ECREA European Communication Research and Education Association
EFJ European Federation of Journalists
EJTA European Journalism Training Association
EMFF European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
ENAT European Network for Accessible Tourism
EOT Hellenic Tourism Organization
ESN Erasmus Student Network
ETIS European Tourism Indicators System
EUPREra European Public Relations Education and Research Association
EYCH 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018
GA Grant Agreement
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GEJI Global Environmental Journalism Initiative
GR Greece
IAMCR International Association for Media and Communication Research
IKO International Kitsurf Organization
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IPR Intellectual Property Rights
IPRA International Public Relations Association
IRP/IET Hellenic Institute of Regional Press – ΙΕΤ/Chania Crete
Km Kilometers
MELTEMI EU funded Project entitled ‘Meltemi – the breath of Archipelagos’
Meltemi Meltemi wind
Mi Miles
Nm Nautical Miles
PC Project Coordinator
PO Project Officer (EC)
PSB Project Steering Board
QA Quality Assurance
SUP Stand Up Paddle
TCB Thessaloniki Convention Bureau
TR Turkey
UAG User Advisory Group
UC Usage Cases
UGC User Generated Content
UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organization
WP Work Package
WPL Work Package Leaders
WTTC World Travel and Tourism Council
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1 Executive Summary
The purpose of this document is to create a technical manual in order to support and promote the
transferability of the results of our project. We have worked towards the development of a
standardized and repeatable methodology for creating diverse tourism products and services in the
area of Nautical and Coastal Tourism.
This deliverable is a technical manual for setting up a similar product anywhere in the world and will
be accompanied by a technical workshop aimed at industry professionals. This workshop will be held
in Limnos as part of the Stakeholders workshops series. SURF CLUB KEROS is already progressing in
the introduction of a similar project inspired and influenced by our experiences through the field
trips across the Aegean Sea.
Moreover, through our cooperation mechanism built in T4.2 we’ll try to build up a community and
establish a permanent exchange of information and ideas.
This document covers Deliverable
D 5.4 Nautical Routes Technical Manual: Creating diverse and exciting tourism products in
coastal and nautical tourism
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2 Introduction & Rationale
2.1 Rationale
There is no doubt that nautical tourism is a fast-growing sector. Being in the business for more than a
decade we feel that it is now time to take the next step and create a new, innovative premium
tourism product that will combine sailing, sports, travel, culture. The EU programme of “Nautical
Routes” offered us the opportunity to design and validate a tourism product that we can be unique
and exclusive.
As we are concluding the first half of our project and after about 16 weeks of sailing across the
Aegean Sea in both Greek and Turkish waters we have now a very good grasp of how to put our ideas
into practice and factor all these details that are elusive and misleading at first. The field trips and the
pilot journeys offered valuable experiences to our crews and we can now proceed to the next steps
of product design with the much more confidence.
In this document we have outlined in as much detail as possible the methodology for creating an
explicit nautical routes tourism product in any part of the world. Although it is not an exhaustive
document it serves as an outline and primer for the professional that would like to work in such
endeavours.
2.2 What is the “Nautical Routes” product?
Before we move any further we should provide some definitions that derive from the programme
and are used throughout our project:
Nautical Routes: Sailing Itineraries focused on water sports (windsurf, kitesurf, SUP) and nautical
tourism. The itineraries usually have a strong aspect of “extra curriculum” activities around water
sports, maritime history and tradition, local cuisine and health and wellbeing.
Sailing itinerary: Nothing more than a travel and destination plan organised day by day that will
allow our crews and passengers to sail safely across all waters, know what to expect and anticipate.
Six different sailing itineraries in the North east Aegean Archipelago, with 30 different spots that give
skipper the opportunity to alter the itinerary according to weather conditions and customer wishes
or needs.
2.3 What should you expect from this manual
The aim of this Technical Manual is to provide a basis for the training of partners and personnel that
will be involved into the design and implementation of Nautical Routes tourism products. We take
for granted that the users of this manual are experienced professionals in nautical tourism and
professional water sports instructors (in any windsurf, kitesurf or surf).
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3 Creating a Nautical Tourism Product
To support and promote the transferability of our results we developed a standardized and
repeatable methodology for creating diverse tourism products and services in the area of Nautical
and Coastal Tourism. This methodology is illustrated in the following pages and it is consisted of a
five steps procedure that reaches the stage of realizing bookings and the realization of the trips and
that can be applied by anyone in any part of the world for similar products of nautical touristic
products.
The five steps are:
1. Define the need: in this step we want to check the viability of our idea and confirm the need for
the product.
2. Explore the resources: as soon as we know that the idea is good, and it is actually valuable we
have to examine our resources both in terms of infrastructure and personnel.
3. Prove the feasibility: at this stage we will have to actually quantify our findings and make sure
that we have in place financial models that can hold and turn our project profitable.
4. Address the technicalities: before we move forward with our idea it is necessary to consider
some small but significant details that may prove problematic throughout the way.
5. Marketing and sales: Assuming that we have all the solid data we need to go forth with our
project, we will need a solid strategy for creating awareness and attracting customers.
3.1 STEP 1: Envision the result, define the need
Every small business starts with an idea. All ventures were once just a vision in someone’s mind. Even
a new destination, with a typical travelling format could become a new business opportunity. The
best way though to mitigate the always existent or potential risk is to do a “sanity check” on the
fundamental idea with other members (the more diverse the better) of the watersports travelling
community, which is supposed to be targeted through one-on-one interactions and informal focus
groups such as relevant forums, chats etc. No one should make the mistake of coming up with an
idea and then searching for demand later. It is crucial to confirm that significant demand exists for it
before investing time and money.
Therefore, an initial inspiration, dream or ambition followed by extensive desk research on existing
(if any) similar products and then a focused market analysis mapping the global Tourism water sports
Market, will define the need and the supply of competitive products. Moreover, it should identify
specific needs for different markets in Europe & the world regarding local individual parameters such
as dates of holidays, school holidays, connectivity with specific destinations, local weather conditions
in target markets, preferable water sports (wind, kite, surf), level of riding ability etc. When
surveying potential customers, a would-be venture should be sure to inquire deeply about how much
the potential target of customers would be willing to pay for such a service or product. These findings
will be necessary later at step three of feasibility.
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At the end of this initial process a target destination will be identified, the fact that the business
idea will be demanded by a potential defined customer target group should be speculated and a
basic timeframe of opportunity will be defined. Based on our recently acquired experience this
timeframe is applied over a period of 12 months of preparatory actions that are required before the
very first trip set it sails.
3.2 STEP 2: Explore the Resources
The basic resources that have to be ensured for such a product and the operation of that product is a
suitable Catamaran boat and the Human resources needed in order to sail the boat, teach or guide
the watersports and host the customers.
3.2.1 Why catamarans?
Special attention will be given to the chartering of the sailing catamarans. Such vessels are less
common and usually more expensive to charter but they have several important advantages which
we feel are very important to the concept. Catamarans proved to be:
much wider and therefore much more comfortable both in anchor and in travel
much more stable and safer, both in anchorage and in difficult weather conditions
easier to maneuver due to their twin engines
provide a lot more of storing space for our equipment
(Most importantly) ideal for use as a trimming & landing area for kite-surfing
The only probably disadvantage of a catamaran is that due to its size it is quite difficult to haul to a
marina. This is a very small price to pay and can easily be mitigated by anchoring just a few meters
away from the beach or the dock.
Regarding the availability of a suitable boat there are many chartering companies all around the
world that are ready to answer any inquiry. Typical examples of such companies are:
http://www.boatbookings.com/yachting_content/caribbean.php
http://www.caribbeancatamaran.com/
https://www.yachtico.com/yacht-charters-rentals-catamaran-caribbean
http://www.kiriacoulis.com/charter/charter-yachts/
MONTHS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
YEAR
Concept in Place
Month 1
Destination Decision
Month 2 Feasibility Study
Month 6
DEFINE THE NEED Months 1 - 2
Research Surveys Control
EXPLORE RESOURCES Months 3 - 5
Checklist Vessels Human Resources
PROVE FEASIBILITY Months 5 - 6
Data Collection
Fin Analysis
9 11
First TripReady to go
Month 11
Months 3 - 4
Logistics
STRATEGY
10
Res Lists
ADDRESS TECHNICALITIES
Arrangements
Months 6-8
MARKETING & SALES
CAMPAIGNS & BOOKINGS
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Therefore, a thorough desk research using a simple web search engine for providing companies that
operate and are harboring in the preferred destination and a couple of initial inquiries is needed in
order to gain all the information needed regarding availability of boats, age and specs of the available
boat, level of luxury, hosting capacity, extra special equipment, cost and terms of payment etc.
Regarding the Human resources it is essential to explore the availability of crew for the boat in order
to fulfill our requirements and standards of the service that we vision to deliver.
The standard structure of a crew for such a project and the relevant provision of services is: the
skipper, the hostess, and the wind/kite/surf instructor. A three-person crew is sufficient in order to
provide a unique experience for our customers combining travelling, sailing, hospitality and
watersports with safety. It has to be taken seriously into consideration that catamarans and sailing
boats in general, are close quarters, shared living accommodation option, have limited space and
almost minimum privacy and individual space capacity, therefore the crew of such a boat should be
present yet distinct, first and last on deck, tidy yet laid back, precise and punctual yet relaxed,
professional yet friendly at the same time. The basic skills and experience requirements that have to
be taken into consideration are: Basic professional skills and background according to each one of
the three necessary positions that are the skipper, the hostess, and the wind/kite/surf instructor),
experience in similar projects, local experience, knowledge and assets, communication skills (foreign
languages, easy going and friendly type of person), and any extra relevant skills or qualifications. An
initial online interview should follow and any more, in order to establish a firm personal opinion of
the candidate for the placement.
Since the demands of such a project regarding customers satisfaction and absolute safety at the
same time, are extremely high a standardization of a set of procedures is necessary. There are two
main groups of SOPs (Standard Operational Procedures): the first concerning the hospitality needs
that have to be fulfilled and the second the safety procedures that have to be followed.
3.2.2 Safety procedures
Beyond the basic and common internationally established maritime, yachting and sailing safety
regulations that all licensed skippers are trained and aware of, we finalize two special and original
sets of SOPs that we found that are of extreme importance for the safety of everyone involved in
such a project: The first is a check list with all the necessary and crucial key points that have to be
thoroughly checked before the departure of the boat.
Catamaran – Pre-Departure Checklist
Important Note: This checklist is for use by the Boat crew, to be reviewed 2 days before departure.
Yes No Comments
1 ENGINE CHECKS
1.1 Have the engine rooms been checked for any leakage?
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1.2 Have the oil levels been checked and if needed refilled
(gear box + engine)?
1.3 Has the coolant level been checked? (while engine is
working)
1.4 Has the dinghy been checked for any holes / + engine
check?
1.5 Has the belt been checked?
1.6 Has the water trap been checked?
1.7 Is the water pump working?
2 GENERAL BOAT SUPPLIES
2.1 Has the boat been refueled fully (total capacity = 390L)
and both spare fuel tanks are full?
2.2 Have the water tanks been replenished fully?
2.3 Are there enough cleaning products for the trip
planned?
2.4 Is there enough fresh bottled water for the trip planned
(1.5 litters / pers. Day + water for cooking)
3 BOAT PREPARATION
3.1 Have new laundry sets been picked up in the camp and
disposed in the 4 cabins? (take additional sets in case
and depending on length of trips)
3.2 Has the boat been fully cleaned up?
3.3 Is the boat operational for passengers (fridge working,
bathroom evacuations working, etc.)
3.4 Are the batteries / inverters working properly?
3.5 Are there any lines tangled around the boat?
4 NAVIGATION
4.1 Has the destination been confirmed in correlation with
weather forecast?
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4.2 Has the weather forecast been confirmed 2 days prior to
departure?
4.3 Are all navigation tools (GPS, VHF, etc.) working
properly?
4.4 Are navigation maps / port guide available on the boat?
4.5 Did the crew study the maps / destination prior to
departure?
4.6 Did the crew phone destination contacts to inform
about arrival and check space at the Marina (or any
other conditions)?
4.7 Is the boat paperwork complete and present on the
boat?
4.8 Have the navigation lights been checked?
5 DECK
5.1 Has the deck been checked for any sign of unusual tear
(ropes, sails, winch working)
6 SECURITY & SAFETY
6.1 Are there enough life jackets for every passenger?
6.2 Has the first aid kit been checked and replenished if
needed?
6.3 Have the basic emergency items been accounted for
(flares, rescue boat, life raft, emergency tiller, spare
navigation lights, etc.)?
7 FOOD SUPPLIES
7.1 Check with passengers any special diet / allergies /
intolerances or specific requests
7.2 Has the menu been set in accordance with 7.1 and with
planning?
7.3 Has the food supply been done and stored properly in
the boat?
8 ACTIVITIES PLANNED
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8.1 Has the planning been done and discussed / validated
by passengers?
8.2 According to planning, check what water sports
equipment is needed from Keros school for each
passenger (wet suits, kites, windsurf, etc.)
8.3 Has the request for above equipment been transferred
to the Water Sports Coordinator 2 days prior to
departure?
8.4 Have the equipments been transferred and stored
properly in the boat?
8.5 Has the crew contacted destination potential contacts
to arrange any car rental, check conditions, etc.?
3.2.3 Watersport Procedures
After safety, the most demanding activity on board a catamaran is to prepare the guest for their
favorite watersport. Surf and windsurf are pretty standard and they are not different than the
normal preparation procedures that an instructor undertakes on shore.
Nevertheless, kite surfing is a different story. It is by far the popular yet the most demanding
watersport and as such it has to be accommodated to the special conditions and restrictions of a
catamaran sailing boat. The basic procedure for launching and recovering kites from the catamaran
boat and tender is outlined below.
Procedures for Launching & Recovering kites from the
Catamaran & Tender
Launching from the Catamaran
Lines are kept permanently attached to the kite.
Kite is inflated at the stern of the hull furthest away from any potential obstacle or danger.
Leading edge and pump on the swim platform and trailing edge in the water.
Rider sits at the stern on the opposite hull, unwinding the lines.
Lines drift downwind, forming a “U” shape between the rider and the inflated kite.
Riders attaches leash and chicken loop.
Kite is released, and drifts downwind.
Rider puts board on their feet and slides into the water.
Once lines are under tension, rider rotates bare to untwist any twists in the lines.
Rider water-relaunches kite & rides away.
Should any major problems occur, rider quick releases their chicken loop & waits for the
tender to secure the kite and solve the problem.
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Launching from the Tender
Lines are kept permanently attached to the kite.
Kite is inflated on the leeward side of the tender
Rider and bar jump into the water at the stern & swim away from the boat in a crosswind
direction, while unwinding the lines.
Once lines are unwound, rider attaches leash and chicken loop.
Kite is then placed onto the water at the stern of the tender, and released.
Kite drifts into the wind window.
Rider rotates bar to resolve any line twists.
Rider water-relaunches kite from water.
Tender drops off the board with the rider, staying upwind from the rider at all times.
Rider recovery with the Catamaran
Option 1
Rider performs a self-rescue upwind of the catamaran & wingtip sails to the stern of the
catamaran, where they pack down and come aboard.
Option 2
A 15m buoyant rope with a figure of 8 knots tied at 1m intervals is attached to the stern &
left floating in the water.
Rider kites downwind of the stern, coming to a stop by the rope & grabs onto the rope.
Rider lands the kite in the water & let’s go of the bar
Rider takes of board. Holds board with one hand and rope with the other
Crew member pulls rider to the stern where the rider can sit on the stern.
Rider performs a quick release, and self-rescue with the help of the crew member.
Kite is recovered, deflated, and stored onboard.
Rider recovery with the Tender:
Tender approaches rider and signals to land the kite in the water.
Tender approaches kite from downwind, staying outside of the wind window.
Tender grasps the Leading Edge of the kite and proceeds to tow it 10m upwind.
Tender turns 25 degrees away from the rider & kills engine.
Tender deflates kite & starts to wrap it up.
Rider releases chicken loop & leash.
Tender pulls all the lines into the tender, taking care not to tangle them
Tender picks up rider & board.
Rider winds up their lines on the way back to the Catamaran.
Rider and equipment is stored away on the catamaran.
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Operating the Tender
Kill Switches
A kill switch is to be used at all times, with a lanyard attached to the boat’s driver.
A foot leash on the kill switch may be used to allow freedom of movement, but the driver
must be able to kill the motor quickly.
A kill switch lanyard cannot be too long, or the driver could be injured by the motor.
A spare kill switch lanyard must be attached to the boat close to the ignition in case of driver
overboard, so the boat can be restarted.
Motor Safety
Always stop the motor when it is close to someone in the water.
Always stop the motor when it is close to lines in the water.
Do not manoeuvre close to swimmers.
Use a prop guard (recommended).
Keep clear of the danger zone at the rear of boat.
Even a stopped motor can cause injury. (Reduce the risk of propeller strike injuries)
Driving close to kites
Do not drive under kites, or through the WW of flying kites.
Stay outside the WW.
Do not drive directly downwind of kiters.
Never drive over the kite’s lines.
Use waves/wind to slow boat,
Do not overuse reverse gear. (Getting tangled with the kite’s lines can disable the
motor completely and cause a dangerous situation for the kiter).
Rider recovery (without kite):
Pick up person from the water from the DW (boat downwind) side or crosswind to the
person.
If you pick up from the UW (boat upwind) side they can go under the boat, as the boat drifts
downwind.
Always kill the motor completely when bringing someone into the boat (especially over the
transom).
Beware of rowlocks, bollards and cleats that can snag the equipment of the students as they
climb in & out of the boat.
Beware of carabineers & snap shackles that can trap lines and gear. (Beware that motors can
accidentally be engaged and run over swimmers, killing the motor completely, reduces this
risk.)
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3.3 STEP 3: Prove the Feasibility
Once the availability of the resources is confirmed even on an optional basis, then a basic profit and
loss statement proving the financial feasibility of the project should be set.
The root of profitability is the basic procedure of setting a market price for the envisioned product or
service. In order to define the market price a potential venture should inquire deeply (as already
above mentioned) about how much the potential buyers would be willing to pay for such a service or
product. Then the next step is to compare that with the costs that are necessary in order to produce
the item or provide the service.
The following is a basic template that determines and proves the financial feasibility of such a project
based on a real-life case study regarding sailing trips in the Aegean Sea for a five weeks period on a
Lagoon 45, 2017 (5 cabin version).
EXPENSES REVENUES
INITIAL EXPENSES
Boat total charter
Marketing
Insurance
Administration and back office
TOTAL
WEEKLY COSTS REVENUE PER TRIP
Weekly boat cost Guests (10 per trip)
Fuels (per week) Price per Person (suggested)
F+B supplies (per week)
General expenses (local taxes, fees, general expences p.w.)
PERSONNEL
Skipper
Hostess
Water sports instructor
TOTAL OPERARIONAL WEEKLY COSTS MAX REVENUE PER TRIP
Number of Weeks Number of Weeks
MAX REVENUE =
(Assuming Capacity of 100%. Fully booked)
Expected Capacity (%)
TOTAL COSTS
= INITIAL + WEEKLY * No of WEEKS
TOTAL REVENUE (PROJECTED)
= Expected Capacity * MAX REVENUE
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3.4 STEP 4: Address the technicalities
Once the financial feasibility and the risk assessment is done and we decide that the specific risk is
worth to be taken, there are a lot of small technicalities that have to be answered regarding the
specific destination, with the specific resources at the specific timeframe. Careful preparation is
required to make sure we have mapped out all available options and potential itineraries, logistical
issues, resupply and points of interest before we sail. This is mainly desk research work and planning,
involving communication with prospective partners in the places we would like to visit. During this
task, we will identify all potential itineraries, anchorages, harbours, places of visit, points of interest,
alternative routes etc
The basic questions that each time have to be answered are the following:
QUESTION COMMENT
1. 1 DATE, DURATION
Date of the trips, exact duration, (less days possibility), exact date of
arrival/departure on island and on cat (preferably air tickets one day before
/after embarkation/disembarkation).
2. DESTINATION Place (Island, airport, marina, dock) of embarkation/disembarkation
3. 1 TRAVEL Suggested Airlines that fly there
4. TRANSFERS Transfer from/to the airport
5. OVERNIGHT
ACCOMODATION
Overnight accommodation and suggested hotels for the day before/after
embarkation/disembarkation
6. ITINERARY Itinerary, schedule, suggested program
7. RIDING LEVEL Level of riding to be elaborated and accurately described and benchmarked
8. PRICE,
PAYMENTS
Pricing, payment terms and discounts (all boat, 2-3 cabins, 2 trips, advance
payment), cancelation policy.
9. PRICING
ANALYSIS
Price breakdown (what’s included) food, beverages, alcohol, dinners out,
watersports, equipment, instruction, damages, insurance, extra activities
10. ONBOARD
ACCOMODATION
Shared cabin, single occupancy, child in cabin as 3rd person.
11. HOUSEKEEPING How often, change of sheets, fresh towels.
12. WEATHER Weather conditions, prevailing winds, expected forecast.
13. CLOTHING,
BAGGAGE
Suggested clothing and baggage
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14. ON BOARD WIFI Wifi onboard/internet/ local sim cards
15. PETS Pet allowance
16. INSURANCE Insurance
17. UTILITIES General local utilities (ATMs, banks, hospitals, pharmacies etc)
18. POLICIES, TERMS Policy and general terms easy to set
RIDER ABOARD:
SUF CLUB KEROS has already announced a new project inspired by MELTEMI. It is a case study project
for SCK and the answers to all the above questions are included in the official website
http://www.ridersaboard.com
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3.5 STEP 5: Marketing and Sales
Once the above-mentioned questions are answered the project is almost formatted and the next
step is to go public and increase awareness and sales through the suitable or available social media
and communication channels. The proposed campaign below is indicative. It was developed for the
purposes of Riders Aboard but it can easily be adapted accordingly.
3.5.1 Overview & Campaign Goals
1. 60 days of intense promotion
2. Create awareness for the trips to all the people that have engaged with Surf Club Keros
3. Build the desire through consistent visual elements and copy.
4. Use various campaign modalities to keep prospects engaged and interested in the idea of
making the trip. Photos, videos, FAQ, questions, stories, articles, etc.
5. We need to spread the content of the website to pieces that are easily consumable within
Facebook/Instagram.
3.5.2 Campaign Structure
We are going to use the several types of campaigns, each serving a specific purpose to move the
prospects closer to booking the trip. We know booking is not a spontaneous action, that people need
to consider the dates, job leaves, their partners/friends and of course if they think the trip is worth it
and how much they really want to go.
So, we need to be persistent daily in their feeds with multiple campaigns that will not be just
repeating the same message but are providing all the necessary trip details in a fresh and easily
consumable fashion. We want to promote all aspects of the trip, from the main idea, all the way to
the route details, educate them bit by bit, get them excited and make the trip irresistible.
I. Awareness/Engagement
The first step is to let everybody know the basics: there is a new project LIVE right now, Surf Club
Keros is involved (credibility, since we target mainly Keros audience), it’s a surfing or kitesurfing trip
aboard a luxurious catamaran in Maldives or Caribbean. We’ll use various beautiful imagery to
attract attention and inform the audience. We want engagement, people to respond with LIKES,
comments, shares to show that they are somewhat interested in the service.
II. Traffic to landing pages
Now that we have people know that we have a trip and they responded with some positive feedback,
we target those with Link Ad campaigns that drive visitors to the website. The goal is to get as many
people to consume the trip details, and therefore come closer to booking.
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We’ll use this type of campaign to send people to the main website, the specific trips and the
booking form. Each campaign ad will generate multiple creatives to keep it fresh.
III. Video Ads
Ideally, we need some kind of video ad format, it’s super easily consumable and gets the message
across fast. We want to create mini videos for every trip that quickly outline the main
features/benefits. It’s like visiting the website but faster. Then we retarget with link ads to get them
to actually visit the website and read everything thoroughly. We need them to be already aware,
engaged and interested to actually take the time and read through all the materials on the website.
Video can do that effectively.
IV. Call to action
Depending on the campaign objective we will have either no CTA (simply engage or view the video)
or click to view all the trip details or click to book now. We might also run some other types of
campaigns like Polls: i.e. “Who would you take with you on that trip?” and get them to comment
below or ask questions etc. We want to keep the promotion material mixed, interesting and
matching the awareness level of our prospects.
For example, the “Book Now” campaign will be targeted only to people that have viewed Riders
Aboard videos or engaged with campaign posts or visited the website or landing page.
3.5.3 Building Desire. Main approach hooks
Our main selling points: the trip of a lifetime, most amazing uncrowded spots you ever surfed, the
stuff of dreams, luxurious yet adventurous, affordable for the experience it provides, life aboard, in
touch with elements, exploration, we reach places not commercial trips reach, “pirates of the
Caribbean lifestyle”, total freedom, disconnect from the world, create memories, experience the
world through a very unique lens.
3.5.4 Content
We need us much photos/videos from the location we will be visiting as possible. We’ll try to use
visuals not only from kitesurfing or surfing, but from straight sceneries also, get that exotic vibe
going. We need variety and beautiful imagery. We can try www.shutterstock.com and
www.stock.adobe.com, there are nice videos and photos there to purchase.
3.5.5 Budget
Since we are firstly targeting Surf Club Keros audience, we don’t need to use big budget to get the
word out about the trips, we just need frequency and variety. As soon as we start getting results and
bookings we can expand the targeting to people that are not familiar with Keros, target kite surfers in
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UK for example, you will decide for that when the time comes. We could be running low budget test
campaigns to cold audiences in a couple of weeks from now and we can scale if numbers look good.
We have 63.000 people engaged in Surf Club Keros facebook ads/posts, around 22.000 website
visitors, around 220.000 people that viewed part of Surf Club Keros main promo video 2018 and
70.000 people that viewed more than half. These are all engaged people that know and are familiar
with Keros brand. These are the first people we target. We can start with €40/day for the 14 days.
The budget will be spent across various campaigns (post engagement, videos, link ads), targeting
viewers, visitors and page engaged.
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4 Conclusion
This deliverable is neither exhaustive nor complete. It is rather a working document that will be
evolved in a much more detailed manual as we gain more experience and knowhow.
It should serve as a starting point for professionals that will be involved in the design and
implementation of our Nautical Routes tourism products. Our purpose is to outline a 5-step
procedure that is easy and intuitive and can be applied in many cases.
We will continue to work internally on that manual as well as more detailed Standard Operating
Procedures to create the necessary Body of Knowledge that we consider crucial for such operations.