Revision B - 25 September 2003 Copyright © 2002 – 2003 Michael Arthur Johnson, Riga Latvia...

Copyright © 2002 – 2003 Michael Arthur Johnson, Riga Latvia

Revision B - 25 September 2003

[email protected]/brandimage/

www.latviaphoto.com/rigasurvey/

www.latviaphoto.com/strategy/



Latviatourism development



• Improving the Image of Latvia

• Achieving more tourism & business visitors

Strategic Vision Discussion

Suggestions on …….



What visitors are saying ?

But!



More tourists !

• Make it easy for them to plan – lots of information – in a language they understand

• Make our visitors feel welcome when they come!• Listen to what they want to have?• Provide them with what they want• Do it on a consistent basis - each visit the same or better• Thank them when they leave• Delight them so they will tell their friends and they come back

as well

How do we do all that ?



Realize that this is a long term effort

It will take four (4) years to be successful



Establish Steering Committee

• Form a “steering committee” to actively identify and recruit low cost or free volunteers to assist with the Latvian image and tourism development programs.

• Provide “top down” support for this committee



Recommendation – Image Taskforce

• Create taskforce with representatives from cross section of Latvian tourism industry, business and industry to “fast track” some brainstorm sessions to create a Vision and Mission for Latvia’s image

• Brainstorm and develop target areas• Develop an action plan within 60 days• When the going gets tough, the tough get going !



Develop participation

• Develop more interactive sessions that tourism professionals attend - workshops to discuss, debate and provide input – feel involved

• Encourage tourism professionals to participate

• Show support and encouragement from the top



Recommendation – Marketing Plan

• Connect with Latvian Institute – get them active• Develop a committee to prepare an aggressive

low cost marketing plan based on “Gorilla Marketing” techniques

• Look for ways to involve LTV and other local TV stations to feed positive image news stories to CNN & and BBC

• Realize there are low cost & free sources of ads



Recommendation – Websites in English

• Recognize that the “unofficial language of international business and tourism is English

• Develop workshops and help sessions to assist local businesses to prepare more of their websites in English language



Develop classes

• Business owners on how to run a small business – how to market – how to select a location – how to get your name in front of clients

• Employees what is customer delight – more than just providing a service or product – anticipating the clients desires and being ready for them

To share with local ……



Recommendation - Video

• Develop program to have the video “Welcome to Latvia” shown:

• + Latvian Tourism Websites - streaming+ Movie theaters in Latvia - regular basis+ Schools in Latvia

partly done



We all know ….

Latvians’ are independent people

and

Latvians’ are independent !

So what ?



How to get others moving in the same direction?

• Provide & demonstrate leadership

• Cause others to take effective action

• Create a common vision

• Share the vision to all concerned parties

• Assist them in doing their own thing



What’s a shared vision?

• Look like …..• Feel like ….• Sound like ….• Taste like ….• Smell like ….• Who will be the people around us• What languages will they be speaking• What will they be saying about us

What it will …… When we achieve it



Provide leadership

• Set an example – assist others to become involved

• Show what is problem with old ways – get people to see it in their own eyes

• Take away ‘fear of failure”

• Guide people to experiment

• Reward successes

• Allow & support people to take action



Change behavior

• Enable & teach people to participate more

• Active encourage cooperation

• Discourage “can’t be done” mentality

• Encourage risk taking

• Look for ways to establish team efforts

• Build trust – break down barriers



Yes we can !

Latvia

Riga

Latvija

Rīga

Mēs to varam !



Why visit Latvia ?

• Pristine - un touched nature• Land of surprises – old & new• Land of contrasts• Land of wonder & marvel• Land of perplex pondering• Land of contemplation• What could it have been? • What will it become?



Find ways to celebrate success

• Reward peoples’ small efforts and contributions by celebrating success stories

• Slowly work to allow people to take risks and to be creative in their thinking

• Make individual success stories a big deal



Whats the big deal ?

• In many countries, the majority of their revenue or sales tax (VAT) comes from what VISITORS spend during their visits.

• The longer VISITORS stay, the more tax they pay - we need to make sure they stay longer

• Your monthly salary comes from the money VISITORS spend in hotels, shops, cafes & restaurants



What is Latvia’s Product ?• Compared to other European areas

• Art Nouveau

• Old buildings

• History

• Pure nature

• Lovely parks

Whatever it is, it better be good …. on a consistent basis!

Our competition

has all this t

oo!



What is the “big picture” goal ?

• Make more sales to existing visitors• Make more sales to new visitors• Save money on expenses• Become more productive (do more with less)• Make more profit• Help our employees be more successful• Provide better paying jobs for our employees• Keep our jobs and be very successful



More tourists !

• Make it easy for them to plan – lots of information – in a language they understand

• Make our visitors feel welcome when they come!• Listen to what they want to have?• Provide them with what they want• Do it on a consistent basis - each visit the same or better• Thank them when they leave• Delight them so they will tell their friends and they come back

as well

How do we do all that ?



Realize that this is a long term effort

It will take four (4) years to be successful



Patricia Tourist Office

Seriously and sincerely offers to cooperate to this end ………



Patricia Tourist Office Mission

Provide income opportunities for employees; to project a positive image of Latvia; to provide services in an honest and ethical manner and; to make a reasonable and fair profit from the effort

Focus efforts on the Internet presentation and delivery of specific desired pre-travel information, accommodation requirements, and the “what to see & do” information for inbound and inter country visitors to all major cities and regions in the “Ring of Baltic Sea Countries” including Poland, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia

Deliver specialized tours, apartment hotel style rooms and tourist information personally to visitors in the cities of Riga, and Vilnius and Tallinn in the future



Patricia Website StrategyIt is our intent to provide hard to find information in a quick and efficient manner. It is NOT our intent to develop fancy, state of the art websites with lots of "flash" and graphics.

Many of our customers are not computer and/or web surfing experts and they either are in a hurry or at an Internet Cafe - desiring a quick answer to their travel plans.

We try to design our websites as simple stand alone web pages with information for the most part on a few or just one topic at a time.

These webpages are easy and quick to update and upload to our servers to assure that the latest information is available to our users.

We tend not to write our own detailed information if it is already available on an easy to use existing website. We will simply provide a link to the available information. We would rather spend out time preparing new webpages on some other type of information.

It is our intent, and we believe that our webpages are prepared in such a professional manner ! They are not intended to be elegant !

If you have a concern about any topic, content, wording, graphic or intent of of of our webpages, we would appreciate hearing from you not only with your specific concern; but also, with a suggested improvement. We believe that effective and clear communication of expectations is the best way to achieve results. Please help us be a "part of the solution - not part of the problem" !



What we will do specifically?

• Be a good and active partner

• Assist in leadership development

• Help create new and better ways

• Work to involve others in taking effective action

• Create English language website content materials

• and …. more



What do we ask?

• Links to our photo album websiteswww.latviaphotos.com & www.rigaphotos.com

• Links to our travel information websiteswww.latvianholidays.info & www.rigalatvia.info

• Links to our accommodation websiteswww.rigahotels.info & www.baltichotel.info



Tourist / Tourism

• assisting others to share cultures and experiences

• one that makes a tour for pleasure or culture

• the practice of traveling for recreation

• the guidance or management of tourists

• the promotion or encouragement of touring

definitions



Image

• a tangible or visible representation • a mental conception held in common by members of a group• symbolic of a basic attitude and orientation • a popular conception (as of a person, institution, or nation)

projected especially through the mass media • the practice of traveling for recreation• the guidance or management of tourists• the promotion or encouragement of touring• assisting others to share cultures and experiences

definitions



Thanks for asking !

You must go and visit Latvia !

Mike Johnson – [email protected]



Paldies !

Thank you



[email protected]/brandimage/

www.latviaphoto.com/rigasurvey/

www.latviaphoto.com/strategy/

Revision B - 25 September 2003 Copyright © 2002 – 2003 Michael Arthur Johnson, Riga Latvia...

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Transcript of Revision B - 25 September 2003 Copyright © 2002 – 2003 Michael Arthur Johnson, Riga Latvia...