Managing tourism in an emerging market - the Middle East

Reached US$ 1trillion in 2010

World Tourism Market

2 Source: UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2011 Edition

+4.7% international tourism receipts

+6.6% international tourist arrivals

3

Middle East Tourism Market

5,5% 6,0%

International Tourism

Receipts

International Tourist

Arrivals

Middle East share of global

market

+14% the increase in

international tourist arrivals in the

region in 2010

Source: UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2011 Edition

Middle East Tourism Markets

179

700

1.118

2.911

5.995

6.774

7.352

10.755

Qatar

Oman

Bahrain

Jordan

Saudi Arabia

Lebanon

Dubai

Egypt

International Tourism Receipts (US$ million)

Source: UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2011 Edition

Arab Uprising

-16% Fall in hard currency earnings

Jordan hit hard

6 Source: Tourism In Jordan Hit Hard By Arab Spring, Musa Hattar 2011

Thailand Flood Disaster

Delhi Commonwealth Games

The alternative to managing national

image isn’t not managing it: it is

allowing somebody else to manage it

Simon Anholt

9

‘

A country’s reputation stands still at

the moment the world heard the last

striking thing about it; and because

bad and shocking news is generally

more intriguing, more durable and

more persuasive than good news,

News Matters

Stories can be accessed 24/7

TV drives word of mouth

THERE ARE THREE KEY POINTS AT WHICH MEDIA CHANNELS

INFLUENCE OPINION LEADERS

FINDING OUT NEWS

OR INFORMATION

DECISION TO SPREAD

THE WORD RESEARCHING

FURTHER - AND

FORMING OPINIONS

Source: Carat/ BBC Word of Mouth Survey 2010.

64% of messages passed by

opinion formers are positive

51% of influential opinion

formers in Europe watch BBC

World News every month

Source: Carat/ BBC Word of Mouth Survey 2010.

European Opinion Leaders Survey 2011. Top 2% Europe

Opinion Formers

Spreading The Word

58%

63%

64%

74%

79%

82%

Luxury

Finance

Automotive

Technology

Travel

Entertainment

Category opinion leaders pass on information

about

Source: BBC Word of Mouth Survey 2010.

BBC Global Minds Survey Travel Survey 2011

Spreading The Word

According to a BBC travel

survey in 2011 3 in 4 would travel to an unknown

destination if it was

recommended by a

trusted source

Source: BBC Word of Mouth Survey 2010.

BBC Global Minds Survey Travel Survey 2011

Invest In The Brand

India Tourism

South Africa Tourism

Visit Britain

To Summarise…

Invest in brand as well as infrastructure

Establish target audience of emerging

market

Association with a trusted source

Oman Tourism

The Middle East –

return to a growing tourism market