Five star service on shoestring budgets

AS A result of the global economic recession and its effect on South Africa, having to market Nelson Mandela Bay as a tourism destination on a shoestring budget has become a harsh reality.

Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism (NMBT), related stakeholders and other industry role-players have taken a serious look at what plans can be implemented to ensure sustainability and that there is a maximum return on marketing investments.

“The old adage rings true. We need to ensure that we receive more bang for our buck at every turn,” said NMBT marketing manager Titus Chuene.

The organisation has already implemented cost saving measures as far as operational expenditure, “NMBT has down-scaled our office space and cut back on staff numbers sent on out-of-town excursions, exhibits and for training. In certain instances where staff would have traveled by air, they are now driving. We have cut down on the number of exhibitions in which we participate.

“Rather than spend money on traditional advertising and campaigns, which are horrifically expensive, we have opted for a PR approach to sell the city as a preferred destination. Obviously to ensure that we keep abreast with the rest, NMBT has considered what other areas in South Africa are doing. For example, tourism destination marketing authorities in Western Cape have also adopted a more tactical marketing focus in-house and have also opted for a public relations approach, making the most of social media platforms and activities like, blogging,” said Chuene.

“We need to be creative and combine resources so there can be collective marketing of the city. This is especially important within local government. For example, instead of one entity paying for one advertisement in a publication, then another entity taking another advert in the same publication; we need to club together and all contribute towards taking one decent size advert.”

NMBT has also relied on its contacts to host national media that results in exposure that money could not buy in advertising spend. Chuene said media visits are made possible with the support of private tourism businesses.

Apart from the challenges facing marketing initiatives, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) marketing professor Madele Tait pointed out that consumers have also felt the financial pinch and are also more demanding.

“The tourism industry in general and specifically small tourism service providers need to realise that tourists want value for money and an authentic experience. It is no secret that service delivery is the most important aspect of a tourism service provider - tourists do not just want good service, but what is known in marketing as 'service delight'. We need to walk that extra mile for our tourists and introduce them to what is unique and special about us...five star service on a shoestring budget!”

Not only marketing budgets are affected as pointed out by Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber CEO Kevin Hustler, “The economic downturn has had a ripple effect on the Bay with businesses having regretfully retrenched staff or closed doors during the course of the last three years.

“The effect of this downturn is that business is seeking alternatives to assist in driving expenses out of their businesses. There is certainly a culture of thinking twice before any additional expenses are incurred.”

Business organisations like Business Women’s Association (BWA) has assisted members by recently hosting a workshop entitled, Marketing on a Shoestring Budget.

BWA member Tricia Wood, of tourism sales and marketing group Lion Roars, which is also a NMBT member, said the message was loud and clear that businesses did not have to dig too deep into their pockets to increase sales.
Wood highlighted that the most affordable and valuable marketing tools were word of mouth, networking and social media.

She said one had to be flexible and accommodating to clients while operating during challenging economic times in the tourism industry, “Meeting a client half way will often deter them from going elsewhere. We have also become more creative with our advertising budget and provide special offers that present our products as preferred service providers. Marketing material is quite costly, so we also shop around before we accept the first quote. We also select less extravagant options when printing flyers etc.”