2000-2005 Tourism Marketing Strategy
2000-2005 Tourism Marketing Strategy 
(PDF 567 K)
The speed with which tourism is developing around the world obliges manage-ment of tourist destinations to continuously fine-tune their market development strategies. Québec is no exception. In 1998 it adopted a development policy that established priorities aimed at client-oriented strategies, garnering foreign mar-kets, refining marketing strategies and strengthening partnerships.
The 2000-2005 tourism marketing strategy for Québec was established on the basis of the central premises of the tourism development policy. This strategy was pre-pared by le ministère du Tourisme and a working party from the Forum permanent de l’in-dustrie touristique. The aim of the marketing strategy is to ensure maximum effectiveness of promotional activity in order to strengthen and enhance Québec’s position as an international tourist destination. It presents guidelines to direct the course of action of promotional activity initiated by le ministère du Tourisme and its partners in years to come.
The assessment of tourism in Québec mirrors the progress made since 1993.
Some of the more significant results include...
| 1 | Development and organization of a tourism product in keeping with customer expectations | |
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Faced with escalating competition and the need to satisfy customers with an increasingly broad range of interests, Québec has no option but to offer a tourism product that is competitive and innovative. Both the development and the organization of the tourism product are instrumental in the success of promotional strategies. |
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| 2 | Adjusting promotional strategies to new information and communications technologies | |
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There is a great upheaval in the world of communications, prompting major changes in consumer behaviour, especially noticeable in travel planning and reservations. Québec will have to adopt a promotional approach consistent with these new tendencies. |
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| 3 | Emphasis on markets offering the best return on investment | |
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Although deemed satisfactory, Québec’s performance could improve on some international markets offering development prospects. Such is the case of the American market (except for New England) and several European markets. Québec should focus investments on markets generating the most revenue. |
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| 4 | Establishing a strong business relationship between le ministère du Tourisme and the tourism industry in Québec | |
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In light of the growing number of players showing heightened interest in tourism, current promotional investment is now spread too thinly. Partners must be grouped together to increase the impact of Québec’s tourism industry on foreign markets. |
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| 5 | La connaissance des clientèles et l’évaluation des résultats | |
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Setting up a customized tourism product for constantly evolving and increasingly discriminating clienteles and the success of promotional strategies depend on two things:
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The era of standard products and services is drawing to a close; tourism cannot evade the trend. More and more cus-tomers are seeking destinations offering personalized and memorable experiences. The range of products promoted by Québec since 1989 will be maintained. However, the emphasis will be placed on customization and theme development so that the organization of lead-in products and related activities and services mirror Québec’s determination to offer tourists a visit they are unlikely to forget.
These lead-in products have been broken down in response to new customer needs. In years to come, they will be adapted to changes in the supply and demand for tourism products.
| • Urban stays (summer-fall) • Urban stays (winter) • City experiences • Sights and scenery tours • Theme tours • Aboriginal tourism • Bicycle touring |
• Resort stays • Health tourism • Golf • Downhill skiing • Snowmobiling • Cross-country skiing |
• Hunting and fishing • Outdoor adventure • International cruises • Corporate meetings • Conventions • Incentive travel |
The identification of priority markets for leisure tourism is based on an analysis of Québec’s per-formance on these markets. Identification is also founded on an assessment of the likelihood of their development. Markets are grouped together on the basis of three master strategies that affect investments and influence promotional and partnership approaches.
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| SECURING AND MAINTAINING LOYALTY |
Québec, Ontario, New England (USA) |
| These three mature markets provide an important source of customers loyal to the destination and attracted by the proximity of the tourism product. However, client renewal should not be neglected in light of the weight it carries on the Québec tourism industry. To do so, some client segments of the Québec market (English speakers, foreign language customers and young people) must be targeted more intensively and the emphasis placed on more efficient promotion among client groups from urban areas such as Toronto and Boston. Owing to the substantial investment already made by its partners on these markets, le ministère du Tourisme will not increase its promotional investment here. Advertising will be aimed primarily at consumers. | |
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| INVESTMENT | Level 1: United States (Atlantic Centre), France Level 2: United States (Midwest), United Kingdom, Germany Level 3: United States (South and West), Italy, Japan, Mexico |
| These markets show the most promise for development on the short term and generate a significant amount of revenue. Although Québec has already obtained, and is still obtaining, interesting results on some of these markets, performance remains well below true potential. This is why Québec will make most of its promotional investment here. Promotional activities will target primarily consumers of Level 1 markets and focus equally on consumers and the tourism industry of Level 2 and Level 3 markets. Investments will be allocated on the basis of expected results. | |
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| CANVASSING PROSPECTING |
Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand |
| These markets feature characteristics that lead us to believe that they may be receptive to promotional activ-ities launched by le ministère du Tourisme. However, their potential for development must be assessed. Basically, le ministère du Tourisme will focus its efforts on the tourism industry and increase promotional investments overall. | |
Trade between Québec and the rest of the world has grown substantially during the last decade. The 2000-2005 tourism marketing strategy proposed is banking on this asset to consolidate the growth of meetings, conventions and incentive travel in Québec. This strategy encourages continuing cooperation between le ministère du Tourisme and its partners in Montréal and Québec City in their relations with meeting, convention and incentive travel clienteles. On the American market, investments will target meeting and incentive travel clienteles located primarily in the cities of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. On overseas markets, promotional activity will focus on incentive travel among client groups from France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.
Québec’s 2000-2005 tourism marketing strategy heralds a new era of partnership between le ministère du Tourisme and the tourism industry. Two mechanisms will be implemented to consolidate the benefits of consultation and dialogue developed progressively during the 1990s.
le ministère du Tourisme will invest an average of $35 million annually in marketing in years to come. The funds should encourage partnership between public and private players of the tourism industry. In light of this investment, the performance objectives targeted should be considered as realistic.
