TOURISM strategies
+ DESTINATION MANAGMENT and MARKETING Plans
At Tourism eSchool, we work in partnership with Regional Tourism and Local Government Organisations and Local to develop strategic tourism plans that stimulate local visitor economies.
As Australia emerges from the COVID-19 restrictions, and destinations welcome back Australian and international visitors, it's never been more important for destinations to have updated Strategic Tourism Management and Marketing Plans in place to sustainably manage their visitor economies, guide future investment and ensure economic growth doesn't come at the cost of local communities and their environment.
The experience of working with Paige and Rebecca was absolutely fantastic!
I was really lucky to work with Paige and Rebecca from Tourism eSchool, who developed our 3-year marketing strategy for me. The experience was absolutely fantastic, they bring with them a wealth of experience, are highly professional, and were able to deliver an exceptional marketing strategy for me. The good thing about them, is that they are really committed to working long term with you, so I’m excited to work with them on an ongoing basis to ensure that I’m able to deliver the strategy, and also to work out creative ideas to promote our region, and increase visitation going forward.
why work
with tourism eschool
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Our Successful Track Record
We've developed a number of both shorter and longer term Visitor Economy Management Plans and Destination Marketing Strategies for Australian Local Government and Regional Tourism Organisations over the last 7 years, which you can explore in our Portfolio. We've also mentored 350 + Destination Marketing and Visitor Servicing staff via our Destination Marketing and Visitor Servicing Bootcamp to develop their own plans.
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Your Plan Will Be Unique
While we follow a clear development process for your Plan (see below), we don't use a cookie cutter formula to write your Plan. This is because your destination has unique product experiences, market maturity, stakeholders, opportunities and challenges, even compared to neighbouring destinations. We also won't rehash your current Plan - we'll certainly review it and then use your feedback on it to help inform the development of your new Plan, after we've done thorough Situation Analysis of what's currently happening in your region across various areas.
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Our Measurement Focus
To ensure all components of our Plans can be quantified we develop a comprehensive measurement strategy, which includes visitation metrics (spend, length of stay, dispersal and nights), as well as visitor advocacy and sentiment metrics. This ensures organisations can easily measure and effectively report on the progress and the impact of their Plan to stakeholders.
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Our Priorities and Action Plan Focus
While there is a good chance your new Plan will have a big to-do list, we will prioritise the Actions based on organisational resources (staffing and budget) and goals to ensure you can successfully implement your new Plan.
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Experienced at Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder engagement and industry support can make or break your new Plan. We use the most effective engagement channels and lines of enquiry to engage relevant stakeholders, (such as board members, elected members, tourism operators, local organisations and residents) to get the answers we need to strategically inform the Plan. The Plan will also include best practice Actions which will require ongoing support and activation from your stakeholders.
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We invest in our own professional development
One of our key strengths is our commitment to professional development. As consultants in our own right, it’s in our best interest to stay on top of tourism trends and insights, in addition to how-to and implementation, so we can provide up to date and relevant knowledge and support for our clients. We invest hours of research into understanding the best practice product development, visitor servicing and marketings both in Australia and globally, which we then share with our Clients via their new Plans, Speaking, Mentoring and our Blog articles.
I am always amazed by their depth of knowledge and expertise that they offer
I have worked with Tourism eSchool in a number of different capacities and I am always amazed by their depth of knowledge and expertise that they offer. Most recently I engaged with Paige & Rebecca to assist Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism with the development of a 3 year strategic plan. They have excellent communication skills, marketing insight and business smarts, this leads to wanting the best result for the clients. I would recommend Paige & Rebecca if you require assistance with developing a strategic/business plan.
our
planningprocess
Through our experience working with Destinations, we understand the many and varied relationships that exist between Tourism Organisations and Local Government, and know that there is no silver bullet when it comes to developing a cohesive, collaborative, integrated tourism strategy.
So, given the breadth and depth of these types of projects, we always propose the methodology be divided into two distinct stages.
STAGE 1 – Destination Situation Analysis
The Destination Situation Analysis highlights the opportunities for our client and their stakeholders to consider for implementation.
To arrive at the opportunities, we undertake comprehensive research, including:
- Preliminary Environmental Scan (Internal and External, current documentation)
- Industry and Community Consultation (via in-destination workshops, group and individual meetings, and surveys)
- Current Visitor Insights review (all the economics and available data)
- Destination Marketing + Visitor Servicing Review
- Destination Experience Audit
- Access, Infrastructure, Major Projects Overview
- Industry + Stakeholders Overview
This document is designed give context for those who are tasked with implementing the plan, and remains an internal reference piece for key stakeholders to read in conjunction with the new Plan.
STAGE 2 - Destination Marketing/Management/Tourism Plan
A comprehensive, flexible Tourism Management Plan and/or Destination Marketing Strategy is then developed which aligns with the opportunities identified in the Destination Situation Analysis.
The Plan will outline the following:
- Overarching State of Play (derived from Situation Analysis)
- Goals & Objectives
- Strategic Direction (Visitor Personas, Enablers and Areas of Emphasis)
- Action Plan (Priority Areas, Strategies, Tactics, Budgets, Implementation Timeframes)
- Key Performance Indicators and Strategy Measurement
- Resourcing Solutions
Once the document is finalised, a final in-destination workshop is delivered to present the plan to key stakeholders. Our clients have found this part of the process extremely beneficial in being able to educate stakeholders on best practice tourism management and marketing, in conjunction with explanation of the direction of the strategy.
STAGE 3 - Plan Launch
We offer our clients the option for us to roll out a launch strategy for industry and other community stakeholders.
This could include:
- Development of a Plan Snapshot to communicate the Plan at a high level
- Presentation to Industry
- Presentation to Local Government Stakeholders
implementation
support
At Tourism eSchool, we have over 40 years combined experience in delivering tourism projects from a State and Regional perspective.
So, following the endorsement of your Plan, we can also help with the implementation of the strategy if required through Tourism Project support.
We have assisted previous Destination clients with the following strategy implementation projects:
- Staff Training: Via our Destination Marketing + Visitor Servicing Bootcamp.
- Staff Recruitment: We can assist to develop new position descriptions, and join a recruitment panel to ensure you get the right employee to implement the Plan.
- Content Marketing: Content Planning + Editorial Calendar Development, Social Media/eNews/Blog review, optimisation and community management.
- Destination Website Strategy: We can help destinations with all facets of website marketing including the development of a website marketing strategy, new website development (briefing and tender management process), content optimisation (SEO and UX) and conversion optimisation.
- Operator Training: Via our Regional Tourism Marketing Mentoring Programs
Rebecca and Paige are great communicators, flexible in their approach and able to deliver projects on time and on budget.
Adelaide's Western Region Councils (Cities of Charles Sturt, Holdfast Bay, Port Adelaide Enfield and West Torrens) engaged Tourism eSchool to prepare a Regional Tourism Destination Action Plan for the four Councils. We were really pleased with the facilitation of the workshop, development of the framework and insights into the tourism industry that were provided throughout the project and incorporated into the final plan. Rebecca and Paige are great communicators, flexible in their approach and able to deliver projects on time and on budget.
current + recently
completed projects
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Limestone Coast Local Government Association
5 Year Tourism + Marketing Plan
Completed November 2020 -
Destination Riverland
10 Year Tourism Plan
Completed November 2020 -
Destination Southern Tasmania
5 Year Marketing Plan
Completed November 2019 -
Clare Valley Tourism Region
5 year Marketing and Management Plan
Completed September 2019 -
Town of Gawler
Cycle Tourism Strategy
Completed August 2019 -
Adelaide Hills Tourism
Website Marketing Strategy
Completed June 2019
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Cocos Keeling Island
5 Year Marketing Strategy
Completed April 2019 -
Light Regional Council
4 Year Tourism Plan
Completed September 2018 -
Cradle Coast Authority
3 Year Marketing Strategy
Completed September 2017 -
City of Port Adelaide Enfield
2020 Tourism Plan
Completed September 2016 -
Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism
2020 Tourism Plan
Completed May 2016 -
Western Adelaide Councils
3 Year Destination Action Plan
Completed September 2016
Are you ready to
achieve your goals?
If you would like support in developing your Tourism Plan or Destination Marketing Strategy, we would be delighted to hear from you, so please contact us and we will be in touch as soon as possible!