Japan: a popular destination with lesser known cities that are emerging with new levels of interest. Photo Credit: Adobe stock/ coward_lion
What characterises an emerging destination and which ones should be
on event planners’ radars? Answers to such questions were discussed at
SITE’s recent webinar, highlighting the value of how under-tapped
locations can elevate programmes to drive qualifier interest. New trends
in destination selection were also highlighted.
“An emerging destination isn’t necessarily one that is undiscovered -
it could be one that was popular many years ago and which is now
experiencing renewed levels of interest,” said Benoit Cavard, VP of
global sales at Global DMC Partners.
Besides having high levels of health and safety which are essential
when considering a destination, cost is also a determining factor.
Cavard added that some secondary markets are now looking increasingly
attractive for incentive travel as the costs in more established
countries soar.
“Affordability is contributing to the debate on ‘emerging
destinations’ as well as availability - it’s been a bit of a challenge
finding places to host large groups if you don’t plan ahead,” he said.
Audience attention
For Kristal Cardone, director of meeting management & event
strategy at Liberty Mutual Insurance, bearing in mind how the audience
perceives a destination is just as important.
“It can vary from audience to audience; if somebody is extremely well
travelled, going to a beautiful resort destination might be something
that isn’t so unique to them, but for a brand-new traveller, it will
have a wow factor,” she said.
Cardone offered tips on how to ensure that emerging destinations can
work for even the most seasoned of travellers. “With the more seasoned
traveller, you have to give them that extra wow because they already
have a lot, whether that’s a great deal of wealth of experiences.
“When you have something like these very local experiences, it goes
beyond a gift from a major supplier, beyond a big wow event - if
(delegates) are able to connect with people in a community, this DNA,
when they come back home, they feel like they've left a part of them in a
place and they have a friend in that place.”
New demand
There is now a growing demand for all-inclusive resorts in countries
such as Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic and an increased request
from delegates for more free time, said Cardone.
“It's about making sure that they have something to do - these all-inclusive resorts certainly offer some of that,” she said.
The panel also debated how emerging destinations can best market
themselves, suggesting that when destinations are trying to break into
the market, they have to ensure that they stand out.
Paul Bugge, director of business development & industry relations
at Destination St John, said: “It's really pulling on what you do best
and making sure that you're authentic to that message and to that
experience.
“So what you're promoting in the market is exactly what you deliver,
if not exceeding those expectations. It's really about knowing where you
are, knowing what you do best, and really leaning into that to tell
your story of your place or your destination.”
Cavard also noted a trend for smaller incentive groups, or
reduced-size groups and said this has opened the door to many
destinations that may not have had the capabilities or the capacity, to
welcome larger groups.
“Now they are able to handle smaller groups, but you also have to
remember that now you're dealing with hotels that may not have the same
standards that you expect when you deal with the big international
chains,” he said.
“Set your expectations, make sure you understand the local culture
and reach out to your CVB or local DMC to make sure that they can assist
and maybe help translate that cultural aspect as well.”
Managing expectations
Cavard said there has been a high demand for destinations like Egypt
and the Caribbean - he recently arranged an incentive in Nevis in the
West Indies.
“And then there are the secondary markets; instead of going to Paris,
we're seeing more requests for destinations such as Marseille and
exploring the south of France; or in Spain instead of going to Barcelona
or Madrid, we’re seeing requests for Majorca, Sevilla and Ibiza and
there’s Istanbul too,” he said.
Setting clear expectations is also key. Cavard gave the example of
Japan - one of the last countries to open its borders post-pandemic,
citing how it was all of a sudden overwhelmed with such a high demand.
“It's a great incentive destination. It was challenging for DMCs to
find skilled staff and to respond to that demand. So we had to
communicate with our customers and make sure they also understood that
we couldn't deliver proposals within 72 hours like we used to, or as we
had done for other destinations.”