The Tobago Tourism Agency Limited (TTAL) partnered with Germany’s leading travel trade publishing house, FVW, to launch a digital and print campaign that facilitates a platform for sharing positive, encouraging messages from travel partners across the globe, while keeping Tobago relevant as a premier holiday option for future travel.
Under the heading “Dreaming Beyond”, FVW and its sister magazine TravelTalk published a series of videos under the patronage of destination Tobago, in which tourism professionals from around the world send encouraging messages of positivity, hope and solidarity to the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The introduction to the online campaign features a video message from Mr. Louis Lewis, CEO of the Tobago Tourism Agency Limited, filmed against the unspoilt backdrop of Englishman’s Bay in Tobago. Mr. Lewis expressed his gratitude to the loyal travel sellers in the German market who advocate and promote Tobago, before unveiling the joint initiative.
“There is still a lot of positivity arising out of these difficult times, showcasing the resilience of the human spirit, and our ability to find a silver lining in every dark cloud,” Mr. Lewis stated. “We hope that these videos bring you a moment of happiness, and inspire you to look ahead to a brighter tomorrow beyond our current circumstances.”
Curacao, Cuba and the Dominican Republic are some of Caribbean destinations involved in this campaign, with the spectrum of participating countries including Italy, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Israel, and the Pacific Islands.
Many other destinations, hotels, and event organizers will gradually make their voices heard in the coming weeks on the “Dreaming Beyond” campaign website, with the video contributions prominently featuring Tobago’s brand “Tobago Beyond: unspoilt, untouched, undiscovered”.
The response to the campaign has so far been encouraging, with partners such as Condor Airlines praising TTAL’s initiative as a welcome message for the German travel community.
As the second largest outbound travel region in the world, German travelers significantly contribute to the international tourist arrivals to Tobago. As a result of TTAL’s 2019 activities, arrivals from Germany rose by 12%, with destination and product knowledge among travel sales forces contributing significantly to this increase.
While there is presently a halt to booking activity in the German market due to the impacts of COVID-19, this campaign also presents an opportunity to educate travel agents about Tobago, keeping the destination top of mind as the long-haul holiday destination of choice once customers are able to book a vacation again.