Pearl Valley The Manor house at Fancourt Pearl Valley Hotel
JC : I posed the same question to Peter Dros from Fancourt and Robert Jasper from the Sandton Sun .
PD : To continue the use of analogies as a destination we need to ‘ fish where the fish are ’, so in this context there are certain media that have a particular relevance to what we offer at Fancourt and the choice of platforms must also therefore align with our audience ’ s profile and presence . I agree with Damian in that we see Destination Golf Travel as a cost-effective platform through which to reach out to our traditional markets in the UK and Europe . Thereafter a mix of other media channels , but dominated by social media and digital platforms , which are really cost effective and most importantly allow you to measure returns . The glory days of shot gun marketing are gone and each cent needs to be justified with an ROI to understand and justify the next spend or campaign to a clearly defined target audience .
RJ : We must keep ‘ talking ’ to our publics , whatever it takes , because if you become invisible it will not be too long before you are also forgotten ! We use social media extensively for feedback and follow up - Facebook for the Sandton Sun hotel and then also Twitter and Instagram at a Group level . However , in this environment we also need to be on the front foot as much as possible and in as many relevant media channels as possible to keep up the levels of brand awareness .
JC : Our travel and tourism segment ( golf / family vacations ) is perhaps more resilient to recessionary cycles than many , but this period had included the additional handicap of no one being allowed out at all ! What should we be doing as an industry and individual businesses to help to rebuild the sector and confidence in travel ?
DW : Other than keeping our brand in the public eye , be nimble and as alert as possible , while looking for new markets and packaging opportunities we feel are currently relevant . There is unlikely to be any immediate bounce back , but 2020 gave us all a great insight in how to make the most of a challenging business landscape . This year will demand a clever repositioning of our offering to prepare ourselves for a return at some stage through the year to a form of normality , especially in terms of international travel .
PD : Incremental increases to get us back to pre-COVID travel and revenues ’ levels is the most likely scenario .
So being prepared and patient will be the likely modus operandi for most of those in the tourism sector . We are finding that the golf / family niche can be broken up into further segments and we are working on this to further target a more defined niche market and audience . For example , within this segment there are many cyclists , as well as many families that are very health conscious and wellness orientated , so we continue to refine our offering to accommodate these segments .
RJ : Public sentiment is a very difficult thing to predict as you will see in terms of the stock market . I think that it will be key for the government to make a real fist of having everyone vaccinated as this will start to instil confidence that the region will be safe to travel back to . On the ground we can then manage the safety and health protocols that are still going to need to be in place from some time to come . The fact that the SA variant is more easily transmitted , albeit not more dangerous , was a very unfortunate card to draw . However , this should not put us off our key goal to get tourism moving again , especially given how vital the tourism sector is and will be in helping get the economy back on its feet and claw back at least some of the job losses that have resulted over the past year .
JC : My final question to Peter , Damian and Robert was that ‘ hard times ’ make it more tempting than ever not to spend on anything , except the bare essentials , especially as there are no guarantees in business , which caveat applies equally with advertising . There are inherent dangers in a ‘ no-spend ’ approach and while it is obvious that you cannot just save you way out of a crisis , as many economies found to their cost , following the crash of 2008 , it is still tempting to keep your hands in your pockets , when the real need is for a mixed and balanced spend in advertising .
DW : This ‘ no-spend ’ reaction seems to be very much the case with too many clubs . In times like these I feel the marketing spend should in many ways increase . In my particular case , I am fortunate to have a Marketing Director who is not only a shareholder , but who also understands the importance of ensuring the dialogue is open and the net cast wide for the best and most effective possible reach . If you have a fit for purpose marketing budget , which is linked , as it should be , to your turnover , then the resource will still be available , even if the final amounts are reduced . This environment will require that you think through and
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