The Netherlands Board of Tourism plans to flag up special events in a UK promotional campaign in order to attract new business to Holland.
Events being promoted include art exhibitions at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race in Rotterdam.
NBT director, UK and Ireland, Jos Vranken believes such events are important for attracting extra business, a view backed up by recent surveys confirming that incoming tourism is boosted considerably by larger events.
The tourist board is already gearing up for Floriade in 2002, the largest horticultural show in the world, which will be staged at Haarlemmermeen between mid-April and mid-October. It is held every 10 years.
“We know from 1992 that Floriade attracts a huge amount of business from the UK market,” said Vranken. “It would be brilliant if operators could pick up these kind of events and make packages available. We need the trade’s help to make any of our promotions work.”
While operators are keen on the idea of packaging these special events, there are a range of practical problems in doing so. With a typical brochure lifespan of 12 to 15 months, getting information out to operators on time is very difficult.
Travelscene commercial manager Paul Stanley points to the Internet as one solution. The operator’s Web site will be up and running, complete with an on-line brochure, in the near future.
“The site will enable us to get more up-to-date information out to agents, such as the latest details on special events,” he said.
Sovereign Cities product group manager Anna Prentice confirmed that the operator is also looking to develop the events side of its business. “We wouldn’t feature events in a brochure because once it’s on the shelves it’s fairly immovable. However, it is possible to promote special packages through mailshots to the trade, providing we can guarantee hotel space. Some hoteliers are withdrawing our allotment of rooms over the period of Euro 2000, for example, so we’d hesitate to offer packages.”
To counteract the on-going pressure on Amsterdam’s limited hotel stock, the NBT is stepping up its campaign to promote what it calls ‘the other Holland’.
Vranken acknowledges that this is not an easy task. “If people have set their hearts on going to Amsterdam, it’s very difficult to steer them in another direction. The only way we can get Maastricht, Rotterdam and The Hague on the map is to raise public awareness, creating interest and new business,” he said.
The campaign begins this month with consumer advertising in national newspapers, including the Guardian and the Telegraph and the Radio Times.
The first wave of advertisements will focus on motoring holidays, with alternative plans to turn the spotlight on city breaks in the near future.
“We must not forget we need to inform agents so that they have the necessary knowledge to sell these products,” added Vranken. With this in mind, a trade campaign will kick off in April.
While operators appear to appreciate the NBT’s efforts, many feel that it will be a difficult campaign to market. Amsterdam Travel Service general manager Phil Jenkins said: “We’ve tried switching people on to other Dutch cities and quite frankly, it hasn’t worked. Amsterdam will continue to be the place whichpeople want to go to.”
Cresta head of marketing Jane Williams also believes that Amsterdam must increase its hotel capacity to cope with demand. “The difficulty is, of course, that leisure travellers want very central hotels and Amsterdam’s centre is small, with further expansion confined by geography,” she said. “Like all operators in this market we’re concentrating on retaining and maximising our hotel allocations.”