| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 08/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 49 |
| Copyright: Other |
Tourism Flanders-Brussels
New trade links aim to bolster Flemish sales
Partners in Promotion marketing initiative to be expanded
TOURISM Flanders-Brussels is expanding its Partners in Promotion marketing initiative after a successful launch last year.The programme sees Tourism Flanders-Brussels teaming up with a range of operators and carriers to stimulate sales of Flemish products.
A total of 26 joint marketing activities last year resulted in 18,000 passengers travelling to Flanders.
Trade partners have included Thomson Breakaway, Eurostar, Cresta and Travelscene.
Tourism Flanders-Brussels Director Patrick De Smaele said: “These results strengthen our view that partnerships and joint promotions with the British travel trade and media are the right way to market our destination.
“This year we are aiming for even better results.”
In the past Tourism Flanders-Brussels has focused on traditional advertising campaigns but will now allocate its marketing budget to co-operative efforts to raise the region’s profile.
“Joining forces with the players in the market is a far better strategy than promoting stand-alone low-budget awareness advertising,” said De Smaele,
Operators should not view Partners in Promotion as an opportunity to be subsidised, he added.
“As a principle, we do not participate in the marketing of products that already sell well, unless they are part of a bigger deal,” explained De Smaele.
“Partners in Promotion enables us to introduce destinations and products that could never be featured in a low-budget advertising campaign.”
De Smaele acknowledges that Brussels and Bruges generate much attention with little marketing support, being heavily featured in operators’ brochures and often appearing in the top 10 UK short-break destinations list.
The 2000 programme therefore aims to promote Flanders’ historic cities, as well as putting Antwerp and Ghent on the map and increasing awareness of the region’s battlefield sites, rural attractions and coastal resorts.
Groenplaats: promoters are keen to put Antwerp on the map