Uganda Tourism Board
Situation
Once positioned as a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip, the African continent has become more accessible and attainable than ever before. The African tourism landscape has become quite competitive, and the high-spending North American tourist is exceptionally important to nearly every destination. To set Uganda apart, the Uganda Tourism Board asked PHG Consulting to develop and implement a long-term strategic plan that builds awareness of Uganda among media, travel trade, and consumers in North America.
Approach
- Create and implement a strategic integrated marketing plan to drive arrivals, length of stay, and spend from the North American market
- Position Uganda as a must-visit destination offering some of the world’s best wildlife and cultural experiences at a value-driven price point
- For its 2018-2019 campaign, PHG Consulting leveraged the increased destination awareness and value proposition to:
- Generate more in-depth media features about Uganda
- Secure inclusion in multiple “Best Of” travel articles
- Increase arrivals from the North American market
Our Solution
- Utilized research to assess the state of the tourism industry to identify strengths, weaknesses and growth opportunities that guided the development of the following tactics:
- Facilitated immersive FAM programs for top travel trade, media, and influencers
- Held in-country educational sessions with tour operators and stakeholders, educating them on how to work with PHG Consulting to maximize sales and media opportunities in North America
- Educated North American travel agents, tour operators, and media on Uganda via intimate media events, deskside meetings, webinars, and trade and consumer shows
- Connected receptive tour operators in Uganda with appropriate North American partners to develop new product
- Distributed bi-monthly email newsletters to the travel trade featuring news and information on Uganda tourism offerings
- Engaged in ongoing high touch, proactive, and reactive media outreach
Results
- Secured inclusion in multiple “Best of” rankings and stories including Fodor’s Go List 2019; 5 Places to Visit in 2019 by Vancouver Sun; 28 Places Our Travel Specialists Say You Should Go in 2019 by Conde Nast Traveler; 9 Best Adventure Destinations in East Africa by Forbes; inclusion in The New York Times bestselling book “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” and the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die wall and desk calendars
- Successfully assisted local receptive operators in creating new product tailor-made for the North American market
- Launched Instagram and Facebook channels and secured more than 2,500 new followers, 850,000 impressions, and 25,000 engagements across both platforms
- North American leisure arrivals to Uganda have increased by 25%, along with length of stay and spend since the destination engaged PHG Consulting
Our Work
Videos
Services Provided to Uganda
Travel Trade Representation & Outreach
We help our clients build relationships with tour operators, travel agents, travel trade, and other business-to-business groups that increase awareness of their destination and drive more arrivals.
Tourism Product Development
We analyze and evaluate existing tourism product, identify appropriate and profitable segments, and respond to market challenges by recommending enhancements to improve the customers’ experience before, during, and after their trip.
Crisis Management-Travel & Tourism
Strategic, proactive crisis management is paramount to retaining a consistent, positive image and staying top-of-mind among the travel trade and consumer communities during situations affecting travel and tourism.
PR & Media Relations
Public Relations and media outreach are essential to increasing awareness and influencing actions that will ultimately result in increased business. We leverage our rich, long-term media relationships with key contacts across the globe to secure high-impact editorial exposure on local, national, and international levels, ultimately driving sales and brand awareness.
Social Media
Our integrated, multi-faceted social media approach creates awareness, engagement, and loyalty for your destination or hotel while building a virtual community across platforms.
Training Solutions
Our accredited training team offers professional development services in hospitality and destination management, hotel revenue and distribution, and group sales. We create and deliver custom workshops, classes, and extended courses for a broad range of audiences and topics.
Marketing Campaigns & Advertising
An integrated marketing campaign that incorporates both traditional and digital channels will keep your company or organization in focus. We design strategic marketing and advertising plans, gather and create image and content components, and implement and track placements to ensure success.
Events
Our team creates innovative trade, media, and consumer events, handling all of the details from start to finish.