When representing a tourist destination, even on those occasions when it is a very well-known place, clients are looking for agencies that not only position their brand in the final consumer’s minds but also provide them with new B2B opportunities in the tourism industry, which is the way to ultimately offer the product to the consumer.

Take for example one of our new clients: Jamaica. When it came to working with them, some of the challenges that we faced with this destination included the absence of a direct flight or the difficulty of competing in our market with countries around it where Spanish is spoken. On the contrary, a great advantage that we have is the fact that having a very powerful client-base in the American and British markets implies an appropriate development of infrastructures, international airports, hotels and accommodation and, above all, an interesting leisure offer.

The first objective, in our case, was to get the plane. A flight is the starting piece in a row of dominoes: once the first piece falls, the others follow easily. The direct flight causes more interest on the part of the tour operators, more facility to attract the consumers and more tranquility in the travelers. With Jamaica, Evelop and Quelonea, it has been possible to establish a direct charter thanks to the two parties: effort and interest on the part of the Barceló Group and the airline, and incentives from the Government of Jamaica, as well as facilities for marketing this new product. When an airline bets in this way for a destination, and shares the risk, the agency is the next domino piece, the one in charge of seducing the tour operator.

And how is that done? In the world of tourist destination representation, one of the best friends of any agency will undoubtedly be the tour operator. The more tour operators know how a destination is, the more they will be interested in it, and the more they are interested in it, the more demand it will have. Training campaigns, information and familiarization trips are essential, both to place the destination in the mind of the tour operator and, in certain cases, to reposition it. It is necessary to raise awareness about the existence and quality of the product, so that the customer wants to enjoy it.

Once you have the tour operator on board, what needs to be done is to educate travel agencies (and agents). It is no use working to program a destination if the offer does not reach the final consumer or its most direct spokesperson. This is done thanks to training sessions or incentives of many types, from gifts to trips or promotions. But it is also done in reverse: reaching the agent through the client, making the public also creators of the demand.

For this reason, the work of a representation agency never has two separate and divided legs: the relationship with the media or the relationship with the sector. Everything is one, and it is very important to create an image of the destination in the mind of the traveler, to raise interest through campaigns aimed both at the sector and the consumer, actions of co-marketing, guerrilla marketing or social networks. It is indisputable that, since these latter exist, it is much easier for tourism offices to have direct contact with the tourist or the interested customer, and that has made our work much easier.

If the original demand modifications come from the tourist, the challenges that we mentioned at the beginning can be saved. And if, as it happens, English is a barrier that seems insurmountable for a type of Spanish travelers, who prefer to go to Caribbean destinations with the same language, it is our job to present to this traveler the particular interest of the destination and its differentiations concerning the surrounding offers. Because of this, curiosity may arise in the adventurer who seeks different experiences.

The work of a representation tourist agency like Interface is, above all, to always stay close to the client and advise on the best steps to follow in our specific market, being experts in its interests and curiosities. And pass on, from the client and to the traveler, the passion and interest in those corners of our planet that are worth visiting as soon as possible.

By Trine Bruun