DELIVERABLE 2: SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY FOR REVISED DESTINATION WEBSITE

The Alliance aims to market the region, standardize service standards, share best practices, and manage the destination. The four community tourism enterprises are Corporacion Comunitario Termales, Jovi Guias Pinchinde, Ecoguias Coqui, and Playa Blanca, a family that operates a restaurant on a small island. The marketing strategy for the Chocó Community Tourism Alliance is designed to promote the Alliance to a global market of travelers, drive direct bookings of the Alliance's tourism products, and create sales partnerships with members of the travel trade. Due to the limited marketing budget, the strategy prioritizes cost-effective, targeted marketing tactics that deliver tangible results and quantifiable indicators of success. The strategy leverages online marketing tools to reach new and existing audiences, reflecting a rapidly shifting paradigm in tourism marketing. A 2012 Google survey of travelers indicates the importance of a strong online presence for businesses and destinations that market to consumers. The survey found that 43% of respondents reported that the Internet prompted them to book a travel experience, and 62% reported that they read travel reviews and traveler comments when planning their trip. The marketing strategy recommends the use of several online marketing channels to build a strong online brand presence for the Alliance while promoting the Chocó region as a destination. These channels include search engine optimization, search engine advertising, social media, and email marketing. The strategy also recommends the use of a content management system to manage and update the Alliance's website, as well as the development of a blog and social media campaigns to engage with travelers and promote the destination. The Alliance will also market to members of the travel trade in an effort to create sales partnerships and drive bookings. This will involve developing trade sales tools, such as brochures and sales sheets, and participating in trade shows and events. The strategy also recommends the use of public relations and media outreach to promote the Alliance and the Chocó region to a wider audience. The overall objective of the marketing strategy is to support the achievement of BIOREDD+ program results by improving tourism marketing in Nuquí/Utria National Natural Park, which in turn supports sustainable economic growth in the region. The strategy is designed to deliver tangible results and quantifiable indicators of success, and will be evaluated regularly to ensure that it is meeting its objectives. The Chocó Community Tourism Alliance is comprised of community tourism associations in the Colombia department of Chocó. The communities themselves are clustered along the coast about an hour south of the town of Nuquí, Colombia. Except for Playa Blanca, each of the communities is comprised of roughly 200-500 people, nearly all of whom are ethnically Afro-Colombian. Playa Blanca is comprised of a single family that operates tourism services within Utría National Natural Park, by concession of the Parks Department of Colombia. The Alliance's marketing strategy is designed to promote the region to a global market of travelers, drive direct bookings of the Alliance's tourism products, and create sales partnerships with members of the travel trade. The strategy prioritizes cost-effective, targeted marketing tactics that deliver tangible results and quantifiable indicators of success. The Alliance will leverage online marketing tools to reach new and existing audiences, and will also market to members of the travel trade to create sales partnerships and drive bookings.