Many of my previous posts touch on the topic of product development. I find that the topic is often a misunderstood concept among people in tourism. While product is one of the "p's" in the traditional marketing sense, in tourism, it is often neglected in terms of overall strategy. At the provincial or national level in many destinations, one can see that the majority of funding and other supports are targeted toward "promotions" as they are assumed to bring the best return on investment. But, for many rural communities - or destinations that are at early stages of development - the product is not at a state of readiness to be able to provide consistent, high quality experiences (the actual product in tourism). And thus, from an economic development standpoint - these areas are missing out on opportunities to benefit from tourism at the local level and this potential revenue is also lost for the regional/provincial economy. For these areas, a focus on product is vital to allow them to enter into the market and for the redistribution and circulation of financial benefits within a province.
But, it is not just about rural communities - all innovation processes rely on a commitment to continuous quality improvement. Investing into product is a requirement for all long term success of tourism destinations. Tourism experiences are dynamic and must remain responsive to social trends. What is popular today is not guaranteed to be popular tomorrow and as such, reflection on what experiences are offered, where and for who is critical for destinations. The business world does this take up at the local and firm level, but there is a role for regions and provinces to reflect on this as well and to provide appropriate supports to enable the market to function in a way that visitors can connect to emerging products.
I am always on the watch for innovative product development supports around the world - and this is an opportunity to share a few that are worth looking at. For those that want to know more (or share others with me)- take a peek at these...
Hawaii Tourism Authority - Product Enrichment program. The HTA's Product Enrichment Program funds a number of programs supporting efforts to ensure a quality tourism product and unique experiences. Included are the County Product Enrichment Program, Community-Based Natural Resources Program, and Kukulu Ola: Living Hawaiian Culture Program.
Canadian Badlands Corporation - Canadian Badlands Ltd. (CBL) is a not-for-profit Alberta Corporation providing a new and innovative approach to creating an integrated, destination-based tourism industry in South-Eastern Alberta. CBL is the largest co-operative regional partnership of municipal governments in Alberta. The shareholders are 62 municipal governments recognizing the power of co-operative efforts to develop and implement a strategic regional tourism development plan. Check out their array of product development supports!
The US Extension System - the Public University system in the US has an extension system to provide supports for communities and regions within the University territories. I have benefited tremendously from working through Michigan State years ago, and my favourite conferences remain to be the National Extension Tourism Conferences where all of the folks who do on the ground work in product development gather every couple of years. The range of innovative supports provided through these Universities is a great asset for all levels of government to take note of. Take note of Texas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Market readiness programs - Helping operators go from good to great and keeping the idea of innovation alive is at the heart of market readiness programs which are popular in Eastern Canada. Check out Newfoundland , and NF Labrador.
Mentorship programs - to allow businesses to learn from who they really want to learn from - successful entrepreneurs! Check out Nova Scotia's program
Share other ideas - what do you need, what do destinations need or what do you know about that really works?
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