B.T.B. Holds Digital Marketing Summit with Interested Parties
Today, over two hundred persons who wanted to know the latest developments in the digital marketing world attended the Belize Tourism Board’s Eighth Digital Marketing Summit, with assistance from TM Americas – a multi-faceted agency that works with the tourism sector in this region. The summit is held each year to share the latest updates and information on digital marketing technology. As we found out, even though artificial intelligence is not something new to Belize, that is the topic that has garnered the most interest, according to a B.T.B official. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The Belize Tourism Board’s eighth annual Digital Marketing forum for tourism stakeholders was held today at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City. The session attracted a packed room. It’s a technological conference with special presenters who speak about the latest in digital marketing to maximize the capabilities of those in attendance. B.T.B’s Digital Marketing Manager, Perry Bodden shared that the event has grown in popularity, as more persons want to learn how they can better market their businesses online. Today’s session drew more than two hundred interested parties.
Perry Bodden
Perry Bodden, Digital Marketing Manager, B.T.B
“The Digital Marketing Summit has advanced over the years, and we started off very small, more or less around a hundred participants – one room conference, more of a panel discussion type conference, but now we have grown over the past – I would say three to four years where we have seen more private sector getting involved and NGOs getting involved not only the tourism sector, so everybody wants to know and everybody’s eager to know more about what’s happening on the international platform when it comes to digital marketing. From the smaller properties to all the way to government agencies, to the bigger properties that would have a chain.”
The B.T.B organizes the event and seeks the best international presenters on key topics related to digital marketing to come to Belize and share their knowledge and experiences on digital marketing.
Perry Bodden
“We’re trying to step Belize on our international platform and increase the overall digital footprint for Belize. And by doing something, having a conference like this, we’re training our marketers, our digital marketers here in country to let them know what the world is doing, you know, and what advancements there is in the tech world and in marketing in general, so that we can be placed on an international stage.”
According to Bodden, for the past couple years; artificial intelligence has been one of the favourite topics. This year, several speakers have been contracted to make presentations on that specific topic. Working along with the B.T.B. is TM Americas, an agency that specializes in tourism marketing in Latin America. While today’s event was about digital marketing, TM Americas’ President, Victor Manjarres, says the company is focusing on a broader spectrum of marketing Belize throughout the Americas.
Victor Manjarres
Victor Manjarres, President, TM Americas
“We were commissioned to further develop the Latin American market, so now, our company is going to be doing an integral campaign in Latin America, where we have the distribution, the travel trade and also the consumer are getting the same consistent message about Belize, why to come to Belize, the attractions, culture, and basically everything that the general public needs to know in order to generate that desire to visit Belize. We’re also working to support B.T.B in their efforts to get additional airlift into Belize, increasing the service from Panama, increasing service from Guatemala, and you know, supporting, creating the demand from Mexico to be able to support future flights from that area, too.”
The agency uses research information and incorporates experiences that are unique to Belize to market our country, but Manjarres told us that he and his wife took the ultimate test and that was to travel to Belize as a tourist himself. His experience, he said was second to none.
Victor Manjarres
“In addition to all the research that we have done is I personally came down at the end of July with my wife, you know, to have a different view of the destination, to have the view of a passenger, you know, like any other passenger. And that is, you know, also fed into our decision of how to get into the market.”
Marion Ali
“How was that experience from one to ten?”
Victor Manjarres
“It was ten. It was actually ten, and that’s my wife’s rating because mine might be biased, but hers, you know, she has the fortune of having been traveling around the world, and so for her, the bar is really high, and, you know, she loved the experience.”
Manjarres says that one of the factors which make Belize unique for travelers is that visitors do not overcrowd any tourist destination in the country. Those who do visit can find time to have a peaceful moment and take pictures with their families without having interference of others trying to do the same thing. Marion Ali for News Five.
