B.T.I.A.’s renowned marketing strategist for tourism insiders

David Meerman Scott

Earlier this month, it was announced that the tourism industry is on the rebound. The number of visitors to the jewel in the first half of this year has surpassed previous figures; an overall increase of nine percent. Still yet, there are strategies in the pipeline to further boost the numbers. The Belize Tourism Industry Association (B.T.I.A.) is hosting a Real-time Marketing, Master Class Marketing and Public Relations Summit. The summit features three, ninety-minute presentations that will provide insight on three main subject areas including: Content Marketing, Real-Time Marketing & P.R., and Social Media. The B.T.I.A. has hired renowned speaker and author, David Meerman-Scott, as the lead presenter. Scott, a marketing strategist, told News Five today that the seminar will focus on boosting Belize’s tourism product.

David Meerman Scott, Marketing Strategist 

“I’ve spoken in thirty-three different countries; when I speak here on Thursday, it will be thirty-four. All countries are the same. People are going online to search for products and services. So it is important that all kinds of companies need to have an effective online presence. They need to have a good website; they need to have other content:  maybe a video, maybe a blog, maybe they need to be active in social networks like Twitter and Facebook. That’s the way that people are searching for products and services that they want to buy and companies that they want to do business with.”

Jose Sanchez

“How different is it for a country like Belize where our main product is our natural resources?”

David Meerman Scott

“Well you know, it really doesn’t matter what the business is because for example, tourism is an important product of Belize. And people are coming from my country, from the United States and other parts of the world and they want to visit Belize. So the first thing they do is that they go to Google and they type in the search. They might search ecotourism or island scuba diving and then whatever pops up is what’s important. So it is really essential that a place like Belize and a company in Belize are active such that they find Belize tourism spots and not Costa Rica’s tourism spots and that’s important. And interestingly the same thing is true of business to business. So for example if an organization is looking for some kind of business product—maybe some kind of natural resource product—and they also go to Google, interestingly. So it is also important for businesses that serve other businesses as well as consumers.”

Jose Sanchez

“But how can a country like Belize get more recognition from Mexico which is much closer to the U.S. for example?”

David Meerman Scott

“By doing content better. It’s really simple. On the web, the best content wins. The companies that have the best information, hotels that have the best websites are the ones that people find. So it doesn’t matter that Belize is a small country compared to Mexico. If Belize businesses have better websites that Mexico’s businesses, they can win.”

The one-day summit will run from eight a.m. to four p.m. on August twenty-third at the Princess Hotel & Casino.