It was whilst finishing one of the regular Heritage pieces for the Dhaka Tribune, noting the intertwining of two literary dynasties, that of William Shakespeare, and of William Makepeace Thackeray, in Dhaka, in about 1771, that the title of this piece sprang to mind.
It illustrates, perhaps, where exploration of heritage can offer linkages, often so fascinating, to modern life.
It also perfectly describes the “clash of cultures” between internal and inbound expatriate tourists in Bangladesh as in so many other countries, that those engaged with both have, often daily, to deal with.
The Cox’s Bazar Surf Club, opened by the sadly soon-to-depart UK High Commissioner Robert W Gibson CMG, amidst cyclonic floods, in June 2014, is an expression of a marketing and communications strategy designed to meet the express intentions of two Bangladeshi investors “to create a sustainable tourism facility in Bangladesh to encourage expatriates working in Bangladesh, together with their families and visiting friends, to explore and enjoy Bangladesh itself, rather than use Dhaka as a base to explore South and South East Asia.”
Achieving such a narrow aim, clearly, could well open a door to the development, in general, of socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable tourism in Bangladesh, with the potential to make a major economic contribution to meeting development goals. In fact, we may well regard this development in Cox’s Bazar, itself hungry for growth, and for more inbound tourists, as the quintessence of tourism development in Bangladesh.
Years of researching, and developing such strategies to realise commercial objectives through effective programs of marketing and communications, in the all-important private sector, and, especially leisure, travel and tourism, have convinced me that, so far, such endeavours in Bangladesh lacked professional focus.
The international tourism market, one of the few markets in the world that has survived the worldwide economic difficulties, continues to grow. In approximate terms, it is an industry that, on average, contributes around 9% to national GDP, and around the same percentage to employment in every country within WTO. There is, naturally, a wide variation around the world, from virtually nil, to well-established giants as China, UK and Thailand.
Contributions to employment tend to include, particularly, opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled staff, especially those with some linguistic skills, as well as skills in service delivery. Clearly, this offers, also, a realistic prospect of improving commitments to broader education.
In general terms, internal tourism creates, on average, around the world, a third of such financial and employment opportunity. However, of course, it is the financial contribution of inbound travellers that, properly managed, contributes always much-needed foreign exchange; indeed, many countries regard such tourism as, effectively, an export trade, though requiring to be far more effectively service supported than most, since the customer arrives in the country to collect!
Like all target markets, both local and international, tourists can never be regarded, in strategic marketing terms, as a homogeneous body. They come with almost infinite varieties of social, cultural and financial expectations and capacity. Market segmentation is, therefore, the first prerequisite of effectively enticing any customers. Perhaps, in terms of both understanding the market and prioritising engagement, it might be reasonable to regard segments as a sport target.
The “bullseye” represents, as it does in sport, the greatest winning score; the prospects who both add greatest value, without putting off prospects in outer circles, or damaging the game.
Worldwide, that bullseye is represented, for the most part, for obvious reasons, by mature, educated, wealthier prospects who tend to be, importantly, especially in markets like Bangladesh, socially and environmentally sensitive. They also offer the benefit of often including in their number those engaged in more serious media, who are usually ready to share their experiences, opening the destination to considerable further opportunities.
And, again as a benefit of this core potential market, they tend to be both “early adopters,” more adventurous, and better connected through what we might call “Club culture,” such as golf clubs and women’s groups with like-minded people.
The past decade of involvement of Bangladesh has taught me that the well-established nostrum of Dbase Marketing, “the best customer prospect is the satisfied customer you already have, or someone just like them,” holds as true in tourism development in Bangladesh as anywhere else.
Realising achievement in reaching this target, in order to entice, satisfy, and send away, not just wanting more, but more than ready to tell friends, family and associates, and an even wider world, of their great experience necessitates developing an intimacy and appreciation of them. This is true customer appreciation, the diametric opposite of business practices common around the world, and, regrettably, especially so in Bangladesh, of company orientation.
In the past decade, I have, personally, pursuing my own convictions, been able to reach out, or simply encounter, and introduce a number of members of this, “bullseye” group to both Bangladesh in general, and, latterly, Cox’s Bazar in particular.
Flying in the face of what appears to be generally received wisdom that Bangladesh has neither the infrastructure nor the facilities to both support such visitors and send them away to speak well, and even return, it has proved comparatively easy to satisfy such demanding visitors and, often, secure return visits.
The investors in the Cox’s Bazar Surf Club are, naturally, impatient for financially viable returns, as they should be. However, unfortunately, the club not only opened in one of the worst cyclonic seasons for years, but then, like all facilities in Cox’s Bazar, laboured for nearly six months under the effects of blockades, with only a brief respite at the New Year.
Nevertheless, there has, in fact, been a steady build up of the core target market, including, as expected, return parties of diplomatic and other such expatriates, as well as the wealthier, better educated of Bangladeshis.
Which brings me back to that “clash of cultures.”
Any such facility as the Surf Club inevitably, by virtue of its beach front position, its evidently different design and ambience, and its ability to offer facilities for water, beach and heritage pleasures, attracts the attention of passing tourists already arrived in Cox’s Bazar, and not a few, including visitors of Bangladeshi origin, have checked out of hotels in which they were already booked, and not only moved in but also later returned.
A recent arrival, a young Spaniard, planning just a couple of days in Cox’s Bazar, was so surprised to find a facility such as he had only before encountered in India and Thailand, that he extended his stay for nearly three weeks.
There is a very ancient British saying, traceable to at least the 14th century, and probably far further back: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
The work that, over the past five years, has been done to plan, and deliver, cultural and heritage tours, with side dishes of shopping and cuisine, all three identifiable through research as the prime requirements of our “bullseye” group, to small groups and individuals, for whom expense, and even luxury are not high on their list, but certainly part of their expectations, has resulted in a small, but steady, and growing, group of converts to Bangladesh, in countries as far apart as Norway, Denmark, UK, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
From such small beginnings, based on the simple discipline of researching opportunities, interrogating the product to ensure it can deliver against expectations, focus on delivery, constant evaluation, and plans for further development, the Surf Club has grown, even through such troubled, and troubling times.
Given the lengthy period of the service of descendants of the Bard in these lands that are now Bangladesh, it is, surely, not much of a stretch to suggest that, within the gene pool of the nation today, lie those of that Bard himself. Inbound tourism, of high value and quality, in Bangladesh?
“To be, or not to be?” But, in the delivery of services to meet expectations, it could well be that “TV, or not TV?” may yet prove the more relevant question. What is certain is that, whilst stories about declining inbound tourism in Cox’s Bazar regularly appear in the media -- and the reasons are familiar to us all -- the Surf Club is bucking that trend, proving that a sound, marketing based approach can offer real opportunity to a market so rich in heritage, and diversity of cultures, with millennia of experience in offering shopping opportunities to the world, and a cuisine, world famous, and unquestionably popular around the globe.
Indeed, were we to succeed, where we can, those “Indian” restaurants around the world may, finally, find the courage to admit to their Bangladeshi management!
“To be,” but, “No TV,” perhaps?
