Hot on the heels of the news that we’ve been shortlisted for ‘Best Representation Agency’ at the Travel Marketing Awards 2019, we decided to take a reflective look back at KBC’s 2018. From hosting media in British Columbia on a pretty spectacular group press trip focused on glacial heli kayaking to appearing on a panel of experts at a ‘Green Tourism’ event hosted by the British Guild of Travel Writers, it was a pretty busy and exciting year for the team.
Here are some of our highlights…
1. After discovering a spectacular new British Columbia product – Glacial Heli Kayaking with Compass Heli Tours – KBC partnered with Scott Dunn on a multi-channel marketing campaign, leading to a significant increase in bookings for them, and giving us the satisfaction of making an immediate, genuine and appreciated contribution towards their business. We also sent our Hayley out to try it first-hand with a group of UK media and the verdict was that this is an absolute must do for anyone active travellers
2. Recognising the strong consumer desire for ‘the road less travelled’, KBC teamed up with specialist operator North America Travel Service (NATS) to build awareness and business for the Great American West region (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North and South Dakota) through a campaign. The campaign helped NATS generate a huge increase in room nights – 86 per cent of which were booked during the campaign period
3. Noting the importance of sustainability in travel, we worked with the British Guild of Travel Writers to set up a dedicated ‘Green Tourism’ themed members meeting, timed to coincide with World Environment Day on 5 June. At the event, which KBC co-sponsored, PR Director David Ezra appeared on the panel of experts to discuss ways to manage the issue of overtourism
4. Through themed media visits and operator lobbying, the KBC team worked to support the Utah Office of Tourism’s ‘Road to Mighty’ and ‘Red Emerald’ campaigns, which aim to alleviate pressure on the state’s national parks
5. We spearheaded a pan-European ‘Connect & Protect’ initiative for the Florida Keys, encouraging coral reef protection and sustainable, low-impact tourism experiences at World Travel Market. Now launched, the initiative is already leading to some interesting media conversations and in May 2019, PR Account Director, Beth, is set to take a group of UK media out to the Keys for a trip focused on sustainable travel experiences
