Summary Destination Marketing Summery of Powerpoints

Destination Marketing
B1 European Capitals of culture, Amsterdam marketing & theme years
(Case exam)

Didactic goals
 Define criteria for selection of European Cities of Culture
 Give examples of recent theme years used by Amsterdam and relate them to other
destinations
 Explain what Amsterdam Marketing is and how it is structured
 Identify the relationships that exist between Amsterdam Marketing and their key stakeholders
 Evaluate the current (and historical) tourism image of Amsterdam
 Explain which steps are currently being taken to reinforce or reinvent this image

Why do people come to Amsterdam?
 Culture
 Sex, drugs and rock & roll
 Scenery

European Capitals of Culture
 2007: Luxembourg – Sibiu (Romania)
 2008: Liverpool (UK) – Stavanger (Norway)
 2009: Linz (Austria) – Vilnius (Lithuania)
 2010: Essen (Germany) – Pécs (Hungary) – Istanbul (Turkey)
 2011: Turku (Finland) – Tallinn (Estonia)
 2012: Guimarães (Portugal) – Maribor (Slovenia)
 2013: Marseille (France) – Kosice (Slovakia)
 2014: Umea (Sweden) – Riga (Latvia)
 2015: Mons (Belgium) – Plzn (Chez Republic)
 2016: Donostia (San Sebastián) – Wroclaw (Poland)
 2017: Aarhus (Denmark) – Paphos (Cyprus)
 2018: Leeuwarden – Valletta (Malta)
 2019: Matera (Italy) – Plovdiv (Bulgaria)
 2020: Rijeka (Croatia) – Galway (Ireland)
Cities might become popular when they’ve been the capitals of culture. It attracts more tourists. The
capitals of culture is a way to draw attention. When they’re the capital of culture they have ways to
promote their city.

Information European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one
calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension.
Preparing a European Capital of Culture can be an opportunity for the city to generate considerable
cultural, social and economic benefits and it can help foster urban regeneration, change the city’s
image and raise its visibility and profile on an international scal.



ECC Selection criteria
European dimension
 Foster cooperation between cultural operators, artists and cities from host country and other
EU countries in any cultural sector;
 Highlight the richness of cultural diversity in Europe;
 Bring the common aspects of European cultures to the fore;

,  The themes presented in program
 The way in which the events in the program are organized (cooperation between cultural
operators in different EU countries is encouraged).

City and citizens
 Foster the participation of citizens living in the city and its surroundings and raise their interest
as well as the interest of citizens from abroad;
 Be sustainable and be integral part of the long-term cultural and social development of the city
 Other factors
 Governance (the way the government has set up their organizations), finances, programme,
communication strategy.

Amsterdam uses Sail to put Amsterdam on the map.

Vision Amsterdam Marketing
2016: Amsterdam marketing is the city marketing organization of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area,
active in the fields of promotion, information, research and services. Our ambition is to put this region
on the map as one of the five most attractive metropolitan areas in Europe for its residents, visitors,
businesses and influential groups. Under the motto ‘I Amsterdam’, we present the region as a dynamic
place to live and work, an attractive travel destination and a test market for innovation.

Residents are put first because they are the most important.

Objective Amsterdam Marketing
Amsterdam Marketing’s goal is to execute the city marketing for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area as
an integrated activity, whereby we focus on national and international residents, businesses, visitors
and influential figures. City marketing is an essential step in strengthening the economic position of the
Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. This not only has a positive influence on the city’s public image
internationally but also for local residents, boosting their sense of civic pride and appreciation. To
achieve this, we work together with public and private organizations, cultural institutions and
universities

August 30 till September 1
 European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013
 30.000 participants, 16.000 rooms, 4000 workshops, Conference venue Rai is fully booked
 5.000 bikes with itineraries to go from hotel to RAI
 2 extra trams – 1 street blocked because of food court (30.000 lunches)
 Reason? ‘Average’ tourists spend 129 euro per day – Congress tourists spend 218 euro per
day.
Amsterdam tries to attract the congress tourists because they spend more because they are there for
business and stay in 4 of 5 star hotels.

Amsterdam Marketing & history
 From the VVV (>100 years)
 ATCB.BV with one stakeholder VVV-Amsterdam and members who decide themselves which
products and services to deliver
 Tasks
 Marketing/promotion for Amsterdam
 Initiating and stimulating innovative product developments
 Expertise available for business community and government
 Responsible
 Advocate for the Amsterdam Tourism businesses
 2016 Amsterdam marketing

,Amsterdam marketing & destination management (=DMC) Destination management company
 Amsterdam Leisure Consultancy, products and services
 Reports/analyses/grading of hotels
 Individual reports, for example research into specific attractions
 Detailed database of information, for example purchasing and visiting habits of Germans 30-
50 years
 Subscription available of tourism marketing information systems, trend analyses, statistical
details
 Control of data bank
 Setting up and leading projects that have a promotional function, or improving product
development and infrastructure

Amsterdam marketing & destination management
 Amsterdam tourist offices, services and products
 5 information offices
 Hotel reservations
 Excursions, theatre tickets, day-trips
 Sales brochures, guides, travel cards, Iamsterdam Card
 Souvenirs (Iamsterdam merchandise)
 Calls and mail department
 Sales department
 Amsterdam reservation center
 One-stop shopping and reservations
 > 200 accommodations, guides, museums, theatre, events
 Designated telephone number and email address
 Central reservation system
 Knowledge center
 Tourism database for products such as attractions, museums, shops
 Marketing database: visitors, trends
 Research database for professional clients
 Compiler and distributer of promotional and marketing plans
 Focusing on quality and improvement of product and image
 Welcome Amsterdam

Theme years
The use of a theme year results in sustainable product innovation. This stimulates ongoing renewal of
cultural attractions and activities.
 Amsterdam uses themes to attract more tourists in recent years, with varying success.
 The Rembrandt year in 2006 was a particularly successful example of the national and local
use of a theme year.
 Large numbers of visitors and higher turnover for tourism destinations
 Besides the Holland brand and the city of Amsterdam, other parties were able to profile
themselves through this theme (the city of Leiden, for example).

Previous theme years
 2005: Year on the water
 2006: Rembrandt year
 2007: Rhythm and dance
 2008: Hidden treasures
 2009: Amsterdam Art city

,  2010: Amsterdam sail
 2013: Happy 2013
 2015: 125 years of Van Gogh inspiration

2009 Holland art cities
 230.000 foreign tourists came to Amsterdam for the theme year
 They spent 50 million euros
 330.000 Dutch visitors to Amsterdam for the theme year (spent 210 million euros)
 The exhibition for Holland art cities attracted 3.7 million national and international visitors

2006 Rembrandt year 400
 Promotions: USA, UK, France, Germany, Spain and Poland
 Special action with KLM flights to Amsterdam + a Rembrandt promotional movie to watch
while flying
 Specially designed Rembrandt 400 logo
 Two promotional brochures (220.000
copies)
 Website
www.amsterdamrembrandt400.nl
 Large posters in a series of Rembrandt
self-portraits (15.000 copies)
 Flags, banners, event lists etc.
Foreign press contacts Rembrandt 400

Exhibitions and activities Rembrandt year
 Rembrandt and Caravaggio
 All the Rembrandts
 Rembrandt house
 Rembrandt the Musical

Results of Rembrandt year
 4,6 million international visitors (6% increase)
 8% increase overnights (8,6 million, a new record)
 Amsterdam Marketing invested 700.000 euros in the promotions
 CVB measures economic impact as 75.560.000 euros
Arrival by nationality Rembrandt year