Analyse of the sector 30/11/2010
A once in a lifetime experience in a place reserved just for you

In October 2008, the Ministry of Tourism introduced its promotional strategy for the 2008-2009 season (December to March); the programme was presented in five major cities, Asunción, Atlántida, Punta del Este, Colonia and Rocha. The campaign features two slogans; on the one hand, domestic and Argentinean tourists will be lured with the concept that, “Every ‘once in a lifetime experience’ happens while on holiday”, while on the other, the idea that, “There is a place reserved for you”, will be used for tourists coming from Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, the rest of the region, and beyond. These promotional concepts look to enhance the exclusivity of the tourism product in Uruguay.

 

Reaching out to Brazil

 

The “Brazilian Tourism in Uruguay” promotional programme was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in February 2008; a promotional brochure was printed in Portuguese in order to encourage Brazilian tourists to visit Uruguay. The leaflet displayed the country’s main attractions as well as maps, important telephone numbers and addresses and road safety measures for travellers. At the same time, road police officers, border police and other authorities were trained to speak Portuguese in order to help Brazilian tourists while transiting/visiting in Uruguay. Through a combined diplomatic and promotional effort, the campaign is expected to result in the arrival of 350,000 Brazilian tourists to Uruguay per year. Uruguayan tourism officials also visited 16 cities in Brazil in order to promote Uruguayan attractions and promote a Uruguayan-Brazilian music festival in February 2008.

 

Alternative promotion

 

The Gourmet channel, a Latin American cable channel, presented Martiniano Molina, a renowned Argentinean chef, as he visited the country and discovered Uruguayan cuisine. The 10-episode series, “A Walk Through the Senses - Natural Uruguay”, was shown in November 2008 and displayed national wines and meats while visiting cities such as Salto, Colonia, Lavalleja and Rocha, and highlighted the beautiful landscapes of the country.