How to position a destination near a major urban center

My professional career is a series of happy coincidences and great opportunities, none of which I could have predicted. I recently joined the team of Tourisme Laval, the tourist association of this island about 250 km² north of Montreal. The main happiness of this new stage is the energy emanating from the brilliant and dashing women of the team. I am impressed by the efficiency, the agility and the pleasure of working of this beautiful band.

Among them, Hélène Vézina, director of communications and marketing, who has been brilliantly exploiting the art of reinventing herself for 35 years in the tourism industry. This article is the result of an exchange I had with her on the marketing approach of a destination neighboring a metropolis such as Montreal. Although she denies being a sage, allow me to doubt it and thus qualify her remarks.

Word of the wise #1: Be honest about the tourist offer

“Accept that David is a very pretty name! Hélène enthusiastically explains the importance of accepting who you are and identifying your strengths and potential. Although populous and economically flourishing, Laval cannot claim the same urban atmosphere as Goliath, aka Montreal. However, the destination is not lacking in strengths and can be very successful if its potential is exploited as a unique product and the destination is promoted as it is.

Word of the wise #2: Fight for good products

To promote a destination's flagship tourist products and experiences, the involvement of a DMO must play an equal role in their development only to put them at the forefront of communication. We must help them to unfold with all heart and energy. This is even more crucial for a modest destination, close to a tourist hotspot.

For example, when the founder and artistic director of Cavalia, Normand Latourelle thought of Laval to erect Illumi – Féerie de Lumières, the management of Tourisme Laval got involved to contribute to the realization of this promising project and unifier. With some 25 million lights illuminating monumental structures over a 3 km route, Illumi effectively enriched Laval's tourist offer with a magical nocturnal experience and contributed to its positioning.

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— E Fri May 28 23:51:11 +0000 2021

At the same time, Hélène Vézina began working closely with the Illumi marketing team as soon as the first edition was announced. A valuable collaboration was born and has continued ever since. At the heart of this agreement, trust and a spirit of collaboration between the teams to take advantage of all possible levers to expand the scope of communications.

An example: the banner below is at the bottom of an Illumi admission ticket purchase confirmation email.

Wise man 3#: Ride the wave

Taking advantage of the wave created by Montreal's major marketing investments, rather than fighting its turmoil, is an effective strategy for a destination like Laval . Hélène Vézina illustrates her point with the example of Montréal's 375^th anniversary in 2017, when the city had deployed major marketing efforts to attract international visitors. Laval didn't just watch the parade go by; since these visitors were now a few kilometers away, why not invite them to discover the destination next door! Thus, the proximity, accessibility and complementarity of the offer were put forward in a marketing campaign deployed mainly in the Montreal metro and the airport, places of passage for tourist customers outside Quebec.

Wise word #4: Marketing ease of access

Destinations comparable to Laval often have the advantage of being more accessible than the city next door. This accessibility can be expressed in different ways, including how to get there and how to move around. This is an important characteristic to put forward according to Hélène Vézina, even to develop it. The accessibility of the Laval destination is very real; Tourisme Laval has supported partners in the development of a regular bus line, called Navette 360. Completely free, it provides access to several tourist attractions in downtown Laval from the metro station connecting to Montreal. The visual below was placed in the official Montreal tourist guide in 2017.

Word of the wise #5: Collaborate on complementary products

The 11 million visitors to Montreal represent a potential market for Laval, which we can attract with complementary products by working jointly with the more famous destination. For example, in the case of Laval, let us cite family entertainment or even targeted experiences such as shopping. Moreover, Tourisme Montréal sometimes includes the Laval offer in its actions in this niche. The collaboration flows from source on the complementary offers and the strike force is thus more effective.

This collaboration is based on professional but sincere human relations. The likeable Hélène has no trouble making allies among her friends at Tourisme Montréal. These relationships are very important to stimulate opportunities for cooperation, to seize opportunities on both sides and not to act in competition.

Tourisme Montréal has given pride of place to Laval in its destination blog.

A combination of factors, including undoubtedly the various strategies implemented by Hélène, enabled the Laval destination to increase the number of tourists by nearly 60% between 2014 and 2019, when this growth was 45% for all of Quebec.

So in your opinion, does the Laval tourist destination live in the shadow of Montreal or in its light? What other comparable destinations do you have in mind and how are they doing?