We have extensive experience in the preparation of tourism business plans, tourism management, marketing and development plans, and tourism growth strategies for destinations and products.

We believe that to achieve tourism growth objectives in today’s highly competitive environment results are best driven by business sense. We are innovative and think strategically, beginning with a careful analysis of your business, your customers and your competitors. Our strategic solutions work to generate a solid return on your investment.

We assist clients with all aspects of tourism development with the aim of increasing economic growth and job creation for the destination. Our strategic planning encompasses market research (identifying tourism trends and source markets) as well as providing assistance in the implementation of strategies and plans.

We subscribe to the caveat …’If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it’ and apply performance measurements and ROI models to monitor results against deliverable objectives. As a results oriented organisation, we have an entrepreneurial spirit and the courage to do things differently.

"Change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change."

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

Rwanda Development Board

Through funding from the World Bank this current assignment encompasses the development of a National MICE Strategy (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) plan for Rwanda, the establishment of the Rwanda Convention Bureau and a year in country (2014) of implementation and capacity building within the public and private sector tourism industry.

Cameroon

This assignment was undertaken in conjunction with the Emerging Markets Group on behalf of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The scope of the project was to assess tourism product in the country, research perceptions of the destination from a tourism perspective, and then to design a tourism brand implementation and communications strategy plan.

Tourism Australia

The Business Tourism Company undertook this project on behalf of Tourism Australia over an 8-month period. The task required extensive research and auditing of specific international sectors within the business tourism arena followed by strategic inputs on growth strategy plans and marketing specifically to the international association meetings market.

Belgrade Tourism
Serbia Tourism

This assignment comprised the development and delivery of extensive training programmes and strategic input on behalf of both the Serbian and Belgrade Tourism Organisations, working together with public and private sector stakeholders. The project was supported by USAID. As a follow up – Rick Taylor was invited to present at the annual tourism conference in Belgrade (for five consecutive years) and to deliver a workshop for the development of Incentive Tourism Packages to stakeholders in the private sector.

Tourism Grading Council
South Africa

The Business Tourism Company prepared an in-depth analysis of graded tourism product in South Africa as well as new opportunities for the grading of product in niche markets for the Council. Market research was undertaken and a marketing and sales strategy devised.

National Convention Bureau
South African Tourism

As Head of the National Convention Bureau, seconded by South African Tourism, Rick positioned the country in the international arena as a world-class meetings destination. He established an international Convention Bureau footprint with business tourism personnel in the US, UK, Europe (Netherlands, Germany, France, and Italy) and Pacific Asia. He developed a strategic Global Master Plan for the Bureau for the period 2004 to 2010.

Cape Metropolitan Tourism
South Africa

Rick Taylor spent seven years with Cape Metropolitan Tourism, the tourism authority in respect of the greater Cape Town area implementing projects as diverse as product development, conventions, leisure tourism and events. During his time Rick pioneered many innovative marketing concepts and set up the first Convention Bureau in Africa. The destination won many awards and was greatly successful in bidding for business under Rick‘s leadership.

TESTIMONIALS

“Thank you for the contribution you have made to BK over the past year and a half. It is run far more professionally and the results are telling. You have also given BK management confidence in their product and themselves and they have grown tremendously”.
Mike Gregor, MD, Bartholomeus Klip, Guest Farm (2014)

“Rick Taylor worked with the Petousis Group of Hotels over a period of five years engineering the Sales and Marketing strategies for the three hotels in the group i.e Vineyard Hotel & Spa in Newlands, Townhouse Hotel & Conference Centre in Cape Town CBD and Oude Werf Hotel in Stellenbosch. Rick was a member of the Executive Committee and an advisory to the Board and Shareholders, adding strategic value at a high level. During Rick’s tenure with our group we saw significant growth in presenting to our markets a professional sales and marketing image. This without doubt helped increase sales. Also, in the area of online marketing, Rick stimulated and initiated valuable growth that delivered results. Another valuable aspect of Rick‘s input was his ability to think strategically – this was of great value to the Group over the years.”.
Lex Petousis, CEO, Petousis Group (2013)

“Mr. Taylor I am very happy that I had opportunity to talk with you. Your knowledge is very important for our team. We also enjoyed the meetings because we learned so much and I personally feel like I am ‘outside the box’ now”.
Izabela Nikolic: PR in Tourism, Belgrade, Serbia
“It was our pleasure to listen to you, and learn about business and incentive tourism from such an expert. You expanded our knowledge and helped us to see better our vision, make new goals and know how to achieve them”.
Jasna Cvetkovic, Director, Eurojet Travel Co., Belgrade, Serbia

“Thanks to support such as yours in our strategy planning exercise, change may become a reality in the near future and many thousands of Zambians may gain benefits from Tourism that would otherwise have not”.
Mark o Donnell, ZAMNET, Zambia

“I would like to place on record the appreciation of the Board of Directors for The Business Tourism Company guidance and professionalism in enabling the crafting of the next three years strategic plan for the South Coast. The feedback from both public and private sector partners has been extremely positive and we all believe that our partnership with TBTC is growing from strength to strength.”.
Michael Bertram, CEO, South Coast Tourism