Taking bold steps – RCI Ventures Q1/Q2 2019
The latest issue of RCI Ventures magazine for the EMEA region is now available, with the spotlight on the exciting and diverse South African market, in addition to industry trends, spends and opportunity in the European region.
Southern Sun Resorts announced its re-affiliation to RCI in February 2019 following a ten-year hiatus, with the alignment of two industry giants laying the foundations for a prosperous future for shared-holiday ownership in the region.
While shared-holiday ownership and South Africa have gone hand-in-hand since the 1970s, there has been a shift in the South African market in recent years. Due to the volatility of the Rand, shared-ownership products remain a popular purchase with domestic and international buyers. See the lead feature on page 7 for views from Southern Sun Resorts, RCI and VOASA, on where the opportunity lies for South Africa.
Bringing new light to successful, strengthened products is certainly prevalent in the Q1/Q2 2019 issue as key industry players employ new strategies, sales techniques and marketing insight to leverage their position in the market.
Domina’s inspired decision to connect its customers directly to its largest resort development, Domina Coral Bay in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, has seen its sales increase by approximately 15,000 per cent in two years, as it rides out the wave of uncertainty which had washed over the country. Read more about Preatoni’s infinite plans for Egypt and the Domina brand on page 30.
Finding new ways to maximise opportunity is also part of Anfi Group’s strategy, as the developer has leveraged RCI’s knowledge to deliver effective sales training workshops to its teams, resulting in a 44 per cent uplift in the number of RCI enrolments on Anfi sales decks from 2015 to 2016.* See more on Anfi’s success on page 14.
The wider travel and leisure market continues to evolve at a rapid rate, and we are all well aware that right now, consumers are in the driving seat in defining what they want. Meeting these demands and exceeding expectations can be tricky, and on page 26, we invite three industry experts to share their best practice to get ahead of the curve.
Listening and reacting to customers’ needs is essential to instilling brand loyalty and encouraging positive online reviews. On page 17, you can find a host of easy-to-implement strategies and tools to harvest guest intelligence and improve customer satisfaction levels.
And finally, being in tune with the latest challenges in the global travel leisure market is essential, and many destinations across the world are faced with the issue of tourism congestion and the subsequent socio-economic and environmental impacts. The shared-holiday ownership industry has a part to play in working to mitigate this challenge, together with hoteliers and tourism boards worldwide.
You can read the latest issue below.
