Challenge

A GCC Government set out to communicate and generate stakeholder-wide buy-in to its newly developed 2030 National Tourism Strategy, and which risked facing opposition due to its proposed tourism offering that could have been seen by some as being incompatible with the country's conservative values.

S2C Approach

S2C developed a comprehensive communication strategy which aimed to achieve the following:

• Introduce the Tourism Strategy to different stakeholders and highlight its many benefits on the country and its people in a language accessible to all
• Dissipate preconceived notions and misperceptions regarding the country's tourism appeal and the ramifications of the Strategy on its people and their values
• Differentiate the country's perceived tourism offering from that of its more tourism-established neighbors
• Elevate the profile of the Government entity behind the Strategy and in charge of its implementation vis-a-vis local and foreign audiences
• Prepare the ground for the official launch of the Strategy, raise media, public, and stakeholder interest in it, and build anticipation for its unveiling milestone event
• Secure alignment and cooperation of all stakeholders and garner national support for the implementation of the Strategy

Outcome

The Strategy was successfully launched and received by local and international stakeholders, helping place the country on the international tourism map and drawing new visitors to it based on its promoted offering.