Tourism trends change over time, and from generation to generation. This is something that is now been felt by popular diving destinations in countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. The Reef-World Foundation, as international coordinators of the Green Fins initiative, have been keeping up to date on the latest trends. Recently a rising number of tourists from countries such as China, Korea and Japan are identifying South East Asia as their main touristic destination. Proximity, unique marine biodiversity and reasonable prices are just some of the reasons behind their choice.
These markets are coming to experience new adventures, and SCUBA diving is one of them. There lies the opportunity of turning their mindset towards sustainable diving practices right from the very beginning. However, in order to deliver the message behind the Green Fins initiative correctly and accurately there needs to be an understanding of the culture, tendencies and knowledge these markets have.
In July, Reef-World staff Jula, and volunteer, Kelsey, visited Mactan Island – known as the mecca of the Korean diving community. With the help of the SSI team a series of consultations were made to better understand the tendencies behind the Korean market.
The relationships built by Corinna Davids, Operations Manager of SSI, and Chris Lee, SSI Korean Community Manager, was a bridge within the local community. With their help it was easier to extract vital and very important information. How to best deliver the message? How can we make it more attractive? What is the reason behind choosing scuba diving on top of other activities?
Reef-World would like to thank the very welcoming diving community in Mactan for helping them take another step closer towards a better communications strategy for these booming markets. Only by understanding the culture will change happen, and these new markets will evolve as many did before. The Green Fins philosophy is of unconditional sharing of knowledge. For the philosophy to be embraced and socialised, it must be accessible and available to all!