A Scaleable Digital Marketing Training Curriculum for Inbound Tour Operators in Uganda
Client CBI
Format Hybrid
Year 2021-2023
Project Partners
Charlotte Beauvoisin
Richard Okuti
Eyeopener Works
Ukarimu Academy
Urithi Studio
Expertise Offered
Curriculum Design
Facilitation and Training
Project Coordination
This assignment formed part of a sustainable and community tourism development project in Uganda by CBI, for the period 2021–2025. The project has an ambitious vision: to contribute to transforming the Ugandan travel industry into a resilient, environmentally and socially conscious sector that offers sustainable and diverse tourism products and has an improved business environment enabling tour operators to attract travellers from a large diversity of market segments that spend more, stay longer, visit year-round and repeat their visits.
The Challenge
Design and test a tailored digital marketing training curriculum for inbound tour operators in Uganda, experimenting with a Market Systems Development Approach.
The project began by conducting research on the current digital marketing landscape in Uganda and understanding the specific challenges faced by tour operators in the country. This involved anonymous virtual surveys with tourism SMEs and discussions with consultants experienced in the sector. As a result, the following guidelines were established for the curriculum and training methodology:
Structure the curriculum around real-time, hybrid training instead of an on-demand or fully virtual course.
Host the content in a cloud-based environment to ensure accessibility and customization by local trainers.
Develop the curriculum for two distinct audiences: Inbound Tour Operators and Local Trainers who will facilitate the content.
Based on these criteria, an initial pilot curriculum and methodology were created to conduct a pilot training program in Kampala. Hybrid virtual sessions were facilitated from Cape Town. To enhance the learning experience, we collaborated with the local creative studio, Urithi, to develop illustrations representing various traveler personas for the first module; a concept that played a fundamental role in the remaining modules and group assignments.
Pilot training participants, James Mwere and Joselyn Akullu share their experience after the first series of workshops in Kampala
The Curriculum
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The foundation for every digital marketing activity and strategy for a Tour Operator. It provides a brief overview of the importance of Digital Marketing in the tourism industry and introduces two key concepts that will be utilized throughout all modules in this course:
The AIDA sales process
Online Customer Personas
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Explore the best practices for planning and developing a tour operator website that is professional and user-friendly. The focus will be on viewing websites as powerful sales tools rather than just online sources of information. Key topics covered include:
Navigation and Usability
Approaching website budgets
Mobility and Speed
Making a strong first impression
Leveraging live chat and messaging
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Grasp the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Tour Operators and discover how blogging can improve your website's ranking and attract the right visitors. Gain a deeper understanding of SEO, including the factors to consider before hiring an SEO consultant. This module covers key topics such as:
An explanation of SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages), which are the pages Google displays when travelers make a search query.
Insights into how search engines work.
Harnessing the power of blogging to target travelers through search engines early in their customer journey.
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Essential technical skills for tour operator Managers and staff. It also offers introductory skills for participating in virtual training and workshop sessions through Zoom.
Key topics covered:
Cloud sharing and backups
Password Managers and VPN
Zoom Basics
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Uncover Email as a marketing channel for tour operators. In an age of social media, live messaging and artificial intelligence, email is often seen as an irrelevant marketing channel. However, when used properly, it could still be one of the most powerful tools in a tour operator’s strategy. Key topics covered:
Why Email marketing is still relevant
Best practices for email marketing
Getting started with Email Marketing
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This module introduces participants to the importance of online reviews (and how they influence the reputation of a tour operator business), and how Online Travel Agency (OTA) websites can generate online business. Key topics covered:
The value of online reviews, and how to respond to them
The pros and cons of being listed on OTAs, and how to optimize your listing
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A basic introduction to three of the most wide-used social media channels for Tour Operators to include in their marketing efforts. Key topics covered:-
Why social media is important for tour operators
Best practices for using Facebook, Instagram and Youtube
Co-creation sessions with local facilitators
The pilot was followed by a post-training survey with participants and a team retrospective. With a validated core curriculum and methodology, the next step was to begin collaborating with a pool of potential local facilitators. Two co-creation sessions were held at Innovation Village in Kampala, facilitated by Eye-Opener Works and Ukarimu. These sessions assessed the depth of the seven modules and examined the profiles and roles of various learner personas.
Finally, participants in the co-creation sessions discussed the feasibility of providing digital marketing training services in an environment that is already saturated with capacity-building and skill development initiatives funded by donors and global technology companies, such as Google's Skills for Africa.
“An additional element was the client’s request to develop a hybrid programme. This led us to brainstorm and trial techniques for delivering effective online and in-person and training. Although challenging at times, this pandemic criterion forced us to think outside the box. Working with Peter is always inspiring. In addition to his extensive digital marketing track record, his global experience brings useful perspectives to every project he works on.”
- Charlotte Beauvoisin
Curriculum adjustment, a final pilot and launch
Finally, the revised modules were piloted by a selected group of local facilitators in a group training environment. The modules were divided among the facilitators, and the project team moderated the sessions for post-training feedback and evaluation. The curriculum was formally launched during CBI's Expro event in Kampala and is now available for future training interventions through Ukarimu Academy. You can access the curriculum here.
The Result
More than 70 tour operators trained by 13 local facilitators. Successful launch of an open-source training curriculum with facilitation resources.
9
Digital marketing training modules created in the context of the East African Travel product.
13
Local trainers and consultants onboarded and equipped with training materials and the facilitator guide.
70+
Inbound Tour Operators Trained as part of pilot intiative.