New Caledonia shows its heart through new branding

With a coming together of its three current tourism boards (Destination Loyalty Islands, Northern Province Tourism and New Caledonia Tourism South) New Caledonia will now be marketed as a single tourism brand in international markets.

Launched this week, 'Nouvelle Caledonie: Pacific Heart' aims to showcase New Caledonia's diversity through its landscapes, sporting and leisure activities and accommodation options.

In a combined statement, the Presidents of the North, South and Loyalty Islands GIEs (Groupement d'intérêt économique - Regional Tourist Offices), Laurent Brizard, President of the Office du Tourisme; Sonia Lagarde, President of the Southern Province GIE; Nidoish Naisseline, President of GIE Loyalty Islands and Valentine Eurisouk, President of GIE Northern Province, came together to explain "New Caledonia should have a strong and unique image. The heart, symbol of life, of generosity, is imperative to everything, as it is to our positioning in the world. It will from now on be up to the industry professionals, and all Caledonians to take ownership of it, and to fight to give back to tourism - a sector essential to our economic activity, a new beginning."

The new unified brand results from a realisation that it was counterproductive to present to three different provincal identities.

As Jean-Michel Foutrein, Deputy General Manager of Nouvelle Caledonie Tourisme Point Sud explains, "a profound reflective analysis was undertaken to determine the positioning, and marketing strategy, of New Caledonia.

"Canada is automatically associated with snowy mountains. Hawaii evokes dancing hula girls, but when you say New Caledonia you don't think of any one thing.

"Our destination has to differentiate itself from the 'mass market' destinations that are Fiji, Thailand and Bali."

The reflective analysis, one year in the making, has resulted in the determination of the values of New Caledonia and its inhabitants: generosity, authenticity and dynamism. The new identity aims to convey that New Caledonia is among the five richest countries in the world in regards maritime and terrestrial biodiversity, thus making the country several destinations in one.

The new logo asserts New Caledonia as a country of character, the inhabitants of which have heart. A country where nature is relished and protected, a country profoundly linked with the ocean.

"Like this, we get straight to the point. We are starting afresh, highlighting the idea that New Caledonia is not a mass market destination, but that it reaches a human dimension, the heart", adds Jacqueline Riahi, Director of Northern Province Tourism.

All international communication on New Caledonian tourism will from now on be centred on the 'heart'.

While the branding 'Pacific Heart' is the common denominator in global tourism promotion, each province keeps its identity and its own commercial policy and therefore its site, listed on the portal of the tourism office; each province also controls the distribution of their own information. Over the medium term, the destination's new identity will be visible on each GIE's websites.

The next stage of this strategy is the creation, in Nouméa city centre, of a Maison du Tourisme, which will bring together all in one place the North, South and Loyalty Islands GIEs as well as the existing Office du Tourisme.

In tandem with the new branding, new and improved New Caledonia tourism websites are being launched to showcase the diversity of New Caledonia's landscapes, sporting and leisure activities, and accommodation options.

A series of short, downloadable and multilingual (French, English, Italian, German, Japanese and Korean) videos, able to be shared across most social network platforms, are being launched on WebTV.

New Caledonia's leisure and sporting landscape was featured in the May/June 2011 issue of Australasian Leisure Management.

For more information go to www.newcaledonia-tv.com