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CONTENTS
Introduction to the project HANSATOUR
Success products of the project and its marketing
Barriers and lessons learned
Case studies:
Dutch Hansatowns (the Netherlands)
Rederij Eureka (the Netherlands)
National Foundation for the Elderly (the Netherlands)
Rheinishe Hanse (Germany)
Kuldiga (Latvia)
Kaunas (Lithuania)
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Deventer (The Netherlands)
Kaunas (Lithuania)
Kuldiga (Latvia)
Wesel (Germany)
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Hansatour project’s OBJECTIVE - to use the European (material and immaterial) heritage of the Hansa to attract senior cultural tourists to Hanseatic cities in the low and mid-season through improved public private cooperation.
POJECT DURATION – 16 month (1st September 2015 – 31st December 2016)
TOTAL BUDGET 292 416 Eur.
REQUESTED GRANT 219 312 Eur (75 %).
PROJECT COORDINATOR
Marketing Oost (Zwolle, the Netherlands). Independent organization for regional and city marketing for the east of the Netherlands, which include several leading Hansa cities.
Rederij Eureka (Deventer, the Netherlands). A medium – sized shipping company offering daytrips to over 50 000 passengers a year. Destinations include the Hanza towns along the river Ijssel.
Wesel Marketing (Germany). The promotional organization for the city of Wesel that performs services of general interest by aiming to improve the economic and social-cultural structure of the city.
Kaunas City Municipal Administration (Lithuania). The city municipal administration is the governmental organization that is responsible for the promotion of the city and its Hansa heritage.
Nationaal Ouderenfonds (Bunnik, the Netherlands). The National Foundation for the Elderly (NFE) is a charity that promotes quality of life for older persons in the Netherlands.
Kuldiga Active Recreation Centre (Latvia). It is an organization developing sustainable tourism in Kuldiga District, Kurzeme Region (West Latvia).
INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT HANSATOUR
PARTNERS
Hansa towns in Germany
Hansa towns in the Netherlands
Hansa towns of Northern Baltic Sea region
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SUCCESS PRODUCTS OF THE PROJECT AND IT’S MARKETINGHansa is a strong brand with a positive connotation. Anyway, most of the tourists (including locals) had no detailed information about this brand. The project activities gave and still give a chance to create more tools to improve knowledge of the brand in a specific city. By advertising and new tourism offers it gave one more reason for tourists to visit project partner’s cities. Created story tellings, workshops with guides and SME (small / medium enterprises) let us welcome tourists more professionally in terms of Hansa. On the other hand, it was a great opportunity for SME’s to take a chance and use all project input to improve their services by a new theme.
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SUCCES PRODUCTS
The project contributed to more support from the 9 municipalities and the 2 involved provinces Overijssel and Gelderland (incl. politicians). It also realized more pronounced interest from NBTC Holland Promotion. With all these stakeholders a 4 year collaboration has been signed which will be the start of the international promotion of the Dutch Hansa towns.
The good cooperation with Rheinische Hanse created mutual understanding of each other’s culture and market and paved the way for future collaboration as well.
Better insight in the senior target group was created with the participation of the NFE and the pilot boat trip.
For more information visit: www.hanzesteden.info www.regioambassadeur.nl
LESSONS LEARNED
The project period was too short for the high ambitions we would like to be realized.
The low product awareness on the international market and the low familiarity of SME’s with the possibilities/potential, asked for a longer period of creating awareness (at least two years) before going to the stage of call to action (packages and bookings).
The marketing campaign needs more time to create effects. The project has been a good starting point, but it know needs follow-up which has been secured for the coming three years.
Products for (German) senior target group should be communicated long before the date of taking place (1 year ahead). This is one reason why the results of the boat trip were disappointing. Also the price did not match with target group.
Packages are mainly used for inspiration. People tend to get their ideas from these kind of packages and then book (some of) the elements separately.
Overall organization took more time than anticipated. More should be discussed and agreed upon on with potential partners beforehand.
BARRIERS
The short period of the project and changes/illness of staff influenced the effectiveness of the cooperation, mainly in the initial phase of the project.
Awareness of the product (of Dutch Hansa towns) on the international market was rather low.
Rather low familiarity of SME’s with the possibilities of the Hansa theme and the potential for cooperation.
Limited information with respect to this very specific target group (aqua, over 55 years).
Too short period to sufficiently prepare and work out the boat trip.
Cooperation with SME’s and SME’s embracing the Hansa theme.
The project also resulted in an online learning on Hansa (general and town specific) for SME’s.
Brochures and website with arrangments.
The successful city guides meeting generated better involvement of the city guides as Hansa ambassadors.
DUTCH HANSATOWNS
Did you know? In the Hanseatic period Amsterdam was just a small village. The Hanseatic towns on the other hand were powerful cities with beautiful buildings.
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BARRIERS AND LESSONS LEARNED
We have learned that it is very difficult to sell packages that cover more than one day. Almost nobody has booked for the offered Hotels or Restaurants. All passengers preferred to return by bus to the place where the came on board. We further learned that most of our customers prefer packages for trips which start and end nearby the place where they live or stay. It seems to be much more difficult to sell packages if people have to travel on there own first (by example from Germany to The Netherlands or reverse).
Communication seems to be very important. We have tried to organize additional sailing days in October, which we had to cancel due to the low number of reservations. In the same period we have sailed from Arnhem to Emmerich am Rhein with 250 passengers. We were very disapointed that even the Hansa-trips from Zutphen to Emmerich v.v. had to becancelled. This makes clear that to announce this kind of trips it is necessary to take much more time than a few weeks. Our trip from Arnhem to Emmerich was probably succesful because it has been communicated a year prior to execution.
SUCCESS PRODUCTS
Website was adjusted to facilitate bookings for the Hansa-tour bookings.
300 000 flyers in Holland and 16 250 flyers in Germany were distributed.
As a result of cooperation with Hanzesteden Marketing an offer for Hansa Rivercruises in 2017 at the London World Travel Market in November 2015 will be presented.
REDERIJ EUREKA (the Netherlands)
For more information visit: www.rederij-eureka.nl
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SUCCESS PRODUCTS
Attractive Hanseatic tourism offers for seniors in the low/mid-season through improved public private cooperation.
The brand experience and brand awareness of the Hansa brand; more synergy with the Cultural Route.
Tourism cooperation in the Hansa league with best practice examples and ready to implement tourism concepts.
NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR THE ELDERLY (the Netherlands)
For more information visit: www.ouderenfonds.nl
BARRIERS AND LESSONS LEARNED
Boat trips are considered attractive, sense of adventure and beautiful landscape. Although a package deal is considered good, especially with the boating times and transportation etc, not everything should be fixed, some freedom in planning should be possible. For example, city tour optional, lunch or dinner optional and possibility to walk on the boat. Options for hotels should be offered. Point of attention is that many hotels charge extra for one person. Elderly often have to deal with this, is considered unfair.
Boat trips are still considered for older elderly (“I feel too young for this type of holiday”) but the historic and cultural experience, possibly in combination with option to ride bike is welcomed, also for younger elderly.
The theme of Hansa cities and their historic value is considered attractive. As a day trip, but also to some extent as a longer ( more days - week) trip. The idea of visiting more than one city on one day is not considered attractive, but going from one to the other city is acceptable. Visiting two cities or more is too tiresome.
A historic city walk is welcomed by all. Just a written description is considered to be attractive because you can fill in your own time, but a knowledgeable tour guide can point out details and answer questions. Flexibility and humour are important when doing a tour with a tour guide. Language does not seem to be a big issue, English and German are understood. Groups should not be too large.
A total “Hansa” experience is welcomed, where the story of the city is told, Hansa menus are offered, people dressed up in costumes from the old times walk around etc.
There are basically two approaches to the boat trips:
1) Boat trips for the physically active: focus should be on the historic atmosphere and freedom of choice in all parts of the trip. With this group it is important to position the boat trip as “not for elderly” but for those interested in culture and history, a sense of adventure. Packages should include a lot of optionality (in choice of hotel, food, activities), possibly a combination with bike routes or other physical activity. Focus on small groups and customization.
2) Boat trips for older elderly or those physically challenged. Focus should still be on the historic and cultural value, but it should be clear that accessibility is no issue at all and the programme has taken into account special requirements for activities and diet etc. Transportation should be fully taken care of (and communicated), even if this diminishes flexibility in planning a bit.
At the end we want to finalise these lessons we have learned:
• Takes quite a lot of time to organise it all. • Have to get used to each other (countries have a different character). • A bit too ambitious. • Differences between the wishes of tourists of different countries.
• To implement the marketing of a new product to a new market takes time: first create wareness (for a year of two); then, call to action: bookings; now notice interest FE: German journalist.
• Already thinking of working more together in Germany/Netherlands.
SUCCESS PRODUCTS
A website in Germay and Dutch was developed and launched. Also, the four cities of the Rheinische Hanse, identified themes and stories they would use to attract tourists.
During the project, the developed packages have been overworked. The overworked and improved packages are so good, that regional DMO uses them for the marketing for the whole Lower Rhine region.
The project-related cooperation with Hanzesteden Marketing and Reederij Eureka laid a foundation for further transnational collaboration. Common projects are in process of planning.
The approach to develop stories and to develop packages which are related to them, will be successful for the participating SMEs. It is a good support for them, that they have a handout to inform the tourists
LESSONS LEARNED
Promotion and advertising in the Netherlands differs from the way it works in Germany.
Dutch partners have a very detailed and much better database material for their target groups.
Project period was too short. There was hardly time to fix and overwork packages if they weren’t successful.
To level up project progress, regular telephone conferences would have been necessary.
BARRIERS
Although the awareness for Hansa is quite high in Germany, only a few people know that there are Hansa cities at the Rhine. On the one hand this factor could be used for marketing (it provokes curiosity) on the other hand there are only a few remaining buildings or sights from medieval times. Only the city of Kalkar has a historic city centre, the other three cities and their historical city centres have been massively destroyed during World War 2. Hansa is a strength, but there are very few things to show.
Due to the organisation of the Rheinische Hanse (no legal body / management structure) a single city has to represent all of the four cities. High effort for coordination.
RHEINISHE HANSE (Germany)
Did you know? Down to the present day, all the cities of the Rheinische Hanse show the red and white colours of the Hansa in their coat of arms.
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For more information visit: www.rheinischehanse.de
SUCCESS PRODUCTS
Brochure HANSA KULDIGA (DE, LT, LV, EN)
HANSA TOURISM OFFERS: Nordic Walking tour Explore the Hansa Glass Road Hansa Bicycle tour around Kuldiga Enjoy Art, Culture and History
More than 15.000 people in Latvia were acquainted about the project, the city Kuldiga and these Hansa packages.
The COOPERATION between senior society “Rumbina“ began in the frame of the project Hansatour.
LESSONS LEARNED
About marketing it was really effective to publish new facts about the project historical research & storylines, especially connections of Kuldiga (Goldingen in Hansatime) with German, Dutch and Lithuanian traders and other connections.
The motivation to work within a group of local entrepreneurs only remains if you get –only a little more from it then you have to put in (not only money, but a goodwill, joy, time..)!!
Let all entrepreneurs working with packages clearly state what their goals and expectations are before the final decision to start a new Hansa package.
Project gives an extra financial impulse and a trans-national dimension to local and regional activities, this trans-national aspect can be a positive PR item.
Exchange of experience and good examples by visiting each other partner Hansa cities gives an impulse to new activities and ideas back home in the region.
Better understanding about life and situation in other EU regions and building a network.
Working as a partner of trans-national project activities is inspiring.
BARRIERS
As a barrier we found out within this project, that Hansa name as a brand is not recognisable in Baltic States. German seniour tourists explained, that Hansa in Germany is a brand to be proud of German history. In our country it is not recognisable. Most of the people understand with the brand Hansa only some visions of medieval history, not something concrete. So we need to put double more power of marketing in the future to explain and tell about Hansa.
The available budget per partner was relatively low comparing to the heavy load of administration work. For future there is suggested to allow more budget.
Seniors of Baltic States do not have traditions to use packages as tourist offer, they are traveling usually with a bus group few times a year, not individual packages.
KULDIGA (Latvia)
Did you know? The export goods from Kuldiga in Hansa time mentioned in the documents were grain, meat, butter, bacon, fur, wax, honey and spirits. In 1594 Johannes Gosing exported goods from Ventspils, Liepāja and Saka by 12 ships to Lübeck, Holland, France and Spain.
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For more information visit: visit.kuldiga.lv
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SUCCESS PRODUCTS
3 Hansa tourism offers were created:: Kaunas – a Hansa city; Cultural Hansa Kaunas; Weekend in Hansa Kaunas.
More than 1 mln. people in Latvia were acquainted about the project, the city Kaunas and these Hansa packages.
The COOPERATION between the 3rd Age University of Kaunas and Society “Riga Active Seniors Alliance“ RASA began in the frame of the project Hansatour.
Brochure HANSA KAUNAS (LT, LV, EN, DE).
LESSONS LEARNED
Seniors would like to have the possibility to book one or several parts of the Hansa packages.
Traveling between Hanseatic cities is too complicated.
More efforts concerning daily educational programmes and entertainment of Hansa theme in Kaunas are required.
Cultural exchanges camps (of Hansa crafts, dances, etc.) might be organized between various senior organizations. And it could be one of the more attractive ways to welcome seniors in Kaunas.
KAUNAS (Lithuania)
Did you know? Kaunas is the only city in Lithuania that is a member of the International New Hanseatic League (since 1991). The league consists of almost 200 cities from 16 countries.Ieva Benefelde, Journalist, participant of
Latvian Press tour in Kaunas.
“This is the place where I come back“
BARRIERS
Kaunas: the clash of two themes
One of the most interesting trends that we found during the entire project is that because of varied and complicated history Kaunas has numerous main themes that could be used for encouraging tourism and there is a certain conflicts between these themes.
The most pronounced of them are Kaunas of the Hansa era, The Interwar Kaunas. The less popular are and Kaunas as the fortress-city of imperial Russian era, and the Kaunas castle, which in some contexts is used to tell a story about pagan Lithuania before the adoption of Christianity.
This clash of the two most prominent themes could explain certain eclectic elements in general strategy for encouraging tourism to Kaunas. It is not that the Kaunas of the Interwar era, as the temporary Capital of the young Lithuanian nation does not mix well with the topic of Hansa Kaunas. It’s rather the lack of threads connecting these two topics – the multinational and multilingual old Kaunas of the Early Modern Era and modernist and nationalist Interwar Kaunas.
Because of the recognition of the modernist architecture of Kaunas by UNESCO and other international organizations there is a trend to downplay the topic of Early Modern Kaunas. Therefore on the political and media level there is a trend to emphasise the Interwar era Kaunas and to leave the Hansa Kaunas as a secondary narrative. This is the reason why very few businesses and companies use Hanza era themes in their marketing, while large breweries and other companies used retro-marketing to popularize the Interwar Kaunas.
For more information visit: visit.kaunas.lt
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