Call for Expression of Interest
- : The Community Tourism Agency is launching a call for expression of interest for the Design and Development of a Public Relations Campaign.
Submission of expression of interest: To apply, you need:
To submit your proposal along with a cover letter addressed to the Chief Executive Officer as outlined in item number 12 below.
1.0 Background and Purpose
Tourism has become Saint Lucia’s premier income earner generating revenue of over One Billion Eastern Caribbean Dollars in 2019. Unfortunately, the growth of tourism in Saint Lucia has not translated into more balanced spatial development that provides for equitable development of most rural communities, nor has it leveraged the cultural richness that exists in dispersed communities in an organized manner.
Tourism continues to be Saint Lucia’s major foreign currency earner, proxied by arrivals of both stay-over (including yachting) and cruise passengers which exceeded 1.2 million in 2019 a trend that is anticipated to continue, considering the dedication to tourism development demonstrated by the Government of Saint Lucia.
Saint Lucia has established itself as a premiere Romance, Wedding and Honeymoon destination having received worldwide acclaim over the years for its high value offerings. The accommodation stock has been recognized as being skewed towards the high-end, all-inclusive proposition which is also characterized by a preponderance of foreign ownership. It has been noted however, that there is very little avenue for visitors desiring more modest and authentic accommodation options.
According to the recently revised tourism strategy 2020-2030, “Despite a 2.2% rise in stay-over arrivals, a 5.6% increase in cruise passenger visitors resulting in a 5.8% increase in the travel and tourism sector's direct contributions to GDP in 2018, GDP grew by only 1.5%, possibly indicating major leakages associated with the tourism sector or inadequate sectoral linkages or both.”
This is reflective of the predominance of foreign ownership which most often leads towards significant repatriation of profits as well as a high propensity towards importation of the inputs utilized in creating related tourism products and services.
Additionally, the growth of linkages along the tourism value chain which should have been driven by a growth in tourism arrivals has not been as strong due to various economic and social factors as well as the enclavement of the accommodation properties. This enclavement of tourism activity has resulted in an underutilization of the villages/communities and their waterfronts for economic activity. Consequently, the experiential offering which highlights cultural values, heritage assets, and community ethos as well as the shopping activity in the villages/communities are limited.
Based on the research and statistics published by the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, the data indicates that Saint Lucia has not been very effective at converting increased arrivals into increased visitor spend, thereby reducing the wealth-building impact of tourism for the population. Community Tourism is therefore seen as a means of improving the competitiveness of the tourism sector, through deliberate planning and management of the provision of tourism services at the community level to reduce sector leakages caused by a lack of local ownership. As part of enhancing destination competitiveness, community tourism will work with small businesses in the core tourism product areas (accommodation, restaurants bars, and recreational activity) to reduce operational costs and ensure quality products by providing modern ICT infrastructure, public liability insurance, and specialized technical services.
The overall objective of Community Tourism is to remove barriers to ensure local economic development through local inclusion and local investment, and to develop sustainable community-based tourism activities that ensure the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities are respected. The overall objective will be achieved by providing services that will assist in reducing investment risk for MSMEs, improving access and affordability of finance, developing and promoting incentives that would stimulate investment in small tourism businesses, providing key business operations support services (which would otherwise be too expensive for small businesses to fund as part of recurrent costs), providing targeted training in response to identified weaknesses and administering a franchise to encourage the adoption of branding, safety and quality standards which has international appeal for the continued success of those businesses.
The vision for the development of community tourism is to provide visitors to St Lucia with the opportunity to have authentic tourist experiences in accommodation, food, music, local way of life, interactions, and experiences with locals in communities away from the traditional tourist areas. This culturally immersive tourism at the community level will ensure equitable development of rural communities. It will leverage the cultural richness that exists in communities in a structured and organized manner. The Agency responsible for implementing Community Tourism will provide the following to participants:
- Organizational development;
- Product development and support services;
- Human resource capacity building for improving MSME performance and service excellence;
- Improved access to finance for MSMEs;
- Branding/brand management, marketing/promotions and distribution; and
- Improvements to key critical community Infrastructure.
Based on the foregoing, it is imperative that the Community Tourism Agency procures the services of a consultant to develop a public relations and communication plan for the Community Tourism Initiative.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT (OBJECTIVES AND RESULTS)
The overall objective of Consultancy is:
- To prepare Communities or Small and Medium Enterprises to receive and appreciate Community Tourism;
- To develop a public relations campaign that will officially introduce the community tourism initiative to Saint Lucia /Saint Lucians;
- To obtain buy in from targeted stakeholders industry partners and beneficiaries;
- To highlight linkages within community tourism; and
- To educate the general populace on tourism, towards engendering a cultural shift for appreciating the value of tourism in economic and social development.
- SCOPE OF SERVICES
In this context, the development focus should center entirely on disseminating information and promoting the Community Tourism Initiative, along with showcasing business opportunities available to micro, small, and medium enterprises. Therefore, the plan should carefully consider crucial elements, such as social media, community outreach, traditional media, and events.
The design of the public relations campaign must be effective in introducing the brand of the Community Tourism Agency, communicating government policy objectives for the Programme, articulating the agency’s vision, and providing pertinent, high-quality information to target audiences and stakeholders. The campaign's objective should be to uphold the core values of community tourism, reaching diverse demographics and geographical locations. It should communicate the primary objective of community tourism through various channels, including both traditional and electronic mediums.
3.0 EXPECTED RESULTS
The consultant is expected to engage the Community Tourism Agency to undertake the various deliverables:
- A comprehensively designed, integrated public relations and communications strategy to achieve envisaged objectives across various mediums, electronic and traditional mediums
- A fully developed public relations playbook for the Community Tourism Agency for a three-month period
- A fully developed stakeholder and engagement community outreach program.
- A fully developed social media plan
- A fully developed traditional media plan
4.0 TIMEFRAME
The consultancy is expected to be completed within a three (3) month period. An immediate commencement is anticipated upon the award of the contract to the consultant. As such, the proposals submitted for the assignment must include a project schedule.
5.0 AVAILABILITY TO CLIENT
Flexibility is required to accommodate meetings with the client and other key stakeholders as necessary. These meetings may occur outside the timeframe outlined in the project schedule.
6.0 PROJECT TEAM COMPETENCIES AND REQUIREMENTS
The Consultant must possess the following competencies:
- At least five (5) years of experience leading projects of this nature.
- At least two (2) projects within the tourism sector.
- Must have designed and developed at least two (2) successful public relations campaigns with local, regional, and international reach.
- A proven track record of delivering high-quality work within a given timeframe.
7.0 EVALUATION
All proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Performance Capacity – the extent to which the proposal demonstrates the ability to provide the depth and breadth of experience, skills, knowledge, and creativity generally required for this project.
- Completeness and quality of response – the thoroughness and concern for quality in your response.
- Budget.
- Experience with similar projects.
- Experience working within the tourism sector.
8.0 REFERENCE
Please provide a list of references for similar projects, including the names of organizations, contact persons, titles, telephone numbers, and email addresses. Additionally, include a brief description of each project, highlighting the achieved outcomes.
9.0 INTERVIEWS
Top-rated candidates may be invited to an interview conducted by the Board of Directors of the Community Tourism Agency.
10.0 PROPRIETARY RIGHTS
All documents prepared by the Consultant shall remain the sole property of the Government of Saint Lucia.
The Consultant shall not during and after the term of the contract use or disclose any confidential information relating to the Ministry of Tourism and the Community Tourism Agency.
11.0 PROPOSAL CONTENTS
Proposals submitted in response to this Request for Proposal must adhere to the specified requirements outlined above. Proposals should be presented in a clear and concise manner. The content and sequence of the proposals are expected to follow the guidelines provided below:
11.1 Cover Letter: The Cover Letter must include the following:
- Project title (Community Tourism Agency)
- Name and address of the individual submitting the proposal.
- Certificate of Business Registration/Incorporation.
- Name(s) of the person(s) authorized to sign any resulting contract(s).
- Contact person’s name, mailing or street addresses, phone and fax numbers, and email address.
- Signature of the individual(s) identified in section (d) above. By submitting this letter, your firm affirms its willingness and capability to fulfill the commitments outlined in the proposal.
- Proposal Summary: A brief synopsis of the highlights of the proposal should be presented which summarizes the key benefits and includes, but is not limited to:
- A short narrative describing the respondent’s understanding of the scope of the project and their overall vision for the usefulness of the public relations campaign.
- Proposers should also include public relations campaigns that their firm has successfully completed to cover the competencies being sought.
- Timeline of events that the firm proposes which highlights each step from the startup meeting through the campaign launch.
- Fee Schedule and Project Schedule/Work Plan
A work schedule outlining the various stages of the project allowing slots for meetings and presentations to the Client and key stakeholders; and
Fee structure/schedule for the completion of the scope of services and deliverables.
12.0 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL
One original and two copies of the Proposal must be received by November 27, 2023. The Proposal must be sealed and signed by an authorized representative submitting the proposal. The Proposal shall be labeled, addressed, and hand-delivered to the address outlined below.
TITLE: Public Relations Campaign Tourism Initiative
ADDRESS: The Chief Executive Officer
Community Tourism Agency
Coral Avenue, Edgewater
GROS ISLET
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