« Jordanian tourism through the eyes of Petra Tours | Home | Darwish and Arab intellectualism »

Branding Petra Tours

Brand identification: This is what its all about these days. Your brand is your selling power. The more people know your logo, the more they will identify with you. What follows is a question and answer session on branding and Petra Tours

I Brand identity

1) How does your image (logo, choice of colors, promotional materials) reflect your identity? Since its establishment in 1965, the Petra Travel and Tourism Co. have been keen to reflect its image through its logo: A miniature and a graphic version of the Treasury. This immediately created a travel linkage between the city of Petra, its Treasury and the Petra Travel and Tourism Co., reflecting itsidentity as a travel and tourism company. It wanted a color to increase its identification with the ancient city of Petra and heighten the tourism association. Petra Tours chose Rose Red because it is the color texture of the rocky hills of Petra, and is today in all of its literature, catalogues and promotion materials.

II Brand Management 1) Is there a group of decision-makers who are responsible for the brand’s equity and management? The brand equity and management is the responsibility of the Group Marketing Manager of the Petra Travel and Tourism Co in coordination with the management and the different heads of the divisions in the company that include Petra Holidays, Petra World Travel and Petra Events Management. These divisions today are under one brand logo and color followed by the names of each division to reflect a united approach under one label: The Petra Travel and Tourism Co. Through our different literature and media drives—local, international, websites and online magazines—we ensure our one brand name is well exposed to local and global markets.

2) What are the measures or systems in place to receive customer feedback to evaluate brand customer relationship? The Petra Travel and Tourism Co. have a number of ways to evaluate brand customer relationships: Through a questionnaire given to the customer after he buys one of our products and/or it communicates with the customer directly through telephone to find out his views about the travel and tourism services and products they offer. Occasionally as well, they monitor through internet surveys and hits on a particular product we offer.

3) Is your brand registered locally or abroad? The Petra Tours brand is registered locally inside the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and recognized internationally.

III Brand Development

1) There are a number of channels for distributing Petra Tours brand products and services to local and international markets through:

i) The Petra Tours websites ii) Electronic massages to their customers and agents all over the Arab region and the world. iii) Sponsoring of important events and make sure they are appropriately covered by the media. iv) Building relations with different touristic places, shops, and restaurants, especially those that have a lively personality, character and are popular by offering sponsorship in turn for putting our Petra name and logo in their literature, flyers and billboards.

2) Are there any product or service development programs in place? Please include how they are in line with your objectives. The Petra Travel and Tourism Co., constantly offers new products and services to reflect the buoyant state of the tourism industry, locally and globally. Thus for instance, they recently produced our latest brochure titled Petra Holidays Winter Packages in an attractive format which was send out to their clients in Jordan and overseas. They constantly review their different tourism products and services through regular meetings with the management and staff to ensure their packages reflect the latest touristic venues and offerings in Jordan and the world. Petra Tours frequently sends its staff and management on local and international tours to experience products first-hand to be able to formulate packages for Jordanians who may wish to travel abroad. Recently, they’ve been to the Algarve in Portugal for the objective of marketing it their Jordanian and other Arab tourists under their different divisions in the company which have become brand names in themselves.

3) Briefly describe your brand development/marketing plan? Our brand development as displayed in their Rose Red logo continues to be its major strength when making marketing plans to promote their products.

IV Brand Performance 1) How did branding contribute to the growth of your business? The Petra name and logo has come to serve as a brand in the ensuing years after 1965. The miniature image logo of the Rose Red Treasury has created trust, reliability and dependability between us, as a travel and tourism company and our client base. This has been much in evidence by the new divisions created in the company to provide different travelers who either want to come to Jordan, or Jordanians to travel abroad. The Petra Events Management was especially created in 2002 to serve the conferencing, exhibitions and venues of the international market which increased their business. Similarly much more incentive travelers sent by their companies choose Jordan through our Petra brand name, label and logo.

2) How did Branding contribute to customer loyalty? Branding has been very important in creating loyalty as evidenced by repeat international visitors who come to Jordan time and again; and by the children and grand-children that have been coming to Jordan by word-of-mouth through their grand-mothers and grand-fathers. The Petra brand name has also created repeat business tourists by many international forums and exhibitors like the World Economic Forum, Rebuilding Iraq Conference and Exhibitions, and the China Products Fair to name but a few are coming to Jordan through the Petra Events Management of the Petra Travel and Tourism Co.

3) How did Branding contribute to the profitability of your company? As shown above, branding means greater business and profitability. As well, profit is measured in other ways as the organization of such conferences, exhibitions and events is increasing the acumen of our management and staff and gives them the confidence to continue to organize for more international venues. The brand has also meant, and as evidenced by the daily transactions and communications, that more first-time tourists and first-time businesses are talking to Petra Tours managers and staff about having Jordan as their preferred choice for their travel and activity.