Ms. Gerber promoted the lodge extensively. She advertised the lodge on her
own website (www.ecoparaiso.com/ecopa_e/navi/navi_frame_e.html), on
six other websites, and in 14 publications, primarily in tourist-oriented newspapers
and magazines in Mexico. Advertising also included the production
and distribution of brochures about Eco Paraiso and several billboards and
signs in the Celestún area. She personally sold the lodge to travel agencies
and tour operators at eight trade shows in Mexico and abroad. Approximately
20 percent of her annual promotion budget was spent on free nights of lodging
for travel agents, tour operators, conference leaders, and travel and business
writers. She considered the publicity generated from a BusinessWeek article
on ecotourism and her lodge as the most effective single promotion of
the past five years. Ms. Gerber believed she needed to reevaluate her promo tion strategy. For example, she wondered whether her promotion efforts
should try to get people interested in the Celestún area first, and then to the
hotel, or whether she should just try to attract visitors to the hotel directly.
Exhibit 1 shows previous promotion methods and costs.
Twenty-five percent of the guests learned of the hotel from independent
Internet communication. Exhibit 2 shows other sources from which
guests learned of Eco Paraiso.