THE MARKET READY MODEL
A model for strengthening social and private enterprises, creating certainty in adventure travel & tourism destinations and strengthen sustainable livelihoods.
Market Ready Adventure & Ecotourism is an internationally tested model for creating certainty and organizing the industry and social, community and private enterprises in destinations of nature and adventure tourism.
GET MARKET READY
For Community Based and Private Adventure Travel Companies & Destinations
The Market Ready Model facilitates processes for capacity building, product development and commercial positioning of social & private enterprises that generate positive impacts in sustainable livelihoods.
Origin of the Market Ready Model
2010
The "Market Ready" Concept arises for the Olympic Winter Games in 2010 in Canada with the aim of integrating indigenous peoples to the Olympic tourism offer.
300 %
Since then, job creation in the Indigenous Association of Canada's sphere have tripled & start-ups doubled to 1500+ nature, adventure & hospitality companies generating 33,000+ jobs.
$870
Millions of Canadian dollars of revenue growth in the Indigenous Association of Canada's network of companies
33,000
Thousands of jobs created since implementing the Market Ready Model accross the Indigenous Association of Canada's network.
The "Market Ready" Concept arises for the Olympic Winter Games in 2010 in Canada with the aim of integrating indigenous peoples to the Olympic tourism offer.
Since then, job creation in the Indigenous Association of Canada's sphere have tripled and start-ups doubled and now totaling more than 1,500 local nature, adventure and hospitality companies, generating more than 33,100 indigenous jobs with revenues in excess of $ 870 million dollars. The model has also been successfully implemented in Jamaica, Guyana, Curaçao and Palestine.
In Mexico, the Market Ready Model for Latin America has been co-created since 2014. Participant organizations are; the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, Small World Consulting (Canada), La Mano del Mono (Mexico), RED Travel Mexico, Ecoturismo Genuino (Mexico) and AMT.MARKETING - Adventure Mexico Travel Marketing (Canada).
5 Existing Challenges for the Adventure & Nature Tourism Segment in Mexico
90% of companies lack business elements for success in the adventure and nature tourism segment.
In 50 years in Mexico, 50% of forests have disappeared and 50% of the rural population has migrated to cities.
Only 31% of nature destinations, build on and monitor inter-institutional projects.
While 3 out of 4 tourists plan their travel on the Internet, only 1 in 4 companies in Mexico's adventure and nature tourism segment are adequately positioned online.
There is a high level of uncertainty among commercial, tourism industry allies regarding the level of service among potential service providers.
National Market Ready Sampling in Mexico
A sample carried out nationwide with 43 leading companies in the adventure sector in 2015, shows that the main limitations are as follows:
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Business Capacities: Security for tourists and current permits.
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Operational Capacities: Maintenance equipment and training of guides.
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Commercial Capacities: Tools and commercial capabilities, online reservations & agreements with commercial partners
Below we compare the Market Readiness of these adventure companies across Mexico with a mix of 61 social and private companies in Baja California Sur and 19 community based social companies in the Lacandon Jungle of Chiapas:
Adventure Companies in Mexico Sample
In 2015 we co-conducted a Market Ready assessment with 43 established adventure companies in Mexico where we analyzed 25 aspects of their Business, Operational and Commercial capacities with the international criteria of the Market Ready Model with the following results:
Adventure Companies Selva Lacandona, Chiapas
In 2017 we co-conducted a Market Ready assessment with 19 established social, community based ecotourism and adventure companies in the Lacandon Jungle of Chiapas in Mexico where we analyzed 25 aspects of their Business, Operational and Commercial capacities with the international criteria of the Market Ready Model with the following results:
Adventure Companies in Baja California Sur
In 2017 we co-conducted a Market Ready assessment with 61 established private and social, community based ecotourism and adventure companies in Baja California Sur, Mexico where we analyzed 25 aspects of their Business, Operational and Commercial capacities with the international criteria of the Market Ready Model with the following results:
Strategic Vision for Market Ready Destinations
Companies stregthen the quality of the products and services and connect with their target markets.
Local employment is generated through promotion and the protection of natural and cultural heritage.
Institutions invest in an organized, structured and measurable way
Travellers find and contract online the experiences they wish to live
National and international travel agencies and other commercial allies have certainty in the adventure tourism service providers.
How Does it Work? The Market Ready Model
The model defines four business profiles in the adventure/nature tourism industry which help to assess where an operator’s business stands in their ability to promote and manage their offerings in order to better understand what is needed to create maximum value and generate the greatest positive impact on their business.
Emerging Companies
Companies that start in the tourism segment, usually offer tourist services without being integrated in products. They do not meet the Market Ready criteria and seek to formalize their offer to serve visitors.
Visitor
Ready Companies
Companies ready to receive visitors. They offer tourist products without having the commercial capabilities to serve markets. They partially meet the Market Ready criteria and are interested in strengthening the quality of their operation and consolidating their markets.
Market
Ready Companies
Companies ready to serve markets. They offer tourism experiences and have the capabilities and commercial tools to attract niche markets. They meet the Market Ready Model criteria and are interested in developing their markets and local value chains.
Export
Ready Companies
Companies ready to serve international markets. They offer tourism experiences and have tools and commercial capabilities to serve international markets in at least two languages. They meet and exceed Market Ready criteria and seek to diversify their markets and local value chains.
Creating Certainty in the Value Chain in Mexico
Creating Certainty in the Adventure Travel Value Chain in Mexico
Development Axes to be Ready for Market
The four axes of development facilitates the connection between travel agencies, tour operators and community based or private adventure tourism companies.
Market Ready Criteria
Business Capacities
E1
The company is formally constituted (as a proprietorship) and issues invoices to its customers
E2
Time of operation as a formally constituted company (as a proprietorship or Ltd or Inc)
E3
Accepts payments with bank cards
E4
Complies with the necessary regulations for the tourist operations
E5
The company has a formal system contracting under the Federal Labor Law (whether salaries, professional services, or similar to salaries)
Commercial Capacities
C1
The company has an internet presence (web and social networks)
C2
The company attends reservations and requests for information throughout the year
C3
Has ability to communicate in language foreign in the area of sales and in the operation.
C4
Has formal agreements with its business partners, using net fees or commission schemes
C5
It has a reservation system and online payments
C6
Response time to requests for information and / or reservations
C7
Has a brand that clearly communicates its business identity
C8
Measures customer satisfaction
C9
Communicates to the client their payment, reservation and cancellation policies
C10
Has audiovisual materials for marketing
Operational / Experiential
O1
The company offers packaged tourism experiences
O2
Interpretation of the natural and cultural heritage is carried out
O3
It has the capacities and tools for the attention of emergencies
O4
Guides are trained in their area of expertise
O5
Adequate management is given to equipment and infrastructure to keep them in good condition
O6
Provides insurance for medical expenses according to its services and market
Best
Practices
B1
It has a code of ethics with the principles and values of the company towards the environment, the community and the tourist, which is given to or made visible to the tourist
B2
It has a Rules of Procedures to guide the responsible behavior of tourists, which is delivered to, exposed to or communicated to the tourist
B3
It carries out actions for the conservation and protection of flora and fauna, saving energy, water, reduction and separation of solid waste, among others, aligned to a Best Practice Plan
B4
Their promotion and marketing material communicates images aligned to responsible behaviors with the environment and local communities
B5
Carry out actions of social responsibility in education, health, health, infrastructure, access to water , among others, aligned to a plan of good practices
MARKET READY
EVALUATION TOOLS:
While the Market Ready Model is NOT a certification, we have co-created effective evaluation tools with varying degree of depth to generate a perspective into the business, operational, commercial and best practices capacities of social and private adventure / ecotourism businesses.
At AMT.MARKETING we use the Market Ready online evaluation to classify adventure companies that become part of our AdventureMexico.travel website
MARKET READY ONLINE EVALUATION - WITHOUT EVIDENCES
Ideal for private and social adventure travel companies that want to quickly see whether they are Market or Export Ready according to international criteria or if they are not quite Visitor Ready and are still Emerging.
MARKET READY ONLINE EVALUATION - WITH EVIDENCES & ASSISTED WORKSHOP
This Market Ready option includes all aspects of the Online Evaluation with Evidences and a team of professional technicians to guide the process of integrating their evidence in our online assessment platform. The cost per company is the same. This is an ideal solution when the Emerging profile of the companies and lesser capacities require it.
* The workshop lasts 1 day and requires an additional investment of $ 30,000 pesos + per diem + travel expenses for a maximum number of 24 companies.
MARKET READY ONLINE EVALUATION - WITH EVIDENCES
Our Market Ready Online Assessment can also allow the companies performing the test to upload all the evidence required increasing the accuracy of the assessment substantially. For instance, when asked "Is your company registered?" the company is asked to upload a copy of the business registration license, similarly for "Does your company have insurance?" and so on.
MARKET READY ASSISTED DEEP EVALUATION
Time invested: 2 Days on site
The Market Ready 2-day on-site evaluation of social and private adventure tourism & ecotourism companies provides the most accurate Market Rediness assessment and is an ideal solution when destinations, be it government agencies or promotional boards, and non government agencies look to better know, strengthen and promote these experiences cluster. Professional technicians guide the intense interview process and analyze evidence. We include a comprehensive report on each company for the hiring institution.
* Minimum 10 companies. Price does not include travel expenses. Contact us for more details.
MARKET READY ONLINE EVALUATION - WITH EVIDENCES + AdventureMexico.travel
Adventure & ecotourism companies can gain visibility and reach their target markets by having a Premium Profile on AMT.MARKETING´s www.adventuremexico.travel website. Published profiles display the market rediness clasification to provide greater certainty to tourists as to the business, operational and marketing capabilities of companies.
MARKET READY SECRET TOURIST EVALUATION
Time invested: 1 Day on site
When companies do the Online Self Evaluation as part of our Destination Marketing programs we recommend the Market Ready Secret Tourist program in which our professional technicians visit the companies unannounced to verify that they have provided truthful and accurate information in the Online Self Evaluation.
* The cost is per company with a minimum of 10 companies + travel expenses.
Contact Us to Get Started with Market Ready
Contact us to find out how we can help make your company and destination more competitive and Market or Export Ready in the Adventure Experiences Economy. We offer our professional Market Ready Model assessment, our Adventure Company and Adventure Destination Marketing Services as well as adventure training programs with our Market Ready Model partners.
The Market Ready Team of Organizations
Market Ready is a group of organizations and companies with
+ 20 years of experience
+ 200 companies strengthened + 5,000 beneficiaries
We are committed to consolidate Mexico as a high quality destination
We want to join your effort!