Eco-Tourism Project Enters Next Phase
September 2008
The second phase of the eco-tourism program in Cyprus, Promoting Private Sector Development, was successfully launched in Buyukkonuk village. A new series of evaluations was conducted to determine the success of past implementation from Phase One, as well as to gauge future progress.
DCS consultants worked closely with small and medium-sized enterprises on the Turkish-Cypriot region of the island to provide marketing training, plan a tradeshow, and arrange a large-scale sporting event to enhance the area’s tourism appeal. A new website promoting the village will go live this winter.
An assessment of a new site in the seaside town of Famagusta was also carried out to replicate the success of the first location. Immediate emphasis is being placed on awareness and product development, with plans for marketing and promotional activities to be pursued at a later date.
Kazakhstan Marketing Center Project Ends
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Marketing Students at MERC with Executive Director, Alyona Penchukova
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Marketing Students at IAB
DCS successfully completed the Marketing Education and Research Center (MERC) project in its entirety. The project’s outcomes exceeded expectations, serving to link academia with the business community by adopting a concept of action-based learning modeled after that at Michigan’s Ross School of Business and by its US-style strategic and structured career counseling. The teaching, research and consulting skills of the marketing faculty have improved, too.
DCS, along with MERC, developed and launched a plan to make the center self sustainable. As a result, the center will continue to introduce innovative revenue-generating methods to provide services to the business community. The first of its kind in the region, the marketing center could be used as a successful model for other facilities across Kazakhstan and the Central Asia region. Alyona Penchukova, the Executive Director of MERC, notes “MERC is eager to partner again with WDI to design, develop and implement a follow-on project and identify funding opportunities.”