Fancy a trip to Western Australia but not sure whether to opt

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1 Microsoft Customer Solution Case study Dynamic New Web Site Takes on a Revolutionary Journey A dynamic, user-friendly and content-rich online presence helps Tourism Western Australia to present a full range of interesting and exciting visitor experiences. Fancy a trip to Western Australia but not sure whether to opt for an outback adventure, a beach holiday or a food and wine odyssey? A quick visit to the new (Tourism WA) Web site will help. In 2004, Tourism WA launched a dynamic, content-rich portal that brings consumers and industry players into the one online environment. Travelers have access to an encyclopedia of tourist information, while tourism operators gain maximum exposure to a worldwide market through a linked nationwide travel product database. Built using Microsoft.NET technology, the Web site encourages information-sharing and collaboration between Tourism WA staff. Web content can be updated daily via an easy-to-use selfpublishing application. In the three months since its re-launch, the site now attracts more than 50,000 unique visitors every month a 22 percent increase. CUSTOMER PROFILE BUSINESS SITUATION SOLUTION BENEFITS (Tourism WA) is a government authority responsible for promoting Western Australia to the world as a holiday, event, convention and incentive travel destination. Tourism is a major economic driver for Western Australia, contributing A$3.6 billion (gross value-added) and providing jobs for about 72,000 people. After a period of industry volatility as a result of recent world events, Tourism WA wanted to find new avenues to promote Western Australia as a tourist destination. It decided to rethink its online approach and create a tourism portal that could be used by industry, consumers and Tourism WA staff. Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Change Corporation consolidated a static set of Web sites and built a content-rich online environment using Microsoft Content Management Server within the Microsoft.NET Framework. This portal was linked to Microsoft Commerce Server to allow transactions. Reduces Web site maintenance through self-publication. Encourages collaboration and knowledge-sharing between staff. Enables extra features with a consumer focus to be added. Provides industry partners with enhanced product exposure at the earliest opportunity.

2 We ve seen the number of visitors to our Web site jump by 22 percent in three months. Our industry partners are also very impressed with the design, features and functionality of the site was a volatile period for the tourism industry around the globe, with a variety of external influences such as the Iraq War and the SARS outbreak making business uncertain for many operators. Declining visitor numbers around the world resulted in increasing competition between Australian states and territories, as well as between countries, to attract a share of the shrinking tourist dollar. Tourism is a major economic driver for Western Australia, contributing A$3.6 billion (gross value-added) and providing employment for about 72,000 people. As the state government organis ation responsible for developing and marketing Western Australia as a tourist destination, faced some tough challenges. In early 2003, Tourism WA underwent a comprehensive restructure to draw its different arms together so it could take a more holistic approach to its work. As part of the reorganization, Tourism WA adopted a new online marketing strategy. Tourism WA previously maintained four separate Web sites developed on different platforms. This made it extremely difficult to share information between different divisions and with industry partners. Staff had to edit information from different sources into templates if they wanted to run cross-promotional activities on Tourism WA s primary consumer Web site. Publishing content was also problematic because Tourism WA relied on a thirdparty service provider to upload content on its Web site. This was an expensive process with slow turnaround times. Staff sometimes had to wait up to three weeks for new content to appear, hampering their ability to run competitions and special promotions and communicate with the rest of the industry. Assuming a more consolidated approach to the presentation of information, products, services and industry knowledge would resolve these publishing and information-sharing issues, says Kim Denham, Tourism WA s Chief Information Officer. We needed to develop a framework where all business units had the ability to control and share content publication, enabling them to collaborate on marketing and promotional activities and ensure an up-to-date Web site. A dynamic, user-friendly and content-rich online presence also allows us to present a full range of interesting and exciting visitor experiences, she says. We wanted people to have easy access to a fully interactive tourism experience with a direct gateway to attractions, holiday specials, tours, events and accommodation. Tourism WA needed to create a unique online facility for various audiences staff, consumers, industry representatives and the media. The solution had to incorporate and facilitate a content management system flexible enough to integrate with other platforms and external databases. As a dedicated Microsoft house, Tourism WA wanted to use the Microsoft.NET Framework to build the new Web site. Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Change Corporation provided project management and design services. In mid-2003, following an extensive analysis of Tourism WA s business requirements, Change Corporation began developing a Microsoft.NET technology-based marketplace gateway as the focal point for tourism in Western Australia. Tourism WA deployed Microsoft Content Management Server within the Microsoft.NET Framework to enable the site to be updated rapidly. This is integrated with Microsoft Commerce Server to enable

3 financial transactions. Both these products are linked to the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) to create the system. Integration with existing systems was imperative, according to Denham. Visitor profiling would enable us to connect people to tour operators at the earliest opportunity or present special offers or specific campaigns, she explains. That meant the Web site had to integrate with our contact and membership databases. Information contained within Tourism WA s various consumer, industry and staff electronic newsletters is also linked to the Web site. The idea is to create original content that serves as many areas as possible, says Denham. A team of 20 people worked on the project. Aside from technical staff, there was a marketing team who designed the graphical, functional and navigational requirements. The content development and review team oversaw Web site material. The product group, working with tourism network staff, ensured all tourismrelated product information was up to date. The education team prepared user manuals and held training sessions for Tourism WA employees. They also traveled to 40 Visitor Centers throughout WA to train staff on the new product database. The new Web site ( was launched on 31 March, 2004 after a 10-month development phase. With more than 620 pages and up to 4,500 products on offer, plus a host of new features, the revamped Web site received immediate positive feedback from consumers, staff and industry. We ve seen the number of visitors to our Web site increase by 22 percent in three months compared with the same time last year, says Denham. Our industry partners are also very impressed with the design, features and functionality of the site. Freedom to Publish Denham believes achieving crossdivisional content ownership and electronic publication have been the most significant benefits of the project. Publishing a page is now quick and simple, she says. It is a very efficient way for staff to disseminate and communicate information between business units, industry partners and the public. Training people on the publishing process took two months. The software is very easy to use, says Denham. Staff with limited technical knowledge can now publish content. We currently have 80 staff who can use the system. Content previously left unedited on a regular basis is now updated consistently. New business processes underpin the new online systems. Tourism WA implemented quality control workflows that mean all cross-divisional content created and edited for publication on the Web site is monitored vigorously. The new Web site is Tourism WA s default homepage, making it possible for staff in different divisions to observe events and trades undertaken across the organisation. It allows them to coordinate complementary activities and promotions with ease. Staff take pride in their contribution to the Web site, Denham says. They improved their skills and knowledge immensely during the Web site development stage. She adds: An added bonus is that we no longer have to send content to a third party for uploading onto our Web site, which has resulted in a significant cost saving. We no longer have to send content to a third party for uploading onto our Web site, which has resulted in a significant cost saving.

4 More Features, More Functionality The Web site has many innovative features designed to enhance user experience while providing industry partners with maximum exposure. Our aim is not just to showcase Western Australia as a premier tourist destination, says Denham. We also want to ensure that tour operators, events, restaurants and other service providers are presented to consumers in the best possible light and at the earliest opportunity. The Geographic Information System mapping feature, for instance, helps users to plan every aspect of their driving holiday. Let s say you want to drive from Perth to Margaret River, Denham explains. The map will provide several route options, complete with driving instructions. Select an option and a range of accommodation, restaurants, attractions and events along the way will be listed. All enquiries from the Web site are fed automatically into a new Help Desk system. It records the type of enquiry received and the date and time of the request. Enquiries are then directed to the relevant Tourism WA business unit. Other features include an image library with 3,000 photos, a currency converter and live camera feeds. Industry Benefits Linking the Tourism WA Web site to the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse allows local tour operators to enter their information into a national database. The database feeds Tourism WA s Web site as well as the Touris m Australia Web site. This means users browsing the Tourism Australia site can access the contact details of tour operators in WA, says Denham. This ensures that their products and services reach as large an audience as possible. In order to register their details on the database, operators are charged an annual membership fee which can be paid via the Tourism WA Web site. Denham says incorporating online payments for other services is under consideration. Future Plans The Tourism WA Web site is the foundation of the Tourism emarketplace in Western Australia. Denham says Tourism WA is keen to extend the sharing of information and content to industry and other stakeholders. The WA Tourism emarketplace is based on a state-wide online marketing framework, where organizations involved in tourism can use these newly established online systems as the basis of their own online presence, Denham explains. Work is now underway to develop the Web sites of regional tourism organizations and other partners so they too can take advantage of the Web. This will put regional tourism organizations in a strong position to run specific and cross-regional marketing activities and provide them with a greater opportunity to offer a wider range of services. Linking consumers and industry in the same environment will help promote and generate new business opportunities and benefits, says Denham. The coordinated approach to online marketing will spotlight Western Australia at an international level as a must-see destination on every visitor s itinerary.

5 Microsoft Windows Microsoft Office Microsoft SQL Server Microsoft Commerce Server Microsoft Content Management Server Microsoft.NET Framework Hardware Compaq servers Partner Change Corporation Software for the Agile Business For more information in Australia, call the Microsoft Information Centre on To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: For more information about Tourism Western Australia call or visit the Web site at: For more information about Change Corporation services, call (08) or visit the Web site at: Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, SQL Server and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Date Published: August 2004