Launching Sainte-Cilana as a destination on the French BtoB market
Who dreams of visiting Sainte-Cilana, a beautiful destination in the Indian Ocean?
Discover Cilana and Touhava, the historic district, Salapot, the craft district, swim or surf on the paradise beaches of Ageni and Commcy, relax in the seaside town of Wilwi?
It’s all just a dream, because as you know, April 1st is synonymous with April Fools’ Day!
So this attractive destination is just a figment of our wild imagination.
This year, we wanted to go big, and we were inspired.
We then created a destination from A to Z: from the currency (the Cilan), to the national holiday, to the size of the country.
As for the island’s points of interest, their names are anagrams made up of the first names or surnames of each member of our team.
For example: Ste-Cilana: Anagram of Celia and Stan Grint Shavetil, island ambassador: Anagram of Travel-Insight We’ve thought of everything.
Find out more about our prank of the year here 👇
Step 1: Create the destination
Every country has its flag, every destination has its embassy and every place has its colors. We had to create everything so that we could believe it… and make you believe it.
Firstly, the island’s colors: on its flag, on its website and at its tourist office. Blue to signify the monarchy and the dominant color of the landscape (since it’s an island), green because the island is recognized as a sanctuary of nature and yellow because the sun shines there all year round and represents the influence of the Cilanese people throughout the Indian Ocean (or almost).
The island’s symbol is also very important for its storytelling. In France, it’s the rooster; in Sainte-Cilana, it’s the fish, representing the island’s economic power thanks to fishing. We also came up with a flag that incorporates these different elements, and finally, we created the embassy’s logo so that its ambassador can communicate officially.
We’ve created an island from scratch, so we might as well create a tourist office too. Every listed tourist office has a strong identity and reflects the identity of the country, so we took this recipe and used it for the Sainte-Cilana Tourist Office. We took up elements of the island’s identity, using the baseline “Discover Sainte-Cilana”, which is easy to remember. The blue of the logo is one of the island’s colors and the 3 triangles next to the name represent the fish tails, the island’s emblem.
Now that we’ve created our identity, we can finally communicate! We’ve created a website that showcases every aspect of the island. It’s essential to be referenced and to have a point of contact on the Internet in case some dubious people have conducted their research…
We’re the undiscovered destination of the Indian Ocean, where the flora & fauna are a natural treasure trove unequalled anywhere in the world. Our destination is opening up at a time when we are set to become one of the world’s trendiest destinations.
Grint Shavetil
Ambassador of Saint Cilana
Step two: Social networks
We couldn’t! So we created a Facebook page and an Instagram page. Animated with content highlighting an ecosystem unique in the world, breathtaking landscapes, paradisiacal beaches and its more mystical, mountainous center. Find out how we communicated on social networks!
Step three: Press relations
And for an effective communication strategy, it’s very important to include press relations. Toumag, TRVLR, dailyadvent and Mister Travel. played the game and our articles on Sainte-Cilana were published.
Stage 4: The ambassador’s evening
On Tuesday evening, March 29, 2022, Sainte-Cilana, a small island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mauritius and Reunion, made its launch on the French market official.
A look back at a colorful event, a brilliant reflection of Cilanese conviviality… Welcomed by His Excellency Mr. Shaventil Grint, Ambassador of Saint Cilana to France, and by the destination’s cultural attaché Mrs. Yazela Gracil, tourism professionals, journalists and institutions gradually filled the Entreprises du Voyage headquarters.
Throughout the evening, Jemclécé, stasama, kirom dumplings and other Cilanese specialties were offered to the assembly to highlight the island’s gastronomic assets. These extracts from Cilanese cuisine delighted gourmets with their flavors and spicy aromas. A true voyage of the senses!
