PRODUCTION STARTS ON THREE NEW BOOKS PROMOTING THE SOUTH PACIFIC

We’ve started production on three new coffee table books to promote The Cook Islands, Vanuatu and The Solomon Islands.

The hard cover books (above) will be published early in 2018, drawing on the best of thousands of photographs uploaded to our on-line photo library at www.davidkirklandphotography.com

The 120 page souvenir books have been carefully designed to re-enforce the marketing efforts of each of the country’s national tourism authorities by including appealing images of their main tourists attractions, with subjects including scenery, activities, culture and the exceptional experiences on offer to visitors. Importantly, they are a convenient size (210mm X 210mm), so they fit easily into a suitcase, and they’ll be reasonably priced (probably around AUD$30 each).

Photographic souvenir books have long played an important role in a country’s marketing mix. Visitors expect to be able to buy them when they arrive so they can return home with something to remember their holiday by and share with family and friends – hopefully creating the desire in others to visit the country too. Unfortunately, the comparatively low volume of tourists in the South Pacific, coupled with transport, storage and distribution costs, and having money tied up in stock for so long, continues to make publishing books commercially challenging (if not seriously risky, as my general manager keeps telling me).

More than 150 photographs will be included in each book which has been based on the successful design of our Papua New Guinea Gift Book (below) of which 3,000 copies have already sold.

We have plans to create similar publications on other countries in the South Pacific on which we have built substantial photo libraries – maybe we’ll also do some wall calendars and playing cards which continue to prove popular. One thing I can say with certainly is that we’re out of the postcard business which has gone the way of the Dodo with everyone now using their smart phones to send photos home and avoid mailing costs.

So, expect to see our books on the shelves when you visit the Cook Islands, The Solomons, Vanuatu or Papua New Guinea next year.

Next Assignment: The Cook Islands (….though there’s still Lesotho (Africa) in the pipeline and a rumour going around that I might head back to Vanuatu beforehand….but then, who really knows).