The agency is adding a number of services relating to tourism to the consulting services offered to its worldwide corporate clients.
IMG senior vice president Andy Pierce confirmed it is looking to team up with national tourist boards, regions, travel companies, resorts, hotel chains, institutional investors and others in tourism.
Said an IMG spokesman: “Objectives for the tourism area of IMG Consulting include providing sports and lifestyle opportunities for global destinations and offering partnership opportunities for agency clients.
“IMG has long been involved in bringing sports and cultural events and opportunities to many areas and destinations and the synergies with tourism are compelling.”
Roddy Carr has been named vice president, director of tourism for IMG Consulting and will head the new specialty.
The former Irish international golfer, has worked with IMG previously, first as an IMG golf client in the 1970s, and then in the golf division and heading up IMG in Southeast Asia in the Eighties and more recently evaluating the opportunity for tourism within IMG.
Said Carr: “The timing is right to capitalise on increased governmental and other public sector funding of tourism initiatives in many parts of the world.
“Our tourism strategy will follow the IMG business model in television, events, entertainment, multimedia marketing, licensing and other areas, providing access to and ways to benefit from new and existing events, sponsorships, media and promotional activities.”
IMG’s television division TWI, and its interactive media company TWIi, will also assist in the tourism push.
IMG Consulting currently works with the City of Miami and with Bermuda on tourism initiatives, and has worked with areas from Mexico to China, from South Africa to Korea.
IMG staff in the UK, Dubai, Austria, India and North America will also be directly involved in integrating the tourism initiatives into other IMG businesses.
