Our Services.
Tourism-specific
Our Australian clients (international-ready / Asia-ready strategies)
- Bundaberg Tourism / Bundaberg Regional Council
- Longreach Regional Council
- Winton Shire Council
Previous experience preparing international-ready tourism strategies & masterplans:
- Singapore Tourism Board
- Tourism & Events Queensland
- Myanmar Ministry of Hotels & Tourism
- Bintan Resorts, Indonesia
Cultural Intelligence for Destination Managers and the Tourism Industry
Our clients (international-ready checklists, podcasts & other resources)
- Bundaberg Tourism / Bundaberg Regional Council
- GAPDL / Gladstone Regional Council
- Sunshine Coast Regional Council
- PCMA / AIME (Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event)
- Surf Life Saving Queensland
Examples:
- Cross-cultural webinar for AIME (Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event)
- Project Asia podcast series for Bundaberg Tourism
- Asia-Ready Checklist for tourism operators and owners of market stalls
Our Australian clients (destination & regional strategies)
- Bundaberg Tourism / Bundaberg Regional Council
- Longreach Regional Council
- Winton Shire Council
Previous experience preparing destination & regional strategies:
- Singapore Tourism Board
- Tourism & Events Queensland
- Myanmar Ministry of Hotels & Tourism
- Bintan Resorts, Indonesia
- Beihai & Hainan, China
Experience Guide Plans differ in scope and scale to other destination plans:
- Focus is on placemaking design elements and destination experience
- Similar to Customer Journey Mapping, but from the “on-the-ground and in-the-moment” perspective of visitors
- Example of a design principle from the Singapore River-Marina Bay District Experience Guide Plan: “Any visitor to this tourist precinct should not walk more than 100m along any stretch of the river without having the opportunity to play.”
Previous experience preparing Experience Guide Plans:
- Singapore Tourism Board
- Bintan Resorts, Indonesia
Market Activation Strategies and Plans differ significantly from the other destination plans:
- Focus: how to activate the market with a “big idea” to launch a new destination brand, product or service
- Major launch concept on a global scale (often to niche international market segments)
- Larger in scale than business-as-usual tourism campaigns
- Includes checklist for market activation success, potential revenue opportunities, and guidelines for securing campaign stakeholders and partners
Previous experience preparing international-ready tourism strategies & masterplans:
- Singapore Tourism Board
- Tourism & Events Queensland (internationally acclaimed, multi award-winning global activation campaigns including Best Job in the World and Million Dollar Memo)
Previous experience preparing Design & Development Guidelines for Tourism Precincts:
- Singapore Tourism Board
- Bintan Resorts, Indonesia
About.
Craig Shim
Queensland’s only qualified intercultural business consultant providing specialised advice on applying Cultural Intelligence to tourism strategy development.
Craig Shim has unmatched first-hand overseas and local experience developing international-ready tourism strategies and masterplans, particularly for Asian visitor markets. Here’s a snapshot of his experience relevant to tourism:
- Over two decades of global tourism marketing and cross-cultural consulting experience
- Director of Alphacrane Intercultural Specialists – an Australian, Queensland-based consultancy specialising in cross-cultural business and communication skills
- Based in Asia for 14 years
- Strategist and planner behind multiple tourism destinations that have now become international icons
- Singapore. Thematic Development Manager for the Singapore Tourism Board, leading the revitalisation and placemaking of the Singapore River-Marina Bay District (home of Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort and Casino, Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay)
- Indonesia. Masterplanner for South East Asia’s largest integrated resort, Bintan Resorts (approximately the size of Australia’s Sunshine Coast)
- China. Consulted to the governments of China’s two iconic coastal resort destinations, Beihai and Hainan, which are often compared with Australia’s Gold Coast and the Whitsundays
- Myanmar (Burma). Consulted to the Myanmar Government on its first national tourism strategy since the country reopened its borders to the world after 50 years of isolation
- Developed an industry-first initiative called Project Asia in response to multiple requests from regional Australian towns seeking to develop their Asia-ready tourism capabilities
- Through Project Asia, Craig was engaged to develop tourism strategies for the Councils of Bundaberg, Longreach, Winton and Gladstone
- Led Queensland’s first global tourism brand strategy, activated with the internationally acclaimed, multi award-winning global activation campaigns including Best Job in the World and Million Dollar Memo
- Consults to foreign diplomats and government agencies at the Federal, State and Local levels
- International diplomacy coaching for government officials
- Intercultural business coaching for executives on international postings or assignments
- Intercultural business coaching for executives on international postings or assignments
- Global corporate clients include Air New Zealand, Boeing, BP, Nike, PepsiCo, Mastercard. Caterpillar, Biogen Swiss etc
- Manager Thematic Development, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore
- Destination Specialist, Tourism Australia, Singapore
- Planner, Bintan Resorts, Indonesia
- Manger Strategic Planning / Market Activation, Tourism & Events Queensland, Australia
More details on LinkedIn
- Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning (Hons), University of Queensland
- Certified Intercultural Coach, Cartus Intercultural Academy
- Qualified Facilitator, Cross-Cultural Negotiations, TACK International
- Qualified Problem Based Learning Facilitator, RVi Institute / Singapore Republic Polytechnic
- Qualified Professional Training Consultant, RVi Institute
- Co-Founder of Project Global Citizen, a cultural competency accelerator program for international students
- Executive Committee Member and Chairperson, Cultural Inclusiveness Committee, Hills & Districts Chamber of Commerce
- Committee Member, gen[in], a Queensland Government-sponsored initiative to build the entrepreneurial mindset and skills of international and globally-minded young people
- Alumni Member, Queensland Leaders
- Member, Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism (MBRIT)
- Member, SIETAR Australasia (The Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research)
About Alphacrane Intercultural Specialists.
We are an Australian, Queensland-based consultancy specialising in cross-cultural business and communication skills.
Our mission is to help our clients apply Cultural Intelligence (CQ) as an essential business tool for addressing barriers to peak business performance.
Our consultancy services include intercultural business coaching, training and advice.
Our tourism-specific offering includes:
- International-Ready / Asia-Ready Tourism Strategies
- Culturally Inclusive Tourism Strategies
- International-Ready Checklists & Related Resources (e.g. podcasts) for Tourism Operators
- Destination and Regional Tourism Strategies
- Destination or Business Experience Guide Plans
- Global Market Activation Plans
- Design & Development Guidelines for Tourism Precincts
Our clients are professionals who lead international teams, manage change for international Merger & Acquisitions, manage global mobility, conduct international trade and investment attraction, and who operate in international education, tourism, healthcare and other global industries.
Our tourism-specific clients:
- Air New Zealand
- Bundaberg Tourism / Bundaberg Regional Council
- Longreach Regional Council
- Winton Shire Council
- GAPDL / Gladstone Regional Council
- Sunshine Coast Council
- Moreton Bay Region Industry & Tourism (MBRIT)
We believe that Cultural Intelligence is often the missing link to peak business performance that organisations often overlook.
We focus on helping clients understand deep-rooted cross-cultural differences between business mindsets, communication styles, values and attitudes – all of which can make or break meaningful relationships and business deals.
Our signature Scenario-Based Learning methodology results in deeper and longer-lasting understanding among coaching and training participants as they delve into real-life challenges.