Tourism Destination Marketing Part 2

Major Operations Assessing the current market(s) and forecasting future ones Auditing the destination and analysing its appeal to the markets Developing strategic objectives and a marketing mix Creating an organisation for implementing the objectives Carrying them out and evaluating the results

Assessing the current market(s) and forecasting future ones

Auditing the destination and analysing its appeal to the markets

Developing strategic objectives and a marketing mix

Creating an organisation for implementing the objectives

Carrying them out and evaluating the results

Assessing markets Who are the visitors? Who will future visitors be? Why are they likely to come? What will they do?

Who are the visitors?

Who will future visitors be?

Why are they likely to come?

What will they do?

Research Counts of all individuals entering or leaving the country Interviews at frontiers with a sample of those entering and departing Self-completion questionnaires Sample surveys of population of a country Accommodation nights and arrivals recorded by individual accommodation providers

Counts of all individuals entering or leaving the country

Interviews at frontiers with a sample of those entering and departing

Self-completion questionnaires

Sample surveys of population of a country

Accommodation nights and arrivals recorded by individual accommodation providers

Forecasting Exploratory forecasting: looking at past trends and projecting them into the future Speculative forecasting: qualitative approach, based on predictions made by informed experts Normative forecasting: tourism organisation sets targets eg. visitor numbers, expected revenue – then works out tactics to meet them Integrative forecasting: integrates the results from other forecasting methods

Exploratory forecasting: looking at past trends and projecting them into the future

Speculative forecasting: qualitative approach, based on predictions made by informed experts

Normative forecasting: tourism organisation sets targets eg. visitor numbers, expected revenue – then works out tactics to meet them

Integrative forecasting: integrates the results from other forecasting methods

Forecasting Forecasting is more art than science and cannot be relegated to a mechanical data-crunching activity. A forecaster needs to become involved with the data to detect changing patterns. Geurts, 1982

Forecasting is more art than science and cannot be relegated to a mechanical data-crunching activity. A forecaster needs to become involved with the data to detect changing patterns.

Geurts, 1982

Destination Life Cycle TALC Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline or rejuventation

TALC

Exploration

Involvement

Development

Consolidation

Stagnation

Decline or rejuventation

Destination Auditing In order to ensure the destination capacity will cope with forecast visitors these questions need to be asked: What is there? What is thought to be there? What has been represented as being there?

In order to ensure the destination capacity will cope with forecast visitors these questions need to be asked:

What is there?

What is thought to be there?

What has been represented as being there?

What is there? Physical attractions Socio cultural resources Infrastructure Accommodation

Physical attractions

Socio cultural resources

Infrastructure

Accommodation

What is thought to be there? Destination image Usually stereotyped Images are more differentiated and complex to previous visitors than non visitors Older established destinations images are more affected by non-promotional communication Word of mouth affects image more than most other influences

Destination image

Usually stereotyped

Images are more differentiated and complex to previous visitors than non visitors

Older established destinations images are more affected by non-promotional communication

Word of mouth affects image more than most other influences

Destination Image cont. Well established images are hard to change and require heave investment to do so Its is often the media rather than advertising which most influences destination image Destination images may vary with different audiences Destination images vary inter-regionally

Well established images are hard to change and require heave investment to do so

Its is often the media rather than advertising which most influences destination image

Destination images may vary with different audiences

Destination images vary inter-regionally

Destination Branding Difficult to do because: Not a homogenous product Destination marketers cannot set prices or control the distribution system, branding has to rely totally on promotion or publicity Difficult to make one brand appeal to all

Difficult to do because:

Not a homogenous product

Destination marketers cannot set prices or control the distribution system, branding has to rely totally on promotion or publicity

Difficult to make one brand appeal to all

Marketing Strategy Difficult to position a destination because the destination marketer does not have control over individual tourism businesses and products Need to target a variety of groups to a destination to ensure maximum visits Destination may mean different things to different groups of visitors

Difficult to position a destination because the destination marketer does not have control over individual tourism businesses and products

Need to target a variety of groups to a destination to ensure maximum visits

Destination may mean different things to different groups of visitors

Marketing Mix Difficult as the destination marketer does not have control over the products within the destination nor with the associated prices and distribution The majority of destinations marketing input occurs in the promotion of the destination

Difficult as the destination marketer does not have control over the products within the destination nor with the associated prices and distribution

The majority of destinations marketing input occurs in the promotion of the destination