1. Marketing Plan of an Ecotourism Resort
1.1 Mission Statement: The core business activity of the Ecotourism Resort would be to:
- Offer and provide a high quality ecotourism experience for our clients.
- Operate in a sustainable and financially profitable manner so that our shareholders
receive maximum dividends.
- Patronise the local community by offering them employment opportunities, making
use of locally manufactured goods and services when possible, even if the costs are
relatively more. Furthermore, advice, training and support will be provided to the
local indigenous community members to foster their entrepreneurial development.
- Ensuring that tourism activities do not damage or alter the cultural and natural
environment of the northern territory by implementing sustainable practices and
educating visitors in this regards.
- Promoting the Northern Territory both overseas and Australia wide as a tourism
destination and facilitating appropriate tourism development besides encouraging
investment in the region, particularly in the tourism sector.
1.2 Sustainability Policy: The sustainable policy of the eco-tourism resort includes the
following:
- The purchasing policy will involve buying certified wood while at the same time
identifying substitutes for uncertified tropical wood.
- Using 100% recycled paper for all printing material.
- Reducing the purchase of endangered fish species by imposing purchase limits.
- Buying organic fruits and vegetables for the restaurant’s kitchen.
- Reducing and limiting the use of pesticides and other chemicals on premises.
- Using ECOCERT approved organic and fair trade cotton for its bed-spreads, pillow-
cases, curtains, towels etc.
- Sharing our values with our business partners so that they work closely with the
resort in regards to sustainability as well as the awareness of sustainable
development challenges. The resort will encourage partners to embed sustainable
practices into their daily operations.
- Carrying out sustainability audits and producing sustainable development reports at
the end of the year.
- Reducing the material used in packaging.
- Buying supplies from local producers which will limit transport related pollution
since supplies would no longer be arriving from Darwin.
- Finding alternate sources of energy to provide electricity to the resort. For example,
installing solar panels and wind turbines.
- Generating at least 70% energy from renewable sources of energy.

2. - Building designated smoking areas and declaring all public areas to be smoke-free
zones.
- Forming in-house waste reduction and pollution prevention teams.
- Installing Hybrid engines in buses part of the shuttle services and other transport
vehicles.
- Using energy-saver light bulbs for lighting purposes
- Installing sewage water treatment plants to reuse sewage water for watering plants
and other vegetation.
- Maintaining an organic garden and orchard for grocery supplies which again reduces
transport emissions.
- Carrying out community welfare activities such as providing employment
opportunities to the indigenous community, training, entrepreneurial advice,
inaugurating schools and installing water treatment plants in indigenous
settlements, reinvesting part of resort income on community welfare, conducting
sustainability awareness programs for staff members and for the general
community.
- Conserving the natural and wildlife habitat prior to and after the resort has opened.
- Ensuring that the recreational services offered on site such as go-carting and boating
are hybrid powered.
- The resort offers fishing as one of its niche experience. It would be ensured that
these services are provided only in those regions which do not contain any type of
endangered fish species.
2.0 Current Market Position: Tourismis the Northern Territory's largest employing industry,
providing jobs for 14,000 people (6.1% of employment). It promotes economic growth at
local, regional and Territory-wide levels through the creation of income, employment and
investment opportunities. The visitor economy is worth over $1.4 billion and is responsible
for 8.7% of total economic output. The visitor economy, which is supported by the tourism
sector, includes visitors who come for leisure, business events, and corporate travel, to visit
friends and relatives and other purposes.
The ecotourism resort would be the first of its kind to be introduced in the Northern
Territory, since no such resorts have been operating in the NT before. It would be built near
the Kakadu National Park, which attracts a large number of visitors every year and is listed
under the UNESCO world heritage sites. Although, luxury resorts operate in large
metropolitan areas such as Darwin, but the concept of an ecotourism resort in the NT is still
new. Similar resorts exist in all other states of Australia. However, the Northern Territory,
with its large amount of resources (land, labour, capital and enterprise), strategic alliances
and partnerships and government support is optimistic about the success of the resort.

3. 2.2 Product: The core product of the ecotourism resort would be to provide its customers
the unique natural and cultural experiences offered by the Northern Territory. It should be
noted that the core product is a service and is therefore, intangible.
The actual product: The actual product of the resort would be the luxury accommodation it
provides to its customers on site.
The augmented product: This will include the actual product plus a number of different
services offered such as trips and tours involving interaction of visitors with the indigenous
people, art, culture, wildlife and bird watching, fishing as well as souvenir shops selling
locally manufactured products.
Since tourism NT’s competitors are already providing services of such a nature in different
states as well as internationally, the concept of ecotourism resorts is not, therefore tourism
NT will capitalize on its competitive edge that is providing natural experiences through the
Kakadu National Park and interaction with indigenous culture, which cannot be found
anywhere else.
2.3 Place: In order to sell its services as well as the augmented product, the ecotourism
resort will need to have premises of its own. For this purpose, tourism NT purchased a 5
acre piece of land from the Northern Territory Government, which will house the resort,
different shops and the recreational facilities that it offers. It will contain 400 fully furnished
standard rooms, family rooms and luxury suites and would be a 5-star eco-tourism resort.
The resort is situated at a distance of just 4 miles from the Kakadu National Park. This close
proximity with a natural and cultural hotspot such as the Kakadu National Park is yet
another competitive edge of the resort. This is because most of its competitors such as
Tourism Queensland’s resorts are situated quite far from the natural and cultural
destinations that they offer. Moreover, it will also run shuttle bus services from the resort to
Darwin Airport, to facilitate the movement of visitors to the resort and to make the resort as
accessible as it could be.
Furthermore, information centres that advise potential visitors on the most reasonable
means of transportation to take in order to reach the resorts would be opened throughout
Australia, under the Tourism NT brand name, online as well as in partnership with travel and
tour operators such as Flight Centre and Expedia, both domestically and internationally.
2.4 Price: Every business needs to set prices for the products or service that it provides. For
this purpose, tourism NT devised a pricing strategy which will help determine the prices of
the various products and services offered at the resort as well the degree of flexibility in
regards to individual prices. The pricing strategy will include fares, discounts, special
package deals and offers. Although, the free market mechanism enables the seller of the
product to sell the product at whatever price they wish to, however, it would be ensured
that pricing levels are ethically correct and competitive at the same time.

4. The resort’s pricing policy includes:
- The pricing policy would be devised in such a way so that it is affordable for
members of tourism NT’s different market segments. For example, lower rates for
backpackers in comparison to relatively higher rates for families.
- Prices would be competitively priced against competitors with focus being on
providing exceptional quality at a price which is affordable for customers and
competitive at the same time.
- Ensuring a high margin, to cover the developmental costs as quickly as they can be
covered and start receiving returns on investments.
- Offering discounts to encourage prompt payment as well as offering discounts on
bulk buying which in this context would be providing group/family discounts in the
form of special package deals and offers.
- Prices would be set up in such a manner which persuades the visitors to lengthen
their stay, as well as come back for a return visit.
2.5 Promotion: Promotion is the element within an organization’s marketing mix that is
used to inform and persuade the market regarding the organization’s products and services.
Tourism NT is a well established brand and aims at promoting the ecotourism resort in a
similar fashion as it does for its other products and experiences. However, it also plans on
adopting promotional tactics used by its competitors as well as exploit the weaknesses that
exist in those tactics. It will therefore promote the resort through:
- Advertising – print, broadcast, direct mail and the internet.
- Public Relations – media release, media kits, press conferences, media
familiarisations, interviews and speeches.
- Personal Selling – trade and consumer events, sales calls, sales missions and staff
training.
- Sales Promotions – competitions and sales incentives.
As per the competitor analysis, tourism Queensland promotes its resorts particularly
through personal selling, at tourism exhibitions globally, which helps them to attract a lot of
potential customers. Tourism NT adopted a similar approach by participating in Tourism
Expos domestically and internationally, representing themselves by setting up stalls which
attracted a lot of customer attention.
Moreover, tourism Queensland seem rather reluctant to promote themselves through
public relations or carrying out publicity activities at public events such as sporting events,
concerts, festivals etc. This has provided a vacuum which tourism NT can fill by promoting
the resorts heavily through PR and publicity activities.
It also aims to spend more on its advertising budget to develop an extensive advertising
campaign which in the past had a relatively low budget.

5. 2.6 People: It is essential for a business to have a staff which understands the goals and
objectives of the business and works in conjunction with the management in achieving
those objectives. The ecotourism resort can be categorized as a large business organization
which aims at employing a staff comprising of 500 employees.
Tourism NT offers training services as part of its accreditation programme and has several
agreements in place with its counterparts in WA and SA regarding exchange of staff. It also
offers internships and apprenticeships to University and TAFE students who wish to work in
the tourism industry as well as to members of the indigenous community. It also has the
option to outsource the recruitment of staff to recruitment agencies such as Tusk Group
during times of staff shortages and peak seasons. This means that it has a large pool of a
prospective human resource.
Once the recruitment process has been undertaken and staff has been hired, tourism NT
will ensure that the resort staff undergoes a proper training programme by the name of
“Managing Tourism and Hospitality” which spans over 4 weeks developed in partnership
with Kangan Institute and similar programmes on a regular basis to boost the productivity
and career prospects of staff members.
Priority areas in which staff would be trained are:
- Customer Service.
- Communication skills.
- Dispute and query resolutions.
- Performing under pressure.
- Operational Health and Safety.
- The resorts value, vision and mission statements (Employees need to know as to
what it is that the resort stands for).
2.7 Process: A business will cease to operate in the absence of business processes and
procedures. They can be defined as the arteries in our bodies which pump blood. In the
commercial context, they ensure that the operations of the business flow through smoothly
and efficiently. The resort will have a number of processes and procedures which are listed
as follows:
- Disciplinary procedures: For example, punctuality, code of conduct etc.
- Housekeeping procedures: Making sure the resort is clean at all times.
- OHS procedures: Procedures designed to cope up with workplace hazards and
incidents.
- Security procedures: CCTV surveillance, prevention of theft, robbery, quarrels etc.
- Customer service procedure: Room service, food and recreation, dealing with
queries.

6. - Booking procedures: Booking rooms online or via telephone, storing guests’
information, dealing with guests when they check-in and check out.
- Transportation procedures: Managing the flow of customers from Darwin to the
resort and vice versa, arranging trips to cultural and natural sites.
2.8 Physical Evidence: The way in which a business portrays its staff and premises has a
significant impact on how the customers perceive the business to be in person or when they
see photos or videos of the premises and staff during promotional activities.
The premises have been designed to promote the resort as a venue offering luxury, comfort,
healthy entertainment together with the ecotourism services it provides. Large parts of the
premises will be decorated with trees and plants, greenbelts, gardens to promote
sustainable practices by the resort, its environment and eco-friendliness policies. Efforts
would be made to ensure that the level of pollution (air, water, soil, noise, visual, light,
personal pollution such as smoking etc) is minimized. The resort aims at achieving a 5-star
eco rating in regards to its sustainability practices in order to expand on its competitive
edge. This has been further discussed below in the strategy relating to physical evidence.
Male members of the staff would be dressed in formal suits which would be black in colour
and would have badges with the resort’s logo and their first names on it. Similarly, female
members of the staff would wear formal coats and skirts, also black in colour with similar
badges. They would be trained to behave in a courteous, warm and welcoming manner
during their training programmes.
3.0 Market Overview: The performance of a business can be affected by factors internal as
well as external to the organization. The purpose of the market overview is to take these
factors into consideration when making a marketing plan and anticipate any changes that
are likely to affect the success of the business. The factors that are both internal and
external to the resort and may affect its success are as follows:
- The number of people using the internet is growing day by day and this amount is
expected to grow even further. With the latest developments in information
technology, more commercial activities are taking place online. Therefore, the
management at the resort has decided to develop an online booking system to
facilitate customers even further.
- Recent market research suggests anticipate an increase in the awareness for
corporate sustainability amongst consumers in the coming 6 months, particularly
from Europe and North America and they are likely to forego a business that is
unsustainable for a sustainable choice and there would be little or no role of price as
a determining factor. Therefore, in order to retain and attract new customers, the
business will need to embed sustainable practices in its daily operations.

7. - Studies suggest growth in the backpacker segment in the coming 12 months and that
increased accommodation facilities would be needed to cater to the members of this
segment. For this purpose, the resort will offer standard rooms which will be priced
reasonably, would be affordable and within the purchasing power of the
backpackers.
- Travel and tourism experts also anticipate a rise in the number of visitors from
countries with emerging economies such as China and India, where the newly
formed upper middle class can afford travel to the Northern Territory. Therefore,
tourism NT will target these customers by using the relevant variables such as
separate promotional campaigns, partnerships with local Chinese and Indian tour
operators etc.
- The introduction of low-cost air-craft carriers means that visitation to the NT will
increase by a considerable amount during the next 6 months, which means that the
resort needs to develop partnerships and alliances with these airline companies in
order to better approach and target their customers. For example, special discounts
offered to Tiger Airways passengers if they choose to stay at the resort.
4.0 SWOT Analysis: A SWOT assesses the organization’s strengths and weaknesses which
are internal to the organization, as well as opportunities and threats which are external to
the organization. Completing the SWOT analysis helps to identify ways to minimize the
effect of weaknesses within the organization while at the same time maximizing strengths. A
firm will ideally match its strengths against market opportunities that result from
competitor weaknesses or void. Some factors taken into consideration when preparing a
SWOT analysis are provision of financial resources, suppliers and distributors, current client
base, pricing levels, profit margins and certain unique product characteristics. The SWOT
analysis for Tourism NT’s ecotourism resort is as follows:
4.1 Strengths:
- The resort is situated near an iconic natural attraction and a world heritage national
park, namely, the Kakadu national park.
- Offers interaction with unique, historical and contemporary culture, particularly the
indigenous culture.
- Due to geographical differences, the NT offers a welcome escape from southern
winter.
- Significant development of infrastructure in the NT such as a new convention centre
and a cruise terminal were developed in Darwin
- Sound performance during the last 5 years.
- Global demand for natural and cultural travel is expected to grow, which is a positive
indicator for the NT.

8. - Tourism NT has maintained an active marketing program and developed branding
tools to further strengthen its message, which is a positive indicator for the resort
since it has a joint-demand with tourism NT.
4.2 Weaknesses:
- Lack of diverse and innovative tourism product.
- Accessibility issues due to geographical isolation and seasonal closure of roads.
- Still plenty of room for developmental work such as more accommodation facilities,
improvement in service standards, etc to meet the needs of the tourism market.
- Consumer demand is still highly seasonal.
- The industry is geographically dispersed and there is a lack of critical mass and
linkages in tourism networks.
- Challenges still exist in communicating with the indigenous community due to their
secluded way of life.
- Geographical and demographical factors as well as lack of established businesses still
pose hindrances in investment.
- Slow growth in domestic travel constituting two-thirds of the tourism industry.
- Lack of private investment and industry dependence on government for tourism
marketing and development.
4.3 Opportunities:
- Growth in experiential travel and increased social awareness is likely to create a
trend towards more frequent short-stay trips with focus on product quality and
service standards.
- Anticipated growth in visitors from China, Korea and India.
- Domestic visitation still growing in the NT despite a decline elsewhere.
- Modest expansion in aviation capacity and growth in cruise ship industry.
- Introduction of low-cost aircraft carriers means an increased number of visitors.
- Increased business and traveller confidence due to socio-political stability.
- Increased use of internet by customers to plan and book their travel activities.
4.4 Threats:
- It still faces competition for the ‘outback’ positioning.
- Increased competition internationally from the Asia-Pacific region which offers high
product quality and service standards at cheaper prices. Moreover, due to a rise in
the Australian dollar, domestic visitors prefer to go abroad. International visitors also
prefer these destinations due to the price component who would have else visited
the NT.
- Geographical immobility of labour. Workers are not keen to work in remote areas.
- Climate change can affect the natural environment as well as visitor behaviour.

9. - Negative publicity of the NT destinations reinforced by media reports which highlight
issues associated with remote indigenous communities.
- Poor traveller confidence as a result of war, terrorism and disease risks which affect
the tourism industry as a whole.
4.5 Key Issues: From the SWOT analysis, the following key issues were identified:
- Consumer demand is still highly seasonal.
- Challenges in engaging and interacting with the indigenous community.
- Geographical immobility of labour.
- Negative publicity of the NT through media reports which highlight issues associated
with the indigenous community.
4.6 Key Opportunities: From the SWOT analysis, the following key opportunities were
identified:
- The NT is a welcome escape from the southern winter.
- Global demand for natural and cultural based travel is anticipated to grow in the
coming years.
- Rapid growth in visitation from emerging markets such as China and India.
- Introduction of low-cost air-craft carriers means visitation to the NT will increase by
a considerable amount.
4.7 PEST Analysis: A PEST analysis is an environmental audit tool that takes into
consideration factors affecting the success of the business externally or from the external
environment. The areas assessed are physical, economical, socio-cultural and technological
factors. Examples include political scenario and stability, interest rates and unemployment,
social norms and cultural beliefs and technological progress. The PEST analysis for tourism
NT’s resort is as follows:
Physical: The following physical factors may affect the performance of the resort:
- Government Policies.
- Change of governments.
- Trading policies.
- Pressure groups such as social activists and trade unions.
- Funding, grants and initiatives.
- Wars and conflicts.
Economical: The following economical factors may affect the performance of the resort:
- Situation of the Australian and the global economy and latest economic trends.
- Taxation laws and the level of taxation on goods and services.
- Seasonal factors.
- Interest and exchange rates, international trade, fiscal and monetary policies.

10. Social: The following social factors may affect the performance of the resort:
- Lifestyle trends of potential customers.
- Demographics.
- Consumer behaviours and attitudes.
- Media opinions.
- Ethnic religious factors.
- Fashion and role models.
- Major events and influences.
Technological: The following technological factors may affect the performance of the resort:
- Innovation potential.
- Global communications.
- Maturity and advancement in technology.
- Technology legislation.
- Research and development funding both privately and publicly.
4.8 Competitor Analysis: A competitive analysis is the analysis of information that is
important in nature and is not just a list of an organization’s competitors. The goal of a
competitive analysis is to identify and expand upon competitive advantage, which are the
benefits that the business can offer customers that the competition can’t or won’t supply.
The competitive analysis for the resort is as follows:
Tourism NT’s resort’s major competitors are the similar resorts operated by tourism
Queensland and tourism Victoria. However, from amongst the two, tourism Victoria poses a
relatively low level of threat on tourism NT’s market share and customer base due to its
geographical distance from the NT. Therefore, the major competitor left for further
competitive analysis is tourismQueensland whose SWOT analysis is as follows:
Strengths:
- Most preferred domestic holiday destination for Australians.
- Population growth is driving infrastructure development.
- Queensland is an aspirational brand overseas.
- High growth anticipated for international visitors in 2014.
Weaknesses:
- Lack of investment in new serviced accommodation, new product, services and niche
experiences.
- Shortage of skilled workforce.

11. - Pace of infrastructure development would not be in line with the growth, which
would have an adverse impact on tourism.
- Significant growth in outbound travel.
Opportunities:
- Low cost air-travel and opportunities to increase inbound travel.
- New media technology and opportunities to reach customers directly.
- Increased trend of frequent, short-stay trips in the domestic market.
- Increased number of visitors expected from countries with emerging markets.
Threats:
- Increase in oil and fuel prices may in turn increase airfares and fares of other means
of transportation.
- Falling quality of natural resources and attractions.
- Tougher competition from the Asian-Pacific region offering high product quality and
service standards at cheaper prices due to a rise in the Australian dollar.
- Adverse impacts of natural disasters on the destination’s appeal and perceptions.
5.0 Assumptions: It should be noted that the information provided in the SWOT analysis do
not take into account changes caused by unforeseen circumstances which are beyond the
resort’s control. For this purpose, the following assumptions are being made by the
management at the resort, which would act as contingencies and it would be easy to make
any amendments in the marketing plan in the future if necessary:
- Global demand for cultural and natural based tourism will rise.
- Visitation from emerging economies will increase.
- Tourism Queensland will continue to face shortage of skilled labour.
- Growth in experiential travel and increased social awareness will give rise to more
frequent, short-stay trips with focus on product quality and service standards.
- Introduction of low-cost air-craft carriers will bring more visitors to the NT.
6.0 Objectives: Business objectives are a vital part of any business plan. They can be defined
as the heart of the business plan. They are the most important thing a business owner can
share with the company. They are a statement of specific, realistic, measurable goals with
measured over time that a company tries to adhere to. They serve to aim the company
towards the goals they are shooting for and hopefully let them attain them. The resort’s
objectives as per the different areas within a business are as follows:
6.1 Sales: For the next 12 months, the management at the resort expects to:
- Achieve 10% growth in sales in each quarter with a combined annual increment of
40% in total sales.

12. - Increase the sale of augmented products and services such as souvenirs shops by
25% at the end of the year.
- After designing the website and the online booking mechanism, the resort expects
that it will generate 505 of its sales online during the next 12 months.
6.2 Revenue: For the next 12 months, the management at the resort expects to:
- Achieve a 55% increment in gross profit margin and a 35% increment in the net
profit margin.
- Have a stable balance sheet with a working capital of at least AUD $50000 available
at the end of the financial year.
- Control expenses by 20% at the end of the year.
6.3 Customer Base: For the next 12 months, the management at the resort expects to:
- Maintaining a 95% occupancy rate during peak seasons.
- Experience a growth in new customers who are turned into long-term customers.
- Reduce variable cost per guest.
- Increase customer base by 5% in each quarter with a total increment of 20% at the
end of the year.
- Increase/Maintain customer retention rate.
6.4 Ansoff Matrix: The Ansoff Matrix is a useful tool that helps a business to determine its
product and market growth strategy. It further enables a business to identify its marketing
objectives. Ansoff’s product/market growth matrix suggests that a business’s attempt to
grow depends on whether it markets new or existing products in new or existing markets.
The Ansoff Matrix would not be applicable in the context of the resort since the resort’s
core and actual product are in fact services. As far as the augmented product is concerned,
the management at the resort aims to sell the souvenirs made by members of the
indigenous community by applying the market development strategy which involves selling
an existing product into newer markets.
The reason as to why this growth strategy has been selected is because the existing product,
that is the indigenous souvenirs were not selling well in their current markets, whereas the
cultural nature of the products do not allow for any changes to the product. For example, a
necklace made with pearls gathered from an indigenous settlement will value more than a
necklace made with pearls in a factory. Thus, product development was not possible either,
which also eliminated the possibility of adopting the diversification strategy. There are a
number of measures that can be undertaken in order to implement this strategy which are
as follows:
- Selling into new markets. For example, exporting the souvenirs overseas.
- Changing the outlook of the product. For example, packaging, labelling etc.

13. - New distribution channels. For example, selling products online or through mail
order rather than through retail outlets.
- Coming up with different pricing policies for different customers as well as making
new market segments.
7.0 Strategy
7.1 Strategy Introduction: The marketing strategy of the resort contains the main
ingredients of any marketing strategy, which are the 4ps of the marketing mix (Product,
Price, Place and Promotion) and since the resort is offering a service, an additional 3ps of
services marketing ( People, Process, Physical Evidence) would be discussed. The marketing
strategy will help determine the target markets of the resort and their respective
characteristics. A positioning statement would be developed to develop an image or
perception about the resort’s services in the minds of the customers. Extensive product
branding would be done by implementing tactics that ensure the resort establishes itself as
a strong brand in terms of high quality and service, value for money, is easily recognized by
customers and promote brand loyalty.
A product strategy would be developed which would be aimed at highlighting the features
and benefits offered by the resort, its unique selling point or more commonly known as
competitive advantage as well as the future products and services that it plans to offer.
This would be followed by a pricing strategy which would help determine the pricing
objectives, pricing strategies and market-entry strategies. The distribution strategy will
discuss the various channels that the resort will make use of in reaching its target audience
as well as making its value offering as accessible as it can by implementing tactics aimed at
diminishing geographical constraints.
The promotional strategy would include several elements that will be used in conjunction to
carry out the promotional campaign for the resort in order to make the target customers
aware of the resort’s corporate presence. This will include developing strategies of the
various promotional methods such as public relations, advertising, direct marketing, sales
promotion, sales, packaging and partnerships.
The 3ps of services marketing would be included in the strategy given the resort is a service
provider. This will include the development of strategies for people, which refers to the
resort’s staff, the training they will receive and their expected behaviours by the
organization. The process and systems section will include strategies critical to the success
of the business such as booking systems, OHS systems, customer service systems, security
systems etc. Lastly, the physical evidence component will include the strategies that would
be aimed at providing a more materialistic outlook of the services provided by the resort,
embedding the resort’s core values and principles as well as its mission statement. Examples

14. include the physical layout (interior and exterior) and spatial layout of the premises, the
ambience, including the resort’s logo on packaging of augmented products, souvenirs,
resort merchandise, motor vehicles.
Each of the 7 elements of the marketing mix will include sustainable practices as part of the
resort’s sustainable policy which will be aimed at establishing the reputation of the resort as
a socially responsible business organization as well as help it to expand on its competitive
advantage.
7.2 Target Market: Since the ecotourism experiences and services provided by the resort
are in a sense unique and exclusive, they are not for the mainstream customers, but for a
particular target market and would be classified as a market niche. The target market
strategy would be concentrated marketing whereby one segment is selected from the
market and catered to as the target segment. The resort’s target market includes:
- Visitors who seek quietness and escape from their daily routines and are interested
in activities such as visiting and camping at natural reserves along with their children.
Their age group ranges from 40-54 years old with children being more than 8 years
old. They usually prefer travelling with their families and stay in apartments, hotels,
tents or with friends. They can spend up to $92 per person for a night in any of the
above mentioned accommodations.
- Visitors who are generally well-travelled and may have visited the Northern Territory
before. They generally seek the peaceful environment of the country-side or eco-
tourism parks and are highly likely to return for a re-visit. They usually spend a
considerable amount of money on trave activities from their savings, as they work
but have no children to support. Their age group ranges from 40-54 years old, with
no children at home. They are likely to travel alone, with a partner or a group of
friends but no children, stay in hotel, self-contained units or caravans and spend up
to AUD$108 per person for a night for accommodation purposes.
- Visitors who are generally old-aged, ageing more than 55 years old, with no children
at home, who are interested in meeting like-minded people on their travels,
expecting emotional nourishment and personal growth from their travel
experiences. They are likely to travel with a partner or tour group, stay in hotels self-
contained units or caravans and spend up to AUD$ 92 per person for a night in
regards to accommodation expenses.
- Although the backpacker market is not part of the resort’s target market, measures
have been taken such as offering low-priced standard rooms suitable for backpacker
customers as per the resort’s product diversification policy to cater to the needs of
the members of this segment, as research findings suggested a sharp growth in the
number of visitors from this segment.
7.3 Positioning Statement: The positioning statement of a business enables customers to
develop an image, impression or perception about the products or services offered by that
business relative to their perception of other competing brands in the same category. It also
helps to differentiate a product from its competitors. Once a positioning has been

15. established, the marketing mix is then designed to suit to the needs of the target market
segments. The positioning statement of the resort is as follows:
NT Eco-tourism Resort- “Experience nature and culture with a class”
The NT’s Eco-tourism resort provides an exceptional hospitality experience to its customers,
in spectacular natural surroundings, by delivering quality service in an atmosphere of
comfort, openness and friendship as well as the opportunity to interact with a culture that is
unique and unchanged since centuries.
Besides the above mentioned niche experiences, it also provides luxury and recreational
facilities that are offered at a standard 5-star resort. The resort will comply with the
principles of sustainability and environmental responsibility as outlined in its sustainability
policy.
7.4 Branding Strategy: Successful branding helps distinguish and differentiate a product
from its competitors, establish its credibility, increase brand loyalty and recognition. The
branding strategy of the resort would be aimed at establishing it as the leading eco-tourism
resort in Australia. The resort will portray itself as a place which provides unmatched luxury,
comfort, leisure and entertainment, natural and cultural experiences in a highly
personalized manner that is the individuality of the customer would be valued.
This would be done by promoting the competitive advantage of the resort’s value offering
as part of the promotional campaign that is the close proximity to eco-tourism, natural sites
and the cultural interaction with indigenous people.
Another way in which the resort would be established as a strong brand would be by
offering high quality service and hospitality to its customer, providing value for money. The
level of customer service and quality would be closely monitored, analysed and evaluated
on a regular basis so that any weaknesses or shortcomings are dealt with. Moreover,
customer queries would be effectively resolved and customer satisfaction would be one of
the priority areas that would be looked after, to ensure the resort establishes its credibility
amongst its current and potential customers, as one which cares for its customers.
The staff would be trained as part of their training programs to behave in a warm,
hospitable, welcoming and courteous manner which will again help to promote the brand
through customers inspired by the way in which the staff responded to them.
The appearance or logo of the resort would be equally important in establishing it as a
strong brand. This is because an easily recognizable logo leads to brand recognition. For
example, an apple with a chunk missing from the top denotes Apple Corporation’s products.
Similarly, efforts would be made to promote the resorts logo during promotional campaigns
as well as at other instances such as on staff uniforms and other amenities supplied by the
resort to its customers such as towels, pens, serviettes etc.
Brand endorsement would be done by paying opinion leaders and celebrities to endorse the
brand, as in the case of tourism NT, which was heavily endorsed as a must visit destination
by renowned TV show host, Oprah Winfrey.

16. 7.5 Product Strategy: The product strategy of the resort would be based upon 3 major
factors which are explained as follows:
Features and benefits offered: The resort offers as part of its core and actual product
offering, nature and culture based eco-tourism activities together with a 5-star
accommodation and numerous recreational facilities to its customers by offering 300 rooms
spanning across the standard rooms, family rooms and luxury suites categories, besides
offering recreational and other facilities to its guests which are normally offered in a 5-star
rating resort. It also offers as its augmented product, locally manufactured souvenirs by the
indigenous community, which are sold through the shops located within the resort as well
as providing rental space to different brands.
Unique selling point: The resort’s unique selling point is the niche experiences that it offers
to its customers. This is because all other competing resorts of a similar rating offer the
above mentioned services to their customers. Therefore, value offerings such as tours and
trips to eco-tourism parks and natural sites such as the Kakadu National Park, the cultural
interaction with the indigenous community, their festivals and artwork, locally
manufactured handicraft and other souvenirs, wildlife and bird watching, fishing etc, are all
unique selling points of the resort which are unavailable elsewhere. However, the
management expects the resort not to rely solely on these factors as its competitive edge
and hopes to implement measures that will enable factors such customer service and
satisfaction, quality of service and value for money to become its unique selling points.
Potential Products: The resort is considering a drift towards the corporate sector, aiming to
develop the resort as a centre for corporate meetings, conventions and events by offering
suitable premises such as convention halls, auditoriums, meeting rooms etc, at attractive
prices as well as eliminating the accessibility barrier by offering logistical support such as its
shuttle service.
The resort will ensure that its product offering is in line with sustainable practices by
ensuring that the trips and tours to Kakadu National Park and indigenous settlements are
conducted on transport which has hybrid powered engines. Moreover, guests would be
requested to abstain from activities such as littering, smoking or engaging in any other non
eco-friendly activity during their trips to these locations.
7.6 Pricing Strategy: Price refers to the amount of money charged for a product or service
including the benefits that go with that product. The pricing strategy is largely determined
by market positioning and undertakes factors such as the costs associated in the
development, production, distribution and promotion of the product. The pricing strategy
for the resort is devised keeping in mind the marketing ethics for price determination, so
that the business’s relation with its customers does not get affected. The pricing strategy for
the resort’s services and products is as follows:
- The resort will adopt a status-quo pricing objective by keeping and maintaining
prices in line with its competitors and competing in the non-price areas of the
marketing mix such product, place and promotion. The resort will make use of its
competitive advantages to tackle the competition.

17. - The price-setting method adopted by the resort would be competition-based pricing
where pricing is done according to how much competitors charge for similar
products. The priority of the resort would be to price relatively below competition or
at worse equal to competition so that more customers choose the resort over its
competitors in terms of similar services provided.
- The market entry pricing strategy would be market-penetration pricing, which
involves setting a relatively low price initially to attract large number of buyers and a
large market share, followed by high sales volume resulting in low costs. Once the
resort establishes itself as a strong brand, price levels would be gradually increased
in the long-run, without the fear of losing customers as they would be accustomed
to the brand and would not mind paying a bit more money for the high quality and
level of service.
- The standard rooms which will include a single-bed with other amenities would be
priced at AUD $80 per night, with a complimentary break-fast. All other meals would
be charged for.
- The Family room which will include double-beds as well as a Queen-size bed along
with other amenities would be priced at AUD$ 140 per night, also with a
complimentary breakfast and all other meals being charged for.
- The Luxury Suite which will be a self-contained luxury apartment, will be priced at
AUD$200 per night and would include a complimentary breakfast and lunch, with
dinner being paid for.
- Trips to eco-tourism destinations such as the Kakadu National Park would be a day-
long trip with transportation facilities and a 4-member team of guides(from the
indigenous community) and would cost AUD$100 per person including food and
beverages, guide charges, transportation charges.
- Trips to the indigenous settlements, would involve a cultural show, a guide through
the indigenous way of life, artwork, etc also accompanied by guides (from the
indigenous community), with food and beverages supplied and transportation
facilities offered, costing AUD$150 per person.
- The Shuttle service that will run from Darwin City Centre and Darwin International
Airport to the resort and vice versa will cost AUD$5 per person per trip.
- The resort will keep a small fraction of 2% from the sales proceeds of souvenirs
manufactured by indigenous craftsmen with the remainder going to the actual
craftsmen, as part of the general well-being of the indigenous community.
- The resort will charge a rent of AUD$ 1500 per month from the different brands and
businesses that use the resorts premises to sell their products and services.
- The above quoted prices are basic prices and may be subject to reduction in case of
group discounts and other special deals and packages as per the promotional
strategy.
7.7 Distribution Strategy: The distribution strategy will decide who, when, where, why and
how its products and services will be made available to its customers. The distribution
strategy of the resort is as follows:
- Bookings for rooms can be made online on the resort’s website’s online booking
mechanism.

18. - Bookings can also be made over the telephone, with payment being done by
EFTPOS.
- A Smartphone application has been launched which offers booking services as well
as information regarding the location of the resort, prices, facilities and the latest
deals and packages on offer.
- Bookings can be made at any of our partner travel and tour operators as well as
airline companies with special discounts being offered to customers coming to us
through our partners.
- A shuttle service as mentioned before would be operated, comprising of a fleet of 5
large luxury buses, operating on a route from Darwin City Centre and Darwin
International Airport to the resort and back 8 times a day.
- Information centres in Australia operated by Tourism NT and overseas by our
partner airlines and travel operators will provide complete information regarding the
NT, as well as the resort, besides offering booking facilities.
- As part of its sustainability policy, the above mentioned shuttle service and any other
transport owned by the resort will be powered by hybrid engines to reduce fuel
emissions. Partners would also be encouraged to embed sustainable practices in
their daily operations.
- All printing material provided at the information centres, travel operator and airline
outlets, such as brochures, pamphlets, and air and bus tickets would be made from
100% recyclable paper.
- The distribution strategy would also be aimed at finding local suppliers which would
help to reduce the emission resulting from logistical activities.
7.8 Promotional Strategy: Promotion is a vital component in the marketing mix of any
business’s product or service. This is because no matter how good the quality and level
utility provided by a product is, people are not going to buy it unless they are aware and
constantly reminded that it exists, through different means of promotions. It also helps to
target the right group of people to use the product or service and re-use it multiple times.
The resort’s sustainable policy will also be integrated with its promotional strategy. The
promotional campaign which includes various promotional methods such as advertising,
direct marketing, public relations etc would be prepared along a sustainable line that is it
will promote the use of sustainable practices, would be focused on environmental issues,
inform the customers about the sustainable practices of the resort. It would be ensured that
the promotional campaign is socially responsible, highly ethical in terms of promoting their
value offering to the customers.
Measures would be taken to ensure that all the printing material that the resort uses in its
promotional campaign is made by using 100% recycled paper. Moreover, the use of
polythene bags would be avoided, with paper-made shopping bags being used instead. The
resort’s promotional strategy will comprise of the following promotional techniques:
7.8.1 Public Relations Strategy: These are activities that are aimed at building and
developing relationships with specific audiences, controlling and managing a company’s
image and influencing attitudes. Specific audiences include customers, shareholders,
government and special-interest groups. The management at the resort aims to make use of
the public relations strategy to in order to promote the resort in the following ways:

19. - Providing financial assistance, training as well as entrepreneurial advice to business
men from the indigenous community.
- Setting up an employment quota of at least 40% for the indigenous community.
- Promoting the sustainable practices as outlined in the sustainability policy.
- Sponsoring local as well as major sporting events across Australia and overseas.
- Carrying out fundraising activities and charity work for the underprivileged and
making donations. This would involve setting up schools, providing safe drinking
water and sanitation facilities to the underprivileged in places like Africa. A separate
charity organization would be established under the resort’s brand name for this
purpose.
- Creating an online blog or forum for discussing travel and tourism related issues.
Similarly, the resort’s group would be created on social networking sites such a Face
Book and Twitter, this will provide the resort with a platform to interact with its
customers and share all the latest developments and useful information regarding
the business with them such as latest deals and offers as well as customer reviews
about the resort. The members of these groups, blogs and forums would be included
in the resort’s customer database and would be later communicated with when
carrying out direct marketing activities.
- Public Relations activities aimed at promoting sustainable practices such as a
campaign to reduce wastage of water or using renewable sources of energy would
be carried out by educating the general public on the importance of issues affecting
sustainability as per the sustainability policy.
7.8.2 Advertising Strategy: Advertising is a paid form non-personal communication using
mass media tools such as TV, Radio, Newspapers, Magazines, and Billboards etc. It is a cost-
effective method for reaching large audiences. However, there is no feedback involved. The
advertising strategy of the resort will be designed to attract the attention and interest of the
consumer and prompt them to visit the resort. The advertising message would be decided;
the target audience and the appropriate means to approach the target audience would be
decided. The advertising strategy of the resort will include the following:
- The advertising message of the campaign would be the provision of luxury 5-star
accommodation in the heart of an eco-tourism environment which would be
manipulated in different ways to attract different audiences.
- 2 separate advertisements would be made with the assistance of advertising
agencies. One for the domestic customers and the other one for international
customers. These advertisements would be broadcasted on all leading news and
entertainment channels across Australia, as well as in other countries on channels
with the highest viewership. The advertisement would also be available on the
resort’s website as well as video broadcasting websites such as YouTube and social
networking websites such as Face Book and Twitter. An audio version of the
advertisement would be broadcasted on radio stations.
- Advertisements would also be published in nation-wide circulated newspapers such
as The Herald Sun, in different types of magazines (travel and outdoor etc) and
magazines with an international readership such as Times and Newsweek. Still
adverts would be posted on the internet in a similar fashion as were the visual
adverts posted.

20. - Advertisements would be placed on billboards situated at prominent locations such
as train stations, stadiums, airports, city centres, shopping malls etc.
- Advertisements would also be placed in the tourism NT’s information centres both
domestic and abroad, travel expos, in the retail outlets of partner travel operators
and airlines such as Flight Centre and Tiger Airways.
7.8.3 Direct Marketing Strategy: Direct Marketing is a form of advertising in which physical
marketing materials are provided to consumers in order to provide them with information
about a product or service. Direct marketing does not involve online, visual or audio
advertisements. The direct marketing strategy of the resort will involve the following
approaches:
- Using the information gathered in the resort’s database of existing customers as well
as the database for potential customers gathered online through social networking
websites, blogs and forums, a direct mail pack would be mailed to the customers
either in a material form or electronically.
- The direct mail pack will contain a monthly newsletter by the name of “The Voyager”
which will discuss issues such as recent developments, special offers, visit by
dignitaries, travel tips and information, future plans that the resort has or plans to
undertake. It will also include a letter from the head of the marketing department
which will summarise the contents provided in the mail pack. The mail pack would
contain a reply paid envelop and customers would be encouraged to provide
feedback. Other contents included would be pamphlets, brochures, goodies such as
card magnets, stickers, key chains etc.
- Distribution of travel brochures at exclusive events such as travel expos, as well as at
tourism NT’s information centres, at travel operator and airline retail outlets.
- Brochures and pamphlets would also be distributed at any event the resort sponsors
such as sporting events, fundraising dinners etc, where the resort would be
represented by a stall of its own.
- Carrying out SMS marketing by texting customers on the database regarding latest
offers and deals.
- Telemarketing would be done by calling customers and informing them about the
latest value offerings and encouraging discounts on prompt bookings to attract the
customers. This would most likely be outsourced to minimize costs.
7.8.4 Sales Promotion Strategy: Sales promotion activities are intended at providing extra
value or incentives to the sales force, distributors and most importantly, the consumer. It
helps to stimulate sales at times when it is static or declining. The sales promotion strategy
of the resort is as follows:
- Offering coupons containing special deals and discounts on the facilities of the
resort. For example, free meal vouchers, discount coupons on trips to the indigenous
settlements etc.
- Holding contests and competitions online on the website and on Face Book or
Twitter and rewarding winners with gift hampers. To ensure public interest remains
high, all participants would be provided with other types of small goodies such as
mugs T-shirts, caps, pens etc depicting the resort’s logo.

21. - During quite seasons, when the level of visitation is low, the resort will come up with
special deals offering up to 25% discount on room prices and 35% on eco-tourism
trips.
- Expanding into new market segments and providing them with a suitable value
offering such as the young and the restless as well as attracting corporate customers
when visitation from major target segments is low.
- It also aims to offer discounts to all customers for the first 3 months after its
inauguration by offering discounted room prices, free breakfasts and lunch for
customers staying in different types of rooms.
- In order to encourage customers to revisit, the resort plans on offering promotional
material such as spa coupons, meal vouchers, recreational vouchers which offers the
mentioned facilities for free but can only be redeemed on the next visit.
7.8.5 Sales Strategy: Person to person communication involves a situation in which the
seller assists and persuades the prospective buyer to purchase the company’s product or
service. Even though it is expensive, yet it is one of the most effective forms of promotion.
The resort plans on hiring sales personnel that will perform the duties of personal selling at
various locations within and outside Australia. The duties of the sales personnel would be to
carry out personal selling activities at any event sponsored by the resort, in travel expos, at
airports, shopping malls, tourism NT’s information centres or at any other public hotspot.
They will be required to perform door-to-door selling, whereby sales personnel will spread
out in a designated area and go to each house in that neighbourhood, promoting the resort
and convincing prospective customers to make a booking.
The sales staff would generally be dressed in the resort’s official uniform, when at a public
place, would manage a stall containing all the necessary promotional material and would
describe the resort’s value offering in a polite manner.
In order to ensure feedback is received, they would be provided with contact cards with
their names, contact number, the resort’s customer helpline number, which they would be
supposed to provide to the customers. They would be provided with proper training in
selling techniques at the time of their induction, which would span over a week.
7.8.6 Packaging Strategy: Packaging plays a pivotal role in the promotional campaign of any
product. Recent studies suggest that customers are often motivated into buying a product
by the product’s packaging rather than its contents. An exceptional product under a dull,
unattractive, packaging is less likely to be sold more as compared to an average product
with a colourful, attractive packaging. Moreover, packaging ensures the health, hygiene and
safety values that a product promises to provide. Since the resort provides a service, there
would be no packaging strategy in regards to the core and actual product. However,
augmented products such as souvenirs, gift hampers provided to customers as per
promotional activities, are packaged in boxes of bright green colour with the resort’s logo
on them. Where boxes are unnecessary, shopping bags would be used of a similar design
and colour scheme.

22. As part of the sustainability policy, it would be ensured that all packaging material is made
from 100% recycled paper and the unnecessary use of polythene bags is avoided to the
maximum extent.
7.8.7 Partnership: Partnerships play an integral role in the success of any business. In
today’s rapidly evolving business environment, a business cannot afford to isolate itself and
operate solely, hoping for success. Partnerships leverage certain mutual benefits to
businesses which the businesses could not have achieved single-handedly and even if they
would have, they would not have done it efficiently and effectively. For example, the
management at the resort wanted to reach out to the visitors travelling through low-cost
air-craft carriers, so it made a partnership agreement with Tiger Airways to provide 5%
commission on each individual sale that it makes through their passengers to Tiger Airways.
In return, Tiger Airways carries out the promotional activities of the resort, encouraging its
passengers to stay at the resort by offering them discount vouchers. Therefore, partnerships
will enable the resort to improve the way in which it offers its services, target new
customers and expand its corporate presence both domestically and abroad.
Partnerships will also be developed with travel operators such as Flight Centre and Expedia
in Australia as well as globally. As per the partnership agreement, these operators will
encourage their customers to visit the resort, whereas the resort in return will provide 2%
commission on sales achieved from these customers. A similar approach to partnership will
exist internationally; however, commission percentages may differ.
As per the sustainability policy, the resort will also include clauses in the partnership
agreement which limit the carbon footprint of the resort and its partners. For example, the
partnership agreement would require Tiger Airways to ensure that greenhouse emission as
a result of its operational activities is minimized and brought down to a safe level.
Partnerships will also be developed with educational institutes and training providers such
as Kangan Institute to train the employees in the areas of hospitality, customer service and
selling techniques.
7.9 Services Marketing: There is a considerable difference between a service and a product.
Due to its intangible nature, a business may face difficulties in selling a service since it is
harder to control and maintain consistency. Moreover, it cannot be saved for peak seasons,
unlike a product. Since customers do not leave with a tangible item, they may even value
the service differently. The following elements of the marketing mix should be considered
when a business is providing a service:
7.9.1 People: The resort’s staff would be provided with specific uniforms to wear during
working hours. The male members of the staff would wear a black, formal suit whereas
female members will wear black coats and skirts. The uniforms would have the resort’s logo
printed on them with a badge that displays their first names.

23. All staff members including sales personnel will go through a two-week training program at
the time of their recruitment offered in partnership with Kangan Institute. As part of the
program, the staff members would be trained to exhibit a warm, welcoming, polite and
courteous nature, trained in the areas of addressing customer needs and queries,
hospitality, as well as briefed about the different systems that are in place within the resort.
The sales personnel in addition, would undergo a separate program in which they would be
taught interpersonal skills and selling techniques.
Regular staff meetings will discuss the team’s progress in terms of customer service and
hospitality and as part of the monitoring process, data would be collected about their
performance, with the high performing employees being rewarded with the ‘Employee of
the Month” award, given bonuses, a day off from work or free meal or recreational
vouchers.
All customer satisfaction surveys would include at least one question based on the
performance and behaviour of staff members in order to capture the relevant form of
feedback
As per its sustainable policy, the resort aims at incorporating a unit on sustainability in all of
its training programs to provide employees with the knowledge and awareness in regards to
sustainable practices. Performance measurement tools designed specifically to monitor
employee performance in regards to sustainability will be developed besides the regular
performance measurement tools and based on the data collected from these tools, the
employees would then be either rewarded or corrective actions would be taken. Examples
include, number of sustainability violations in a week such as reported incidents of smoking
in non-smoking areas etc.
7.9.2 Process: Processes or systems are an extremely important part of the marketing plan
of any business. It is due to these processes and systems that a business operates smoothly
and in an effective, disciplined manner. Absence of processes and systems would mean that
there would be no coordination amongst staff members; no one will know what to do. In
simple terminology, the business will be like a ship stuck in a storm without a rudder. The
following is a list of all the processes and systems that would be put in place as per the
marketing strategy:
-Booking Systems: An effective booking systemneeds to be in place to ensure that
customers can book rooms at the resort with ease and that there is no confusion on both
the customers’ end and the resort’s end regarding the issue of vacancies and the booking of
wrong rooms etc. The booking systemwill enable customers to make bookings of rooms
over the internet, the website will offer personalised options such as the type of room,
inclusion of any additional facilities besides the basic facilities offered, room view etc, as
well as through the telephone. The personal details of customers who make these bookings
will be stored on the resort’s database and customers would be allotted a booking number
for identification purposes. Moreover, customers will have the option of paying the amount
for their stay in advance through online funds transfer services, over the telephone whereas

24. for those customers choosing to pay at the time of departure, EFTPOS , cheque and cash
services would be provided through the reception.
-Customer Service Systems: This is one of the most important systems as far as the
hospitality industry is concerned. The customer service systemwill work in conjunction with
the booking systems which will provide information as to when will the customer arrive,
their expected length of stay at the resort, their preferences and their date of departure.
With this information in hand, the customer service system can carry out house-keeping
duties such as room cleaning services prior to the customer’s arrival as well as at any other
time on the customer’s demand. Customers would be provided with a Customer Service
number, which they can use to contact customer service staff through telephone sets in
their respective rooms regarding recreational facilities as well as order them to perform
house-keeping services such as laundry, room cleaning, providing food and drinks, dealing
with any technical issue that may arise in electronic devices or any other customer query
that may arise. Customer support staff will also deal with potential customers or customers
who have not yet been to the resort by providing them with information about room prices,
facilities, transport options etc. Feedback surveys and questionnaires would be provided to
customers in their rooms to gain an idea about the customers’ perception on the level of
customer service the resort provides.
The customer service systems would be designed to embed sustainable practices in them
such as air-drying clothes, providing room service only on request, using bio-degradable
cleaning products, switching off electronic devices when not in use, making use of durable
and recycled glass, paper, plastic and aluminium products while serving customers.
-Operational Health and Safety Systems: The purpose of putting OHS systems in place is to
ensure the safety of staff and customers present at the resort against any unexpected
hazard or incident such as fire, gas leaks, water spillages etc. OHS equipment such as fire
alarms, fire extinguishers, sprinklers, oxygen masks and emergency exits are place at various
locations on the resorts premises and a 2-member team of medical staff is also present to
provide first aid assistance. All public areas as well as the rooms of the resort would be
made “non-smoking zones” for the comfort of non-smoking customers and to reduce the
risk of a fire, those customers wishing to smoke would be directed to designated and
covered smoking areas, which would further facilitate sustainability.
The central hospital in Darwin’s helicopter service has been acquired to provide logistical
and medical assistance during emergencies. OHS booklets, evacuation procedures and
manuals are placed in all rooms for customers to read, be aware of the potential hazards
and risks that might occur and be prepared to protect themselves in the best possible
manner.
-Security Systems: The customers at the resort need to be provided with a sense of security
which is part of the core principle of the resort of providing comfort and peace of mind to its

25. customers. For this purpose, security systems are put in place. A team comprising of 10
security officers would be present at every resort, to guard the resort and deal with issues
such as theft, robberies, and quarrels and to manage the flow of people during
emergencies. Moreover, CCTV cameras are placed at various locations across the resort to
monitor the activity of staff and customers, keeping in mind the privacy laws and
regulations. Any customer or staff member behaving in an unsocial manner would be
handed over to and dealt by the security staff. Regular patrolling would be done by security
personnel to ensure the situation is under control.
As per the sustainable policy, the batteries used in the wireless handsets and torches
provided to security staff would be rechargeable rather than being disposable.
Disciplinary Procedures: These procedures would generally include a professional code of
conduct which would be referred to whenever there is a disciplinary violation by a staff
member. The code of conduct would then be sourced for the violation that has been
committed and corrective measures would be taken to rectify the violation. This may
include handing out warnings to staff members if they fail to demonstrate punctuality,
behave in a manner unapproved by the organization, commit theft or engage in physical or
verbal conflicts with their co-workers or customers or in some cases, even terminating their
employment.
Clauses in the employee code of conduct would be included which would involve corrective
actions against employees who violate the clauses pertaining to sustainability.
Transportation Systems: The transportation systems would involve the scheduled departure
and arrival timings of buses. Each bus driver would be provided with a wireless handset with
which they will be contacted by the head office. Similarly, in case of any problems such as a
mechanical fault in one of the buses, the driver can inform the head office about the
problem, tell his/her location and request for assistance. There would be a total of 8
journeys from Darwin City Centre and Darwin Airport to the resort and vice versa on a daily
basis.
Transportations systems will also work in conjunction with the information centres, which
will provide customers with the arrival and departure schedules of these buses. The
timetable would also be posted online so that customers can check it through their laptops
or smart phones. Tickets for these bus journeys can be purchased online, at one of the many
information centres or just before boarding the bus.
As mentioned above, all of the resort’s transport vehicles would be equipped with hybrid
engines, the paper used in printing bus tickets would be made from 100% recycled paper
and the batteries of wireless handsets would be rechargeable rather than disposable.

26. 7.9.3 Physical Evidence: Physical evidence can be defined as the material part of a service.
Since the resort offers a service, it will need to find other more materialistic and tangible
ways in which it can do the branding and promotion of the business. Physical evidence
should demonstrate the core values and principles of the business. The resort ensures on
doing this in the following ways:
- The premises have been designed in line with the resort’s mission statement that is
providing luxury, comfort, healthy entertainment combined with the ecotourism
services it provides. Large areas of the premises will be decorated with trees and
plants, greenbelts, gardens to promote sustainable practices by the resort, its
environment and eco-friendliness policies. Systems would be put in place to ensure
that the level of pollution such as noise, air, sound, light, water soil, visual and
personal pollution such as smoking are minimized. One such example would be the
provision of designated smoking lounges and the declaration of public areas of the
resort as smoke-free zones. These practices will help justify the resort’s claimas
being a venue of healthy activities situated in a healthy environment.
- Recent studies and researches indicate a rise in consumer awareness on
sustainability issues. They also indicate that consumers are less likely to do business
with organizations inefficient in regards to their sustainability. Therefore, the resort
aims at achieving a 5-star eco rating in terms of its sustainable practices which will
help expand its competitive advantage as well attract a lot more visitors.
- The components of a 5-star eco rating and the way in which the resort will achieve
them is discussed as follows:
- Energy: The resort will conserve energy by using natural air-circulations and fans
instead of air-conditioners, where possible, using natural light during the day,
minimizing the use of fossil fuel powered machinery, vehicles and equipment by
purchasing hybrid powered transports as part of its fleet and solar powered
generators. Solar panels would be installed to provide solar power which will
constitute 50% of the energy source, clothes in the laundry would be air-dried,
dishes would be washed manually instead of dishwashers, and energy efficient and
low-wattage appliances such as energy-saver light bulb, LED light bulbs would be
used for lighting purposes. Linens, tablecloths, napkins etc would be changed upon
request and lights would be switched off when not in use
- The resort aims at conserving water by installing low-flow faucets and showerheads,
low water use toilets, using table mats that can be wiped instead of being washed,
use biodegradable laundry detergent, dish soap and hand soap, treating swimming
pools with chlorine-free processes, installing a sewage water treatment plant to re-
use sewage water for watering gardens, plants and greenbelts.
- Recycling and waste: The resort aims at recycling and reusing the waste generated as
a result of its operating activities by using durable, recyclable items such as cups,
glasses, dishes, tableware and storage items. Buying fresh grocery from local

27. producers to reduce emissions from transportation activities. Buying in bulk to
reduce packaging as well as recycling glass, paper, plastic and aluminium for reuse,
minimizing kitchen waste and serving water in glasses rather than in bottle, while at
the same time ensuring cleaning products are bio-degradable.
- Land and nature conservation: The resort aims at conserving the natural beauty of
the surrounding in which it is located by minimizing tree removal when construction
activities take place, minimizing the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals,
maintaining an organic garden and orchard as source of supply for groceries, using
biodegradable products, taking additional measures to protect wildlife habitat and
landscaping the resort premises with plantation.
- Community: The resort believes in minimizing the negative externalities while
maximizing positive externalities. In simple terminology, it believes in giving back to
the community. It will ensure this through the hiring of indigenous people, buying
from local suppliers, re-investing part of the resort income on community welfare,
inaugurating community welfare projects such as opening schools, installing water-
filtering plants in indigenous villages, providing entrepreneurial advice to indigenous
businessmen, paying staff above the minimum wage rate, educating the staff as well
as local community members on sustainability issues and practices, providing staff
members with sustainable transport to work.
- The interior of the resort would also be decorated in line with the eco-friendliness
policy and the physical layout, internal signage, the ambience which includes the
temperature, colour, sound, smell, music and noise, the spatial layout (the way in
which the furniture is arranged) will all be adjusted to provide a comfortable and
relaxing environment. For example, bright green wallpapers would be placed on the
walls and the seat cushions would also be of the same colour.
- The uniforms of the staff members would contain the resort’s logo and so will any
other merchandise that the resort provides charges for or provides free of cost. For
example, notepads, pens, shirts, caps, envelopes, mugs, towels as well as the buses
and other vehicles owned by the resort.
- The website and groups on social networking sites would be designed to include the
core colour scheme of the resort, which is bright green with the resort’s logo to
facilitate brand recognition.
- Packaging such as boxes and shopping bags provided to customers by the souvenir
shops will depict the resort’s logo and colour scheme.
- Similarly, brochures, pamphlets and business cards would also be designed in this
manner.
8.0 Resource requirement in terms of the 7Ps: The resource requirement section of the
marketing plan will include an action plan in terms of all the 7Ps of the marketing mix
spanning over a period of 6 months which is illustrated in a table format below:
Action January February March April May June

28. Product:
Form
agreements
with Kakadu
National Park
to provide trips
to our guest
5th-11th
Form
agreements
with
indigenous
community
elders to
provide
cultural
services to our
guests
9th-15th
Carry out
Market
Research and
identify target
markets
15th-31st
Carry out a
cost and
benefit
analysis and
product
feasibility
studies
1st-7th
Prepare a
sustainability
and a
corporate
policy
14th-18th
Develop and
implement a
product
branding
strategy
14th-19th
Develop and
implement a
product
positioning
strategy
26-29th
Price:
Gather data
about
5th -8th

29. competitor
prices.
Appoint a team
to decided
pricing
objectives and
strategies
10th-12th
Finalize the
price and other
quotations
Before 3rd
March
Place:
Purchase
premises for
the resort
11th-17th
Commence
construction
Starts on
the 20th
Ends on
the 30th
Create website
and launch the
Smart Phone
application
3rd-5th
Form
partnerships
with airline
companies and
travel
operators both
domestically
and globally to
facilitate
accessibility
6th-10th
Open
information
centres
1st-28th
Purchase 5
buses as part
of the shuttle
service
15th-20th
Promotion:
Initiate the
promotional
campaign
20th
Sponsor a local
footy match
25th
Organize
fundraising
dinners
14th 15th 17th 19th
Contact an

30. advertisement
agency and
prepare audio,
visual and print
advertisements
Promote the
advertisement
using mass
media tools
such as TV,
internet ,
Radio,
Billboards etc,
domestically
and globally
Starts on
the 24th
Ends on
the 30th
Prepare direct
mail packs,
including the
newsletter.
Post them
through mail
or
electronically.
Customer
database
would be used
Starts on
the 19th
Ends on
the 30th
Distribute
pamphlets and
brochures
operating from
stalls located in
public areas
and travel
expos
21st-29th
Conduct an
SMS campaign
14th-20th
Organize
games,
contests online
and give away
complimentary
gift hampers
17th-27th
Appoint sales
personnel and
conduct a
personal
selling
5th-15th

31. campaign. For
example, door-
to-door selling,
selling in public
areas
Form a team
and assign
them with the
designing and
promotion of
the packaging
of resort
merchandise.
For example,
souvenirs
7th-11th
Form
partnerships
locally and
abroad with
airlines and
travel
operators to
promote the
resort’s
services
19th-29th
Form a
partnership
with Kangan
Institute for
the purpose of
training
programs
25th-28th
People and
Process:
Recruit, select
and induct
staff
11th-20th
Order staff
uniforms
1st-7th
Provide
induction and
training
1st-25th
Assign a task
force to
develop
policies and
procedures.
8th-24th

32. Example, OHS,
Security,
Customer
Service,
Booking
processes
Embed
sustainable
practices in the
processes
5-7th
Prepare an
employee code
of conduct
9th-11th
Implement the
prepared
processes and
procedures
19th-21st
Physical
Evidence:
Achieve 5-star
Eco Rating
Starts on
the 14th
Ends on
the 17th
Design the
physical layout
(interior &
exterior) in
accordance
with company
logo and colour
scheme
23rd-28th
Provide a
suitable
ambience
20th-30th
Print the
resort’s logo
on all
merchandise
17th-24th
Design the
website and
social
networking
pages as well
as other
promotional
material in
accordance
with the
resort’s logo

33. and colour
scheme
8.1 Evaluation and Control: The action plan above would be regularly reviewed and
evaluated to make room for any necessary amendments or delays/gaps caused by
unforeseen circumstances. The evaluation and controlling of this action plan would be done
through:
- Regular team meetings conducted on a weekly and monthly basis, with monthly
team meetings involving discussions about major issues.
- Performance measurement tools such as Key performance indicators, Gantt charts,
progress reports, performance reports (budgeted vs. actual) and milestone charts
etc.
- Analysing feedback received from team members who are assigned different duties
and responsibilities.
9.0 Business growth and development: The vision statement of the resort states that the
resort wants to be a leading provider of nature and culture based eco-tourism, combined
with a luxury. Business growth and development are key issues identified by the
management and it hopes to achieve the two through constant planning activities. The
resort hopes to achieve business growth and development through the following ways:
- Promoting innovative practices within the business and investing in technology to
ensure it remains competitive.
- Diversifying the product range to ensure continuous profitability and expanding into
newer segments to increase its market share. For example, targeting backpackers
and corporate customers, introducing new recreational services such as Para-sailing,
quad-biking, jet-skiing etc.
- Investing in sustainability to expand on its competitive edge and attract more
customers.
- Investing further in staff training and development to ensure the level of customer
service and hospitality provided by staff members is up to mark at all times.
- Spending extensively on brand development and promotional strategies, to stay
competitive.
- Expanding operational capacities to achieve economies of scales.
- Taking over similar small and medium-sized business in the Asia-Pacific region.
- The management plans on opening a second resort of a similar nature in Pakistan.
The advantage being low cost of setting up the resort and operating it, relaxed
taxation policies, close proximity to Middle-eastern and South-Asian countries.
10.0 Records: It is essential for every business to maintain its records. This is because good
record keeping provides timely and accurate data which helps the business to function more
efficiently, thus increasing the profitability of the business. Records come in handy in the
preparation of financial statements, provide documentary assistance in order to monitor,
evaluate and control performance, help identify past trends and issues and the way they

34. were resolved, as a source of hard, tangible evidence during critical times when references
are needed to be provided, monitoring progress, making comparisons with estimates and
during audits etc. Below is a list of the records that would be maintained by the resort:
Financial Documents:
- Bank Statements
- Balance Sheets
- Profit and Loss Statements
- Profit Budgets
- Cash Flow Statements
- Cash Books
- Deposit Books
- Cheque Books
- Bank Reconciliation Statements
- Debtors Records
- Creditors Records
- Asset Register
- Wages and Salary Records
- Business Activity Statements
- Quote Book
- Invoice Book
HR Documents:
- Workplace policies and procedures
- Employment Contracts
- Weekly Rosters
- Offer of employment
- Employee Code of Conduct
- Induction Checklists.
- Enterprise business agreement (EBA)
- Annual Leave Application Forms
- Medical History of Employees
- Police and Reference Check Forms
Marketing Documents:
- Marketing Plan
- Marketing Strategy
- Marketing Mix
- Market Research Findings
- Questionnaires, surveys, focus-group sessions findings
- Promotional Plans.
- SWOT Analysis, PEST Analysis
- Competitor Analysis
- Research proposals

35. - Product Life Cycle.
Operational and Administrational Documents:
- Copies of Bookings
- Tickets and Vouchers
- Contact numbers of suppliers, agencies, customers
- Schedules and timetables of activities such as trips and tours, shuttle bus service
- OHS manuals
- Security manuals
- Laundry receipts
- Kitchen dockets
- Housekeeping log books
- Customer satisfaction surveys