The Meaning of

Marketing
Communications
in Travel and
Tourism
by Norfadhilah Mohd Akhuan

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Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter, you will be able to
• Define tourism and hospitality marketing communications.
• Understand the importance of communications in tourism
and hospitality services.
• Describe the changing role of marketing communications in
the tourism and hospitality system.

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1.1 Defining marketing communications in
travel and tourism
• Marketing communications forms a key aspect of the delivery of tourism and
hospitality services.
• Marketing communication was defined as the provision of information to
a defined audience, including an understanding of how the information is
received.
• Marketing communications is a great deal more than simply about advertising.
• Indeed marketing communications forms its own sub-field of study within the
discipline of marketing.

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1.1 Defining marketing communications in
travel and tourism
• Marketing communications is more than simply ‘ presenting the brand ’ through
advertising.
• Marketing communications can be thought of as bringing a ‘ strategic approach ’.
• Marketing communications ’ planner and strategist needs to understand how,
where and when consumers access information, how they respond and the
means by which this process can be effectively managed.

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 Tourism and hospitality share many important
services marketing characteristics which have an
impact on the ways in which they are marketed to
potential consumers.

1.2 Marketing
communications
characteristics
Marketing communications for this sector is affected
by these particular features, depending on the types
of service:

intangible perishable inseparable heterogenous

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 Tourism and hospitality are said to be
intangible services because it is not
possible to experience the service
prior to purchase.

1.2 Marketing
communications Mittal and Baker (2002) focus on the
difficulties posed by intangibility in
characteristics terms of knowing how to
communicate the attributes and
benefits of these services.

They argue that intangibility poses

four key challenges: 1.Abstractness;
2.Generality; 3.Non-searchability
and; 4.Impalpability

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 • Intangibility poses four key challenges:
• Abstractness : difficulties in communication of
abstract concepts of the services – such as ‘ a
1.2 Marketing good night’s rest ’
communications • Generality: difficulties in conveying distinctions
characteristics between one organisation’s service offer, such as
‘ cabin service’, from another
• Non-searchability: the fact that customers
cannot search the credentials of the organisation
or test the service prior to purchase, meaning
they have to be taken on trust
• Impalpability: refers to the problem of being able
to imagine the physical experience and thus a
need to convey an understanding and
interpretation of the service in communications
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 • Organisations have three key aims from
communications strategies: creating brand identity,
positioning of the brand and creating demand.
1.2 Marketing
• Within these general goals, hospitality firms must
communications work :
characteristics • to communicate the intangible benefits of the
service
• be specific about the distinct features and
characteristics of the services
• providing concrete details of the services
• provide key information about the evidence
about which claims for ‘ trust ’ can be made
• take consumers through the exact steps of the
experience to make them more palpable.
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1.2 Marketing • Services are said to be perishable since they
communications cannot be stored or stockpiled to be sold at a
later date.
characteristics
• This factor puts a strategic emphasis on the role
of price-setting in the marketing mix.
• The aspects of pricing strategies, including sales
promotions and discounting is a key feature of
tourism and hospitality marketing
communications

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 • The concept of inseparability refers to the fact
1.2 Marketing that it is not possible to separate the point of
communications production of the service from the point at which
they are consumed.
characteristics
• It means there is a great emphasis on the role of
people in the service encounter.
• Again, the importance of people and quality of
service linked to expertise of individuals or
within the organisation collectively is a key force
in marketing communications strategies in the
sector.

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1.2 Marketing
communications • Heterogeneity refers to the fact that it is very
characteristics difficult to replicate the same experience for
different people within the same service
environment
• It is much harder to replicate the same
experience at different times.

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 • That is why marketing messages often highlight
the following features and issues in delivery of
the service:
1.2 Marketing • the highlighted role of people
communications
• experiential and emotional nature of
characteristics messages
• timing and process issues
• quality of service delivery and products
• tangible features and benefits
• pricing strategies, promotions and
discounting
• standards and guarantees

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1.2 Marketing • However, there is also the need to communicate
communications how the services will benefit consumers.
characteristics • Earlier in the chapter, some special
characteristics of the consumption of tourism
and hospitality services were outlined.
• These are also influential factors affecting the
marketing approach and the content of
communications.

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 Influential factors affecting the marketing
approach and the content of communications:
• the importance of word-of-mouth
1.2 Marketing communication in consumers’ decision-
communications making processes
characteristics • the links between consumption and
status/identity
• the impact of consumers ’personality traits
and motivations on brand loyalty
• macro-social factors which influence
consumption
• the extent to which tourism and hospitality
consumption is an established norm of social
life.
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 Integrated marketing
The need to ensure that all
communications (IMC) requires a
marketing and non- marketing
coordinated approach to marketing
information reflects the brand
across individual campaigns and
personality and values to maximise
across different forms and channels
the potential of organisations
of information.

1.3 Integrated To create a strong ‘ message ’ across

Marketing
Ensures that internal audiences are
all its communications - critical
aware of the strategic aims of the
success factor in the highly
organisation and its vision in terms
competitive marketplace of tourism
of brand values.
and hospitality services.
Communications

Internal audiences consist of

employees, suppliers, shareholders
and other stakeholders including
wider society.

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Summary
• This chapter has outlined the defining qualities of tourism and hospitality as ‘
experiential ’ services, ones that have special characteristics.
• It is these characteristics which make the marketing communications issues particularly
interesting as a focus of study.
• Tourism and hospitality was defined as lifestyle consumer goods, making them
vulnerable to changes in the external market environment.
• This challenging contemporary business situation has an impact on marketing practice
• Many firms and organisations adopting a marketing orientation with a focus on the
consumer, and an integrated approach to marketing communications.

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Thank you

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