Chapter : 5

Tourism Marketing and Promotion

The objectives of this chapter is to throw lights on :

• What is tourism marketing and promotion

• 7P’s of tourism marketing
• Tourism Marketing Plan for Tourist Destination
• Price of Tourism Services
• Price, Place, Promotion and Internal marketing strategies.
• Tourism and Globalization

• A Practical example on Tourism marketing of a destination or product.

• A to Z of Tourism Marketing Communication and Promotion Tools & Techniques

Introduction

Tourism is unique among industries and the application of marketing principles to the industry
need to address at least seven important sub-sectors or dimensions. These are travel,
transportation, accommodation, food-service, tour operators, attractions and amusements and
merchandisers. Each of these requires the employment of marketing functions. These marketing
functions may be different but they must be coordinated and integrated one with the other.
Travel services, for example, are used by customers to reach a selected destination where they
are fed, sheltered, entertained by a variety of enterprises and related services. Thus the
marketing activity needs be multifaceted and directed toward a number of customer targets.

Tourism is defined as the provision of services to the people who are traveling and staying
outside of their residence usually for a period shorter than one year with no earning motivation.
By the term marketing of tourism, we mean all the marketing activities of the producers who are
by any way connected to sale of their products and services in the tourism market. The aim of
marketing in tourism is producing and offering the products to suit a wider range of tourism
consumers. Tourism marketing is a sub-system of overall services marketing.

Like marketing, tourism marketing also involves much more, including product/service
development, place (location and distribution), promotion of the products, and pricing. It requires
information about people,especially those who are interested in what the marketers have to offer
to the market., such as whatthey like, where they buy and how much they spend. Its role is to
match the right product or service with the right market or audience. Modern marketing is
heavily based on the "marketing concept" which holds that businesses and organizations
should:
(1) design their products/services to meet customer needs and wants;
(2) focus on those people most likely to buy their product rather than the
entire mass market; and
(3) develop marketing efforts that fit into their overall business objectives.

The 7 P’s (4+3P’s) in the Tourism Marketing

Tourism marketing is different because the customer purchases a series of services, but is left
with very little concrete value at the completion of his trip. As a result, the marketing initiatives
have to emphasize the value of the memories, make the collection of services easily accessible
and add value through additional programming and other factors. A key challenge is to convince
potential customers that the item they are purchasing provides good value for the price, and that
the services will be as described and expected. The Seven P's of marketing tourism summarize
the special approach that is required. Many small businesses market tourism products and
employ these marketing strategies.

Product
The product is the collection of services that have features and benefits. Standard features and
benefits include the normal amenities of a hotel room, for example. Good marketing adds special
features, such as free breakfasts or free Internet.

Price
The price has to match the product, but good marketing makes the price seem more attractive.
The operator can either add features to the product and keep the price the same or give a discount
for the same features.

Promotion
The promotion gives details of the product and the price. The key characteristics of the
promotion are the method of communicating the information, the content of the promotion and
the cost to the operator. The promotion has a target market, and the method and content of the
promotion has to appeal to the people who it reaches. The price the members of the target market
are willing to pay has to cover the cost of the promotion.

Place
Place refers to the location where the customer buys the collection of services. Ideally, the
operator who sends out the promotion uses it to encourage the potential customer to visit the
operator's location and complete the purchase. With the convenience of online payments, the
operator may find that the best strategy is to direct potential customers to an attractive website
where they can complete the purchase.

People
Since the product is a collection of services, the people who provide the services are a key to the
success of the transaction. Operators must have top-level service to initially complete the sale
and to encourage repeat customers.
Process
In service marketing, process of delivering the services is critical and diversified. This is more
complicated in case of tourism. Process of delivering tourism services make the units unique and
competitive. However, as process may vary from one service to other services, one organization
to another, therefore it may not be possible to generalize discussion on process. Some experts
think that process in tourism includes the following two issues :

(a) Planning
The key service component of the tourism experience is planning. The customer expects that the
experience will correspond closely to what he purchased. The only way to ensure that kind of
correspondence is to execute according to detailed plans, and have contingency planning in place
for problems.

(b) Programming
One way to add value to the standard product and to distinguish a particular offering from
competitors is to offer exclusive programming. Customers will purchase a product that caters to
their particular interests. Special programming can address such preferences and draw in
additional customers.

Physical Evidence
If possible, the provision of physical evidence that the customer experienced the particular
tourism product can help sales. Physical evidence may also vary from the hotel building itself to
all infrastructural elements, design, layout, art of service, up to the tiny souvenir items.
Providing professional photographs of the customers at key events or the supply of branded
products to the tourists are effective strategies for promoting particular tourism products.
(Bert Markgraf)

Tourism Marketing Plan for Tourism Products

Marketing is interaction between seller and buyer. But in case of tourism, marketing may involve
the government, policy makers, national tourist organizations, other stakeholders. However,
before taking any tourism marketing decision, developing a marketing plan is necessary. In the
following paragraphs we will discuss about components of tourism marketing plan, tourism
product/market grid analysis, and positioning strategy..

Tourism Marketing Plan (both at government and organizations levels)

A thorough analysis of the strength and weaknesses of a destination’s ongoing activities and a
scrutiny of possible environmental impacts on threats and opportunities can facilitate assessment
of destination’s conditions. The following model shows the overall marketing planning for a
destination:
 Figure 1 : Elements of Tourism Marketing Plan

DIAGNOSIS
-Present Tourist facilities PROGNOSIS
-Visitors’ predilections, attitudes, behavior -Trends of present and potential origin market
-Present market exploit -Destination advances planned
-Level of competition -Competitors’ plans
-Infrastructure -Industry developments

WORKING
OUT ACTION PLAN

OBJECTS IMPLEMENTATION
- Increase in market share - Flow of tourist traffic
- Satisfy tourists’ needs - Market segmentation & targeting
- Increase tourists’ loyalty & traffic - Destination imagery
- Product positioning
- Seasonality distribution
- Tourism development - Quality control
- Communication & distribution

MONITORING
- Budgetary control
- Market performance appraisal
- Visitors’ feedback
- Periodical evaluation

After formulating the Tourism Marketing Plan, it become necessary to conduct a SWOT
analysis of the Plan. It is advisable that before implementing the short term or long term
Marketing plan, a SWOT analysis should have conducted for having a deep-rooted insight of the
total environment. The elements of marketing plan’s SWOT analysis are shown in the figure:
 Figure 2 : SWOT Analysis Elements of Tourism Marketing Plan

STRENGTHS
- Attraction WEAKNESS
- Infrastructure & - Pollution & congestion
superstructure - Prone to natural
- Safety & security calamities
- Public utility services - Local residents’ attitude

ACTIONS
TAKEN

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
- Emerging varied tourism - Similar attractions in
dimensions neighboring regions.
- Newer markets - Increasing competition
- Changing visitor tastes

Different tourism products and different tourism destinations are selected by different segments
of market. The product and destinations may be an old or a new ones. New product and new
destination development is a costly7 and also requiring much time. On the other hand side, the
tourists wish to experience new products vis-a-vis new destination. Many tourists may visit
different places with the same motivation, others want to experience as many as new products
and services they can experience in one destination. Customers’ need of products and destination
is quite perplexing for the tourism marketers. Therefore, the marketers, after analyzing the
‘Action Plan’ and SWOT analysis, may go for developing an ideal product-destination mix with
the help of ‘Product/Market’ grid which helps them to develop effective strategies: The
following figure represents the Product/Market grid as suggested by Kotler :
 Figure 3 : Product/Market grid

Existing Tourism Product New Tourism Product

Existing Market Penetration Product Modification

Market

New Market Market Development Diversification

Discussion of the Situations :

(i) Market Penetration : Carrying on offering present services to existing customers:

In tourism, frequent and repeat visiting is not expected. Customer loyalty
development is necessary. Relationship marketing is of tremendous help in this
situation. Beside, new services and new features may added to the existing products.
For example, a children’s play corner may be added in the present hotel or restaurant
premises. Customers’ data bank may be developed and knocking them from time to
time to let them offer discounted prices or informing them the addition of extra
services for the customers.

(ii) Product Modification : Developing new services for existing customers. Risk is
involved. Developing new services is expensive, but that does not ensure that the
existing customers will be interested in these. In-depth marketing research is
necessary. Example : People often says while in Cox’s Bazar, they do not find any
other recreational activities excepting wastefully spending time on the sea beach. Our
policy makers should find out ways to maximize different types of time spending
tourism products.

(iii) Market Development : Existing products can be marketed to new market segment.
New market development is easier but may involve application of marketing
expertise, and also huge investment for promotion and communication. Example :
Bangladesh can develop herself as a good destination for the pilgrims especially for
the Buddhist pilgrims. There is a huge demand for the religious and spiritual tourism
outside.
 (iv) Diversification : Developing new services for new market segments. New services
development for new market segment is also risky, because the marketers are
unaware about the needs and wants of new market segments. Thorough research is
necessary before developing a strategy. Example : Bandarban is an attraction to the
adventure type of tourists. They enjoy trekking, cycling and discovering new water
falls. However, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Council may create some sanatoriums,
resorts having facilities for the old people, some Yoga resorts etc. for different new
market segments.

Developing Positioning Strategy

The last part of tourism marketing plan development is pinpointing the positioning strategy.
Successful positioning of a tourist destination or a tourism product makes the whole marketing
plan lucrative, booming and winning.

Positioning by Product Attributes and Benefits: Longest sea beach of Cox’s Bazar,
Health resorts of Chennai, the Plateau of Tibet.
Positioning by Price/Quality: Las Vegas Casinos, Disney world.
Positioning by Use or Application: Educational resorts.
Positioning by Product class: Against same type of destination. Beaches of Goa against
beaches of Pataya.
Positioning by Product User: Pilgrimages or Religious tourism, Health resorts
Positioning by Cultural Symbols: Heritage, Culture, and Tribal tourism.
Repositioning: Involves altering or changing product’s or brand’s position. It is quite
difficult. Some times repositioning may be strategy of the marketer. India, for example,
changed its slogan from Discover India to Incredible India.

Price of Tourism Services

Price is one of the most important and visible elements of the marketing mix. When setting
prices it is important to take into consideration all of the followings :

(1) business and target market objectives;

(2) the full cost of producing, delivering and promoting the product;
(3) the willingness of the target market to pay for the product or service you provide;
(4) prices charged by competitors offering a similar product/service to the same target market(s);
(5) the availability and prices of substitute products/services (for example, campgrounds, motels,
and bed and breakfast are all substitutes for lodging);
(6) the economic climate (local and national); and
(7) the possibility of stimulating high profit products/services (such as boats) by offering related
services (such as maintenance) at or below cost.
Four Key Factors of Setting up Price :

• Operating costs − Operating costs include both fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs
remain same regardless of the sales which involve building, insurance, and equipment
costs.
• Variable costsinclude costs for wages, gas, electricity, cleaning, maintenance, repairing,
materials used in production, office stationery, linen, food, petrol, machinery, uniforms,
bank fees, marketing research expenses, and expenses for advertisements, promotions,
brochures, and conducting consumer or trade events.
• Profit Margins− This is determined by comparing the competitors’ offers and the own
product offers. Profit margins are set without compromising the competitive advantage.
• Commissions of Intermediaries− Working with intermediaries incurs commissions.
Commissions are the fees paid to the intermediaries to distribute and sell your product.

Tourism Product Pricing Policies :

Commonly followed pricing policies include −

• Discount Pricing −This strategy calls for reductions to a basic Price of product or
services. It is a form of sales promotion which at times proves to be rewarding for the
customers.
• Variable Pricing − pricing varies with respect to the variation in features of a product.
• Loss Leader Pricing − It is selling few products at prices lower than the actual prices. It
helps to settle the loss by attracting customers to buy more number of products.
• Promotional Pricing − It is selling a product for free with another product with the
objective of promoting the free product. Customer interest is generated to use the free
product thereby increasing the sale.

Place

The term place may include the channel and distribution system of the tourism products. Now
because of unthinkable development in technology, specially in IT sector, the common concept
of channelizing and distribution of services is becoming less important. Now the consumers vis-
à-vis the marketers mean more the place ‘where the tourists visit and stay’. The potential of a
tourist destination lies in its attractiveness or aesthetic value, accessibility, and the facilities it
provides to the tourists. The tourists also seek a place highly for the activities it offers, the
amenities and skilled workforce it provides, and its location.

At the time of formulating a sound ‘place’ strategy, the following points could give a leverage to
the destination operators :
(1) providing directions and maps;
(2) providing estimates of travel time and distances from different market areas;
(3) recommending direct and scenic travel routes;
(4) identifying attractions and support facilities along different travel routes; and
(5) informing potential customers of alternative travel methods to the area such as
airlines and railroads.

Potential businesses should also carefully assess alternative locations for:

(1) distance and accessibility to target markets;
(2) location of competitors with respect to target markets;
(3) modes of travel serving the area; and
(4) other attractions and activities that might induce travel to the area.

Promotion :

Just as promoting the tangible products, we get the traditional Promotional Mix elements in case
of tourism services promotion. The common promotional-mix elements are
• Advertising
• sales Promotion
• Personal selling
• Public Relation and publicity
• Direct Marketing.
• Interactive /internet marketing

However, it is not an easy way to use these promotional mix elements. People get information
about tourism products and destinations from several sources. Weightage given on different
sources may vary on the desire and motivation of the target markets. In an international survey,
for selection of destinations , 4 decisions out of 10 prompted by friends & relatives’
recommendations.

TRAVELSAT© benchmarking survey (2011) found that 38% 0f international tourists choose
their destination based on friends & relatives’ recommendation. From the following Table we
can get idea about the importance of different media which help tourists taking decisions :
Table 1 : Who mostly prompted the tourists’ decision to choose the particular destination.

1. Friends’ and relatives’ 38%

recommendation
2. World renowned Must-see 32%
destinations like Tajmahal, Eiffel
tower, Great wall etc.
3. Information on the Web 22%
4. Cheap deal and special offer 15%
5. Proximity i.e. geographically close 14%
destination
6. Travel Agency recommendation 8%
7. Article in Magazines and News 6%
papers
8. Through movies 5%
9. Appealing advertising 5%
10. Television news 2%
(Source : https://aboutourism.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/top-factors-influencing-destination-
choice/)

It becomes quite clear that advertising may not be the prime channel for promotion of tourism.
The tourism marketers may have to finding out other innovative channels. The available ways to
promote tourism and hospitality have been discussed later in this chapter.

Promotion is intended to inform the customers about the products, create an image about the
product, and position the products in the market. There are various effective ways to promoting
the tourism products --

• Advertising the products on television commercials, newspapers, radio stations, and

websites.
• Distributing promotional material such as diaries, brochures, keychains, wallets, purses,
water bottles, pens, or any small gift item designed for promoting the product.
• Setting Point of Sale (POS) displays at various places such as retail stores, shops, malls,
or petrol pumps.
• Promoting tourism products in local fairs.
• Promoting the products with their attractive features on the website of the tourism
enterprise.
• Conducting programs of sponsorships, or promoting products by offering them as
incentives.
Making decisions regarding which type or combination of promotion types to use (personal
selling, advertising, sales promotions, or publicity) is not always easy.
If, however, someone follows a logical process and do the necessary research, chances for
success will be improved. It will be necessary to make decisions regarding:

(1) Target audience---the group you are aiming at;

(2) Image---that which your community or business wants to create orreinforce;
(3) Objectives---those of the promotional campaign;
(4) Budget---the amount of money available for your promotion;
(5) Timing---when and how often should your promotions appear;
(6) Media---which methods (television, radio, newspaper, magazine) will most effectively and
efficiently communicate your message to the target audience; and
(7) Evaluation---how can the effectiveness of the promotional campaign be determined.

3 Extra P’s

Tourism services providers should not forget about the extended three marketing mix elements,
which should be applied in their own style to their unique services and products that are
available. These service marketing mix consists of 3 more P’s, and was developed in 1981.
These are :

People
Invest in the right employees for your tour and activity company. Hiring enthusiastic and
entertaining guides can help draw more customers to your business, and will enhance the overall
experience.

Processes
Make sure all tours run on schedule, and always give the customers the experience they have
been promised. Delivery of final product is key to successful re-visitation by the satisfied
tourists. Make sure you are on top of your operations. Avoid waiting times for customers, and
make the customers happy through other features like offering welcome drinks, helping the
customers in making local itinerary etc. In short, make sure that the tours and activity run
smooth.

Physical Evidence
Give the customers physical evidence of what they paid for when they booked their tours.
Beautifully decorate the front office. Add some visuals at the entry of the establishments. Make
sure the look of the vehicles are good and gear and other machineries are not broken or
outdated, they will feel, see and experience your tours and activities differently.

As tourism and hospitality sector is a service sector, so the employees are very important factor
for success of business. Not the Owner or top level managers are selling the tourism products, it
is the employees who sell the products to the ultimate customers. Therefore, from that view
point, developing a good internal marketing system is prescribed for the tourism marketers. The
followings are the Internal Marketing Mix strategies :

Internal Mix
As stated, marketing services, such as recreation and tourism, differ from marketing of tangible
products. Because of intangibility feature of recreation and tourism businesses, the marketers
should give much more importance on the employees’ smart performance towards the guests.
For that purpose, continuous training and motivation of the employees is tremendously needed. It
is the employee who are selling the products. In this respect, internal marketing is important
because dissatisfied customers can effectively cancel out an otherwise effective marketing
strategy.

The success of internal marketing is dependent on creating an atmosphere in which employees

desire to give good service and sell the business/community to visitors.
To create such an atmosphere requires the following four important elements :

(1) Hospitality and Guest Relations --- An organization wide emphasis on hospitality and guest
relations, including a customer oriented attitude on the part of the owners and managers as well
as the employees. If the owner/manager is not customer sensitive, it is unlikely the lower paid
employees will be apathetic to the customers. .

(2) Quality Control --- A program which focuses on improving both the technical quality (the
standards associated with what the customer receives) and the functional quality (the standards
associated with how the customer receives the service). All employees who come into contact
with customers should receive hospitality training.

(3) Personal Selling --- Training the staff in the selling aspects of the property (business) or
community. This also includes rewarding them for their efforts. By being informed about the
marketing objectives, and their role in accomplishing those objectives, they can help increase
sales.

(4) Employee Morale---Programs and incentives aimed at \maintaining employee morale. The
incentives can be both monetary and non-monetary.

A customer oriented atmosphere usually results in customers those are more satisfied, less
complaining and are more pleasant to serve. This helps build employee morale, their desire to
provide good service and their efficiency (Tutorialspoint, and REZDY))

Tourism and Globalization*

Globalization can be defined in several ways. One broad definition is:

“A complex web of social processes that intensify and expand worldwide economic, cultural,
political and technological exchanges and connections.”

Globalization can also be simply described as the movement of goods, ideas, values, and people
around the world. The term was first used in the early 1950s to recognize the increasing
interdependence of economies and societies around the world. Globalization, however, has
existed for centuries by way of evolving trade routes, including the slave trade, colonization, and
immigration.

Today, we are divided into separate countries, each looking out for its own national self-interest.
At the same time, other entities such as multinational corporations cross borders, which leads to
global economic and political integration. Many benefits can result from global integration and
interdependence, but we also need to heed its negative effects.

We shall explore the topic of globalization and how it relates to tourism, and then examines
trends that have arisen as a result.

The Impact of Globalization on Tourism

1. Global Mobility and Ease of Travel
2. Population and Demographic Trends
3. Terrorism, Safety, and Security
4. Increased Awareness of New Destinations

Impact of Tourism on Globalization

Tourism is friendship. Tourism stands for peace. As globalization has various impacts on
tourism, likewise, tourism has many more impacts on globalization. In this section, we mention
the major impacts those tourism has on globalization. The major impacts are :

1. Tourism as a Force for Peace

2. Tourism as Cultural Homogenizer
3. Tourism as Commodifier
4. Tourism As a World View

*(Globalization’s Impact on Tourism. By The Asian Entrepreneur Authors & Contributors).

A Practical Example on Tourism Destination (or Product) Marketing : “Find

Your Market”
Find “Who is Your Customer”
Tourism is a relatively new field for marketing. The market plan is primarily done through
extensive surveys and research on visitors. Marketing is the science of creating added customer
value, good marketing requires knowledge of what customer value is. The most basic marketing
question is: "What do our customers, or potential customers, value?"

The second key application of consumer knowledge should be segmentation and selection of
target segments. The broad market of former, current and potential customers can be segmented
along a number of dimensions. The most frequent segmenting ways are : geography, age, family
status, household income, needs and wants, length of stay, trip budget. Another way to segment
your visitors is by status such as:

1. Motor Coach Tours/Retirees

3. FIT's (Frequent Independent Travelers) with some specific objectives.
4. Families with Children
5. Young Married Couples
6. Children or Students on School Tours
7. Convention Participants
8. International visitors
9. Local residents

In today's marketing environment, which is increasingly oriented to electronic communication

media and information technology, targeting is especially useful, because only then can one
utilize the new tools: email, Internet, ecommerce, database marketing.

Analyze SWOT
The analysis of SWOTS will tell the strengths and weaknesses of the destination or product. It
is a very important exercise. It covers both internal and external factors. By using this tool, we
will be able to see the pros and cons of a project. The Strengths and Weaknesses categories are
both internal factors. They could include the proper management of staff, financial situation,
knowing the destinations capacity of supply and demand, and the overall efficiency of your
operations.

The Opportunities and Threats portion are external factors. These two are influences outside of
your control and are external factors. By pointing out these aspects of the destination, you’ll be
able to try and cradle the Opportunities to make the most of them and, hopefully, avoid the
Threats before they occur. A few examples of these are changes in the economy, environmental
issues, catastrophes, wars and weather. All in all, after using the SWOT analysis on your
business plan, you’ll have a much better understanding before investing in your projects be it
financial or in human resources.

Formulate Strategy
“Any road will take you there if you don’t know where you’re going”, said The Mad Hatter in
“Alice in Wonderland”. The Mad Hatter’s approach to planning is certainly one to avoid when it
comes to the tourism marketing for destination. In today’s competitive and over-crowded
environment tourism marketers and other organizations cannot afford an ad hoc approach to
marketing.

Destinations have to plan to deliver outstanding experiences from the first moment when visitors
click on a web site or look at a brochure.
Setting up the targets and planning the strategy for future years is the first job in strategy
development. In tourism marketing, there are many directly involved partners or even
competitors like hotels, museums, monuments, event planners, theaters, restaurants, local
government, transport providers, travel bureaus, tour operators, etc. who must work together to
develop the destinations and the products.

It is difficult, if not impossible for destinations and tourism enterprises to survive if they do not
actively participate in linkages, networks, partnerships and alliances. Tourism destinations, by
their very nature are often a mix of places, visitor experiences, businesses, and organizations. At
times these elements must come together to present a unified and cohesive product for
prospective visitors.

Where to market

There is a saying: ‘Don’t run, before you can walk’! To market the destination in such places
that the marketer is not prepared for, is a waste of money and effort. For that reason, research is
necessary to know the direction of flow of tourists. If the research shows that 70% of the
visitors are national in origin, then most of the marketer’s marketing efforts should be directed
towards national market. If most of the international visitors come from one or two countries
then develop strategies to market in those countries.

If your visitors come to trek, tea tasting or bicycling, divide the investment equally around
those activities percentage wise.
Some Means of Tourism Promotion :
Fam Trips
Fam trips are familiarization trips for the travel industry. These are very important . Once the
hotelier’s hotel is unique and up to standards, developed proper and interesting itineraries
and if the hotelier think thinks that he has a sellable product ; then the entrepreneur is ready
to show the world, particularly the representatives of the travel industry, his unique product or
destination.

Fam trips are best organized by the umbrella organization for instance the National Tourist
Organizations who can best coordinate and advise the suppliers. However, the Fam trips could
also be organized jointly by the government tourism organizations, and tourism entrepreneurs of
different sectors like hoteliers, tour operators, transport owners, other establishments. Organize
the Fam trips along the following lines:

* No longer than 3 to 4 days (2 – 3 nights)

* Set up 2 or 3 different itineraries
* Send invitations to tour operators 2 months in advance
* Send out extensive information on the itineraries beforehand or make special pages on your
websites.
* List accessibility by air, by road, by train
* Expect commitments to take part in the Fam trip.
* Divide participants into small groups, making sure that competing participants are put into
different groups.
* Travel in a good vehicle with a good driver and each group accompanied by a
knowledgeable and senior (English speaking) representative of the tourism industry (a
supplier for example, who also recognizes that he has to sell the whole destination not just
his own product)
* Try and organize the tours of each little group in opposite directions and with different
destinations
* Start with a welcome dinner and a visual presentation of each itinerary
* On the last day organize a workshop where all buyers have a table and suppliers can offer
their product by appointment of 10 minutes max.
* The afternoon can be used to meet up with individual suppliers or visits to suppliers product
* Use the best hotels to accommodate the guests, spare no expense
* Remember these people are doing a job, they are not on vacation, don’t make it a vacation.
Try not to spend too long at anyone stop, be it a hotel or a monastery or a mango yard.
* Do not spend time on meals. Make sure the meals are ordered in advance and ready on
arrival including local specialties.
* Do not include alcohol, like beer or wine at lunch, unless specifically requested.
* Prepare the sellers/ suppliers beforehand to make sure they offer a well coordinated and
 worthwhile product.

Promotion

There are different tools of promotion. However, in other tourism text books the students will be
exposed to promotion in detail. Here we will introduce the students to some new generation
promotion tools. At the end of this chapter, we mention different innovative promotional tools
widely used at present.

Advertising

Advertising: The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an

identified sponsor. Advertising is just a single component of the marketing process. It involves
the process of developing strategies such as ad placement, frequency, etc. Advertising includes
the placement of an ad in such mediums as newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio,
and of course the Internet. And although advertising cannot be avoided in today’s marketing
mix, there are many ways to avoid costly newspaper or magazine ads.

Trade shows

Trade and public shows, in the tourism industry are often held in combination of different organizations
are a very good way to promote your destination. However, there are many snakes under the grass.

A National Tourism Organization will usually be the driving force behind taking part in one or another
trade show. Shows are very expensive, not only the space but the design of your booth, the staff, the
preparation before, leaflets, brochures, travel and accommodation expenses, etc. Therefore it is of utmost
importance that you choose carefully which trade show to participate in. Decisions should be made in
context of target markets and expected visitors.

Press Trips

A press trip or media visit is a method for the destination to get positive publicity. This can be, if
done right, very valuable as we saw before. It's entirely a business arrangement. The destination
invests time and money to bring journalists, travel writers and/or photographers and filmers to
visit. Once back home, the participants are expected to sell their stories and/or images about the
destination.

How are press trips organized?

Press trips generally fall into two categories: 1) organized group trips and 2) individual trips.
Organized trips are comprised of anywhere from 2 to 20 people. The itinerary, including meals,
accommodations and schedules are arranged in advance by the organization sponsoring the trip.
Writers and photographers are flown in, unless they live close enough to drive. Then the
participants are escorted around to the attractions by good motor vehicles. There is rarely any
free time included in the itinerary. Flexibility is discouraged on group trips.

Who to invite on press trips?

Press from places where your destination has targets. It is no use getting media from places
where you have no representation. Press persons should preferably have firm assignment letters
and/or those who have shown a good record of placements from past trips. Inviting a press
person is an investment; if it doesn’t pay off in good publicity put him/her on the black list.

Golden rules for press people to follow are (Responsibilities of the invited Press people) :

* Never be late for meeting times or you'll make other writers and escorts upset.
* Organized trips run on rigid time schedules, so don't be the one to foul it up.
* Always tip drivers, chambermaids, and others as appropriate.
* Don't complain about every little problem or hitch.
* Be friendly with your fellow writers.
* Once the trip is over, thank-you notes should be sent to the sponsors.
* Once stories are printed, send copies to the sponsors immediately.

Website

Presently we experience the golden age of Internet and all the marketers want to have a website.
There are billions of them on the net. And the website of your destination has to be able to
compete in that overcrowded market. A website for a destination is one of the most important
media and promotional tools. However, the making of a successful website is not easy. In order
to make a web effective, research again is essential. Let it suffice that in this day and age,
expensive printing of brochures is a thing of the past and interactive websites are the thing of
today.

People want to communicate with other people to know about their experiences regarding a
particular tour , see the photos and videos they made when on holiday. However, an intending
tourist may want to get some basic information like who will receive them, how is the weather,
what is the food, how safe is the destination, what about accommodation and many others from
somebody. A good website needs to supply all these information , and give loads and loads of
information.
A to Z of Tourism Marketing Communication and Promotion Tools &
Techniques

In this section of the chapter, we will try to learn different Communication and Promotion tools
and techniques which are frequently used to promote tourism destination and products. Although
it is not necessary to use all the tools and techniques simultaneously, neither it is possible,
nevertheless a good combination must be developed for an integrated tourism promotion. The
prime intention of this section is to expose the tourism students into different available
communication and promotion tools and techniques which are used by the tourism marketers.

Advertorials

Advertorials are paid advertisements in a newspaper or magazine that resemble an editorial or

story. This is an effective method of promoting your business, provided you can afford to
purchase the space. The material is often perceived as a news article which gives it more
credibility than an ad.

Articles

Publishing articles is a great way to market yourself and your business. Make certain you write
about your business or a topic related to your business. Remember that you want to use the
article to establish credibility and to inform the public about the product or service you offer.

Awards

'Everyone loves a winner', and people like to do business with awards winners. After all, if
someone thought enough of you to give you an award, you must be doing something right.
Publicize your awards in every possible way, e.g. on letterheads, brochures, fax headers,
websites, email messages. Issue a press release and hang awards in a prominent place.

Bundling

Bundling is a technique whereby two or more products or services are sold as a package for less
than the price of buying the products individually. It is also used in direct mail when one
business already plans to do a mail-out, and another business places a flyer about an ‘offer’ in the
same envelope. Another example of bundling is a two-for-one sale, or ‘buy one get one free’.

Business cards

Give your cards out every chance you get. Believe that everyone who has your card is a potential
customer or can refer a potential customer to you.
Charities

Assisting charities is an excellent way to gain publicity, visibility, community recognition and
credibility, while doing something of value. Choose a charity to work with and then volunteer
some of your time or donate products or services.

Co-operative advertising

Co-operative advertising is when you and another party or parties pay for an advertisement. Are
there complimentary businesses to yours that are willing to share a joint ad?

Coupons

You can get people to try your business by putting a coupon in a newspaper, brochure or coupon
book which offers an incentive. Remember to put an expiry date and a code of some type on the
coupon so that you track the campaign’s effectiveness.

Cross promotions

Cross promoting your business with another simply requires both of you agreeing to pass out
information or coupons for the other to your respective customers. To be effective, you should
cross-promote with businesses that complement your business.

Customer appreciation programs

A very simple customer appreciation program is a thank you card or note to new customers
telling them you appreciate their business. Or, you can send the same thing to a customer who
refers new business to you, thanking them for the referral. Other types of appreciation programs
include sending Christmas cards or gifts to clients and customers.

Displays

Displays can be used with great effect at shopping centres, at your site, local fairs or trade shows
by attracting attention to your product. Displays can be simple signs, table tops, bulletin boards
or free standing units. It is important that displays be eye-catching and informative.

In-service training

Employee training is one of the most overlooked and under-utilised marketing techniques.
Training programs are relatively inexpensive when compared to the returns. Training employees
to do their jobs better, or cross training them to help out in other areas makes employees feel that
they are more valuable to the business. They will probably produce more and market your
business to more customers. Remember that your two best sales tools are satisfied customers and
happy employees.
Letters to the editor

Have you ever considered the publicity value of writing a letter to the editor? You can sign it
with your name and your business name. Don’t make the letter seem like a blatant advertisement
for your business. Follow up on a topical issue or something the newspaper reported earlier.

Loyalty programs

A loyalty program provides an opportunity for customers to be rewarded for using your product
or service and can encourage repeat business where the reward can only be redeemed if they use
the service again or introduce a ‘friend’ to your product.

Newsletters

Newsletters are a great way to stay in touch and remind clients who you are; the return on this
investment can be significant. Newsletters should be easy to read. Use a big headline followed
by two or three columns and only two or three font sizes. The text or copy should be one print
size and section headings and subheading in another.

Notice boards

Notice boards are an effective marketing tool and usually free to use. Many places such as
shopping centres, caravan parks, and supermarkets have notice boards where you can place your
brochure. While you may not receive a great deal of business from placing a flyer on an already
crowded public notice board, you could generate some interest.

Opening ceremony

This is very effective if you are a new business. Wait about two to three months after you have
opened, work out all the bugs, and then have your opening. Make it interesting, festive and fun.
Inform the media about your event.

Piggybacking

Piggybacking gets you involved with an already successful event or promotion. The cost is
usually minimal, the visibility is high and the credibility is instant. Take a look around your
business and see if there are any events, programs or promotions that you can become part of.
Even though you will be doing the piggybacking, you still must contribute your time, effort and
some money to the success of the program.

Public service announcements

Most radio and television stations offer public service announcements, particularly in regional
areas. These are free announcements that inform the public of newsworthy items eg, visit by a
dignitary, birth of new animals etc. The resulting visibility and credibility will enhance your
business.

Radio programs

Contact your local radio station about the possibility of a regular ‘spot’ or interview to talk about
what’s happening in your business. Or use regular tourist spots by other agencies (eg visitor
centre) to promote new activities or events.

Reprints

Duplicate any articles that you publish, that are written about you, or that mention your business
or your name. Keep a copy of your ads and advertorials. Send these to prospective and current
customers to give them an idea of your business. You can also place these on your website. If
you can afford to, take the originals to a printer and have them reproduced professionally.

Sales letters

Sales letters are personalized letters to customers and potential customers announcing a special
offer or a new product or service. They often contain a discount or value coupon as a call to
action for the customer to respond immediately.

Seminars, speeches and workshops

These are a great way to become known in the community, to develop credibility as an expert on
a subject, and to become respected for your contribution to the community. You can launch your
reputation as a speaker by contacting professional, community and social organisations offering
to speak to their members. The more speeches you give, the more people you will meet. This can
translate into more customers for your business.

Signage

If people can’t find you, they are unlikely to visit. Ensure that your site is adequately sign-
posted. Put yourself in the shoes/car of your customers.

Telephone hold messages

Telephone hold messages play your advertising and marketing messages to customers while they
wait on hold. They can be used to reinforce your image or the products you offer or promote
special event or activities that may be coming up in the future.

Testimonials

When a customer tells you they are satisfied with the way you conduct your business or with a
purchase they made from you, ask them to write it in a letter, email or visitor book. Collect
testimonial letters from as many people as possible. Use them as additional sales and marketing
tools. Ask people who give you testimonials if you can use their comments in promotional
material. If you have a celebrity visit your site, ask if you can photograph him or her and display
it in a prominent space or distribute it to the local media.

Tracking

Always ask customers where they heard about you or who referred them to you. Effective
tracking techniques let you determine the return on marketing activities and evaluate your
marketing plan and make revisions, if necessary.

Value added service

Providing value-added service means you will give customers more for their money. Options
will vary greatly depending on the type of business, but can include a free postcard, free
tea/coffee, etc. Value added service all but guarantees customers will refer their family and
friends to you. It may cost little, or nothing, but can provide a great return.

Visit your competitors

Most businesses are aware of the need to know what their competitors are doing, but may not
visit them. ‘Shopping your competitors’ involves going to their place of business to get a
firsthand knowledge of their product, price and service. Collect brochures, advertisements and
other information about other businesses. The more you know about your competition, the more
effective you will be in the marketplace.

Website tools

Including website links directing visitors to your website, online bookings, include your website
address on all your marketing materials, leverage Tourism WA for online marketing avenues.

Zero level tolerance for satisfying guests

No scope for allowing or accepting or ignoring or tolerating any gap or any slip or any loophole
which may affect the level of customer satisfaction.
References
Bert Markgraf.http://smallbusiness.chron.com/eight-ps-marketing-tourism-42140.html

Globalization’s Impact on Tourism. By The Asian Entrepreneur Authors & Contributors.

October 26, 2016. http://www.asianentrepreneur.org/globalization-tourism/

Philip Kotler. Marketing Management. Pentice Hall.

Tutorialspoint. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/tourism_management/tourism_management_
marketing_ mix.htm

REZDY.https://www.rezdy.com/blog/the-4-3-ps-in-the-marketing-mix-for-tour-operator/

https://aboutourism.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/top-factors-influencing-destination-choice/
Tutorialspoint .
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/tourism_management/tourism_management_marketing_mix.htm