Marketing Heritage Tourism

Understanding Marketing

Marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers, for the purpose of selling the service

Marketing is not sales maximization

Marketing is not advertising and promotion.

Marketing is part of the management plan, but implements the mission and capacity identified in the management plan.

Marketing should achieve goals of the management plan and

Develop facilities and services as tourism products

Identify potential travelers and their needs and wants

Price their products

Communicate their appeal to target markets

Deliver them to their customers’ satisfaction

Supply and Demand in Marketing

Demand: Increased interest in culture, particularly as a source of identity and

differentiation in the face of globalization.

Growing levels of cultural capital, stimulated by rising education levels.

Aging populations in developed regions.

Postmodern consumption styles, emphasizing personal development rather

than materialism.

Supply: Development of cultural tourism to stimulate jobs and income.

Cultural tourism was seen as a growth market and “quality” tourism.

An increasing supply of culture as a result of regional development.

The growing accessibility of information on culture and tourism through

new technologies.

De-marketing assets

Marketing can be used to promote or discourage who visits and hone the message about what visitors should expect.

Help maintain sustainability of assets

Many people given marketing responsibility have little real knowledge of marketing

Few cultural tourism attractions have formalized marketing plans with clearly-stated goals and objectives

Most attractions respond to consumer and travel trade demand, rather than leading it.

The numbers are not the message

Often assessment is

1. Number of visitors

2. Economic impact

3. Visitor satisfaction

What is unique about heritage tourism marketing?Non-financial objectives have equal or stronger roles in the overall set of

objectives than financial goals.

Conservation, education, awareness building, creating pride in one's past, or even religious contemplation

Tourists and local residents share the asset

Failure to recognize asset must be managed, at least in part for tourism use.

Who is the target market?

Thinking Strategically

1. What products do I choose to offer? Core benefit

2. What products do I choose not to offer?

3. What markets do I choose to target? What type of tourists

4. What markets do I choose not to target?

5. What competitors do I choose to compete with? positioning the asset as a preferred place to visit

6. What competitors do I choose to avoid?

Sustainable Competitive Advantages

They are substantial enough to make a difference; a marginal advantage is meaningless.

They are sustainable in the face of competitor reaction; in other words, they are immune to competitor actions.

They must be real or perceived to be real by the consumer and must also be seen to be valuable to the consumer.

They form a central platform in the overall positioning of the product.

They must be rare among current competitors

The role of research in marketing

Must be customer focused

Outcome oriented

Must understand

Product offering

The target market

Underlying industry conditions

The Four Ps: The Marketing Mix

Marketing mix is “the mixture of controllable marketing variables that the firm uses to pursue the sought level of sales in the target market.”

Product-- control the core product, and thus the experience, to reach the target audience. (food is important)

Price-- commensurate with the quality of experience, to increase or reduce access

Place -- distribution channels

Promotion--to prompt people into positive action after they have received information about the attraction. Effective communication will enable attractions to effectively segment the market and send messages that will appeal to the desired type of visitor.

Marketing is more than simply sales

It forms part of the overall management plan.

It is a tactical tool used to accomplish management objectives, including both financial and non-financial goals

To be effective it must be

Focused tightly

Strategic in its orientation

Based on a sound understanding of the marketplace. (must have research)