MARKETING

tourism product

is a concept that is made up of many components, such as tourist attractions, provision of means of transport, lodging, and its associated facilities and sources of entertainment

is a combination of tangible and intangible elements such as natural, cultural and man-made resources, attractions, facilities, services, and activities around a specific center of interest, which represents the core of the destination marketing marketing mix

Attractions

These are in varying forms and types, ranging from natural to man-made, but it is

important to ensure that the it remain constantly updated with the amenities of the

destinations.

Accommodation

This refer to any settlement or a convenient arrangement where the tourists can

stay.

Accessibility

This encompasses roads, railway, airports, and various transport facilities.

Amenities

These are structures and facilities that need to be built for the comfort and convenience of tourists during their trips.

Activities

These are the leisures and amusements done by the tourists.

Intangible

Tourism products cannot be touched, smelled, tasted, felt, nor heard prior to purchase. They cannot be subjected to prior scrutiny. One cannot examine nor test them before purchase, unlike consumer products that can be sampled.

Inseparable

When tourists avail of products and services, they have to personally go where the

products are. Since what is being sold is the experience, the product and the consumer have to be in

the same place.

Variable

Tourism experience is likely to be different depending on when the product is availed, who one is with, and how the service providers deliver the service at the time of consumption.

Perishable

Tourism product is one of the most highly ______products. It refers to not being able to forward inventory to the next day.

Seasonal

does not only refer to seasons of the year or the weather conditions; it also

refers to the behavioral patterns of the travel market. The _____of the tourism product hinders it from maximizing its profits all year round.

Substitutable

With new destinations emerging and competing in the global marketplace, one

destination can be easily substituted for another. This also applies to hotels and restaurants.

market

is a set of actual and potential buyers of a product. These buyers share a particular need or want that can be satisfied through exchange relationships

• Allocentrics – They prefer what is new, unstructured, exotic, or unusual in terms of trips or destination

choices.

• Pyschocentrics – They are those who prefer the structured and familiar destinations or activities.

• Midcentrics – They portray both characteristics of allocentrics and psychocentrics depending on the situation or season.

Plog’s Tourist Motivation Model

Allocentrics

They prefer what is new, unstructured, exotic, or unusual in terms of trips or destination

choices.

Pyschocentrics

They are those who prefer the structured and familiar destinations or activities.

Midcentrics

They portray both characteristics of allocentrics and psychocentrics depending on the

situation or season.

• Organized mass tourist – This type of tourist buys all-inclusive packages and ensures that everything

goes as planned.

• Individual mass tourist – This is more autonomous than the organized mass tourist preferring to travel

independently but still chooses popular destinations and activities.

• The explorer – This type seeks new areas but would sometimes opt for the comfort of familiar

accommodations.

• The drifter – This type is known as the "free spirit" who avoids any kind of traditional tourist

establishments.

Cohen’s Model

Organized mass tourist

This type of tourist buys all-inclusive packages and ensures that everything

goes as planned.

Individual mass tourist

This is more autonomous than the organized mass tourist preferring to travel

independently but still chooses popular destinations and activities.

The explorer

This type seeks new areas but would sometimes opt for the comfort of familiar

accommodations.

The drifter

This type is known as the "free spirit" who avoids any kind of traditional tourist

establishments.

• Bubble travelers – They have low affluence and low travel experience, and observe foreign culture

from a bubble, which give them the confidence to travel.

• Idealized-experienced seekers – They have more affluence and a base of overseas travel experience

that give them more confidence.

• Wide-horizon travelers – They have more affluence, greater confidence, and more travel experience.

They are ready for more individually oriented travel to a wider range of destinations.

• Total immersers – They do not seek to merely observe but to be exposed fully to another culture,

language, food, heritage, and lifestyle.

Stewart’s Model of Holidaytaking

Bubble travelers

They have low affluence and low travel experience, and observe foreign culture

from a bubble, which give them the confidence to travel.

Idealized-experienced seekers

They have more affluence and a base of overseas travel experience

that give them more confidence.

Wide-horizon travelers

They have more affluence, greater confidence, and more travel experience.

They are ready for more individually oriented travel to a wider range of destinations.

Total immersers

They do not seek to merely observe but to be exposed fully to another culture,

language, food, heritage, and lifestyle.

Geographic

This divides the market into different geographic units such as nations, states, regions, countries, cities, neighborhoods, barangays, towns, etc.

Demographic

This refers to the segmentation of the market based on variables such as age, life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, and race.

Psychographic

This divides the consumers based on different psychographic profiles such as social

class, lifestyle, and personality characteristics.

Behavioral

This divides groups based on their knowledge, attitude, and use of response to a product or service.

Identifiable

The people who comprise the segment can be located and identified such that targeting them would be easy.

Cohesive

The consumers should be part of a whole specific qualities that are common to all.

Measurable

The marketer should be able to estimate the size and potential spending of the members of the market segment.

Accessible

The member of the segment should be accessed by marketing efforts and promotional activities to be conducted. If they are difficult to reach, efforts to reach out to the specific segment might be useless.

Substantial

Segments should be large in order to be substantial. If the segment is small, it should

have a high spending capability to make a significant impact on the business’ bottom line.

Actionable

The company has enough resources and commitment to enable effective penetration of the identified segment to ensure effective positioning.

Direct competitor

This type of competition is observed when businesses in the same sector that offer

the same products compete with each other. (Example: Coca-Cola and Pepsi)

Indirect competitor

This type of competition offers a different product but with the same goal and

consumer resources. (Example: Hotel industry vs. AirBnB. While travelers previously reached to hotels

for their temporary lodging at a moderate to high price, AirBnB came into the scene, offering home-

shares that are not only less expensive but are unique, homey, better reflect the local community, and

offer more than just a typical bed-and-bath combination.)

Replacement/potential competitor

This type of competition offers a different product and has a

different goal but uses the same consumer resources. (Example: When Grab and Uber came into the

transportation scene, they threatened the taxi and limousine industries. However, their shared

customer base still has alternatives such as taking public transportation or walking.)

Motivations

These are inner drives that make people take a specific plan of action to satisfy their

needs.

Culture

It is the collective mental programming of the human mind that distinguishes one group

from another.

Age and gender

Age refers to the number of years a person has been living. Likes and preferences

of consumers are normally dependent on their ages. Gender also influences consumer behavior.

Social class

This is one’s position within the society and is determined by factors such as income,

wealth, education, occupation, family prestige, and value of home or neighborhood.

Lifestyle

This is a person’s pattern of living, as expressed in one’s activities, interests, and opinions.

Life cycle

This refers to the stages an individual goes through their lifetime.

Reference groups

These are sets of people who have a direct or indirect influence on other people’s

attitudes or behavior.

Personality and self-concept

Personality refers to distinguishing characteristics that lead to relatively

consistent and enduring responses to the environment. Self-concept refers to the consumer’s

personal mental picture.

Need/Problem recognition

During need or problem recognition, the consumer recognizes a problem

or need that could be satisfied by a product or service in the market. It is the first stage of the buyer

decision process.

Information search

Once the need is recognized, the consumer is aroused to seek information and

moves into the information stage wherein they search for information about the goods/service they want.

Evaluation of alternatives

With the information in hand, the consumer proceeds to alternative

evaluation, during which the information is used to evaluate brands in the choice set. Consumers

generally evaluate the alternatives based on the attributes of the product, the degree of importance,

belief in the brand, satisfaction, and the like to choose correctly.

Purchase decision

After the alternatives have been evaluated, consumers decide on whether to

purchase the product or service.

Post-purchase evaluation

The consumer takes action based on satisfaction or dissatisfaction. In this

stage, the consumer determines if they are satisfied or dissatisfied with the purchasing outcome.