Destination marketing
“What do destination marketers need to know about tourists/visitors in order to best market a tourism destination?”
Tourism destinations face many challenges in a competitive marketplace. A tourism destination can be defined as a place which attracts visitors from a wide range of destinations globally to spend at least one overnight (Pike, 2004). With tourism destinations a highly perishable commodity marketing strategies have changed to become less mass market and more consumer orientated. As identified in the literature, segmenting mass tourism markets helps identify a strong relationship with the destination and there consumer. Every destination can offer a variety of services and products however, each consumer has the freedom to choose a variety of destinations globally something which is becoming increasingly difficult for destination marketers to manage. Soteriades (2012) highlights the importance of effective strategic marketing strategies to destination marketing organisations. Marketing destinations effectively requires destination marketing organisations to collect data and information on consumer behaviour, Page and Connell (2006) provides insight into the importance of understanding consumer behaviour and how this influences marketing decisions.
This paper has been structured in an attempt to identify and understand what information destination marketers need to know in order to successfully market a tourism destination. Research will highlight the concept of marketing, the role of destination marketing organisations and identify best practices in successful destination marketing. The case study of Edinburgh highlights the importance of successful destination marketing and the impact effective marketing strategies have had on the Scottish tourism economy. This essay will also provide insight into what destination marketers need to know in order to segment target markets and identify changes in consumer buying behaviour.
Effective marketing
Tourism destinations face many challenges in a competitive marketplace. A tourism destination can be defined as a place which attracts visitors from a wide range of destinations globally to spend at least one overnight (Pike, 2004). With tourism destinations a highly perishable commodity marketing strategies have changed to become less mass market and more consumer orientated. As identified in the literature, segmenting mass tourism markets helps identify a strong relationship with the destination and there consumer. Every destination can offer a variety of services and products however, each consumer has the freedom to choose a variety of destinations globally something which is becoming increasingly difficult for destination marketers to manage. Soteriades (2012) highlights the importance of effective strategic marketing strategies to destination marketing organisations. Marketing destinations effectively requires destination marketing organisations to collect data and information on consumer behaviour, Page and Connell (2006) provides insight into the importance of understanding consumer behaviour and how this influences marketing decisions.
This paper has been structured in an attempt to identify and understand what information destination marketers need to know in order to successfully market a tourism destination. Research will highlight the concept of marketing, the role of destination marketing organisations and identify best practices in successful destination marketing. The case study of Edinburgh highlights the importance of successful destination marketing and the impact effective marketing strategies have had on the Scottish tourism economy. This essay will also provide insight into what destination marketers need to know in order to segment target markets and identify changes in consumer buying behaviour.
Effective marketing
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