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Your Marketing Mix: the 7 Ps of Travel and Tourism Marketing

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As a busy tour operator, developing a marketing strategy for your tour or activity business can feel like a daunting task. You already have your hands full ensuring your business is running smoothly, you can’t afford to waste time or money on the wrong things. Fortunately, you don’t have to go in without a plan. A good way to build out your knowledge of the fundamentals of marketing is to understand the marketing mix and how to use the 7 Ps of marketing in the travel and tourism industry.

tourism market mix

A marketing mix is the set of actions that a business uses to promote its brand in the market and influence customers to purchase their product. An effective marketing mix focuses its efforts in multiple areas to build a robust marketing plan. These areas were initially known as the 4 Ps of marketing (product, price, place, and promotion) and were first proposed by marketing professor Jerome McCarthy in 1960. Since then, marketing tactics have evolved and in an attempt to better address businesses in the service industry, the 4 Ps were expanded to 7 and now include people, process, and physical evidence.

Why Do They Matter?

Today, we’ll be exploring all 7 Ps of the marketing mix and how they can help you build an effective marketing strategy for your tour or activity business. While each element of the marketing mix is important on its own, collectively they provide a framework for creating a plan that is unique to your business and your target audience. Following the 7 Ps will help you better understand your brand so that you can develop a marketing strategy that works for you on all fronts. 

The 7 Ps of Travel and Tourism Marketing

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The first P of the marketing mix is product. That is, what is it that you’re selling to your customers? In most industries, the product is something that is tangible. The customer can walk into a store, purchase a product off the shelf, and take it home with them. However, in the tourism industry, the product provided is often an intangible service in the form of a tour, an experience, or even the destination itself. 

Tangible or intangible, to give your product the best chance of success, it’s important to ensure that there is a demand for what you’re selling. Make sure you have a thorough understanding of the service you’re offering, the needs you’re fulfilling for your customers, and why they aren’t able to get it anywhere else. What makes your tour or activity unique and better than that of your competitors?

Answering these questions will help you discover your unique selling proposition (USP) and determine your positioning in the market. Above all, ensure that the tour or activity you’re providing is the best that it can be.

Pricing

Next up is the price of your tour. What are your customers willing to pay for what you’re offering? Determining how to price your tour or activity package requires the careful consideration of factors such as competitor pricing, the budget of your target audience, and your own overhead and operational costs. Ultimately, you want to price your tour or activity competitively so that it is both attractive to your customers and profitable for your business.

Online Booking

The third P of the travel and tourism marketing mix is place, or the distribution method of your product. This is where and how you make your tour or activity available to your customers for purchase. As mentioned earlier, because the service you’re providing is intangible, the places where your customers can book your tour will primarily be online, whether it be through your booking website, social media platforms, or online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia and Booking.com.

Your online booking website is one of the most important places your tours and activities can be found, so make sure it’s doing everything you need by booking a demo with Rezgo .

Physical locations like your tour or activity office as well as neighboring businesses that you’ve partnered with are also places where your customers might access your product.

The last of the original 4 Ps of marketing is promotion, or how your customers learn about your tour or activity. Tour promotion encompasses all the tactics that businesses typically use when they think about marketing. This includes both physical and digital advertisements, social media posts , press releases, events, special deals or limited-time offers, customer reviews, and partnerships with hotels or other local businesses at your destination. The possibilities are endless when it comes to tour promotion and are really only limited by your own creativity. 

People

The people who represent your business and the customer service they provide are especially important when it comes to the success of a tour or activity company. Unlike businesses where physical products can sometimes speak for themselves, the overall experience a customer receives on a tour is greatly influenced by the people they interact and engage with. This includes tour guides, customer service representatives, and even booking agents. To ensure a positive experience for your customers, it’s important that anyone who interacts with your customers on your business’ behalf (even indirectly) is highly professional and knowledgeable about your products and services.

the sixth of the 7 Ps of tourism marketing is the process. The process that a customer goes through from the moment they book your activity to when they finally complete the tour should be as pleasant, convenient, and seamless as possible. Customers should be able to access any information they need with ease including their itinerary, booking info, waivers, etc.

Just as important is how your business decides to deliver this information to your customers. Plan and design your process so that it is easily replicated for efficiency, reliability, and consistency. A good booking system can automate a lot of your process to make sure the customer experience is smooth and efficient from start to finish.

Physical Evidence

Lastly, we have physical evidence. Once again, because the experiences and services provided by a tour or activity company are usually intangible, it can be difficult for interested customers to try them out before committing to a purchase or booking.

There are, however, still ways for tour operators to use physical cues to help convert potential customers. Some of these include website design, physical tour office layout, employee uniforms, brochures, marketing material, and souvenirs or free swag. It’s also worth highlighting any tangible elements of your tour that customers can look forward to in your promotional material or tour descriptions . 

Measuring the Success of Your Travel and Tourism Marketing Mix

tourism market mix

Using the 7 Ps of marketing to build out a strategy for your tour company is great, but how do you know if it’s working? Measuring the success of your tourism marketing mix can be accomplished in a few ways. The first is to calculate your return on investment (ROI) to determine whether the money you’ve spent on your marketing initiatives are actually bringing in enough sales for a profit.

Another way to check on the performance of your marketing strategy is by using analytics on engagement data. How many people actually saw or clicked on that ad, post, or email? How many of those clicks converted into a sale? 

tourism market mix

Rezgo offers a powerful reporting system that allows tour operators to track the performance of their marketing campaigns and analyze the impact of each referrer or promo code. By studying this data you can adjust your marketing strategy so that you’re focusing your effort and allocating your money in the most effective places.

There’s a lot to consider when developing a marketing strategy for your tour or activity business, but now that we’ve broken down the 7 Ps of a tourism marketing mix, you know exactly which areas you should be focusing on.

Work on planning and building out each marketing element separately, but remember that they need to complement each other and work together harmoniously for the biggest impact. Adjusting your strategy in one area should affect the way you approach another. 

Rezgo helps tour and activity providers thrive by giving them the tools and guidance they need to work efficiently and expand their business.You’re passionate about providing amazing experiences. We’re passionate about building  flexible tools  to make your job easier and get you more bookings. Let’s work together to make your business thrive. Start using Rezgo today by signing up for free !

We can’t wait to see you launch your next marketing campaign. Good luck!

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Written By | Edward Nieh

Edward Nieh is a freelance writer and copy editor working across multiple mediums for clients from various industries. He has a degree in creative writing with a focus on screenwriting for feature films.

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Tourism Marketing: A Guide to Effectively Market Your Tours and Experiences

Discover how to strategically promote your tours with our comprehensive guide on tourism marketing and elevate your brand visibility today

tourism market mix

by Janelle Visser | 2 February 2024

If you build it, they will come, as the adage goes. But in today’s digital age, where anyone can build anything and put it online in moments, the question becomes: how will they find — and choose — you? 

In the dynamic world of tourism experiences, the key to attracting travelers lies in successfully marketing your tours, activities and attractions. And it’s not just about attracting tourists, it’s about creating unforgettable connections that turn one-time visitors into loyal advocates for your brand. 

Marketing is consistently ranked by Arival event attendees as one of the most important topics they are looking for insights on. As traveler preferences and booking habits change, so do the most effective ways to market to them. 

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the evolution and strategies of marketing for travel and tourism in today’s digital era, providing actionable insights for tour operators and attractions, and answering key questions that every tour operator grapples with. From crafting a marketing strategy to understanding the components of a successful tourism marketing campaign, we’ll explore how to navigate the competitive and ever-evolving landscape of tour, activity and attraction marketing, and create lasting connections with your guests.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What is Tourism Marketing?

The evolution of tourism marketing, how to create a tour marketing strategy.

  • Conduct Thorough Market Research
  • Identify Your Target Audience
  • Understand Your Customer Needs and Expectations
  • Create Unique Selling Propositions (USPs)
  • Build a Strong Brand
  • Consider Offline Marketing for Tours
  • Embrace Digital Marketing Strategies
  • Leverage Modern AI Technology
  • Take Advantage of the Current Trends
  • Monitor and Evaluate Your Strategy
  • Navigating the Future of Tourism Marketing with Arival

At its core, tourism marketing is a strategic approach to promoting destinations, tourism products and services to tourists. For operators, this primarily means promoting your tour, activity or attraction offerings. The aim is to understand and meet the needs and wants of travelers, creating memorable experiences that encourage reviews, repeat visits and referrals. 

In the context of the global tourism economy, where according to Arival’s latest data the in-destination experiences industry is expected to be worth $270 billion in 2024. Tourism marketing plays a pivotal role in the success of travel businesses, helping them to stand out above their competitors and serving as the bridge that connects them with their target audiences of travelers.

As travel marketing company Blend ’s Managing Director put it recently in an interview with Arival, “The simplest way to define [marketing] is what comes to mind when someone thinks about your brand or experience. And what you do through your marketing channels is help shape that perception.”

The landscape of marketing in tourism has undergone a profound transformation since the early 1900s when the Michelin Guide first encouraged motorists to explore the world beyond their own towns. Progressing from traditional tourism promotion methods like brochures and word-of-mouth recommendations to the digital age of Google searches and social media influencers, technology has played a pivotal role in shaping how destinations and experiences are promoted. 

tourism market mix

Fast forward to today, where the advent of short-form video marketing and generative AI has added new dimensions, allowing every tour, activity or attraction operator to engage travelers in innovative ways. These tools provide opportunities for engagement, personalization, and storytelling that were once unimaginable, and have become integral to captivating the modern traveler.

Successful marketing for tourism starts with a well-defined marketing strategy, which will help ensure the effort and resources you put into marketing are effective. The following steps will help guide you through the creation of a marketing strategy for your tour, activity or attraction company.

1. Tour Marketing Strategy

Understanding the market is the foundation of any effective strategy. Thorough research into customer demographics, travel patterns, and consumer behaviors will provide invaluable insights as you create your marketing strategy. 

Arival conducts regular tourism market research to assist tour, activity and attraction businesses with this process. For example, Arival’s latest consumer research on the 2024 U.S. Experiences Traveler found that day tours are on the rise among U.S. travelers , and that younger millennial and Gen Z travelers in particular are moving away from traditional sightseeing tours and looking for more experiential tours , such as culinary tours and immersive experiences. See Arival’s latest research here . 

tourism market mix

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Targeting your tourism marketing plan to a specific audience is crucial, as this will enable you to enhance the relevance of your offerings, improve engagement, and maximize the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Identifying your target audience involves a strategic process that combines market research as described above, data analysis, competitive analysis and customer profiling. Google and social media platforms, for example, offer analytics tools that provide insights into the age, interests, geographic location and income bracket of your followers, that can help you to develop detailed buyer personas that represent your ideal customers, and create a plan to reach and engage these audiences. 

In addition, analyzing the target audience of your competitors will help you build on this and identify gaps or underserved segments in the market that your tourism marketing plan can effectively target.

tourism market mix

3. Understand Your Customer Needs and Expectations

Conducting tourism market research and identifying your target audience will help you with this step. Once you have an idea of who your target customers are, you can discover what their needs and expectations are, and how to develop a marketing strategy to reach them effectively. 

For example, if you offer sightseeing tours and you have identified younger Millennial and Gen Z travelers from the U.S. as a demographic you want to market your tours to, you will need to go beyond sightseeing to attract this demographic, according to the latest Arival research . 

How can you make your tours more immersive and experiential, and reflect this in your marketing to engage this demographic? Anticipating and meeting your customers’ needs and expectations can lead to higher customer satisfaction, fostering reviews and repeat business. Personalization is key.

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4. Create Unique Selling Propositions (USPs)

One of the challenges a tourism marketing strategy needs to solve is how to make you stand out above your competitors. Why do tourists choose some travel experiences over others? One way to differentiate your offerings is by identifying and highlighting unique selling points (USPs) that resonate with your target audience.

Let’s say you have identified younger Millennial and Gen Z travelers as a group you’d like to target with your marketing efforts. In your city there are multiple competitors offering similar tour products to yours, however you’ve realized that this target audience has an affinity for food tours. You find a way to work elements of culinary tourism into your sightseeing tour offering and your marketing to set yourself above your competitors and offer something unique in your region.

tourism market mix

5. Build a Strong Brand

A consistent, strong brand fosters trust and ensures your tour company is memorable in the minds of potential guests. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t recognize the logo of an apple with a bite taken out of it, or doesn’t know where the phrase “just do it” comes from. 

Brands are about more than creative logos and catchy slogans, however. Building a robust brand for your experience business involves defining a clear identity with a focused mission and incorporating those USPs described in the previous step. Then, reaching out to your target audience through engaging storytelling and content, bolstered by a strong online presence, will enable your customers to build an emotional connection with your brand. Ensuring you’re delivering high-quality customer experiences to your target audience is crucial to building trust in your brand, and encouraging positive reviews is essential to building your brand’s reputation and ensuring ongoing brand success. 

Arival Insider Pro Access members can learn more about the importance of building your brand here. 

tourism market mix

6. Consider Offline Marketing for Tours

Before we go too deep into digital marketing in tourism, it’s important to recognize that traditional methods like print advertising, brochures, and partnerships with local businesses still have relevance and can complement digital marketing strategies.

Many travelers are still waiting to book their things to do until they are in-destination, which means there is an opportunity to meet these travelers where they are. For example, working with destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and other regional tourist organizations that operate tourist information centers can enable you as a tour or experience operator to get printed promotional material about your experiences physically in the hands of tourists looking in person for things to do. Reach out to destination marketers in your region to take advantage of this offline marketing opportunity. 

tourism market mix

7. Embrace Digital Marketing Strategies

As travelers increasingly use digital channels to discover, plan and book their travel, operators can and should leverage a range of digital marketing strategies to effectively promote their tours and engage with potential customers. 

From Google Things to do to search engine optimization (SEO), from social media strategy to working with influencers, from effective email marketing to impactful content marketing, a strong tourism marketing plan will incorporate a variety of digital marketing elements to bring a wider audience to the top of the funnel, and engage with them throughout the funnel at various stages of their discovery, planning and booking journey.

Arival has developed a number of guides and articles to help experience operators navigate the world of digital marketing for travel and tourism. Here are a few resources:

  • An Essential Guide to SEO for Tours & Activities
  • Content Marketing
  • Your Guide to Influencer Marketing in Travel and Tourism

tourism market mix

8. Leverage Modern AI Technology

The popularity of AI in 2024 cannot be understated, however many companies in the travel industry have been using AI in various forms long before the release of ChatGPT in late 2022 brought Generative AI, or Gen AI to the forefront. Gen AI, though, has made it a lot more accessible for travel businesses and tourism marketers without a lot of technical expertise to integrate AI to personalize customer experiences, generate targeted content, and enhance decision-making in marketing strategies for tourism. 

Many companies in the marketing for tourism space have developed tools and resources for tour, activity and attraction businesses, some of which are listed on Arival’s list of AI Resources for Experience Operators . Find out more about what’s the latest with AI in travel and how tour and attraction businesses are using it at the next Arival event. 

tourism market mix

9. Take Advantage of the Current Trends

Staying up-to-date with the latest digital trends in marketing for travel and tourism is essential to stay relevant and get ahead of your competitors. 

For example, over the last couple of years, short-form videos on platforms like TikTok have risen dramatically as a channel for travelers — younger Millennial and Gen Z travelers in particular — to find inspiration for travel experiences. Incorporating vertical and short-form video in your tourism marketing will help you engage this audience, enabling you to meet travelers where they are online and present the experience offerings of your tour, activity or attraction company in a format your audience is familiar with.

@j_buzzi I don’t think I’ll ever get over how amazing bioluminescence is! 🤯🌌 #bioluminescence #getupandgokayaking ♬ Another Rain (From “Halo 3: ODST”) – DS Music

Justin Buzzi , founder of Get Up and Go Kayaking , jumped on the vertical video trend and attracted millions of views and over one million likes on TikTok with this short bioluminescence video.

10. Monitor and Evaluate Your Strategy

A strategy without evaluation is like a ship without a compass. Regularly assess the effectiveness of your marketing strategy using key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs to monitor the effectiveness of your marketing strategy could include website traffic, conversion rates, social media engagement, booking levels, and customer reviews and ratings. Consistent monitoring and evaluation ensure that you not only navigate the course but also make agile adjustments, keeping your strategy aligned with the ever-shifting tides of the tourism market.

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1. What are the key components of a successful tour marketing campaign?

Success lies in a well-researched strategy with clear targeting built on tourism market research, compelling USPs that speak to the needs and expectations of your target audience, and a strong brand built on a balanced mix of offline and digital marketing, as well as a compelling tourism experience product itself. All of these components work together to make for a successful marketing strategy. 

2. How often should I reevaluate and update my tourism marketing strategy?

In the world of tourism marketing, trends and traveler preferences change rapidly. Check in regularly with travel trends (and let Arival research guide you). While you might evaluate the effectiveness of your overall strategies quarterly to stay responsive to market changes and ensure your strategy remains effective, more frequent monitoring of individual social media channels, website KPIs and SEO will help you be that much more effective.

3. How can I optimize my website for tour marketing purposes?

Your website is your digital storefront. Prioritize content marketing , then optimize for search engines ( learn more about SEO here ), ensure seamless user-friendly navigation and online booking system capabilities for both computer and mobile booking , incorporate visually captivating elements like photos and videos, keep your pricing and product listings up to date, and update your content regularly. 

4. Are there any specific strategies to attract international tourists?

To attract international tourists, consider ways to tailor your marketing messages for the specific regional audiences you’re interested in reaching. Look at tourism market research and trends for the different regions you intend to target — what works in the U.S. might not work in Asia and vice versa. Your local and regional destination marketing organizations (DMOs) may be able to help with this, as destination marketers often conduct research on the international travelers coming to your destination. Consider utilizing multilingual content to reach a broader range of potential travelers, and explore partnerships with international travel agencies. Check out Arival’s list of OTAs organized by geographic region to help you identify potential distribution partners in other languages and regions.

5. How important are customer reviews and testimonials in tour marketing?

Customer reviews and testimonials play a crucial role in tour marketing, acting as powerful social proof that influences potential customers. Positive reviews build credibility and trust, addressing concerns and reservations prospective customers may have. Encourage your satisfied customers to share their experiences on platforms like TripAdvisor or Google, or wherever they booked, and don’t forget to respond to these reviews, whether positive or negative.

6. What are some unique challenges in tourism marketing compared to other industries?

Tourism marketing faces unique challenges such as seasonality, unpredictable external factors (e.g., natural disasters ), and the need for real-time adaptability to changing travel trends. High competition demands innovative strategies to stand out, and the reliance on positive word-of-mouth makes ensuring customer satisfaction even in the face of unpredictable challenges critical. 

7. How can I use tourism marketing to cope with seasonal fluctuations in the industry?

To cope with seasonal fluctuations, craft seasonal promotions, diversify offerings to match changing preferences, and use marketing to highlight the unique experiences available during different seasons. Some strategies include implementing targeted off-season promotions, creating incentives for bookings during slower periods, and developing themed tours or events that align with seasonal interests and capitalize on festivals or holidays. Implementing dynamic pricing strategies , where prices vary based on demand, can also help maximize revenue during peak seasons and encourage more visitation during slower periods.

Navigating the Future of Tourism Marketing With Arival

Success in tourism marketing lies in learning about your audience, developing practical strategies to reach them, constant adaptation to keep up with changing market conditions and traveler trends, and utilizing tools and research like what Arival provides to stay ahead in a competitive landscape. 

Keep in mind that you don’t have to do this alone. There are multiple marketing agencies out there that specialize in marketing for travel and tourism companies, with some even focusing specifically on tours, activities and attractions. Check out our curated list of the tourism marketing agencies for tours and attractions here. 

Even better, join us at the next Arival event where we’ll dive into the latest tourism market research insights and trends in travel experiences, and share practical tourism marketing strategies and other actionable takeaways to help you reach your target markets, increase your bookings and grow your business.  

Become an Insider Pro Access member today and get access to the full library of Arival research, plus many other benefits such as free consulting sessions, special discounts and 20% off in-person events, starting from $179 per year.

Sign up to receive insights tailored for the in-destination industry as well as updates on Arival.

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Travel Marketing Best Practices: How To Apply The 7P’s To Make Your Travel Business More Successful

Understanding the crux of the 7Ps of marketing is pertinent for you as a tour operator. It can help you analyze your competitive strategies, capitalize on key elements of marketing to attract new customers and ultimately reach your sales targets.

The marketing mix involves various processes, each one focusing on different areas of your marketing strategy. These different processes all need to work together in order for you to successfully attract and generate new customers.

In this guide, we’ll break down the 7s of marketing and cover some of the most important travel marketing best practices to keep in mind with each of these different areas.

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The 7Ps of Marketing for Travel Businesses 

The beauty of the marketing mix is that it helps you to set objectives and create a clear roadmap for your business to promote itself in the market. This includes the different marketing channels and tactics that are applied.

In 1960, professor Jerome McCarthy first proposed the idea of the 4Ps of marketing - which refers to the four elements that make up a traditional marketing mix. This applies to any kind of business. The 4Ps are

However, strategies in marketing have changed tremendously since then, and the way different types of businesses reach customers varies. This resulted in the 4Ps evolving. It only made sense to add additional Ps to accommodate all industries. These Ps include

  • Physical Evidence

The 7Ps can help you attract your target audience more easily and provide the right kind of marketing messages and value to turn those prospects into paying customers.

Let’s break down the 7Ps of travel marketing.

1. Product 

First, there’s your product. This refers to what you’re selling your customers, and it’s what your entire travel marketing strategy will be centered around.

For many traditional businesses, a product is a physical item that you can place in your basket, or buy online and unwrap at home. However, in the travel industry, your product is not tangible. For travel businesses, product refers to some kind of tour, service, or travel experience.

travel advertising

When it comes to travel marketing best practices, you must understand how your product fits into the market, and what type of demand there is for your product. You’ll also need to know the unique selling proposition (USP) behind your product, and what will motivate a customer to make a purchase (or, book a tour).

There are typically a lot more factors involved in the purchase decision process for travel products. For example, a travel business customer will need to

  • Plan their trip around what free time they have available
  • Plan their trip around the weather
  • Purchase without understanding the direct effect, or benefits, the travel purchase will offer them
  • Travel purchase decisions often involve a fairly large investment, without getting a tangible product in return

This means there’s a lot to keep in mind when marketing your travel product to your audience. Understanding the market conditions, the competition, and what makes your product special is essential for attracting and retaining customers.

Of course, you also need to offer a high-quality travel product if you want to make a lot of sales.

Some travel marketing best practices include sharing as many details about your products as possible on your website, sharing videos and images of your travel experiences on social media, and showcasing reviews and testimonials from past customers.

2. Place 

Place is an element of the marketing mix that refers to where and how you make your product available. Because your travel product is intangible, you will likely be selling it online (as opposed to a shelf in a shop). You could also be selling through a booking platform, an OTA , or a travel desk.

Travel marketing best practices

Whatever the case, travel marketing best practices here involve making sure that the place you sell your product offers a smooth customer journey. This means providing a booking process that is easy and secure, and that includes all of the information your customers could possibly want to know.

For example, your website should include detailed booking pages for each of its travel experiences, with an easy and secure payment gateway. This is easy to apply with travel booking tools like WeTravel . The right booking platform will reduce friction in the customer journey, helping you sell more tours.

3. Price 

The price of your product, or tour, is arguably the most important factor in your travel marketing mix. You need to price your tours strategically in order to make enough profit, be competitive in the market, and attract enough bookings.

First, you’ll need to understand the market and the competition to understand the costs of other tours in your area.

Second, you’ll need to align your pricing strategy to the USP and value your tour offers. It’s important to relate price to value. This is because customers will be willing to pay more for a travel experience if it is justifiable, and the extra money relates to extra value.

If you offer the same experience as the competition but charge more, then your tours will seem unappealing. If you offer added value to your travel experience, then you can get away with charging more. You’ll also be able to use this added value as your USP.

travel advertising

Of course, you also need to cover your overhead costs and make sure that your pricing strategy makes sense for your travel business.

How much you charge for your travel products determines how your business will fit into the market, so it's important to have a full understanding of your financial situation in order to price appropriately.

4. Promotion 

This element of the marketing mix is all about how you promote your travel business to your target audience. Travel advertising includes a lot of key tactics, so, you should choose ones that best align with your target audience and overall marketing goals.

When it comes to travel marketing best practices, it’s recommended that you utilize a wide range of marketing channels and processes. This could include:

  • Email marketing
  • Social media marketing
  • SEO and content marketing
  • Paid advertising
  • Physical marketing (flyers, posters, etc)

It is also essential that you have an optimized website , as this is where you will direct all of your marketing efforts to generate bookings.

Whatever tactics you use to promote your travel business, you need to make sure that they align with your customer journey and with the behavior patterns of your target audience/buyer persona.

This means using marketing channels that your target audience routinely uses, and promoting the right messages and content on these channels to appeal to your viewership.

Of course, you’ll need to keep your USP and market positioning in mind when running your travel advertising campaigns. Use your promotional efforts to stand apart from the competition and strategically communicate why customers should book your tours and what kind of value they would get in return.

You can check out our guide to creating a travel business inbound marketing strategy for more tips and tactics.

Travel marketing best practices

5. People 

Who represents your business? This is incredibly important for travel marketing, as your products are closely linked and associated with the people who deliver them.

If you sell a product like a toothbrush, customers wouldn’t care much about who is behind the toothbrush. However, if you’re offering a guided tour through the Andes, then the person providing the tour is an essential factor in understanding whether the tour is worth purchasing.

This means that people are a factor in your travel marketing mix that you need to carefully consider and promote.

In terms of travel marketing best practices, anyone who comes into contact with a customer and represents your business must maintain a certain standard of friendliness and professionalism. The people behind your business play a major role in shaping the customer journey and influencing their purchase decision.

It’s also a good idea to display your credentials and experience on your website or booking pages. Use the people in your travel business to offer more value to your customers.

For example, you could highlight the fact that all of your tour guides are trained in first aid safety, or that they are experts on the local flora and fauna. This gives your tours a competitive edge and gives customers more reason to book your tours and helps them develop more trust in your travel business.

6. Processes 

Process is one of the unique “P’s” of marketing for travel businesses. This refers to the journey, or processes, that a customer goes through from when they book your tour to when they complete it. Your goal is to make these processes as enjoyable as possible for the customer.

travel advertising

Make sure that you offer customers all of the information they need at any given stage of their journey. You also want to ensure that your customers can easily communicate with your business when needed.

Some useful tactics involve sending automated consummation messages after a customer makes a booking, and sending the customer a pack of relevant information before the tour. All of their booking information, itinerary, waivers, and anything else, should be easily accessible.

When optimizing the processes in your marketing mix, it's also important to consider efficiency for your business. Your aim should be to plan out a strategy that is reliable, scalable, and efficient.

Using the right travel booking system is essential as it will help to provide a smooth journey for both your customers as well as for your business.

7. Physical Evidence 

This is the final element of the travel marketing mix. Physical evidence can seem tricky because travel experiences are largely intangible. This means it can be difficult for your customers to look into the physical evidence of your travel experiences before making a booking.

However, carefully presenting any physical details about your business or topics will play an important role. Keep your vehicles clean and well maintained, make sure your staff are well-presented, and carefully maintain your storefront if you have one. These elements all help to build trust.

You can also use your website to help you provide physical evidence around your tours. Make sure your website is modern, trustworthy, and functional.

Travel marketing best practices

You should also try to incorporate a lot of images and videos of your travel experiences into your booking pages, to help customers gain an idea of what these experiences look like.

Stay Ahead of Travel Marketing Best Practices 

Staying ahead of travel marketing best practices can be tricky because the industry is constantly changing. As technology develops and customer journeys change, so do the marketing tactics and strategies you use to attract new customers.

That is why it's important to stay ahead of industry trends with a reliable and trusted platform.

A key resource in this regard is WeTravel Academy . The sole focus of this resource is to create a valuable “database” (so to speak) to help all the professionals in the travel industry with a wide range of focus areas. This may include group and multi-day travel, international tour operators, other trip leaders, wellness, and retreats.

You can freely access a wide range of e-books, webinars, courses, and articles to help you stay ahead of industry best practices and grow as a professional and tour business.

Conclusion 

Understanding the key elements of a travel industry marketing mix is important for being able to develop a well-rounded marketing strategy.

You need to understand and address all of the different factors involved in the customer journey and decision-making process in order for you to be successful at marketing your travel company.

The travel marketing best practices above should help you lay the foundation. Of course, you’ll also need to be set up with the right travel software and tools to help you seamlessly implement these different areas of the travel marketing mix.

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About the author

Allan Formigoni (he/him)

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What Are the 7 Ps of Tourism Marketing?

By Michael Ferguson

When it comes to marketing in the tourism industry, there are seven key factors that businesses need to consider. These are known as the 7 Ps of tourism marketing. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at each of these elements and explore why they’re so important.

The product is what you’re selling – be it a hotel room, a tour package, or an attraction. It’s important to have a clear understanding of your product and what makes it unique.

This will help you Target the right audience and differentiate yourself from competitors. You might also consider creating different products to appeal to different segments of the market.

Pricing is a critical factor in any marketing strategy. You need to find the sweet spot where your prices are competitive but still profitable. It’s essential to understand your costs and margins so that you can set prices that make sense for your business.

Promotion is how you get the word out about your products. This could include advertising, PR campaigns, social media, or other marketing tactics. You’ll want to create compelling messages that resonate with your Target audience, and use channels that they’re likely to engage with.

The place refers to where your products are sold or delivered. This could be physical locations like hotels or attractions, or online platforms like booking websites or tour aggregators. You want to make sure that your products are available where people are looking for them – whether that’s on Google search results pages or in popular travel guidebooks.

People are the staff who provide services at your physical locations or online platforms. They play a crucial role in delivering great customer experiences and building relationships with customers. Make sure you hire talented people who share your values and can deliver on your brand promise.

The process refers to the steps involved in delivering your products and services. This could include booking processes, check-in procedures, or tour itineraries. You want to make sure that your processes are efficient and customer-friendly, so that customers are happy with their experiences.

Physical Evidence

Physical evidence refers to the tangible elements of your business – like brochures, websites, or signage. These should be designed to reflect your brand and make a positive impression on potential customers. You’ll want to make sure that all the physical evidence you produce is consistent with your brand’s messaging.

10 Related Question Answers Found

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The 8-Step Tourism Marketing Strategy (Free Template)

By Kyla Steeves

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Hands resting on open laptop keyboard surrounded by travel items

You should never leave your marketing up to chance. 

Sure, it’s important to be nimble to changing conditions, such as tourism marketing trends , algorithm updates, employee churn, and evolving technology. But if you’re always throwing tactics at the wall to see what sticks, you’ll likely waste resources, fall behind your competitors, and miss out on future opportunities. 

Instead, it’s far better to have a well-thought-out marketing strategy in place.

Trial and error can come afterwards. 

What is a tourism marketing strategy?

A tourism marketing strategy is a structured document that outlines your current position in the marketplace, what you hope to achieve going forward, and how you’re going to make that happen.

In other words, it provides a framework, so you’re not floundering around, wondering what to do next. All while giving you a way to track your progress so that you can be confident you’re heading in the right direction. And if things change drastically, as we witnessed in 2020, you’ll always have a foundation to build off and make adjustments.    

So, are you ready to come up with a master plan? We’ll cover what goes into marketing strategies for travel and tourism, which includes a:

  • SWOT Analysis
  • Value Proposition
  • Guest Personas
  • Competitor Profiles
  • Marketing Mix
  • Budget & Resources
  • Goals, Metrics & Activities
  • Marketing Roadmap

Follow along by downloading our free 8-Step Marketing Strategy Workbook.

How to write a tourism marketing plan, 1. run a swot analysis.

A SWOT analysis is a fun exercise that identifies your company’s S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities, and T hreats. 

Strengths and Weaknesses are internal factors that you can control, like your team, resources, and location. In contrast, Opportunities and Threats are external factors that come and go randomly, leaving you with no other choice but to react and adapt — such as travel trends, economic downturns, and your competitor landscape.

To help you with this step, it’s a good idea to round up key members of your team across departments. Why? Because each representative will bring a unique perspective, allowing you to get outside of your business owner bubble. For instance, your tour guides know your guests the best and can offer insight into what they’re thinking and feeling. 

Once you have everyone together — in the same room or Zoom meeting — you can start the process. First, answer a few questions that relate to each element.  

Like for Strengths, you can ask, “what does our tour company do well?” and “what do guests like about our experiences?” Weaknesses, “what areas of the business need improvement?” and “what do our competitors do better?” As for Opportunities, “is there an underserved market we can tap into?” and Threats, “ are there new regulations that impact our business?”

Try to answer at least five questions each, and then summarize what you come up with in a 2×2 SWOT grid for a visual overview. 

SWOT analysis grid for tourism marketing strategy

2. Identify your value proposition

After doing your SWOT Analysis, you should have a general idea of your value proposition — which is a simple statement that answers why someone should book with you instead of your competitors. Essentially, it’s what sets your travel business apart based on the desirable attributes you bring to the experience.

Your value prop is the most important piece in your marketing strategy, as it dictates your messaging and ultimately serves as the first thing guests look at when evaluating your brand with the “what’s in it for me?” mindset. That’s why it should be front and center on your homepage. 

But it can be difficult narrowing down all of your unique qualities into one or two sentences. So, your best bet is to compile a list of features and benefits, along with the emotional value for each, and see if there are any obvious patterns.

Value proposition chart outlining features, benefits, and value

Looking at the example above, you can see there’s a trend towards a local experience, so the value proposition for this company could be something along the lines of: Experience Hanalei Bay the local way with a paddleboard that looks nothing like a rental.

3. Create a guest persona

If you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll wind up appealing to no one. That’s probably one of the biggest tourism branding mistakes. 

Instead, go after 20-35% of people most likely to enjoy your experiences. That way, you can be more effective with your targeting because you’ll understand what makes them tick, or better yet, what makes them book. 

How do you go about doing that? Create a guest persona!

What’s a guest persona?

A guest persona is a detailed description of a fictional character that represents your ideal guest. It answers who they are, where they’re from, what matters to them, and where they hang out online. 

Thinking of them as a real person before check-in will make it so much easier to craft personalized marketing messages they won’t be able to resist. Plus, you’ll know the best way to reach them. No more unanswered ads!

To create a guest persona:

  • Start by combing through your booking data for common demographics like age, gender, geolocation, and language
  • Refer to Facebook Audience Insights for psychographics, such as interests and hobbies, lifestyle, and online spending behaviour
  • Send out a guest survey to get more details

Then, compile all of your information into a guest persona template with a stock image to put a face to the data. As well as a fun and fictional name — like Solo Travel Sarah , Corporate Catrina , or Vacation Dad Victor . 

Guest persona example for a tour company targeting solo travelers

Now, you might only require one guest persona, but if you offer multiple experiences that appeal to different types of people, like tourism products for senior citizens , it’s best to segment your guests into a few personas seeing as your marketing tactics will change accordingly.

4. Create a competitor profile

The travel industry is tight-knit, so much so that you can even turn your competitors into partners. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still keep tabs on them.

Knowing what your rivals are doing is the best way to gain a competitive edge. Not only does it give you valuable insight into their strengths and weaknesses so that you can see how you stack up, but it also helps you stay one step ahead since you can spot potential threats and opportunities before they happen.

Similar to a guest persona, you can create a profile for your top three competitors, which should include the following marketing information:

  • Their value proposition
  • The experiences they offer and what they charge
  • Who their target audience appears to be
  • Unique features and benefits they highlight
  • Overall rating on review sites, along with what their guests say about them
  • The social media channels they dominate and the type of content they post
  • What distribution channels they rely on
  • Their domain authority score and top ranking keywords (use a tool like Moz Keyword Explorer to get this information)

Competitor profile of a surf school operator

It doesn’t stop there. After you’ve built your competitor profiles, you can monitor what they get up to in real-time by:

  • Setting up Google Alerts to track mentions of them online
  • Following their social media accounts
  • And subscribing to their newsletter if they have one

You can always use a fake email address or Instagram account (AKA a Finsta) if you don’t want them to know you’re spying.

5. Develop a tourism marketing mix

A tourism marketing mix is a combination of factors you can control to influence a guest’s decision to book with you. Think of it as a broad guideline for how to market travel and tours so that everything works together seamlessly. 

Historically, there are 7ps of tourism marketing, but since tourism operators are unique in the products and services they provide, we’ve stretched it to include eight. 

What is a tourism marketing mix?

The experiences you offer and what’s included. Take note of everything that would go into the product description, such as duration, itinerary, special features, and other important details. 

Where people can book your experiences. Traditionally, that would be your ticket office or travel agents, but there are now countless ways people can book — OTAs, email, chatbots, Facebook, your website. Figure out the number one place you want to direct prospects. 

The price guests will pay based on the perceived value. Factor in what your competitors charge, how much it costs you to provide the experience, your revenue target, and where the market is heading.  

4. Promotion

How you’re going to get the word out. Look at what has worked well in the past, where you already have some traction, new social media opportunities, and the best content format for your target audience. 

The people who facilitate the experience. What are the standout qualities your staff has that align with your brand? What skills do your guides have that make the experience memorable, entertaining, and informative?

6. Planning

The measures you take to keep guests in the loop. How do you ensure they show up prepared? How do you tell them about your flexible cancellation policy? Are there any tactics you use to prevent refunds? What if you have to make unwanted changes?

7. Processes

The processes you have in place to guarantee guests get the experience they expect. Everything should run smoothly from the get-go. Consider ways to shorten check-in, stay on schedule, and make them feel valued.

The physical evidence that proves your guests had the best time. This could be in the form of professional photos or merchandise. But it can also be online reviews you encourage them to write on popular platforms. 

6. Factor in budget and resources

Everyone wishes they could have marketing clout like the big-name online travel agencies. But the reality is you might never have the same budget and resources to run global campaigns. And that’s okay.

You don’t need deep pockets to make an impact. Thanks to the internet, you can use plenty of cheap marketing ideas to generate buzz around your brand. You just have to channel your creativity. 

That said, be sensible with what you take on. For example, if you want to start a blog but don’t have time to commit to a regular publishing schedule, see whether someone on your team has the skills and bandwidth. If not, it isn’t in the cards for you right now. 

So, check in with your budget for how much you can reasonably put towards various marketing activities while keeping in mind the software tools and staff you’ll need to execute successfully. 

Budget breakdown for marketing activities

7. Pinpoint goals, metrics, and activities

Now that you know all that you know, give yourself something to work towards by determining what you want to achieve this year and how you’re going to make it happen. We suggest starting with the arbitrary number of four goals and key activities. Why?

Because if you chase too many rabbits at once, you won’t get the results you want. Instead, it’s better to prioritize goals that make sense for your business right now. That way, you can focus on doing a few things well, rather than lots of things badly that’ll only hurt your brand in the long run, which you’ll end up having to fix later anyway.

When it comes to setting marketing goals , it’s important to be SMART . Don’t just put your finger to the wind and say, “I think we should go this way.” Your goals should be:

  • S pecific: clearly explains what you want to achieve
  • M easurable: has a metric you can objectively measure
  • A ttainable: something you have to stretch for, but still within your reach
  • R ealistic: relevant to your business and where you want to go
  • T ime-bound: when you want to accomplish the goal by

Here’s an example using the SMART method: 

Increase organic website traffic 40% by the end of 2021 from getting 1000 visitors per month from Google.  

How are you going to track your progress? As you can see in the above example, the number of website visitors is the primary metric. Now, many people will tell you to steer clear of vanity metrics — like traffic, followers, and shares — because they don’t directly impact your bottom line. 

We couldn’t agree less. Marketing is about the long-game. While those metrics don’t always translate into transactions, they do strengthen brand equity, which in turn drives bookings over time because guests gravitate towards operators with extra oomph online.

The Content Marketing Institute puts it best : think of vanity metrics as optimization metrics. Instead of tying them to ROI, consider their overall value for better understanding your audience on specific channels.

For instance, if a particular social media post generates way more likes than average, it indicates something about that content resonates with your audience. You can pinpoint what that may be and replicate it in future posts or use it as a blueprint for creating effective Facebook ads . 

For each goal you set, figure out one key activity that’ll help you hit it. Don’t be afraid to think big here. By that, I mean, come up with a significant marketing project that you and your team can chip away at — more on that in the next step.

Overall goals, metrics, and activities for travel industry marketing strategies

8. Plan your marketing roadmap

After you’ve assigned an activity per goal, break each one down into smaller, manageable tasks to complete from quarter to quarter. Using the example above, let’s say you decide to start a blog as your key activity.

In Q1, you’d get the ball rolling with a few foundation tasks. So, for building a blog, you might start with the following:

  • Set up the blog on your website 
  • Develop a content strategy
  • Research topic and keyword opportunities
  • Create an editorial calendar

Then, you’d build from there for Q2 and so on. 

Marketing roadmap

Try starting with four tasks per activity. Unless you have a marketing team, it’s best not to bog yourself down with a marketing plan that will either a) pull your team away from other responsibilities or b) feel so overwhelming that you abandon it altogether. 

With a list of tasks, you can then organize everything onto a visual roadmap however you see fit — just so long as it includes a way to assign staff and track work progress. For instance, you can create a makeshift roadmap if you’re savvy with Google Sheets or use a project management tool like Trello and set-up a kanban board workflow. 

Where to go from here?

It’s time to go after it, of course! Just remember that your marketing strategy isn’t set in stone since anything can happen to derail your plans — as we learned the hard way in 2020. So check in with your marketing strategy workbook from time to time to make any necessary adjustments.

Ready to write down your marketing strategy and make it real?

tourism market mix

Download the 8-Step Marketing Strategy Workbook

And take command of your brand with a well-thought-out marketing strategy that’s bound to get you results.

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Home - Blog - Tourism Marketing Strategy: Boosting Your Destination’s Appeal in 2024

Tourism Marketing Strategy: Boosting Your Destination’s Appeal in 2024

David Ciccarelli

David Ciccarelli

January 18, 2024

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In the dynamic realm of travel and tourism, leaving your marketing efforts to chance is akin to setting sail without a compass. It is crucial to understand the pulse of the market, from shifting trends and algorithm changes to staff turnover and technological advancements. Without a strategic framework, you could squander valuable resources, lag behind competitors, and miss out on potential growth opportunities.

Having a structured tourism marketing strategy is not just beneficial but essential. It serves as the foundation upon which you can build and refine your marketing initiatives, ensuring that experimentation comes with direction and purpose. In a sector where every click could translate to a booking and every shared experience could lead to a loyal customer, it’s vital that your marketing plan isn’t left to random acts but is a deliberate storyboard of success.

Crafting Your Tourism Marketing Strategy

Imagine you’re the captain of a ship; your tourism marketing strategy is the map that guides you through the vast ocean of the travel industry. It’s a well-thought-out plan that aims to pinpoint your current standing in the marketplace and chart a course for future achievements.

Think of it as your navigational chart through the competitive seas, geared with tools to keep you on course and to adapt when unexpected waves hit. Here’s what you can expect to incorporate:

  • SWOT Analysis : Assess your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to stay two steps ahead.
  • Unique Value Proposition : Clearly define what makes your offering irresistibly attractive.
  • Customer Personas : Know your audience as if they were your travel buddies.
  • Competitor Insights : Keep an eye on fellow voyagers, learning from their adventures and missteps.
  • Marketing Mix : Blend the perfect cocktail of price, product, promotion, and place.
  • Budget & Resources : Allocate your treasures wisely for a prosperous journey.
  • Objectives & Metrics : Set clear destinations and measure the nautical miles you’ve covered.
  • Marketing Itinerary : Outline the routes and stops of your promotional exertions.

Crafting a Strategic Framework for Tourism Promotion

tourism marketing strategy2 1

Assessing Your Tourism Business Through SWOT Analysis

Embarking on a SWOT Analysis sets the groundwork for a robust tourism marketing plan. Dive into a thorough examination of internal and external elements that could impact your success. Evaluate your team’s expertise, location perks, and resource availability , considering them your enterprise’s strengths and weaknesses. Similarly, pinpoint external opportunities and threats stemming from market trends and competitive actions. Engage diverse team members for a well-rounded perspective, culminating your insights into a visual SWOT grid.

Clarifying Your Unique Tourist Attraction Proposition

Unearth your company’s unique allure by distilling your strengths into a captivating value proposition. This clear, persuasive statement should spell out why travelers should choose your offerings. Focus on attributes that distinguish your service in the marketplace, and ensure that this key message is a prominent fixture on your digital storefront.

Painting a Portrait of Your Ideal Visitor

Narrow down your ideal market segment to avoid the pitfalls of overly generic marketing. Fashion a detailed guest persona that answers critical questions about demographics, psychographics, and online behaviors. Surveys and analytics tools are your allies in crafting this persona, helping you to personalize your communications and align your tactics with your audience’s preferences.

Benchmarking Against Your Competition

A nuanced understanding of your competitors arms you with the knowledge to outmaneuver them. Compile profiles of top competitors, including their marketing strategies , audience, and unique selling points. Stay informed of their movements through online alerts and social monitoring, allowing you to anticipate industry shifts and adapt your strategies accordingly.

Piecing Together Your Tourism Marketing Framework

Construct a tourism marketing strategy that takes into account the nuances of your services. This mix should involve a strategic selection of your offerings, ideal booking avenues, pricing mechanisms, and promotional activities. Additionally, weigh in on the personal touch your team brings and the operational plans in place to ensure memorable experiences.

Allocating Finances and Resources Wisely

Your strategy’s effectiveness hinges on a realistic assessment of your financial capacity and available assets. Budgeting forms the cornerstone of your plan, influencing which marketing activities you pursue. Strike a balance between ambitious goals and the practicalities of your resource pool to ensure sustainable execution of your strategy.

Setting Clear Objectives and Success Metrics

Anchor your tourism marketing plan with specific, measurable goals. Define what success looks like with a set of key performance indicators, and outline the steps necessary to reach these milestones. This goal-oriented approach ensures focused efforts and a clear understanding of what constitutes progress.

Laying Out Your Strategic Marketing Roadmap

Your marketing roadmap translates your strategy into tangible steps over time. It should consider long-term aspirations and short-term actions, integrating content strategy, digital marketing, and social media engagement . Construct a timeline that maps out brand awareness campaigns, conversion tactics, and opportunities for customer advocacy, ensuring that you navigate the journey from awareness to inspiration to booking with clear direction.

Streamlining your marketing efforts with a structured plan creates a clear path for captivating and converting your target audience, propelling your tourism business toward sustained growth and success.

Where to go from here?

tourism marketing strategy3

You’ve reached a pivotal moment! Flexibility is key in any marketing plan, especially when reflecting on the unpredictable nature of events like COVID-19. Haven’t we all learned that lesson?

Adapt and Overcome:

  • Reassess Regularly : Circumstances change; ensure to regularly evaluate your progress.
  • Be Prepared for Challenges : Unforeseen events may prompt shifts in tactics.

Remember, your strategy is living and breathing—adjust as needed! Keep pushing forward with eyes on your goals, and modify your approach when necessary. Isn’t it exciting to think on your feet?

Elevate Your Tourism Tactics

Leverage your tourism enterprise by harnessing a powerful, results-driven marketing approach. With the right blend of the tourism marketing mix, strategic partnerships, and an efficient booking system, you can magnify your market presence.

  • Tourism Marketing Mix: Tailor your services to the traveler’s needs and desires.
  • Partnerships: Collaborate with complementary businesses to broaden your reach.
  • Booking System: Simplify reservations with a user-friendly booking system.

Common Questions Regarding Tourism Marketing Tactics

tourism marketing strategy4

Utilizing the Fundamental Aspects of Tourism Marketing for Effective Campaigns

Understanding the 4 A’s of tourism marketing—Accessibility, Accommodation, Attractions, and Amenities —is vital for shaping successful campaigns.

  • Accessibility : How easily can tourists access the destination?
  • Accommodation: Are there adequate facilities for different budgets and preferences?
  • Attractions: What are the unique, must-see places or events?
  • Amenities : Are the necessary services available to enhance the visitor experience?

Incorporating these elements ensures each aspect of a visitor’s experience is considered.

Success Stories in Tourism Marketing

One standout example is the “Share a Coke” campaign by Coca-Cola which, although not exclusively a tourism strategy, inspired destination marketing with its personalized approach. You can see how personalization creates a connection with audiences globally, inviting them to be part of the experience.

Key Steps for Crafting a Tourism Marketing Plan

For crafting a well-rounded tourism marketing plan, pivotal steps include:

  • Market Research: Understand your audience and competition.
  • Establish Objectives: Set clear, measurable goals.
  • Budgeting: Allocate your financial resources efficiently.
  • Strategic Development: Choose the appropriate marketing channels and tactics.
  • Implementation: Deploy the strategy with precision.
  • Monitoring: Track progress against objectives regularly.

Adapting Marketing Tactics to Current Tourism Trends

Modern marketing strategies stay aligned with the current trends by being flexible and responsive. Whether it is the rise of eco-conscious travel or the growing emphasis on local experiences, making adaptations to these evolving preferences is fundamental to remain relevant.

Influence of Marketing Mix on Campaign Efficacy

The tourism marketing mix—Product, Price, Place, Promotion—significantly influences the success of a campaign. Balancing these elements ensures that the offering is attractive, communicated effectively, and priced competitively, thereby influencing a traveler’s decision-making process.

Cutting-edge Strategies for Marketing Tourism Destinations

Innovative strategies for this year include leveraging user-generated content, virtual reality experiences, and sustainable travel incentives. Embracing digital transformation has also been key, as seen in destinations using data analytics to understand traveler behavior and personalize marketing efforts.

Engaging with the audience on a personal level and utilizing technology to enhance traditional marketing efforts are at the forefront of successful strategies today.

David Ciccarelli

administrator

David Ciccarelli, is the Founder and CEO of Lake. He is based in Toronto, Canada, and is an expert in management, business administration, strategy, product development, and customer experience. His educational achievements include the Owner President Management Program at Harvard Business School (2019-2022) and the QuantumShift Program at Ivey Business School in 2017, aimed at CEOs of growing businesses.

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tourism market mix

Travelers’ Journey, Personas, and the 4Ps of Tourism Marketing Mix

Travel Addict Hack

Research has shown that the tourism sector will become increasingly hypercompetitive after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, consistent promotion with a marketing mix is a realistic and fresh approach to achieve tourism goals.

Understanding audience personas and processes through their mindset is necessary, using a precise method that employs the concepts of attention, inspiration, desire, action, and loyalty. These personas and processes are essential for tourism and travel companies.

Only 27% of the companies in the tourism sector have documented their content strategy at every stage of the traveler’s journey. Thus, the “attention–inspire–desire–action–loyalty (A-I-D-A-L)” method may help inform your travel and tourism content planning with purpose and later promote your content on various channels and networks.

The top three advanced personas are enthusiasts, planners, and adventurers. These three personas (or imaginary individuals) correspond to the essential segments that we aim to attract, including luxury travel, leisure, and business travel . They will help us visualize the targeted travelers and develop brand messages and digital marketing tactics that will resonate with them.

How can you connect with enthusiasts? Enthusiasts are always open to destination discovery and exploration. They are thrill-seekers and want to get away from it all. To reach out to this cohort, you need to take the time to document your content by using the attention–inspire–desire–action–loyalty method.

You can enhance the awareness that an enthusiast has of your travel and tourism brand through all the types of content that you are producing. Create content based on their demographic profile to gain their interest in your tourism campaign. Appeal to them with vivid stories through your persuasive messaging, thereby motivating their purchase desire. Showcase your content on every digital platform so that they can take action and envision their vacation to a bespoke destination. Gain their loyalty by offering reward programs, travel passes, and memberships and, most importantly, by communicating with them regularly through email newsletters.

Enthusiasts may not have a particular destination in mind and could consider your expert suggestion.

Digital Marketing Mix to Engage Enthusiasts

  • SEO-based posts that inspire the discovery of new destinations, brands, and activities
  • Social media photos showcasing properties, suites, and adventure options
  • Branded PPC campaigns to increase demand around the destination or property

How can you connect with planners? Planners are always prepared for activities, and their travel experience begins online. They may create entire itineraries, find deals, and choose the package options to shop from based on their interests and comfort levels. Moreover, for planners, a similar A-I-D-A-L method would be used to document their content strategies.

Enhance planners’ awareness of your travel and tourism brand. Drill down content based on their demographic profile to gain their interest in your tourism campaign. Appeal to them with vivid stories through your drive, creating a desire in them to purchase your product. Use your most compelling content on every digital platform so that they can take action and envision their vacation to a bespoke destination. Obtain their loyalty by offering reward programs, travel passes, and memberships.

As a result, planners’ expectations will increase, and they will plan their trips from the outset.

Digital Marketing Mix to Engage Planners

  • Create “checklist posts” to help them prepare for a specific trip
  • Showcase advanced photographic ideas on social media channels to inspire them
  • Customize a campaign to show safety protocols and comfort levels to help them prepare in advance

How can you connect with adventurers? Adventurers have a powerful travel persona and can be great advocates of tourism and prolific sharers of knowledge. They have an overpowering lust for the outdoors and a burning desire for adventure travel. They always have a list of adventures to embark upon for their next trip. Further, for adventurers, a similar A-I-D-A-L method would be used to document their content strategies.

You can make adventurers aware of your travel and tourism brand. Produce content based on their demographic profile to pique their interest in your tourism campaign. Appeal to their purchase desire with vivid stories. Use your content on every digital platform so that they can take action and envision their vacation to a bespoke destination. Obtain their loyalty by offering reward programs, travel passes, and memberships and, most importantly, by communicating with them regularly through email newsletters.

Adventurers are in love with adventure travel. They chase it around the globe and plan on having a good time experiencing the best adventures on the planet.

Digital Marketing Mix to Engage Adventurers

  • SEO-based posts highlighting the best adventure destinations
  • Photo collateral in HD showcasing physical activities and adventure options on social media channels
  • Creative YouTube video ads with experiments and sequencing showcasing adventure moments

Travel Addict Hack

Use the 4Ps model in travel and tourism to connect with each individual The 4Ps in tourism are “product,” “price,” “place,” and “promotion.” They are intangible factors for enthusiasts, planners, and adventurers and are categorically streamlined as follows.

Product: Tourism involves components ranging from the niche to mass appeals, such as accommodation, food, beverages, transportation, scenic beauty, the historical significance of places, geographical state, and concerts like Coachella, Woodstock, and Sunburn. These attractions can appeal to travelers in each segment of the tourism market. However, the packaging of your offering is also essential, and every element is intangible and must heighten the tourist’s experience.

Price: Price is a significant factor in the 4Ps of travel and tourism. All tourism products are unique. The tourism business is seasonal in many countries. Thus, price setting based on market competition is a critical component of the experience that travelers require. Their expectations must be met irrespective of whether they are paying modest, standard, or expensive.

Place: Distribution in tourism is a tricky process, whether it takes place online or at shop fronts. Technology has played a pivotal role in the growth of the travel industry, especially with the COVID-19 situation, in terms of sustainability, design, and security.

The real value of innovative marketing is obtaining suitable packages at the right time in the right place. Thus, the location from where you conduct your travel and tourism business requires a proper evaluation. For example, consider your audience—are they offline or online shoppers? Therefore, research is the key to finding the correct place; consider your competitors’ actions in specific locations.

Promotion: In tourism, the promotional activity consists of inspiring, educating, persuading, and reminding the travelers about the brand or product. It refers to the marketing tactics employed to spread brand or product awareness. Various digital channels, including traditional, OTT, and CTV devices, are used in the tourism industry. The attention–inspire–desire–action–loyalty method will help you find your target audience and promotional strategy and campaigns. Different demographic segments may have varying responses to your marketing efforts. Therefore, consistent promotion must be realistic throughout the traveler’s journey.

These 4Ps can be mixed and merged beyond imagination in any marketing mix strategy.

This article presents a comprehensive overview of the types of audiences searching for travel and tourism information that can help you plan your campaign accordingly and promote it on various channels and networks.

If you are looking for help in developing a content strategy and campaign that furthers your travel and tourism business goals , feel free to contact me today at [email protected] , and let’s discuss your project. For more information, visit TravelAddictHack.com or get social on Instagram and Linkedin .

The author is an analytical thinker and blogger.

tourism market mix

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Marketing Tourism and Hospitality pp 249–283 Cite as

Tourism and Hospitality Products, Branding, and Pricing

  • Richard George 2  
  • First Online: 09 May 2021

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This chapter explores how marketers design and manage tourism and hospitality products. It begins with definitions for the terms “product”, “offering”, and “product mix”. It the chapter explains that the product is a complex concept that should be considered on three levels. These are the core, expected, and augmented product. Next, the product life cycle concept is discussed and how it is used by the tourism marketer to assess the development of tourism products. Next, the steps involved in the process of developing a new product are considered. In the second section of the chapter, the role of branding in the tourism and hospitality industry is discussed. The third section of the chapter considers the price component of the marketing mix. The factors that affect the pricing of tourism and hospitality products and the various pricing strategies available to the tourism and hospitality marketer are analysed. Next, several pricing approaches used in the tourism industry are considered. The chapter concludes by outlining the characteristics of tourism and hospitality products in relation to price. Last, the chapter’s in-depth case study demonstrates the principles of pricing as applied to medical tourism company MakeOvertour , based in Turkey.

  • Marketing mix
  • Core product
  • Expected product
  • Augmented product. Product mix
  • Product lifecycle

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Tourism Marketing Is Evolving Quickly With These New Priorities

Lebawit Lily Girma , Skift

November 3rd, 2021 at 12:15 PM EDT

Developing more innovative and stable sources of funding remains critical for this important, expanded destination management role to succeed. Some DMOs are on it, but many more continue to rely primarily on hotel bed taxes. Is the rapid return of travel dampening the sense of urgency?

Lebawit Lily Girma

During the spring of 2020, destination marketing organizations (DMO) saw their primary and often sole source of revenue vanish along with travelers, all while their roles ballooned from becoming a primary safety information hub to advocating for funding, embracing destination stewardship and forging new relationships with residents, government and businesses. 

Close to two years later, new data further cements what destination leaders have been sharing with Skift over the past year — that the transformed and expanded tourism board model is here to stay. Over 76 percent of U.S. tourism boards rank destination management among their top five key responsibilities, according to a newly released 2021 Funding Futures survey and report by strategic marketing firm Miles Partnership, in collaboration with Civitas, Tourism Economics, and Destination Analysts.   The report will release in full later today, but results were announced in a webinar on Tuesday.

The survey is an update of an earlier 2020 report and analyzes responses from 80 U.S. DMOs, 21 U.S. state tourism offices and four Canadian tourism boards, with updated data and recommendations for DMOs in a post-pandemic world in which tourism is back yet changed.

U.S. tourism marketing offices also confirmed the three key areas where their roles have increased as compared to 2020: 1) engaging and aligning with key partners in private and public sectors, such as governments and economic development entities, 2) improving tourism by focusing on sustainability and resident engagement, and 3) making a greater commitment to DEI. 

And yet efforts to develop new sources of stable funding appear to lag — just 34 percent of tourism boards indicated they were working on this or have done so, against 25 percent of their Canadian counterparts. 

“It’s encouraging to see in the Future Funding report that more and more destination organizations are developing new funding sources, but there is more work to be done,” said Don Welsh, CEO of Destinations International , a DMO member organization. “We believe destination organizations should not be fully dependent on just one funding source, but instead diversify funding with a mix of public and private investments.”  

U.S. destinations have been recouping on their hotel bed taxes since vaccinations reopened the door for wider travel, but their Canadian counterparts continue to rely primarily on government support.

Understandably, on the U.S. side there’s optimism about 2022 budgets, with 61.8 percent of tourism boards saying their budget for next year will increase. Over half also indicated that they are working on building up a reserve fund with up to six months of operating budget, while a quarter are working on a full year’s reserve and about 10 percent are building up reserves worth two years of operating budget.

A Record Number of Tourism Improvement Districts in 2022

The top five funding sources at this time for U.S. tourism boards show the hotel bed tax in first place as a primary source, followed by Covid recovery funds, sponsorships, membership fees and advertising revenue, according to the 2021 Funding Futures survey. Government recovery funds dominated for Canada’s tourism boards.

In the U.S., a significant portion of destinations – up to 40 percent – indicated pursuing the tourism improvement district (TID) as a new sustainable source of funding, one which was recommended in the first Funding Futures report.

Looking at a sample size of 100 cities, 29 with TID mechanisms and consulting data on hotel performance by city, Tourism Economics said it showed that the cities with this funding tourism improvement district allocation outperformed their peers. 

“Once this increase in funding takes place, a change of performance also takes place in that city relative to its competitive set,” said Adam Sacks, CEO of Tourism Economics, at the launch of the Funding Futures report.  On average, TIDs produce a 4.5 percent lift in hotel room revenue, Saks added.

Looking at the U.S., tourism boards in at least a dozen states are currently pushing for TID legislation by 2022, including New York, Utah, Arizona and Illinois, among others. Three destinations — Virginia, Louisiana and Massachusetts — received TID legislation approval in 2021.

“The year of 2022 in my estimation may be the year of TIDs in the Midwest” said John Lambeth, CEO of Civitas, at the launch. “This is adding a new, very stable dedicated source of funding as another tool in our toolkit as something else that’s available to DMOs to provide increased supplemental funding.”

“Destination organizations that engage meaningfully with their communities are in the best position to find funding from traditional and nontraditional stakeholders,” said Destinations International’s Welsh. “We call this the Community Benefit Funding Model .”

Top Three Investment Priorities: Industry Partnerships, Community and Destination Planning

As tourism returned, doubts lingered as to whether tourism boards would keep prioritizing their residents and continue to market to them. At Skift Global Forum, leaders of California and Florida tourism indicated that the shift was here to stay, and that they would continue to market to their insiders as local marketing campaigns had been well received with pent up desire from locals to explore their backyard and support their homegrown businesses. 

Indeed, in ranking their investment priorities for the next two years, a whopping 67.4 percent of U.S. tourism boards said they plan to engage more closely with residents and community groups — second on the list after engaging more closely with businesses and industry partners. Up to 40.4 percent also said they would invest in conducting or updating resident sentiment research as a fourth priority, after developing or updating its destination master plan. DEI programs ranked fifth, with 37.1 percent planning to invest in those over the next two years, against 38 percent  state tourism offices. 

Just 12 percent of U.S. DMOs said they would invest in supporting sustainability initiatives in their destination.

Leading on Sustainable Tourism

Four ways in which the Futures Funding report recommends DMOs can take leadership in the sustainable tourism and regenerative tourism areas include: sustainable travel messaging, levying higher hotel or other taxes on the kind of tourism that has more impact such as daytripping, destination management and regenerative projects.

In 2020, tourism boards focused on proving their value as a key player supporting the visitor economy and communicating tourism’s contribution to the destination’s quality of life.

That push and the pandemic has helped cement tourism boards’ status as a central “all about the destination” place to consult and plan how to explore responsibly and safely.

“Starting in the Spring of this year, website activity on DMO sites was higher than 2019 in every single month and every single week,” said Saks. “So clearly travelers are going to DMOs as a means of planning and booking their trips.”

DMOs’ reponses in the Funding Futures survey also show a commitment to continuing to build relationships with their host communities for a more resilient industry on the other side of Covid. Over 80 percent of U.S. tourism boards surveyed agree that their organization “will  have a central role in improving tourism more on sustainability, resident and local business engagement,” with a 100 percent response rate from Canada’s four responding tourism boards.

The commitment to DEI is also greater, with 76 percent of DMOs in the U.S. and 75 percent of those surveyed in Canada stating “we are investing in a greater commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (e.g., training, staffing, working with partners and community groups).”

“But where help may still be needed is in moving forward the development of new and more sustainable sources of funding,” said Erin-Francis Cummings, CEO of Destination Analysts. 

Key DMO Recommendations

The 2021 Funding Futures report makes four recommendations for DMOs: to track funding available to tourism from various government mechanisms including through the Economic Development Administration, to manage future risks in funding, to stay tuned to resident industry and political sentiment, and to create or update the destination’s master or sustainable tourism plan.

The recommendations align quite a bit with the findings of a recent report out of the UK examining the new role and performance of the country’s tourism boards.

It’s clear from the data that the expanded role of tourism boards are here to stay — an average of 11 responsibilities for Canadian marketing offices and eight for those in the U.S. The question remains whether a larger number will also prioritize diversifying funding or whether they will fall into the lure of the returning deep pocketed international visitor in 2022. 

UPDATED: This story has been updated with comments from Destinations International.

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7P’s in the tourism marketing mix for tour & activity providers

the 7p's of the tourism marketing mix

By Blake Ng — 5 Aug 2018

Direct Marketing   marketing   tourism business strategy

Updated November 2021 – Anyone who runs a business or markets a specific product within the tourism industry knows about the tourism marketing mix . The traditional marketing mix was created in 1960 and has been applied to nearly every product created since then. The marketing mix contains the 4 P’s: product, place, price, and promotion. However, 3 extra P’s apply for the experiences industry: People, Processes, and Physical Evidence. As a tour operator, here’s what you need to know about the basic tourism marketing mix and how you can utilize them to analyze your competitive strategies.

The Traditional Marketing Mix

Product is the first step of the marketing process because you need to create a product that consumers want. Without the right products, it won’t be easy to market your business and attract customers to your services.

As a tour and activity provider, you must offer a specific tour or activity that is in demand. It should be a high-quality tour and an authentic experience . By striving to exceed your customers’ expectations, you will surely gain a target market that seeks your product.

Decades ago, tour and activity providers simply sold their products through their storefront and through travel agents. Today and with the advancement of technology , you have to make sure your tours and activities are available both online and offline. This allows for a wider avenue of bookings to come through from a wide variety of platforms. 

These days, most travelers want to book online in order to make their reservations, and it’s essential to have a mobile-friendly website that accepts bookings. By being able to be bookable anywhere your customers are, it eases the overall booking process. Ultimately, this increases your chances of capturing their bookings.

Price your tours and activities according to demand and value is essential. You don’t need to give away your products for free in order to attract customers. You simply need to offer them a valuable experience that they find worthwhile.

By marketing your products correctly and providing evidence that your tours and activities are credible, you can align your services with a price point that customers will agree to pay.

You should utilize a variety of advertising techniques and marketing campaigns to promote your business. Whether that be an online promotion or an exclusive offer between your business and an agent, promoting campaigns correctly is key to boosting your sales.

How and where you communicate your campaigns is also an important element to your promotion’s success. Utilizing channels such as your website, social media, storefronts, and agents (including OTAs) will help widen your business’ exposure.

By strategizing and communicating your campaigns correctly, it increases your chances of being discovered and will boost your sales.

The tourism marketing mix: 3 extra P’s

Tour and activity providers should note that there is an extension to the marketing mix that should be applied to their own unique services. The service marketing mix, or in our case, the tourism marketing mix consists of 3 more P’s, and was developed in 1981., It applies to every business that sells services and, experiences as a product.

When it comes to marketing your tour and activity business, here are a few “take-aways”  about the extended tourism marketing mix and how it will help your business.

Invest in the right employees who demonstrate the qualities of a good tour guide . Your staff and guides are the faces of your company. They will represent your business and are one of the main determining factors of your customer’s satisfaction. By hiring enthusiastic and entertaining guides, it can help draw more customers to your business and will enhance the overall customer experience.

Tourism marketing mix

Your processes are key to a great customer experience . Clear processes provide convenience for both your staff and your customers. It ensures your business’s operation and procedures run smoothly. 

By having an online booking software like Rezdy, managing your processes will become an automatic process. A software like Rezdy allows customers to book based on real-time availability and will automatically adjust your manifests. This will ensure that everyone involved will be aware of upcoming bookings and can prepare resources accordingly.

The proper processes will make sure your tours run on schedule and avoid any hiccups such as overbooking and long waiting times. This will help give your customers the experience they’ve been promised and will encourage them to re-book and promote your business.

Physical Evidence

Give your customers physical evidence of what they paid for when they booked their tours. Make sure vehicles, gears and other materials are clean and presentable. Your staff should also be trained and properly presented, and if you have a storefront, make sure it’s well-maintained.

Physical evidence is effectively part of your tour branding strategy , so by providing physical evidence that your business is up to standards, will encourage customers to leave a positive review for others to see.

One way to execute the 7 P’s of the tourism marketing mix is by investing in an online booking software built specifically for your business. A software like Rezdy will help improve your processes by giving you a detailed insight into your business. This will allow you to set your best prices, promote in the correct place and engage with the right people. Curious to see if Rezdy is right for you? Sign- up for a FREE 21-day trial or request a demo today.

If you enjoyed this article then make sure to follow the Rezdy blog . There are a lot of marketing tools and tour operator tips designed with businesses like yours in mind.

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tourism market mix

Marketing in Tourism Strategies | 5 Tips on Types

Each industry has its own characteristics, best practices, and strategies to tackle problems. This is why it’s important to look at industries separately when thinking of how to market and expand them. The tourism industry is no different, with tourism marketing becoming a critical topic for all businesses today.

Marketing techniques are rapidly evolving because of the increasing use of technology. And when it comes to tourism, travelling is one of the most popular activities. The Age of Information has allowed digital marketing to provide various kinds of travel information to everyone.

tourism market mix

But what’s the purpose of tourism marketing? Well, even though the thought of travelling is attractive enough on its own, many tourism businesses are competing to be the number one tour marketing company for their destination/s.

This is why it’s important to use tourism marketing to promote your business and distinguish it from competitors.

The Tourism Industry & Marketing Trends

Any tour business must be aware of the different tourism types and changing consumer behaviours and travel trends in this industry.

Many years back, people perceived travelling as a luxury that only the influential and wealthy could afford.

tourism market mix

Now, we know that there are different kinds of trips suitable for just about every pocket. From budget backpackers to luxury five-star hotel stays, people are becoming more aware of their travel needs and choosing their destinations accordingly.

Considering the rapid changes in the industry, tourism marketers need to understand and keep up to date with these developments and trends. They should also aim to adapt their strategies to cater to these conversions in consumer behaviour.

What Is Tourism Marketing?

Tourism marketing is the term used to describe the different marketing methods and strategies used in the tourism industry.

tourism market mix

At its core, tourism marketing refers to a business that aims to attract tourists to a specific location.

The tourism field is multifaceted, so tourism marketing includes airlines, automobile rental services, and hotels and other forms of lodgings. Additionally, it covers restaurants, tours, and travel agents to generate awareness, online sales, and increase consumer acquisition.

There are many ways to do this. But first, it’s essential to understand that the foundation of a tourism marketing strategy is a well-constructed marketing plan. This marketing plan must outline the techniques, processes, and tools a company intends on using to promote tourism.

The Concept of Tourism Marketing

tourism market mix

Tourism marketing is known to flourish in places already considered “hotspots” amongst tourists. But, it can also be used in lesser-known places to attract more visitors. One of the critical aspects of tourism marketing is strategic planning to achieve brand visibility, which ultimately leads to brand awareness.

When an enterprise has successfully created a tourism website , it can focus on achieving brand awareness and targeting potential customers. Through tourism marketing strategies and tools, companies can expand on their tourism market.

A successful marketing mix strategy can even help an entry-level travel business become a monopoly in the travel industry.

Why Marketing Tourism Is Beneficial

tourism market mix

An essential part of tourism marketing is adopting the appropriate and relevant marketing strategy. Adopting the right plan could help your company maximise revenue and build awareness.

As one of the world’s largest industries, the travel industry is expected to keep growing in the upcoming years. Naturally, because of its demand and expected growth, this industry is highly competitive.

Travel businesses must research, formulate strategies, and think of innovative ways to stand out from their rivals. By using tourism marketing practices and tools, these businesses can promote themselves as the best option for travellers.

tourism market mix

The key role is to find a unique selling point and then promote it to reach the masses. But reaching the masses is not enough. Capturing their attention, keeping them engaged (through experiential marketing), and using a content marketing strategy that’s relatable is just as crucial.

So, as part of your marketing efforts, you must keep up with the latest trends and adopt a marketing mix strategy that’s a perfect blend of the best practices and tools.

Different Types of Tourism Marketing

While there are many types of tourism marketing, here are a few major broad types.

1.   Location Marketing

tourism market mix

Think of the most popular locations that come to mind when you think of a particular continent or country. For instance, if someone says “Europe”, your mind already conjures up images of the UK, Spain, France, or Italy — even if you’ve never been there. Why is this so?

Destination (or location) marketing strategies are among the most common forms of marketing in travel and tourism. The focus here is to increase customer attention to a specific place. Destination advertisers will highlight an entire location as a travel destination instead of singling out one attraction or accommodation.

tourism market mix

Through this type of marketing, some locations have become so popular worldwide that just the mere mention of their name is enough to elicit a response. For this reason, some travel agencies do, and can, use this type of marketing to remind consumers of these destinations.

2.   Activity Marketing

Often, consumers will associate a specific activity with a place that’s already famous for that activity. Switzerland is renowned for skiing, France for vineyards, Yellowstone National Park for hiking and camping, and Alaska for Northern Lights. The list goes on and on.

tourism market mix

When tourism marketers capitalise (or market) a particular activity in relation to a specific place, it’s called “Activity Marketing”. This type of marketing has a wide range of different kinds of tourist activities it can cater to; like adventure sports, food tours, and art galleries.

Activity marketing is the type of marketing you should adopt if your goal is to highlight a specific thing to do.

3.   Corporate Marketing

It’s vital to consider travellers who travel for reasons other than tourism. One of these includes corporate workers who may travel to different places for business purposes.

tourism market mix

Imagine a company executive attending a meeting or conference overseas. They wouldn’t then be interested in the activities of a destination.

Corporate marketing emerged as a branch of tourism marketing. In this type of tourism marketing, professionals can highlight places where business events can take place. Through this, they can make touristy places more popular and profit off the large number of corporates who would gather at these spots.

Different Methods of Marketing in the Tourism Industry

Most modern tourism marketing strategies make use of multiple channels to attract consumers. Some of these include emails, SMSes, user-generated content, and websites.

tourism market mix

If you want your marketing mix strategy to succeed, it’s best to use multiple channels and tools. Here are some channels you can use to include in your tourism marketing plan:

1.   Digital Marketing

Since we’re in the Age of Information and heading towards the Age of Experience , focusing on digital marketing is a must. The travel journey of consumers in this field is centred more on seeking information from trusted sources and experienced travellers.

This is especially true for first-time travellers who plan their trip from thousands of miles away. These travellers will probably spend a couple of hours on each website searching for flight tickets, accommodations, and other touristy things.

tourism market mix

Thus, you should focus on building your brand in the digital space to reach your target audience. It’s also good to know that most searchers now use their mobile devices for travel information , either on social channels or through website content (for example, a blog post).

You should ensure your digital marketing strategy is compatible with mobile devices.

2.   Social Media Marketing

A part of the digital marketing strategy mentioned above, social media marketing includes establishing your brand on social media. Influencer marketing and user-generated content are practical parts of social media marketing to make your brand seem credible and trustworthy.

tourism market mix

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re just as tech-savvy as most Millennials and Gen Zs today. This also means you probably have a social media account where you may enjoy or create content on travelling.

Many tourists and travellers use social media to look for travel inspiration, accommodation and tour reviews, and hot travel tips. So, to keep up to date with the social era, your enterprise should use a robust social media strategy that showcases your travel products and services.

3.   Email Marketing

tourism market mix

Email marketing in the tourism sector can be used for many purposes, like loyalty programs, weekly newsletters, or lead nurturing. Through email marketing, brands and companies can continuously contact existing and potential customers to build on their relationships.

A form of direct and digital marketing, email marketing can help you send updates to your target market on your latest products and services. You can also use segmented marketing to collect data on your ideal customers’ preferences and send out highly personalised content they have a higher chance of liking.

Marketing Strategies for Tourism

tourism market mix

All this talk about the importance of marketing strategies, but which strategy to adopt and implement? The truth is that there’s no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to tourism marketing.

You could take inspiration from other marketing companies, but you’ll still have to make some adjustments to the adopted strategy, so it’s suitable for your company. Alternatively, you could start from scratch by conducting market research and then selecting the appropriate tools, methods, and marketing activities.

Tourism marketing strategies don’t have to be boring; they can be just as exciting as their industry.

tourism market mix

Firstly, it’s essential to keep up with the latest tourism marketing trends and developments. But that’s not enough, also consider the meaning behind these updates and how they’ll impact your travel business. Here are some strategies and marketing tips you could use for your company’s plan.

1.   Don’t Forget Local

The coronavirus outbreak in 2020 led to governments implementing a lockdown that restricted movements in and around countries. Over the months, lockdown regulations eased, with some countries allowing international travel but mainly sticking to local travel only.

tourism market mix

To heal themselves from COVID-19 fatigue, many tourists resorted to touring their own countries. This increased domestic travel, bringing about a new target market.

Destination marketers can then use this to sell the features of their business in such a way that’ll appeal to local consumers. Instead of focusing on weather and famous attractions, highlight facilities, one-day trips, and a site’s ability to host events.

Additionally, emphasise the best hotels, cafes, and bars in an area as this will appeal to locals who are now more attracted to discovering the best of their town.

2.   Remote Working

tourism market mix

This may sound completely unrelated to tourism marketing, but a result of the pandemic is an increase in remote work.

When many businesses moved to an online working model during the lockdown, the workforce looked for alternate places to serve as their workplace. This created a specific niche of remote workers who turned to hotels and foreign destinations to enjoy work with a different view.

To cater to these business needs, travel marketing companies can create and promote product offerings that appeal to remote workers. Whether it’s a business suite in a 5-star hotel in Dubai or an Airbnb in the forest, the appetite for work-friendly spaces and accommodations is expected to keep growing.

3.   Virtual Reality (VR) tours

tourism market mix

A part of experiential marketing, Virtual Reality is just one of the many exciting tourism technologies available today. Through VR, tourists and travellers can experience a flight, hotel, restaurant, or attraction from a great distance away.

Easily accessible from a computer or mobile, virtual reality tours provide an opportunity for users to get a sense of an experience that awaits them. By getting a sense of what they can expect, virtual reality tours effectively clear clients’ doubts during the booking process and increase their appetite for travel.

4.   Voice Search, Chatbots & Other Technologies

tourism market mix

Technology just keeps outshining itself, doesn’t it? Tour operators can use voice search technology to allow customers to make bookings, seek information, and give feedback just by speaking. This makes it easier for mobile users on the go to use your services.

Chatbots allow for quick responses to customers, even when staff members are not available. Using chatbots on your website allows you to communicate with clients 24/7, in multiple languages, and promote your products and services. This can help increase revenue and improve the customer experience.

tourism market mix

Other beneficial technologies include contactless payments, cybersecurity measures, and augmented reality. Or, improving your existing digital content through strategies like on-page SEO optimization and content upgrades to rank higher on search engine result pages.

5.   Personalisation

Personalisation marketing is a branch of marketing that can be used to create more relevant customer offerings.

This type of marketing can be used with email, social media, and other similar marketing tools. Since modern customers have such individualistic personalities and tastes, personalised offerings appeal more to them.

tourism market mix

So, through this marketing, travel companies can capture data (for example, from the company’s Facebook page or website). And then they can use this data to curate customer profiles and offer personalised offerings and future recommendations.

Final Thoughts on the Marketing of Tourism and Travel

Remember that customers don’t just pay for products and services; they pay for the experience they expect to gain from it. The trick is to find your unique selling point and promote it as a comparatively superior experience in your tourism marketing efforts.

tourism market mix

Since so many people love leisure trips, you must aim to make your company or brand stand out as unique compared to other tourism companies in this competitive industry. An effective advertising and marketing strategy can boost brand visibility and awareness for a new audience and the existing customer base.

Hopefully, you found these marketing tips and tricks useful for your tourism business.

Matt G Davison

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Travel and Tourism Marketing: The Digital Guide

/ thoughtspace - guide, industry expertise, omnichannel, tourism, august 2, 2022 coegi.

The travel and tourism marketing is rebounding as the industry surges above pre-pandemic levels.

Are you taking advantage of it?

This digital guide to travel marketing gives you everything you need to know before launching a campaign. 

How to Succeed at Travel and Tourism Marketing

Travel books and printed pamphlets are a thing of the past. Now, it’s time to lead with digital tactics.

Today’s travelers are finding inspiration for trips on digital channels. Younger travelers in particular are taking this a step further by shifting to mobile devices over desktop , looking to the brand’s website or Instagram to get a sense of what they can expect. 

To reach the modern traveler, brands need to create a seamless experience across digital channels from awareness to check out/visit.

You’ll also need to create a strategic, customized approach to target your optimal audience on the most impactful channels.

Your Guide to Success

Download this guide to learn how to:

  • Leverage the latest travel and tourism marketing trends
  • Create the optimal media mix for your brand with the most impactful channels
  • Implement cookieless solutions to reach your target audience
  • Measure the ROI from omnichannel travel marketing campaigns

Ready to take off?

View and download the guide below!

tourism market mix

The Return of Travel and Tourism Marketing

After the tumultuous years of the pandemic, travel and tourism is finally experiencing a surge in demand. Travel digital marketing spend dipped 51% in 2021 but is now growing by 14.2% in 2022. An additional 12.1% increase is expected in 2023, according to eMarketer . 

tourism market mix

What do travel and tourism marketers need to do to prepare for this opportunity?

Lead With Digital Tactics

Travel books and printed pamphlets are a thing of the past. Today’s travelers are finding inspiration for trips on digital channels. Younger travelers in particular are taking this a step further by shifting to mobile devices over desktop, looking to the brand’s website or Instagram to get a sense of what they can expect. 

As the saying goes, “not all who wander are lost.” Allow yourself to experiment, becoming smarter by letting continuous learning guide your marketing strategy. The best way to do that is to start with digital, where flexibility and agility allow for quick learnings and pivots.

Digital marketing is the perfect petri dish to test out tactics and creatives before making a major investment. For example, you can run a short-form video ad on social media and identify which creative is performing best. Then, use those creative learnings to inform a more premium CTV placement or Cable TV buy with an added layer of confidence.

Is your travel brand ready for a digital-first marketing strategy?

Here’s your digital housekeeping checklist to prime your digital travel and tourism marketing for success:

tourism market mix

High Impact Travel and Tourism Marketing Channels 

When choosing travel marketing channels, consider these four aspects: 

  • Budget: If budget is limited, maximize spend on fewer channels. If you have more dollars, consider diversifying, testing something new or incorporating premium placements. 
  • Audience: Identify where your audience is most active and receptive to advertising. 
  • Customer Journey: Understand how your customers behave, and shape your advertising around their decision making process. 
  • Storytelling: Include highly visual channels that allow storytelling to tap into their emotions. 

To keep pace with digital-first users, prioritize your digital marketing efforts on these key digital channels: 

  • According to Pathmatics data, Facebook is the leading social media channel for Travel/Tourism ad spend. Explore various ad formats to help lead your traveler down the funnel, such as Facebook Lead Ads. Tailor educational resources to unique audience groups to establish trust and consideration. 

Endemic Travel Sites

  • Travel blogs and sites are highly valuable for travel brands. 59% of families use travel websites to plan vacations. Another 13.5% of leisure travelers use travel blogs to plan trips. Use these sites establish brand awareness and trustworthiness among potential travelers. 

User-Generated Content 

  • UGC is used by 58.2% of travelers for planning leisure travel. Word of mouth is, and always will be, the most impactful form of marketing. Encourage customers to leave quality reviews on your site or other travel pages to boost your brand status. In addition, encourage users to create content FOR you. 

Paid Search

  • Speed and agility are crucial for travel brands. You need to appear as a top option for during the research and discovery process. Optimize a combination of branded, unbranded and competitive paid search terms. This will help you show up for relevant, high value queries.
  • Twitter is especially effective for targeting luxury and business travelers on a platform where users are highly engaged, especially surrounding news and business. To expand your targeting pool, use the platform’s AI to find follower lookalikes from competitor brands.

Online Video 

  • While a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is priceless. Online video placements across YouTube and Display allow brands to tell a rich, visual story. YouTube offers various travel category targeting options such as Business Travel, Family Travel, and Frequent Travel. You can also layer these with geo targeting to narrow in on your core audience. 

Connected TV

  • Connected TV amplifies online video by placing it on the largest screen in the household. It’s one of the most impactful visual mediums travel brands can use, while offering more flexibility and addressability than linear TV. CTV ads are a great option to reach family travelers or promote kid-friendly destinations. 
  • 49% of Gen Z adults and 50% of Millennials follow at least one travel influencer on social media per a MorningConsult study. These online figures are beginning to play a pivotal role in how travel is planned. Explore how creators can help boost your brand affinity whether it be local nano-influencers or macro-influencers. 
  • Instagram is a go-to source of inspiration for Millennial and Gen-Z travelers. Travel brands can build community by interacting with users through various formats – reels, stories, and posts. Use post comments, story polls, and Q&As to start a conversation with interested travelers. Avoid being overly curated and don’t be afraid to use trending phrases, sounds or hashtags. 
  • Travel engagement on Pinterest is at an all time high with travel-related searches increasing by over 60%. Pinterest is primed for planning and purchasing, and can facilitate real bookings. This platform is a great place to hone in on ‘Travel’ and ‘Foodie’ audiences. 
  • No other social platform enables the potential virality or mass reach as TikTok . Users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app, and 90% of TikTok users use the app multiple times daily. Although TikTok has a strong younger presence, 51% of users are now 30+. The app is growing in popularity amongst millennials with disposable income for travel. DisneyParks has over 4M followers on TikTok and Delta Airlines gained nearly 19.5M views in the initial 36 hours of their first TikTok campaign.

Retail Media

  • Activating first-party shopper audiences through retail media networks is a great way to reach travelers. For example, the Marriott Media Network uses search and reservation data to serve relevant ads to consumers.  
  • Digital out of home spend is soaring as people are traveling again. Screens in airports, inflight video, taxi cabs, bus stations, billboards near attractions, and more can place your brand in front of traveling audiences. DOOH is a great tactic to educate users once they are at a destination. 

Local Partnerships

  • 78% of survey respondents want to support local small businesses when they travel . State and city tourism brands can leverage this trend by partnering with local artists, chefs or businesses. Thise partnerships can drive travel consideration and boost awareness for both parties. Consider unique creative options like how-to videos, downloadable guides, or co-branded social posts about the partnership. 

Ad Targeting for Travel and Tourism Audiences

It’s important that you don’t create a one-size-fits-all approach when marketing to future tourists. Consider who your existing traveler base is, and identify attributes to qualify other individuals in your prospecting audience. From there, tailor messaging to drive education and consideration. 

Are they solo travelers seeking adventure? Young families looking for a cost effective, kid-friendly trip? Foodies wanting luxurious and avant garde dining experiences? Create profiles to understand these individuals from a 360-degree perspective. Build as many personas as makes sense for your brand. 

Personalize Messaging 

Next, personalize your messaging to meet their unique motivations, behaviors and interests. Speak to each group differently and adjust visuals to resonate with their interests. If you’re looking to reach the adventure seeker, show fun activities like zip lining, hiking, concerts, etc. If you’re speaking to the budget-friendly family, showcase the value of the experiences you offer, without a major bill.

Reach Your Travelers Throughout Their Journey

To reach today’s consumers, brands need to create a seamless experience across digital channels from awareness to check out/visit. 

An omnichannel strategy is vital to keep a loyalty loop and encompass all phases of the customer journey. Use your marketing mix to show up at key moments in the consumer journey from planning to experiencing. ThinkWithGoogle identified four core micro-moments in the travel process: Dream, Plan, Book, and Experience. 

  • Dream – Spark inspiration and educate during the dreaming phase
  • Plan – Provide helpful information and build trust
  • Book – Offer a compelling value proposition and enable seamless transaction
  • Experience – Ensure the visit is positive and meets expectations. Follow up with post-visit marketing to keep customers engaged. Encourage reviews and social media posts during and after. 

Measuring Travel and Tourism Marketing Campaigns

Create a data terminal.

It’s easy to get absorbed in the performance of individual channels. However, this causes campaigns to quickly turn from strategic to tactical. Instead, manage your advertising holistically within one dashboard. Doing so allows you to share and optimize performance trends and learnings across tactics. By looking at the data from a macro lens, you can identify important signals and weave a cohesive story. 

Check your unnecessary baggage 

Marketers need to ensure they are looking beyond vanity metrics to identify trends that signal success. It is especially important to synchronize data sets as we prepare for cookie deprecation. Instead of solely looking for direct attribution, explore a variety of business and media metrics over time. This will unveil unique learnings and better show the incremental impact of advertising.

Onboard advanced measurement 

When media metrics do not answer your business questions, layer advanced measurement tactics , on top of traditional media efficiency metrics. These data points will provide a more robust view of marketing’s impact on business goals. 

tourism market mix

For tourism brands, foot traffic lift is especially impactful in providing a clear view of how advertising drove incremental increases in visitors.

Refuel with continuous learning

When creating a marketing strategy, it’s critical to fuel ongoing campaign learnings to answer key questions and improve results for future initiatives. 

At Coegi, we combine a measurement strategy and a structured learning agenda. This ensures we are optimizing campaigns toward business goals while also continuously improving. 

Key Takeaways for Travel and Tourism Marketers 

  • Lead with digital tactics to reach the growing audience of travelers 
  • Lean into highly visual channels such as social media and online video
  • Understand your unique audiences and tailor ads to their consumer journey across channels 
  • Implement a comprehensive measurement strategy to see the impact of your campaigns

For more strategic insights and campaign activation, contact Coegi to set up a meeting with our travel marketing experts. 

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Home > THOught Blog > The 4 P’s Of Marketing For The Travel And Tourism Industry

The 4 p's of marketing for the travel and tourism industry

The 4 P’s Of Marketing For The Travel And Tourism Industry

The travel and tourism industry is highly competitive. Differentiating yourself is key to rising above the marketing clutter and noise. Often times keeping things simple is the best way to gain focus and clarity about your marketing strategy. The 4 P’s of marketing in the travel and tourism industry is good start.

These four factors are part of a tried-and-trusted method for addressing your branding, promotions, social media, and digital marketing. To find out what they are and why you need them, read our short guide below.

The 4 P’s Of Marketing In The Travel & Tourism Industry

Product, Price, Place, and Promotion are the four key points in any tourism business’ marketing strategy.

Unlike other businesses, where the product is a material item or tangible thing, the products in a travel company are not. But the basic aim is the same: Providing a product that people want. In other words, is there a market for the product that you are offering?

The tourism industry is extremely competitive. You need to set yourself apart from the rest while providing a relevant product. Examples are women’s solo travel or LGBT tours. It helps to target specific categories and niche markets, although this also narrows your target market considerably.

In smaller and localized businesses, this requires careful and in-depth research of the needs of the community where you are based. Is the community that you are aiming this product at able to afford it? Have they expressed a desire for such a travel service or tour?

If you are a larger business with a national or even international customer base, the same principles apply. Are there travel trends that other travel companies or tour organizers are not effectively tapping into?

The more unique your product, the more careful you must be to establish its relevance.

Where do customers go to interact with your brand and order your services or purchase tour packages? For many of you, this may be a combination of physical offices and an online presence.

Whether you have a physical office or not, you more than likely have a website, and possibly one or more social media platforms. Social media marketing is one of the most effective forms of digital marketing .

More and more businesses in the tourism industry are realizing the benefits of social media marketing. But the most important thing to remember is to be consistent. Update your social media pages and web content regularly, with engaging and relevant posts.

Keep your target market in mind when choosing a platform. They appeal to different audiences and choosing the wrong one could be a costly mistake.

Price is a major factor in your marketing success and the success of your business as a whole. Competitive pricing is essential if you want to attract new customers.

So do the groundwork and discover what other tour companies are charging. Read their customer reviews and find out what people think of their pricing. This can give you an indication of what customers would be happy to pay.

But don’t fall into the trap of undercutting your competitors by too much. This may seem like a good idea, but many consumers are wary of what seems like “too good a deal”. Too low a price can actually make new customers reluctant to try your product/service.

Aim for the same price range or just slightly lower than your rivals charge for similar tours and travel packages. A special price for first-time customers or a discount for groups of a certain size may be better ways to have the edge.

The final P of our 4 P’s is promotion, and it ties in with the other three. You can have the right product, the best price, and the relevant place to market your offerings yet l not make a big impression. Want to know why? It’s because, in such a highly competitive market, you need to go one step beyond.

The best way to do that is through promotion.

Promotions entail more than just advertising a great deal. It’s about getting your brand out there and attracting new customers.

Introductory offers and limited-time-only value-added tours will all attract new users to your platform and create interest in your brand. Partnering with social influencers can also make a big impact on a younger audience.

With an effective multi-pronged marketing campaign that includes digital marketing, social media, and mainstream traditional media, you can’t go wrong.

Emphasize what is unique about your company. A catchphrase that resonates with the travelers’ goals will add extra punch.

Final Thoughts

With these 4 P’s of marketing, you can make a success of any marketing campaign for your travel company or tour business. They will help you to put your customer first while increasing brand recognition and industry relevance.

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What is Tourism Marketing? 15 Strategies in 2023

March 22, 2023 | By Hitesh Bhasin | Filed Under: Marketing

From hotels and other types of accommodation to car rental services, airlines , restaurants, entertainment spots, and travel agents – tourism marketing encompasses a wide range of advertising and marketing strategies often used by companies in the tourism and travel industry themselves. All these various marketing efforts are put together under one collective name – Tourism Marketing!

Tourism marketing is an essential tool for a business to ensure they are standing apart from its competitors, garnering customers, and creating brand recognition. Nowadays, various digital marketing platforms such as websites, online ads, email marketing campaigns , and social media marketing outlets have become vital components of modern tourism marketing initiatives for businesses.

Table of Contents

What is Tourism Marketing?

Tourism marketing is a type of marketing used by businesses operating in the travel and tourism industry to attract tourists to a business name or particular location which can be a state, a city, a particular heritage site or tourist destination spot, a hotel, or a convention center anything.

Achieving success in the travel and tourism industry requires thoughtful Tourism Marketing campaigns that are designed to generate brand awareness , create both, reach the most target audience or potential customers, drive traffic, foster loyalty among existing clients, and create a captivating customer experience . By utilizing these strategies, businesses can effectively engage with travelers while generating more sales opportunities.

Tourism Marketing has been profoundly impacted in recent years by digital development, as well as changes in consumer attitudes and desires. Crafting successful Tourism marketing messages today entails taking advantage of social media platforms, featuring user generated content, leveraging online reviews and search engines to your benefit, collaborating with influencers to drive traffic and expand reach, and experimenting with various channels for targeted messaging to attract travelers and optimize their customer journey in a way to convert them into loyal customers.

Why is Tourism Marketing Important?

To make a tourism business thrive, savvy marketing is an absolute must. By staying up-to-date with current trends and launching impactful campaigns, businesses can boost the recognition of their brand, gain customer loyalty and attract travellers. Moreover, tourism marketing holds promise for contributing to the economic growth of the region by driving tourists towards local enterprises.

The tourism industry is one of the biggest in the world and therefore highly competitive. To succeed, businesses must differentiate themselves from their competitors by promoting and advertising what makes them unique, showcasing why they’re the best option for tourists, and advertising and highlighting any special features that set them apart.

To allow businesses to gain a competitive advantage , marketing is essential. Many of the top tourism marketing approaches concentrate on highlighting a business’ unique selling point and broadcasting it effectively. Moreover, marketers must keep abreast with current trends to generate an effective promotional mix and deploy the most viable methods for disseminating their message across all channels.

Understanding the concept of Tourism Marketing

Tourism marketing is associated with most businesses, with marketing strategies in the field of tourism.  Today there are many countries in the world, where the tourism industry plays a major role in economic development , enhancing their GDP.

In such cases, tourism and digital marketing become important things. Many of the places are generally the hotspot for tourists like the Taj Mahal in India. Now places like these are considered the perfect areas where one can boost tourism through digital marketing.

The places which are more likely to be the major spots for attracting tourists are the places where tourism marketing flourishes the most. Now tourism marketing is all about applying several marketing techniques and strategies to create and boost the tourism industry of that place.

For successful tourism marketing to take place, the thing that is required the most is that the brands should speak for themselves in such a way that makes sense that their voices can be heard in the targeted markets.  This way they will be able to generate the cleanest successfully. Also, they need to be really careful in providing services to clients.

This is because if the customers are happy with the services chances they will spread the word and this may bring them more customers.  In the case of tourism marketing, it becomes easy to find the right audiences and create content to draw the attention of the targeted customers to the website by providing encouraging content.  Thus strategic planning , content marketing, and branding is the key to effective tourism marketing.

With it being carried out by keeping these two points in mind, chances are that the company that is involved in tourism marketing will be able to gain the advantage over their existing customers in no time and become a monopoly in the tourism industry.

What are the different ways in which Tourism Marketing Can Be Done in 2023?

Now various methods are applied for tourism marketing to flourish.  Below are some of the important ways in which the tourism marking of any place is given a boost.

1) Location marketing

In this type of marketing strategy , the main focus of tourism marketing is one bringing people’s attention to a specific location. In this strategy , no recommendations are made with respect to a particular site or any accommodation. Now some locations are already so popular all over the world that tourism marketers don’t have to make many efforts to attract their attention to such places.

All they need to do to attract customers is remind them of such locations and chances are that the consumer can easily get convinced to spend money and visit any such place. For example, Las Vegas is popular for its undying charm and full of life kind of prospects.

Now there s also a popular slogan related to Las Vegas which is ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’. This slogan has gained worldwide popularity and almost everyone wants to visit Las Vegas at least once.

So here the tourism marketers have to simply remind people of how amazing this city is and what are the different ways in which they can have the time of their lives here. Another example that can be taken in Florida.

They use a more ‘benefit-oriented’ approach. Their slogan and website are ‘The Sunshine State’.  This way they are presenting their state with a joyous and charming climate and as a perfect place for beach and football lovers.  Also with their slogan and website, they are successfully able to present their state as an ideal ‘summer vacation’ destination and are definitely a dream for many to visit this place.

Thus location marketing is one of the simplest forms of tourism marketing in which without even putting much effort, with the brand value and the popularity of some specific location, the customers can be attracted.

2) Activity marketing

Now, this type of tourism is carried out keeping in mind both the location and the activities that are performed in such places.  This type of tourism marketing strategy usually keeps in mind travelers who are adventure lovers or activity freaks.

There are many other sites and locations all over the world that are famous for some specific activities. Like Alaska is famous for snowboarding, Yellowstone national park is famous for thrilling activities like hiking, and camping and is a perfect place for all nature lovers, similarly, there is ‘Colonial Williamsburg’ which attracts all history lovers.

Thus depending on the target audience and the type of activity that a particular place is famous for, tourism marketing can be carried out. Some people may be adventure lovers, some people may be looking for art and culture some people love hunting, depending upon their area of expertise and interest, the tourism markers can segment the groups of potential visitors and customers and approach them.

Thus activity marketing is a form of tourism making and social media marketing that emphasizes the booking process and bringing the attention of a customer to particular places on the basis of the activities that are performed there.

3) Corporate marketing

This is quite an interesting approach to tourism marketing. Now it has been found that a large number of people working in corporate sectors have to travel to different places to attend a conference or a meeting.

Then according to research, it was found these locations were ideal for tourists, and a number of people came to attend those places. Also, they brought their families and their loved ones as well. Now considering these scenarios’ latest trends in mind, corporate influencer marketing can contribute a lot to tourism marketing as it has significant potential.

Here the tourism marketers take advantage of the fact that by planning the business meeting in touristy places, people come in large numbers thus they can make a lot of profit out of it.

What are the four basic pillars of Tourism Marketing?

The foundation of tourism marketing stands firmly on four of its important pillars which are the product , the price, the place, email marketing, and the promotion.

Let us understand each of these separately as to how they contribute to tourism marketing!

Marketing Mix of Tourism

1) product in tourism marketing.

One of the most important aspects of the tourism marketing strategy is to determine the effect of the selling benefits and the other types of benefits that are re-obtained by competing with their rivals in the same market .

Tourism marketers need to focus more on such destinations that provide both business advantages to travel brands and pleasure to their customers. These pleasures depend on several factors like the ease of traveling, facilities of the sites and the hotels, the nightlife of that place, activities offered, and the overall culture of that place.

Thus by considering these factors, tourism marketers will understand the areas that have to focus more on, so that marketing can be done effectively.

2) Price in Tourism Marketing

The price point is yet another important aspect of tourism marketing. Now many people avoid traveling due to money-related issues.  And this is where tourism marketing comes in to save the day.  Today so many mobile apps have been developed, on which if a person books a hotel r a transport like a flight or a train, they get discounts. This attracts a lot of customers.

Along with the free referral marketing, they also try to give value-added services to their customers. Some hotels also offer free shuttle services to their visitors. Also depending on whether it is a high season or an offseason, the prices are altered.  

3) Place in Tourism Marketing

Now for tourism marketing to earn a profit, deciding the location where they want to perform the marketing can play a key role in how far they can go. The place refers to the area where the products and services can be distributed.

Now in tourism and destination marketing, the location and the destination marketers offer their products and services to their customers through travel agents, tour operators, inside sales teas, etc.  The distribution of their products and services to visitors can be done through catalogs, online, sites, mobile devices, websites, stores, etc.

4) Promotion

In this numerous different strategies and technologies are used for the promotion of any specific area or tourist destination.  In fact, trade magazines and meeting planners are also efficient ways for promotion purposes.

These often come with many other forms of discount coupons, brochures, etc. also they try their target customers to come across the ads that pop up on the website to make them aware of the various tourist places.

15 Tourism Marketing Strategies in 2023

1. prioritising hygiene and safety via marketing communication.

Tourism marketers must now prioritize safety and hygiene to give their customers peace of mind when they travel. By highlighting the protocols that are being taken, tourists can rest assured knowing they will be protected while visiting.

2. Developing Loyalty Programmes

Loyalty programs are the ideal way to demonstrate your appreciation for existing customers and stimulate repeated patronage. Tourism marketers should construct loyalty programs that will not only retain existing customers but also appeal to fresh audiences.

3. Capitalising on Voice Search

In the age of voice search, it is essential for tourism marketers to create content that can be quickly found and accessed. Optimizing your site and content for this new technology will bolster your site for visibility and success in the long term.

4. Facilitating User-Generated Content

User-generated content, such as ratings and reviews on social media, is critical in helping customers make informed decisions. User-generated social media content is one of the key tourism marketing trends.

5. Deploying Artificial Intelligence:

AI technology is a valuable asset for Tourism marketers, allowing them to track customer behavior and create personalized brand experiences tailored to each individual. This can help customers find the brand information they need quicker and more easily than ever before.

6. Not Neglect Review Marketing

Reviews and ratings are a critical resource for Tourism companies, making them an invaluable asset in swaying potential customer decisions. Any Tourism marketer must recognize the importance of reviews if they wish to stay competitive.

7. Enhancing the Guest Experience & Satisfaction Through Chatbots

Chatbots can be a vital tool in creating an effortless, tailored experience for all customers. Chatbot technology should be a top priority for the hospitality and tourism industry to provide quick customer service and support, as well as respond promptly to any inquiries.

8. Investing in Remarketing Efforts

Maximizing your Tourism business’ potential by tapping into already engaged customers is a surefire way of increasing sales. Leverage the power of remarketing to maximize your potential and gain more qualified leads.

9. Utilising Augmented Reality Technology

Augmented reality provides the ideal platform for tourism businesses to build mesmerizing and unforgettable experiences for their customers.

10. Prioritising Personalisation

Customization is a crucial element of this form of marketing. By personalizing content and messages to the target audience’s wants and needs, Tourism marketers can engineer and create an experience that will ensure positive word-of-mouth publicity for their business or brand.

11. Exploring Metaverse

The metaverse is becoming more and more popular with tourism companies, as it allows them to give their customers an unparalleled, immersive experience.

12. Using NFTs

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are quickly becoming a widely recognized trend. Tourism companies can harness this technology to propel their marketing campaigns and draw in more visitors.

13. Promoting Virtual Reality (VR) Tours

Allow your customers to explore new destinations without even having to leave their homes – with VR tours, the possibilities are endless!

14. Focusing on the Customer Experience

Crafting an exceptional customer experience should be the primary focus of any Tourism promotional strategy . Optimizing customer experiences on all marketing channels is crucial.

15. Embracing content and influencer marketing

Content and influencer marketing are essential building blocks of any successful tourism strategy. It helps in optimizing the presence of a travel business in the search engine.

Thus, tourism and travel agency marketing are one of the branches of marketing that deal with the tourism and travel industry only.

It is essential to carry out efficient tourism marketing, as one can make a lot of money through this because there are so many people in this world who love traveling, and this can help the tourism marketing industry to flourish their business.

Liked this post? Check out the complete series on Marketing

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About Hitesh Bhasin

Hitesh Bhasin is the CEO of Marketing91 and has over a decade of experience in the marketing field. He is an accomplished author of thousands of insightful articles, including in-depth analyses of brands and companies. Holding an MBA in Marketing, Hitesh manages several offline ventures, where he applies all the concepts of Marketing that he writes about.

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This was a great article! Now I’m interested in a career in tourism marketing. How do I start? I already write travel content/copywriting blogs for an agency. Where would I go from there?

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this article really helped me in conducting research on tourism. Thank you very much

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This article helped me alot on my academic research

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Hello,the article is highly assisting and I am seriously having interest in studying Tourism Marketing.

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This information was very helpful

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hey! This is a good and interesting article about tourism marketing. I am a second degree student in tourism business administration,the program is all about tourism as a business perspective.if you can possible,please post such relevant articles via email address that i have attached below the space provided.

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As defined by UN Tourism, a Tourism Product 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 mix and creates an overall visitor experience including emotional aspects for the potential customers. A tourism product is priced and sold through distribution channels and it has a life-cycle".

Rural tourism

UN Tourism understands Rural Tourism

UN Tourism understands Rural Tourism as "a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle / culture, angling and sightseeing.

Gastronomy and Wine Tourism

 Gastronomy and Wine Tourism

As global tourism is on the rise and competition between destinations increases, unique local and regional intangible cultural heritage become increasingly the discerning factor for the attraction of tourists.

Mountain Tourism

Rural tourism

Mountain Tourism  is a type of "tourism activity which takes place in a defined and limited geographical space such as hills or mountains with distinctive characteristics and attributes that are inherent to a specific landscape, topography, climate, biodiversity (flora and fauna) and local community. It encompasses a broad range of outdoor leisure and sports activities".

Urban Tourism

Product Development

According to UN Tourism, Urban Tourism is "a type of tourism activity which takes place in an urban space with its inherent attributes characterized by non-agricultural based economy such as administration, manufacturing, trade and services and by being nodal points of transport. Urban/city destinations offer a broad and heterogeneous range of cultural, architectural, technological, social and natural experiences and products for leisure and business".

Sports Tourism

 Sports Tourism

Tourism and sports are interrelated and complementary. Sports – as a professional, amateur or leisure activity – involves a considerable amount of traveling to play and compete in different destinations and countries. Major sporting events, such as the Olympic Games, football and rugby championships have become powerful tourism attractions in themselves – making a very positive contribution to the tourism image of the host destination.

Shopping Tourism

 Shopping Tourism

Shopping Tourism is becoming an increasingly relevant component of the tourism value chain. Shopping has converted into a determinant factor affecting destination choice, an important component of the overall travel experience and, in some cases the prime travel motivation.

Tourism Marketing

Travel and tourism marketing is the systematic and coordinated execution of business policies by the both private or public and public sector tourism organizations operating at the local, regional, national, or international level to achieve the optimal satisfaction of the needs of identifiable tourist groups, and in doing so to achieve an appropriate return .

Travel agencies in the pre-deregulation, pre-liberalization, and pre-globalization era were often contended to take whatever business that come along this way and sold them on a straight commission basis without bothering about the extensive marketing. Moreover, their scope of the operation was small and was not much complex, sophisticated and competitive.

But today the travel companies are becoming larger, more sophisticated and more automated in management.  Similarly, the clients/tourists are also becoming more trained, experienced, erudite and demanding higher quality services and packages.

Therefore, in this volatile travel business environment, marketing knowledge and skill are more necessary ingredients than the product knowledge and enthusiasm, for a travel agency’s long-term survival and growth. Thus, this has led to the use of tourism marketing which is recent phenomena.

History of Tourism Marketing

The ‘ marketing concept ‘ is not very old. I came into the scene in the 2nd half of the 20th century. In the beginning, it was linked with the number of closely associated factors for achieving volume sales.

The development of the marketing concept, in fact, is the outcome of political, technological, social, economic and business pressures. However, the importance of marketing within travel and tourism industry has been the level of economic and business growth throughout the 20th century, which has led to the improvement in living standards, an enlargement of the population and an increase in discretionary income and time.

These changes have also led to the construction of infrastructure, accommodation, transport , and other recreational facilities. Within a very short period, travel and tourism have become one of the most important and leading industry in the world.

Modern tourism marketing has evolved as a business reaction to changes in the Socio-Economic environment, with the most successful tourism companies or tourism bodies have demonstrated a keen sense of providing the right of organizational structure and products offer for the visitors/tourists.

Interestingly, the tourism companies have recognized the significance of key factors such as needs, wants, and satisfaction in the planning and designing of the tourism product. In the tourism industry, every tourist wants to be treated as a special client and any organization catering to this attitude of the tourist will naturally be head of other competitions.

Definitions of Tourism Marketing

According to Kotler, ” Marketing is a social and managerial process by which consumers obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging product services and values with other .” He has emphasized more on wants, needs, satisfaction, demand, and marketers.

According to the British Chartered Institute of Marketing, ” It is the management process responsible for the identification, anticipating, assessing and satisfying the customer’s client’s requirements profitable .”

The modern marketing concept is not limited only to the identification and satisfaction of customers. It is a comprehensive process which encompasses research and analysis of society’s as well as consumer’s needs, asserts the company’s resources and marketplace and delivers the products/services to those whose experience provides a set of satisfactions which are preferable to those of the competitors.

Krippendorf defines tourism marketing,” as the systematic and coordinated execution of business policies by both private or public sector tourism organizations operated at the local, regional, national, or international level to achieve the optimal satisfaction of the needs of identifiable tourist groups, and in doing so to achieve an appropriate return .”

According to Paynter (1993), ” tour marketing is a systematic process consisting of marketing objective, strategies, schedules, marketing media, focused on the specific market segment and based on a substantial return on investment. ”

World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at Ottawa Seminar, has defined tourism marketing as,” a management philosophy which, in the light of tourist demand, makes it possible through research, forecasting and selection of tourism products/services from suppliers, on the line with organization’s purpose and tourist satisfaction .”

The following aspects can be identified from the above definitions:

  • Tourism marketing is a thought-provoking process.
  • Identification and selection of the target market.
  • Positioning and product lifecycle is important.
  • Future tourism marketing strategies.
  • Innovative/proactive marketing.

Unique Features of Tourism Marketing

Tour package as a specialized product creates a number of significant considerations which need to be fully analyzed. The management of tour package cannot be divorced from the management of service and quality. Thus, the marketing of the tour package is different from other products because the tour package is a service product where instead of selling physical goods an intangible experience is sold.

An understanding of the complexity of the tourism product concept is an essential pre-requisite for effective tour package marketing in this context. The specific features of tourism marketing are:

  • The demand for tour package is highly elastic and seasonal in nature.
  • Tour package is a combination of various service ingredient.
  • Designing, developing and marketing of tour package a number of intermediaries are involved. Bed experience at one level can spoil the entire image of the package as well as the tour operator .
  • A tourist does not only by the tour package in advance because it is consumed and felt at the same time at a particular destination.

It is not possible to evaluate/demonstrate/sample the tour package in advance because it is consumed and felt at the same time at a particular destination.

Tour Package Marketing

A tour marketing plan is a structured guide for carrying out marketing operations. It provides a common structure and focuses on all the company’s management activities. The purposes of a marketing plan include:

  • It provides a clear direction for marketing operations.
  • It coordinates the resources of the organization in order to eliminate confusion and misunderstanding and achieving cooperation.
  • Identifying different market segments.
  • Setting targets/goals.
  • Identifying the organization’s strengths and weaknesses.
  • Corporate mission and goals.
  • External and Internal Audit.
  • Business situation analysis.
  • Creating the objectives.
  • Providing an effective marketing mix strategy.
  • Monitoring the plan.

Thus, it has become imperative to discuss the tour marketing segment, tourist generating market, and tour marketing mix before developing a tour marketing plan.

Tour Market Segmentation

It involves a division of the prospective market into identifiable groups. The reasoning behind this is that a tour package can be sold more effectively if efforts are concentrated towards those groups which are most potential.

According to Middleton, “ Market segmentation is the process whereby producers organize their knowledge of customer groups and select for particular attention those whose needs and wants they are best able to meet their product .”

The main purpose of tour market segmentation in tourism marketing are:

  • Segment the tourists generating markets.
  • Identify the network of intermediaries.
  • Identify the nature of demand for one’s product.
  • Identify the prospective tourists.

An effective market strategy will determine exactly what the target market will be and to attempt to reach only those markets. The target market is that segment of a total potential market to which the tourist attraction would be most saleable.

Targets markets are defined geographically, demographically and so forth market segmentation must be employed in the marketing programmes to both the long-term strategies. Every tourism attraction can appeal to a multitude of market segments, and the market segment can overlap a great deal. The tour manager must look at market segments and determines which one offer the promising potential for his/her service.

Tour market segment further categories into the following types:

  • Geographic Segment
  • Demographic Segment
  • Psychographic Segment
  • Socio-Economic Segment
  • Price Segment

Geographic Tourism Market Segmentation

This segment is based on the idea that customer needs differ according to geographic regions.

Demographic Segmentation

Under this segmentation, the tourism market is divided into various groups, keeping in view the demographic variables such as age, income, sex family size, occupation, education, religion etc.

Behavioral Segmentation

In this segmentation, prospective tourists are segmented on the basis of their knowledge, attitude, use or response to the tour product. Under this segmentation, the marketing strategies of a four-company include:

  • User Status
  • Loyalty Status
  • Buyer Readiness Stages

Psychographic Segmentation

Under this, the tourists are divided into different group on the basis of their social status, lifestyles, and personality characteristics. For example, upper class, upper middle, lower classes, product preferences, adventure sports, etc.

Price Segmentation

Price ranges often come in handy in segmenting the tourist markets, such as

  • Those who want to take a low priced vacation.
  • Those who may take a moderately priced vacation.

Price ranges communicate to the tourists the quality expectation of a product along with the producer’s image. While determining the price of a tour package a tour planner must understand the paying capacity of the tourist.

Tour Marketing Mix

In the competitive tourism marketplace, a tour operator can be successful if it’s complete marketing mix offer matches what the tourist wants. It is planned and coordinated by marketers so that the input can be contributed in such a way that the company will be able to maximize demand and satisfaction of the tourists.

The concept of the tour marketing mix is equally relevant in the case of tourism products as it is in the case of other services and goods. Tour marketing manager must constantly search for the right marketing mix, the right combination of elements that will produce a profit. The marketing mix is composed of every factor that influences marketing efforts such as:

  • BrandsPricing – In the Ratio of quality and value
  • Product features
  • Channels of distribution – both international and national
  • Advertising
  • Selling techniques
  • Public relation

The fundamental starting point for the creation of a successful tour marketing mix to ensure that the target market is clearly defined. The target market is the focus of all marketing mix activities. Generally, the marketing mix constitutes four P’s . These four P’s are following as:

However, besides these four P’s in the tourism industry fifth P – People, Process, Physical evidence is also of most relevance.

Developing Tour Marketing Plan

The marketing of the package tour is materially different than the marketing of other tourism products. The reasoning behind this is that the type of tours offered by one tour company and another are different, and the marketing strategies also differ from company to company.

Each company has a wide range of tours and marketing strategies. No other travel and tourism industry component have such a wide range of specialization.

This fact should be recognized, that the effective and profitable marketing strategies are based on the tour marketing plan which is a complete ‘mechanism’ for the success of a tour company. The mechanism includes several components. These component and stages of making a tourism marketing plan are following as:

Developing a tour marketing plan

Marketing Budget

Plan Strategies

Prepare Plan Schedules

Decide Media Plan

Developing Advertising Plan

Developing Public Relation Plan

Preparing an Annual Sales Plan

Feedback and Evaluation Plan

Tourism Guru

Tourism Guru

Tourism Marketing Mix

Explain Tourism Marketing and Tourism Marketing Mix- Best Notes 2023

In this blog, you will come to know about tourism marketing, components of tourism marketing, market research, branding and positioning, promotion, public relations, digital marketing, partnership, collaboration, events, etc., and about the tourism marketing mix in detail so stay tuned on this blog.

Table of Contents

Tourism Marketing And Tourism Marketing Mix

What is tourism marketing .

Tourism Marketing refers to the marketing strategies which is used to promote tourism-related products like accommodation, transportation, tour packages, services, guides, escorts, etc. It includes various activities like branding, social media, newspaper, website, travel agent, tour operator, etc. The main agenda of tourism marketing is to promote tourism and destination tourism so that lots of people come and visit. And to satisfy the wants and needs of the traveler.

Tourism marketing typically involves various components as  follows:-

Market research

  • Marketing research is a systematic way of gathering information related to the product, consumer behavior towards the product, and marketing strategies, to improve one’s business.
  • It helps to gather data from market trends, surveys, and competition to effectively identify the customer’s needs and preferences, market opportunities, threats, etc.
  • Market research is necessary for tourism product design as it helps in understanding the needs, and wants and clarifies that actually what the customer is looking for. Likewise, if we will come to know about tourist’s wants then we will be able to design tourism products better so they will have a good experience.
  • The purpose of market research is to recognize what customers want, how to provide them with a solution if they buy that particular product, to focus on the target audience, gain information about the specific market, analyze the competition in the market, to develop more market strategies to attract a large number of audience, to understand the consumer’s preference and needs, identify the market trends, to expand new markets, best way to promote so that consumer gets easily attracted and to expand their business nationally and internationally.

Branding and Positioning

  • Branding and Positioning play an important role in tourism marketing. Branding creates a unique identity of a product that people can easily recognize and also creates trust in people.
  • And it also creates a positive image. Branding can be destination branding, travel agency, hotel or resorts, etc. The positioning includes what position your product is in. It also includes the target audience which estates that to how many people your product has reached. For tourism marketing branding and Positioning should be done appropriately to attract lots of customers.
  • Promotion of products can be done through various platforms such as social media, TV, websites, YouTube, Instagram, billboards, etc. Nowadays promotions are considered smart ways of promoting the product.
  • It helps to reach a large audience and saves the time of the company.
  • Nowadays It is also done through content marketing as people write blog posts and post videos on destinations, hotels, sightseeing, etc. to grab the attention of the people and to provide information. Various websites like booking.com, MakeMyTrip, etc. are websites that help people to book their accommodation, flights, etc., and people by seeing online reviews do trust these kinds of websites.

Public relations

  • Public relations plays an important role in tourism marketing. There are many travel writer who loves to write about various destination, hotels, and attraction in the form of a story and spread the message and information to a wide range of audience.
  • Influencer collaboration is one of the trendiest ways to do tourism marketing as nowadays there are many social media influencers to have many followers or many target audiences so there are various agencies who give them money and ask influencers to promote either it could be services, transport, hotel, destination, etc.

Digital Marketing

  • Digital marketing is also known as online marketing, it is also considered the best platform for tourism marketing. For example, through email marketing, you can send popup messages or reminders to a wide range of audiences.
  • Digital marketing includes content marketing, search engine optimization, social media, websites, online advertising, and e-commerce as nowadays digital marketing is the best way to reach large networks. And it is the best way to promote tourism as it can Target the audience domestically and internationally.

Partnership and Collaboration

  • Partnership and Collaboration Through partnership and Collaboration with travel agencies, hotels, airlines, tour operators, local attractions, etc. people promote their tourism products and also do tourism marketing.
  • Travel bloggers are hired for various collaborations related to tourism products and they have a huge following and a target audience.
  • Events are considered the best way to do offline tourism marketing. Events give a chance to meet people directly and tell them about various tourism products. Even if the people have inquiries related to the product then that issue is also resolved.
  • It also creates trust in people easily. Many people also give their visiting cards to various people so they can get in touch with them and people distribute various pamphlets related to tourism products to many people.
  • To attend an event many people travel from one destination to another and they also come to know about the attractions of that particular destination.

Visitor Experience

  • Visitor Experience Enhancement To have a good visitor experience there should be proper infrastructure, destination planning should be done appropriately, transportation facilities, good services, etc.
  • If the visitor’s experience is good then there is a chance again he might come or may recommend it to his friend or relatives.

Characteristics of tourism marketing

  • Tourism marketing helps in understanding and identifying the target audience.
  • In tourism management USP ( Unique selling propositions helps a lot to attract particular travelers.
  • Strong branding creates a brand image in the eyes of the consumers.
  • Some promotional campaigns like media channels, online marketing, public relations, events, social media, etc. help in reaching the potential customers.
  • In tourism marketing collaboration with tourism vendors, DMCs, hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, etc is important to enhance the marketing reach.

Advantages and Disadvantages

What is a tourism marketing mix.

The tourism Marketing mix is a platform to promote tourism products and helps businesses to manage by various strategies which include the main four elements. The four elements include product, price, place, and promotion. With the help of these 4 four elements, there is a push in marketing and we can easily attract a wide range of audience.

Here are four elements of Marketing Mix:-

  • Product – It is the main element of the business. It refers to the tourism product that organizations or travel agencies offer to customers. Tourism products can be tour packages, accommodation, attractions, activities, transportation, guides, escorts, etc. Without a product, a business cannot be started.
  • Price- It refers to the cost of a tourism product. A good pricing strategy will attract the tourists. For example, giving a discount on ticketing or accommodation will push the tourist and will make him happy and satisfied. Basically whatever expense is spent on tourism products whether it’s marketing, etc. comes under this section.
  • Place- It refers to a distribution channel to reach the audience which includes travel agencies like wholesale travel agencies, retail travel agencies, tourism organizations, online platforms, etc. Its main agenda is to offer the best tourism product to the customer and it should be available.
  • Promotion – It refers to the promotion of tourism products through various channels such as sales promotion, personal selling, website, social media, blog, etc. Promotion focuses on both offline and online marketing. Promotion plays an important part as through promotion only people will get to know about the tourism product.

Characteristics of tourism marketing mix

  • In tourism marketing mix to reach a wide range of audiences, the strategy of the four P’s is necessary and important.
  • The marketing strategies should be adaptable and responsive to market trends.
  • Marketers should understand the people’s needs and wants and the help of 7 p’s ( product, price, promotion, place, people, process, and physical evidence) should design the product.
  • With the help of new technologies, they can engage more customers.
  • In terms of marketing aspects marketers should maintain good relationships with travel agents, tour operators, etc.

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What is a tourism marketing plan.

A tourism marketing plan is a plan or detailed sheet document that includes marketing expenses, SWOT analysis, promotion and branding, product development, Distribution channels, and marketing strategies.

How to promote tourism?

There are several ways to promote tourism which include social media, content marketing, blogging, events, networking, travel trade shows, MICE, and collaboration with influencers.

What are the 7 A's of tourism marketing?

The 7A's of tourism marketing include Accessibility, Accommodation, Attraction, Amenities, Activities, Affinity and Acts.

What is the destination?

A Destination is a large area or a place where people travel for various reasons such as meeting with friends or relatives, attending marriage, meetings, leisure, activities, fairs or festivals, entertainment, sports, etc.

In the tourism industry tourism marketing and tourism marketing mix are considered as one of the most important pillars. Tourism marketing has been done by traditional marketing and online marketing to reach a wide range of audiences. To reach and attract many audiences it is to focus on good marketing strategies based on product, price, place, and promotion. And good tourism marketing can take the tourism industry to the next level.

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Oil Market Report - March 2024

03 March

About this report

The IEA Oil Market Report (OMR) is one of the world's most authoritative and timely sources of data, forecasts and analysis on the global oil market – including detailed statistics and commentary on oil supply, demand, inventories, prices and refining activity, as well as oil trade for IEA and selected non-IEA countries.

  • Global oil demand is forecast to rise by a higher-than-expected 1.7 mb/d in 1Q24 on an improved outlook for the United States and increased bunkering. While 2024 growth has been revised up by 110 kb/d from last month’s Report, the pace of expansion is on track to slow from 2.3 mb/d in 2023 to 1.3 mb/d, as demand growth returns to its historical trend while efficiency gains and EVs reduce use.
  • World oil production is projected to fall by 870 kb/d in 1Q24 vs 4Q23 due to heavy weather-related shut-ins and new curbs from the OPEC+ bloc. From the second quarter, non-OPEC+ is set to dominate gains after some OPEC+ members announced they would extend extra voluntary cuts to support market stability. Global supply for 2024 is forecast to increase 800 kb/d to 102.9 mb/d, including a downward adjustment to OPEC+ output.
  • Refinery crude runs are forecast to rise from a February-low of 81.4 mb/d to a summer peak of 85.6 mb/d in August. For the year as a whole, throughputs are projected to increase by 1.2 mb/d to average 83.5 mb/d, driven by the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Refining margins improved through mid-February before receding, with the US Midcontinent and Gulf Coast as well as Europe leading the gains.
  • Global observed oil inventories surged by 47.1 mb in February. Offshore stocks dominated gains as seaborne exports reached an all-time high and shipping disruptions through the Red Sea tied up significant volumes of oil on water while onshore inventories declined. Global stocks plunged by 48.1 mb in January, with OECD industry stocks at a 16-month low.
  • ICE Brent futures rose by $2/bbl during February as ongoing Houthi shipping attacks in the Red Sea kept a firm bid under crude prices. With oil tankers taking the longer route around Africa more oil was kept on water, further tightening the Atlantic Basin market and sending crude’s forward price structure deeper into backwardation. At the time of writing, Brent was trading at $83/bbl.

Oil on water

Benchmark crude oil prices were range bound in early March, as the market had already priced in the announced extension of OPEC+ voluntary production cuts through 2Q24. North Sea Dated rose by $2.13/bbl to $84.66/bbl during February as continued tanker attacks in the Red Sea lengthened supply routes and global on-land oil inventories fell for a seventh consecutive month to reach their lowest level since at least 2016.

Global onshore oil stocks fell a further 38 mb last month, taking the draw down since July to 180 mb, according to preliminary data. Over the same period, oil on water surged. Trade dislocations from the rerouting of Russian barrels and more recently due to unrest in the Middle East, have boosted oil on water by 115 mb. In February alone, oil on water surged by 85 mb as repeated tanker attacks in the Red Sea diverted more cargoes around the Cape of Good Hope. At nearly 1.9 billion barrels as of end-February, oil on water hit its second highest level since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trade flow disruptions also boosted bunker fuel use. Longer shipping routes and faster vessel speeds saw Singapore bunkering reach all-time highs. That, along with surging US ethane demand for its petrochemical sector underpins a slight upward revision to our global oil demand expectations for this year by 110 kb/d compared with last month’s Report. World oil demand growth is now forecast at 1.3 mb/d in 2024, down sharply from last year’s 2.3 mb/d expansion.

The slowdown in growth, already apparent in recent data, means that oil consumption reverts towards its historical trend after several years of volatility from the post-pandemic rebound. A weaker economic outlook further tempers oil use, as do efficiency improvements and surging electric vehicle sales. Growth will continue to be heavily skewed towards non-OECD countries, even as China’s dominance gradually fades. The latter’s oil demand growth slows from 1.7 mb/d in 2023 to 620 kb/d in 2024, or from roughly three-quarters to half of the global total, under the gathering weight of a challenging economic environment and slower expansion in its petrochemical sector.

As in 2023, non-OPEC+ oil supply growth will eclipse the oil demand expansion by some margin. Led by the United States, non-OPEC+ production is forecast to rise by 1.6 mb/d in 2024 compared to 2.4 mb/d last year when global oil output climbed by 2 mb/d to 102 mb/d. Substantial gains will also come from Guyana, Brazil and Canada, all forecast to pump at record-highs this year. Together, the non-OPEC+ Americas quartet is set to add 1.3 mb/d of new oil production in 2024.

Iran, which last year ranked as the world’s second largest source of supply growth after the United States, is expected to increase production by a further 280 kb/d this year. Output policy for the remainder of the OPEC+ bloc will be revisited when ministers meet in Vienna on 1 June to review market conditions. In this Report, we are now holding OPEC+ voluntary cuts in place through 2024 – unwinding them only when such a move is confirmed by the producer alliance (see OPEC+ cuts extended). On that basis, our balance for the year shifts from a surplus to a slight deficit, but oil tanks may get some relief as the massive volumes of oil on water reach their final destination.

1. Includes extra voluntary curbs where announced. 2. Capacity levels can be reached within 90 days and sustained for an extended period. 3. Excludes shut in Iranian, Russian crude. 4. Angola left OPEC effective 1 Jan 2024. 5. Iran, Libya, Venezuela exempt from cuts. 6. Mexico excluded from OPEC+ compliance. 7. Bahrain, Brunei, Malaysia, Sudan and South Sudan.

Definitions of key terms used in the OMR, access the OMR Glossary here.

For more info on the methodology, download the PDF below.

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IEA (2024), Oil Market Report - March 2024 , IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/oil-market-report-march-2024

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