Critically Evaluate the Marketing Strategies and Public Relations Tactics of a Hospitality or Tourism Organization
Introduction
Currently, tourism or hospitality industry is considered as one of the most important and popular industries in the world. It is considered as a complex social, cultural as well as economic phenomenon, and many claim that it is the largest industry in the world (Coles n.d.). Thus, the said industry had contributed to the improvement of the global economy. The World Travel and Tourism Council or WTTC reported that in 1999, the travel and tourism were directly and indirectly responsible for generating about 11% of the global GDP and about 200 million across the global economy (Bardgett 2000, p. 3).
In 2008, WTTC reported that the global GDP contribution of the Travel and Tourism will increase from 9.9% or US,890 billion to 10.5% or US,855 billion by 2018. At the same time, the contribution of the entire Travel and Tourism industry to employment will increase from 238,277,000 jobs or 8.4% in 2008 to 296,252,000 jobs or 9.2% by 2018 (World Travel & Tourism Council 2007). The said vital role in the global economic or financial growth is the reason why more and more countries are focusing on its tourism industry, together with the different individuals and organizations that are striving to take advantage of the current development in the said industry.
Application of Internet and Information Technology
The Internet had offered a great potential in order to make information as well as booking facilities available for large number of tourist at relatively low costs, for those tourism businesses. Furthermore, it also provides a significant tool for the communication as well as relationship between the different entities who are involved in the tourism supply chain such as the suppliers, intermediaries and the end-consumers (Kim 2004).
The said technology had enabled to create a perfect e-tourism that connects all of the entities who are into the industry in terms of offering different technologies that will enable them to communicates as well as to be connected in easier way. As of today, the tourism industry has become the major users of the Internet technology (Weiermair & Mathies 2004, p. 283). That is the primary reason why many countries and local industries are accepting the e-tourism industry in order to promote as well as to establish their tourism industry in their areas.
Internet marketing or e-marketing is just like the traditional marketing process that involves a solid marketing plan that requires different strategies that are based both on the research as well as the common sense (Zhou 2003, p. 94).
Advertisement is one of the most important aspects of marketing. It involves the process of communication with the target or prospect customers via the use of different media as well as medium.
The Internet is regularly used as a market research tool in order to find different thoughts as well as opinions of customers. Leisure and tourism organizations and industry uses the Internet in order to have an easy access to a huge range of information (Hayward 2002, p. 119).
In the case of the customers of the tourism industry, most of them are searching for places such as resorts, restaurants, hotels and other establishments in the Internet. That is the primary reason why e-marketing is a perfect application for the tourism industry. This is due to the fact that e-marketing that allows the advance of the on-line brochures and other media that can help to distribute rich multimedia context, blending text as well as images (Cooper & Hall 2007).
Furthermore, the Internet can also provide up-to-date, fast, interactive information that is accessible for 24 hours a day, within 7 days a week (Zhou 2003, p. 6).
Interactive webpage and website will enable different companies that are involved in the tourism industry to create a vital leaflets or billboard that will enable them to communicate to their customers any time.
Tourism is considered as one of the most important e-commerce activities. Those tourism businesses that are into e-commerce are enjoying the visit of their customers in their website that offers them as business-to-business transactions as well as business-to-customer transitions (Leslie 2005, p. 202).
Destination Information Systems or DIS or Destination Management Systems are only one of the many applications that can be used by the tourism industry in order to improve their services to their customers (Leslie 2005, p. 202).
Through the use of e-commerce, customer can now enjoy availing different services and products from their respective company. Customer can easily book flights, reserve rooms and seats for hotel rooms and restaurants as well as manage their trips by renting cars as well as renting resorts. On the other hand, due to the technology of the Internet, traveling agencies and other related entities can easily communicates with their suppliers such as airline companies, hotel companies and resorts, regarding the demand of their customers.
References
Bardgett, L 2000, The Tourism Industry, Economic Policy and Statistics, viewed 9 December 2010, <http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2000/rp00-066.pdf>
Coles, T, Tourism – The World’s Largest Industry, International Graduate, viewed 9 December 2010, <http://www.internationalgraduate.net/articles/tourism.htm>
Cooper, C & Hall, M 2007, Contemporary Tourism: An International Approach, Butterworth-Heinemann
Hayward, P 2002, GCSE Leisure and Tourism, Heinemann
Kim, C 2003, E-Tourism: An Innovative Approach for the Small and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises (SMTES) in Korea, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, viewed 9 December 2010, <http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/56/13/34268048.pdf>
Leslie, D & Sigala, M 2005, International Cultural Tourism: Management, Implications and cases, Butterworth-Heinemann.
Zhou, Z 2003, E-commerce & Information Technology in Hospitality and Tourism, Thomson Delmar Learning
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment