Read the text and answer the questions Marketing in Tourism and Hospitality Industry Every day of our lives we can see examples of travel and tourism marketing around us – commercials on TV, adverts in newspapers and magazines, brochures in travel agencies, Internet pages, posters in stations, etc. This is because all tourism businesses need to market their products if they hope to be successful. But marketing is not just advertising; it is about researching and identifying the needs of a specific group of customers, and then creating a product that satisfies them. The hospitality industry, whether corporate, government or retail, is important for the ecomonies of many countries in the age where travel is easy and the world becomes smaller every day. Business have known for a long time that their success is incresed by good marketing; but misconceptions about marketing are widespread. Marketing is often considered to be ‗just‘ advertising and selling of attractions, transport, accommodation and entertainment. Of course it is much more, and includes the development of services, distribution, pricing, and also localization, which involves ensuring that services and products are embedded in the local setting. Through marketing, the right product or service is matched to the right market or place. As hospitality is a service industry, its main products are intangible, that is, you cannot see them. This means that businesses must consider improvement of the overall experience, including customer service and staffing. Companies should use a marketing system in which these aspects are continuously reviewed. Effeciency in marlketing is required for this. 232 A large hotel chain, for example, will spend a lot of time and money finding out what its guests want – what kind of services and facilities they need most, which location they prefer or how much they are prepared to pay. It will then develop a new product, taking care to gear it to the customers‘ needs. Then, once the company has the right product, it will use different promotional techniques to let its clients know about it. Let‘s focus on restaurants specifically. In this area, government hospitality may be subject to heavy competetion, and there may simply be too many retail businesses, but the mix of people, systems and career paths is relevant to all sectors (although differeing culture may make it hard to cross from one to the other). Not many catering organizations generate the turnover that is necessary to support the hiring of specialist staff or the funds to retain an external consultant to attend to their marketing for them. The majority of small business owners have to take the initiative themselves. One of the basic objectives of marketing is to attract new customers. Another is to repeat operational capacity. Visitor numbers may be insufficient to justify the expense of opening your outlet (place of retail business). What alternatives do operators have? Private companies are not the only ones that use marketing. Tourist boards and other public sector organizations also have products, and it is important that their customers are aware that these exist. From a museum in a country village to the multiple attractions of a major city like Sydney, all travel and tourism products need good marketing. If an operator decides to build up trade, there are certain matters which should be addressed before they begin. It is one thing acquiring new customers; it is, however, entirely different getting them to spend their money. Firstly, it is important to establish whether the present customer service is of a high enough standard to gain new customers by word of mouth. If not, there is no point in investing to attract new trade until there is certainty the operation is going to retain. Secondly, the question must be asked whether the operator and staff are 233 properly trained to make the most of sales opportunities when new customers present themselves. It is clear that these questions are now being addressed by the majority of hospitality operators. According to research, there are two main types to boost income. Operators can either increase customer numbers by marketing, or they can try to increase the average amount they take from each customer. Another option could be to increase prices, but most entrepreneurs do not consider this a workable option. They often see it as a last resort. If a business is showing negative growth or decline, while its operators are investing in marketing, it is clear that it must be losing customers. To attract more customers, both external and internal marketing should be applied. External marketing is addressed to clients outside your organizaion. Examples are advertising, special promotions and direct mail. Simultaneously, operators should develop internal marketing – service and sales skills. The distinction between the two is very important, for without good internal marketing, any campaing to attract new customers is bound to lead to disappointing results. Research has shown that it does not matter greatly what operators and staff think of their own business because customer perception is all there is in marketing. Customers will view any service in what Tom Peters described as ‗their idiosyncratic and irrational way.‘ Excellent quality, above average service, consistency and the perception of value for money – that‘s what it‘s all about. If these conditions are fulfilled, research (as well as our own personal experience) has shown that growth will come naturally. Marketing is all about managing perceptions. The marketing process does not end after a product has been sold, however. customers might not be happy with it, and of course people‘s tastes change with time. Because of this, it is essential to evaluate how customers feel about a product. With the resuts of the evaluation, it is then possible to improve your product, and in this way continue to meet your customers’ expectations. Questions 1. What examples of travel and tourism marketing can we see around us in everyday life? 2. What is marketing? 3. In what way is hospitality marketing different from other businesses? 4. What are the main products of hospitality industry? 5. Why is awareness of customers‘ needs essential in the hospitality industry? 6. When an operator decides to build up trade, what issues should be taken into account? 7. What kind of promotion is a word of mouth and how important is it in the business? 8. What are the ways of boosting income in the hospitality industry? 9. What is the difference between external and internal marketing? 10.What does the perception of value for money imply? 11.Why does the marketing process not end after a product has been sold? What follow-up actions should be taken? — Правильный ответ на вопрос найдете ниже