Unit 3 Responsible Tourism Marketing And Communications

UNIT 3. RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

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Unit outline

Objectives
By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:

•

Describe the types of different dissemination channels for interaction with visitors

•

Explain the importance of marketing and communicating about Responsible Tourism

•

Explain the importance of authenticity and accuracy in marketing Responsible Tourism

•

Identify the types of sustainability marketing messages that can be delivered to tourists

2.

•

Explain the importance of customer data protection

3.

•

Describe the communication channels for disseminating Responsible Tourism provisions

Topics

1.

4.
5.

Importance of responsible marketing
and communications in tourism
Communicating authentic and accurate
messages
Marketing and communicating
sustainable practices
Maintaining data privacy in marketing
Collecting visitor feedback


UNIT 3. RESPONSIBLE TOURISM MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

TOPIC 1. Importance of RESPONSIBLE MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS IN
TOURISM

The role and function of marketing and communications

Management
Management
process
process

Engages
Engages audiences
audiences

Aims
Aims for
for attitudinal
attitudinal
or
or behavioural
behavioural
response
response

Presents
Presents messages
messages


The marketing and communications mix

Advertising

Promotions

g
Direct marketin

lati
Public re

Personal selling

on s


The “4P” marketing mix


Products in tourism marketing

•
•
•

The goods and services that enable the tourism process
The combination of products creates a visitor “experience”
Common types of products include:

–
–
–

–
–
–

Accommodation
Attractions
Transport
Recreation
Shopping
Restaurants


Pricing in tourism marketing

•
•

Refers to the amount charged for a tourism product

•
•
•

May be adjusted for different circumstances

•

Cost of end product as well as at points along
distribution chain
Regulated through conditions

Amount should consider operating costs, profit margin
and distribution network costs
Other influences include demand, seasonality, target
market, and competitors


Place in tourism marketing

•
•

The link between the product and the consumer

•
•

Direct or through distribution channels

Considers where and how a consumer may make a purchase
decision
Choice of distribution depends on factors like:

–
–
–

purchasing behaviour of target market
associated costs
distributor familiarity and enthusiasm of the product

Promotion in tourism marketing

•
•

•

Aims to influence, inform, and / or persuade
Usually a mix of:

–
–
–
–

Advertising
Public Relations
Personal selling
Sales Promotions

Promotional mix depends on consumer profile - what do they read, where do they go, who
influences them..?


The 5th P - Packaging

•
•
•

•

Combines two or more products and /or services to:

1.
2.

Make them easier to buy (convenience)
Provide consumers with well priced, attractive and convenient
holiday options (price advantage)

Other consumer benefits include ease of payment and
planning and less stress
Used to target specific markets and explore new ones
Fosters partnerships building of tourism operators for
mutual benefit


Applying principles of responsibility to marketing and communication

•
•
•
•
•

Respects law and good practice
Decent and honest
Respects fair competition
Has sense of social responsibility

Respects user privacy


3 key components of responsibility in tourism marketing and communications

SELL PRODUCTS FAIRLY
INFORM ABOUT
DESTINATIONS
TRUTHFULLY
RAISE AWARENESS
ABOUT
SUSTAINABILITY


Benefits of responsible tourism marketing and communication

Creates competitive advantage

Increases value and demand

Increases customer loyalty

Increases customer satisfaction

Facilitates more respectful interaction in destinations


UNIT 3. RESPONSIBLE TOURISM MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

TOPIC 2. communicating

authentic and accurate messages


Tourism experiences involve…

INFLUENCES:

Place

Infrastructure

Demand

Services

Motivation

TOURIST
EXPERIENCE
Others?

Interpretation

Authenticity
Types of tourists


Authenticity in tourism experiences

•

•

Travel to experience something unique or original

•

While authenticity is perceived..
..it remains highly connected to
marketing tourism experiences

•

Integrity can relate to a place, an
object or an activity

Services nature of tourism and
component parts make marketing susceptible to inaccurate messages

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Examples of inauthentic advertising from around the world

 Sharing a bottle of wine
on the beach…really?
The Mediterranean
Sea has never looked
this good!

Are we in Spain or the

Carribbean!?

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Testing the ethics of
proposed marketing actions
TEST

QUESTION

Legal Test

Does the contemplated action violate the law?

Duties Test

Is this action contrary to widely accepted moral obligations?

Special Obligations Test

Does the proposed action violate any other special obligations that stem from the type of marketing organisation at focus?

Motives Test

Is the intent of the contemplated action harmful?

Consequences Test

Is it likely that any major damages to people or organisations will result from the contemplated action?

Utilitarian Test

Is there a satisfactory alternative action that produces equal or greater benefits to the parties affected than the proposed action?

Rights Test

Does the contemplated action infringe on property rights, privacy rights, or the inalienable rights of the consumer?

Justice Test

Does the proposed action leave another person or group less well off? Is this person or group already a member of a relatively underprivileged class?

Source: Laczniak, G.R. & Murphy , P.E. 1993, Ethical Marketing Decisions: The Higher Road, Allyn and Bacon, Needham Heights, MA, USA in Dunfee, T.W., Craig Smith, N. and Ross, W.T. 1999, ‘Social contracts and marketing ethics’, Journal of Marketing, 63(3): 14-32)


Commodification of culture

•
•

The manufacturing and selling of culture for profit

•
•

May result in the loss of original meaning

Response to fulfilling demand for perceived
authenticity

Imperative to ensure involvement and determination
of local people

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4 examples of cultural commodification in tourism

Redeveloping places to make them more attractive for tourist consumption

Creating staged and reshaped traditional performances for tourists

Adaptive reuse of historical buildings without interpretation

Sale and / or reproduction of artefacts of cultural or spiritual significance as
souvenirs
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Greenwashing

•

Knowingly misleading consumers about a product or service’s environmental practices or
benefits for own gain

CAUSES

•
•

•
•

Sector’s
Sector’s intensity
intensity in
in resource
resource use
use
Largely
Largely unregulated
unregulated nature
nature of
of the
the sector
sector
Sector
Sector composition
composition and
and competition
competition

EFFECTS

Consumer
Consumer demand
demand

•
•

Erosion
Erosion of
of public
public trust
trust of
of tourism
tourism eco-labels
eco-labels
Reputational
Reputational damage
damage


Greenwashing is all around us
but can be hard to spot
Example 1

Example 2

•

•

A hotel chain claims to be environmentally friendly because

A well-known international fast food restaurant chain tried

they allow guests to choose whether to sleep on the same

to paint itself as ‘green’ just because it had begun to use

sheets and use the same towels for continuous days. While

biofuel made from leftover grease in its fleet of trucks as

the idea is good it is not making a significant difference.

well as using recycled paper in its takeaway bags. However

More impact can be made by installing for example,

the company still uses beef grazed on deforested land in

motion-sensor lighting, more efficient insulation and

South America, and bases its entire concept around

heating, or purchasing non-toxic carpeting and bedding.

disposable packaging.

Source: Marie C. 2013, ‘Misleading Marketing: Beware the Greenwash!’, Elux Magazine, Feb 12, 2013


The “7 Sins” of tourism promotion
Irrelevance
Lesser of two evils

•

Fibbing

•

•

The hidden trade-of

SIN 5.

•

No proof

SIN 2.

SIN 6.

•

Vagueness

SIN 3.

SIN 7.

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Worshiping false labels

SIN 4.

•

SIN 1.

Source: Kuehnel J. 2011, ‘Greenwashing in the Travel and Tourism Industry’, Toronto Sustainability Series, Available [online]:
Accessed: 21/01/2014


More satisfied visitors; fewer complaints

•

Enhanced reputation

•

Increased sales and income

•

Fewer negative social, economic and environmental impacts

•






authentically

The key benefits of marketing products and experiences accurately and