Advertising and marketing are vital to tourism.
The growth of tourism as an industry produces significant benefits to a country's economic development in a number of ways, including income generation, employment opportunities, and social and cultural transformation. However, since tourism is a service-based industry, it can be quite intangible and more difficult to market than tangible goods. The use of appropriate promotional campaigns targeted to a global audience or a specific segment of society can boost the tourism industry of a country with remarkable results.
Awareness
The customs and charm of a particular tourist spot or a whole country can be magnified and made known through the right media. The development of suitable advertising and marketing campaigns is vital in creating this awareness within a target audience. Moreover, tourism is an industry where the customer must travel to the product (place/community) instead of the other way around. Since travel is a major factor in people's decisions on whether or not to visit a business or community, tourism-related businesses, agencies and organizations need to work together to package and promote tourism opportunities of a particular location and align their efforts to assure consistency in product quality.
Alter Perceptions
Advertising and marketing can hugely impact an audience's perception of a certain area or community. For example, someone unfamiliar with Morocco may know the place only as a chaotic, poverty-stricken country, and may never even conceive of traveling there for recreation. However, when promoted as a country that offers an eclectic mix of Roman ruins, bustling souks, imperial cities, rugged mountains, deep gorges, charming coasts and spices, that person may be more inclined to explore Morocco.
Stimulate Desire
By creating awareness and altering an audience's perception of a certain place through a consistent advertising and marketing campaign, desire is awakened and stimulated. The specific target market is more likely to want to travel to the area, explore its promises, and gain a unique experience that they can treasure forever. An important task of advertising and marketing is to constantly stimulate this desire, creating a sense of need for the target audience to travel to the area and soak up its diverse offerings.
Generate Action/Response
An effective promotional campaign results in positive action or response from its target market. The audience should feel compelled to seek out information regarding activities, accommodation and travel into the area or community being promoted. More desirably, the campaign is effective enough to generate actual sales and sustain a successful tourism industry.
Impact Sales
Effective advertising and marketing generate sales and draw more and more people to the particular tourist spot or country. However, customer service on site is important as well. Internal marketing, which includes creating a positive customer experience, is vital to sustaining the tourism business. Since repeat sales result from such customer experience, internal marketing must work hand in hand with external promotional campaigns to ensure continued growth and success in the industry.
Tags: tourism industry, advertising marketing, area community, audience perception, audience perception certain