DESTINATION MARKETING

Destination Marketing



Destination Marketing

Vietnam as the Destination Place

The new head of Vietnam's Tourism Administration Hoang Tuan Anh (Hoang Tuan Anh) intends to increase the flow of visitors to the country. He proposes to abolish the VAT on goods purchased by foreign tourists, employ foreign companies to promote tourism potential of Vietnam, abolish visas for citizens of all countries, and develop a "caravan" tourism. Vietnam seems to have equal potential of tourism development. It is imperative for the concerned bodies in Vietnam to determine and analyze in detail, what are the major strategic assets of the country and identify the reasons for not being able to attract comparative number of tourists as compared to other places in the South East Asia region. This is a major concern for the country despite having exemplary inherited factor environment and conditions. The officials in the country need to determine the primary and key strategic assets (based on the natural features and characteristics) which Vietnam has, and how those assets need to be positioned against countries like Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia (Dewhurst 2003 pp. 283-303).

British Honeymoon travelers as the Target Market

British Travelers have diverse preferences, which they seek to have in a destination place. Honeymoon travelers want to have the best experience of their lives, as the trip is more than a leisure travel. They want to have a peaceful environment in the destination place, which is fun, exciting, safe and exotic. In addition, honeymoon travelers from Britain want to have ideal facilities such as hotels, infrastructure, prime locations, and shopping malls. Most of the British involved in traveling belong to a high income group (CLSA 2005 Pp. 303-412). Therefore, their preferences and demands for the best experience with companions are justifiable. As a result, it is essential for marketers in Vietnam to emphasize on the core preferences of the British travelers, so that they get attracted to the destination place.

Planning of Marketing Process for Tourism Destinations

Political

Political factors significantly influence the tourism business arena. Political factors may include government regulations and legal implications under which the tourism business needs to operate. In the tourism business, implication such as increasing tax on aviation fuel and VAT on air tickets may influence the number of tourists in a country. In the case of Vietnam, the government seeks to cut down on VAT to attract foreign travelers.

Economic

Economic factors such as inflation rate and exchange rate also play significant roles in influencing the tourism business. Vietnam has been facing an increase in the inflation rate, which can have a significant impact on the foreign travelers due to increase in their cost of travelling. Travelling expenses may include shopping, accommodation, transport etc.

Social

Social factors such as lifestyles, traditions, and culture of the country also affect tourism business. Such factors play a significant role in attracting foreign visitors (Chua 2006 Pp. 175-223). For example, preferred holidays, cultural mix and origin of the domestic population, festivals and seasonal occasions and much more.

Research

First and most important part of the marketing process is ...