Destination Marketing: Principles, Key Elements, Digital Marketing Tools, Role of DMOs

Destination Marketing

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................3
Principles of Marketing Planning...........................................................................................3
Key elements of Destination Marketing.................................................................................5
The different digital marketing tools for promoting and advertising....................................6
Role and services of DMOs in Destination Marketing..........................................................7
Challenges faced by DMOs in Destination Marketing...........................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References .....................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Destination marketing is the form of marketing in which a destination is promoted to the
visitors so that the people travel to that location with a purpose of increasing the number of
visitors for a specific location. All the places have some plus points which are important to be
highlighted. This project will talk about the major role of marketing planning which helps in
marketing of a specific destination. It further elaborates about the different digital marketing
tools which are required for advertising and promoting the destination. This project will help in
examining the role of DMOs in marketing destination and all the challenges which can be faced
by DMOs in the marketing process ( Pechlaner, Innerhofer and Erschbamer, 2019).
Main Body
Destination Marketing is a concept of promotional marketing in the Travel & Tourism
sector. This marketing concept facilitates strategic planning for promoting a particular location
as travel destinations. These strategies are regulated for promotion to attract more visitors to the
city or the particular location, students for universities, attracting skilled workforce, investors.
These organisations dealing in Destination marketing are known as Visitors and Convention
Bureaux(Chung and et. al., 2020). Destination Marketing organisation's first and foremost aim is
to provide knowledge and information to travellers willing to explore these locations or
destinations. For example: case studies over cities, advertising special locations of a city,
providing guidance over tourism, campaign over social media, etc.
Principles of Marketing Planning
The concept of determining aims and objectives of the company and developing
appropriate strategies for the promotional activities to achieve the desired goals. These planning
and strategies have various principles which are as follows:
 Product :- Product in destination marketing is meant by expressing what a company is
attempting to promote or market. These products mostly conveys the local speciality of
the particular location or city. It is comprised of various components such as Speciality
Food and Beverages, Accommodation, sceneries, historical monuments, etc. Product
basically covers every activity experienced during that tour by the visitors and tourists.
For example: Tour & Travels company XYZ is organising a Travel Package to London

for 9Days & 8 Nights. The activities offered in this trip would be visit to Buckingham
Palace, Bus Tour of London City, Breakfast and Dinner at prominent restaurants, a
luxurious stay in 5 star hotel, and much more(Kalandides, 2020).
 Price :- This factor determines the cost to be incurred for visitors for their travel package
or journey. Price allows tourists to decide whether the travel package to particular
location is high priced or low priced. It allows visitors to analyse the costs to be incurred
and organise a estimated amount for travelling to a City or a location. Price is the major
element of competition between the destination marketing consultancy firms. Moreover,
low pricing factor could lead in attracting more customers as compared to higher pricing
factor. For example: A trip to London costs 2300 Euros for 8 days and 7 nights. Scotland
and Jewels of UK's travel package would cost 1500 Euro for the same duration of 8 days
and 7 nights.
 Place :- Place in destination marketing conveys the distribution system of services
provided by the travel guide to the tourists. It involves several activities to allow the
customer tourist to be able to have the services when and where travellers and tourists
want it. It also includes the place the tourists visits and stay. Place is considered as the
biggest attraction for tourists in purchasing a travel package(Önder, Gunter and Gindl,
2020). For example: Trip to Amsterdam with luxury accommodation and dining in
renowned and expensive places.
 Promotion :- Promotion in destination marketing is meant by escalating awareness for
the presence of tourism destinations, accommodation, facilities, travel packages, etc. This
element is essential to increase business by attracting visitors and tourists for the
packages offered. This factor includes advertising hotels, activities in that area,
Restaurants, etc. Promotional activities are performed over various platforms such as
Social Media, Print media, advertisements, posting articles, etc. These activities enhances
profitability for the tour organisers and results in developing a good reputation of the
destination. For example: Sponsored promotion of travel pages on social media, radio and
television ads promoting locations or travel destinations, Posters over street boards, and
many more (Roy, Dryl and de Araujo Gil, 2021).