Meraki Tour Operators: Marketing and Public Relations

This research paper focuses on the marketing and public relations strategies of Meraki Tour Operators, a new tourism company. It covers customer experience, promotional tools, market expansion, crisis management, measuring success, and tools and technologies. The expected outcomes of the research are also discussed.

Running head: MERAKI TOUR OPERATORS
Meraki Tour Operators
Name of the University:
Name of the Student:
Author Note:

1Meraki Tour Operators
Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................1
Background:...........................................................................................................................1
Problem statement:.................................................................................................................2
Amis and Objectives:.............................................................................................................2
Data Analysis:............................................................................................................................2
Customer experience:.............................................................................................................2
Promotional Tools:.................................................................................................................3
Market Expansion:.................................................................................................................4
Sustaining Crisis Situations:..................................................................................................5
Measuring success:.................................................................................................................6
Tools and technologies:..........................................................................................................7
Expected outcomes:...............................................................................................................7
Reference:..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction:
Background:
Meraki Travel and Tourism is a new tourism company that has stepped into the
tourism industry quite recently. The goal of the organization is to provide a grand and
comfortable tourism experience to its customers. The services that the company provides
initially included custom packages, travel consultation, pre- arranged tours and customised
travel experiences, as per the requirements of the clients. However, with time, they have
included other services into their orientation. The recent researches have shown that the
company is recently planning on to starting a special service in India that will include the trip
to Manali, which will be completely customer centred and customised, and the activities or
the services that the company is aiming to provide will essentially entail upon providing the
customers a grand experience that will give peace to their body mind and soul. The
researches have shown that the tourism industry is one of the most dominating market in the
country, and has perceived an annual growth of 4% and are aiming for a growth of 10%
overall, in the upcoming year.
Further researches have shown that the company is aiming for providing a hard
adventure to the customers, targeting the high- income clients, as such a program entails high
risk factors. Hence, while the other virtual companies aiming to appeal to the low- income
groups, the aim of the company is to appeal to the high- income groups. The primary goal of
the company is to maintain their quality and leisurely travel experience to the customers.
However, further researches have shown that the company has also included a structure for
the lower- income group levels as well which will provide a soft adventurous experience to
the customers.

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Problem statement:
The following research aims to focus upon the marketing and public relations as taken
by the company. It will therefore, focus upon the business conducts of the company and the
processes undertaken by them to deal with their customers.
Amis and Objectives:
The aims and objectives of the research is -
 To dawn upon the ways the company wishes to facilitate the customers.
 To dawn upon the promotional tools, undertaken by the company to attract and retain
its clients.
 To dawn upon the ways of expanding the market.
 To dawn upon the methods to deal with the crisis situations.
 To dawn upon the methods to measure the success of the company.
 To dawn upon the usage of technologies to market itself.
Data Analysis:
Customer experience:
The Company believes in the prevailing notion of “Guest is God”, and has include
this perception, as their sole motto. The Company is aiming to provide a memorable and
satisfying experience to the customers, which will further enable them to gain the position of
a sustainable enterprise. Therefore, the company is aiming to provide the customers with tour
operators who have the local knowledge of the place. The company is also aiming to provide
the customers with tailored tour packages that will be cost effective considering the
competitive market. The customers will also be provided with contracted hotels that will
ensure to provide all sorts of resources and will assure upon providing best quality food as
well as per the requirements of the customers. The company is also aiming to provide the

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customers with their own transport system. The company has ensured that they will be hiring
executives who have special, first- hand experience of the region and has also ensured that
the travel packages will be made for all kinds of customers, family trips, solo trips,
holidaying with friends and even honeymoon packages. The provided executives will be
multilingual, which is a high requirement as per the research studies. These executives will be
available for 24/7 and particular executives can be booked previously. Further, the company
has also ensured to provide fun trips to the customers that will include gaming session, white
water exercise, stream bugs, white water boating, and canyoning as well. Along with this, the
company also wishes to provide abseiling, climbing and paintball and river rafting. Thus, the
company has planned to facilitate its customers with best experiences and gain sustainable
positioning in the market.
Promotional Tools:
For promoting their business the company is focusing on the tie- ups that they have.
These tie- ups that the company has, are dealing in many other entertainment industries that
will provide the company with a special position in the travel and tourism industry. More
importantly, since the partner companies are already in the entertainment field, it will enable
the company to include a cost effective approach and reduce its cost of promotional
businesses. Further, the company is aiming to market itself on all platforms available that will
enable the customers to get in touch with the company in the cheapest way possible. The
company is also focusing upon gaining brand image that will enable them to reach to the
customers easily and effectively, and in order to do that, they are again focusing upon their
partner organizations, who already have gained a position in the market. Moreover, they are
focusing on their logo, to which they are trying to add a shading palette, and also aiming to
include a catch phrase that will be in synchronicity with their vision and mission. The logo
that they are aiming to include will also provide a brief notion about their particular industry.

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Further the tagline that they want to apply should be enticing enough, so that they can gain
the attention of the customers easily. Thus, the company is planning to promote their
business.
Market Expansion:
As per the research analysis, the company had an increasing competition in the
industry. There are major five companies that are strong contender for the organization.
Therefore, the prime focus of the company should be to understand the marketing policies of
its competitors and the benefits and the services that these competitors are providing to the
customers. For example, the Himalayan Compass Taxi Services is the sole vehicle rental
organization in the market, exercising a monopoly market in the organization. Next, the
Amani Holiday Planners offer the customers vehicle renal services, touring vehicle rental
bundles and outstation vehicle rental services. The Weekend Valley, is one of the oldest
tourism industry in the area, providing cheapest services to the customers for a very long
time. Further, the Royal duck Enfield Manali that rules the particular area of Rohtang pass
and enables the customers to avail the services on their own, without anyone else’s input.
However, they are providing services all over the place with a special focus on the Rohtang
Pass area. Therefore, since the company is new to this area, it will face increasing challenges,
at the initial level. Hence, they must include in their services all the aspects that these are
companies are providing to their customers (Richards, 2013). This will enable them at the
initial phase to expand their business area. The company must include a holistic attitude in
order to increase their business and at the same time must focus on providing some extra
benefits ort facilities to the customers, along with quality services to the same. This will
enable the company to gain an edge in the market.
Further, the company must focus on rigorous marketing policies. In today’s world,
marketing policies are one of ten strongest tools for the companies to gain a position in the

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company. For this, they must focus on highlighting and marketing through the business
services that they are aiming to provide their customers.
The company should also come up with exclusive services that they are wishing to
provide their clients, and they must make sure of the fact that the exclusive services that they
are offering to provide the customers, are actual exclusive in orientation, as compared to the
products that are provided by other companies, running in the same industry. Along with this,
the company must ensure, that they provide their customers with an excellent customer
serviced experience, which will in the long run, serve as a sustainable factor for the
organization. A sustainable approach is very important and essential for all the companies in
today’s time, as; it is the current requirement for any industry. Therefore, a sustainable
approach will help the company to thrive in the market.
Sustaining Crisis Situations:
Risk management is an important factor for any industry, which includes both
protecting the brand image as well as the customer base. The companies must prepare for the
risk management approach beforehand, in order to deal with the crisis situations and must
include proper strategies to deal with the same. It is especially true for the tourism industries.
Since the tourism industries are increasing in the industry, and since they are often faced with
environmental disasters, the companies are essentially seen to be face with crisis situations
(Becken & Hughey, 2013). Other than that, extreme political situations have also seen to be
negatively impacting upon the tourism industries. Therefore, in order to deal with the risk
management policies, the companies must focus on the followings.
 First, the company must essentially identify the risks, or the situations or scenarios
that may pose potential threat to the company.

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 Second, the company must prepare for a strategic plan that will help them, to deal
with the crisis situations. These strategic plans must include approaches or actions
that will help the company to deal with every kinds of crisis situations.
 Third, the company must include a risk management policy to deal with these crisis
situations. They must also prepare for a team that will be effective in the crisis
situations. Further, this team must be given proper training to deal with certain crisis
situations.
 The company must also team up with stakeholders, who can provide help and
resources during these time of needs.
 The company must also plan for an effective communication system within their
activities and policies that will be effective during the crisis situations.
 The company must also plan for financial strategies that will help them after being
faced with such crisis situations and will help them to retrieve from those situations.
Risk management planning and strategizing is very important for the companies and
especially for the travel and tourism industries.
Measuring success:
Another important factor upon which the companies must focus, is the measuring the
success. This success entails financial, managerial and success regarding the market
expansion or expansion of customer base.
To measure the financial success the company should effectively utilise the Key
performance indicators. This includes four key performance indicators that decide the
financial success of the company. First among this is the market share that the company
gains. Next is the earning per share, that is, the profit, the company makes upon each share
that it holds. Another important factor is the generated revenue, which can be evaluated after

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every three months or six months. Next is the net profit that the company has made after the
successful completion of one year (Buhalis & Amaranggana, 2013).
To measure the managerial success or customer success, the company must employ a
feedback process. This feedback will essentially be shared by the customers or the clients
upon the services and the business conducts that they have experienced while availing the
service of the company (Dupeyras& MacCallum, 2013). This will not only ensure them of
their market positioning but also will enable them to market itself, on the basis of these
feedbacks shared by the clientele.
Tools and technologies:
The tools and technologies that the company can effectively use to market itself, are
essentially the various modes of social media, the audio and visual media, the print media and
the partners of the company.
Expected outcomes:
Research on these grounds will disclose certain factors. The research will help the
company to understand their market position, their threats and opportunities in the industry
and also will help it to understand the effective strategic plans that the company should
include. It will also enable the company to target its customer. Further, research upon the
marketing strategies will help the company to understand the measures that they must include
and the opportunities that they are open to.

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Reference:
Becken, S., & Hughey, K. F. (2013). Linking tourism into emergency management structures
to enhance disaster risk reduction. Tourism Management, 36, 77-85.
Buhalis, D., & Amaranggana, A. (2013). Smart tourism destinations. In Information and
communication technologies in tourism 2014 (pp. 553-564). Springer, Cham.
Dupeyras, A., & MacCallum, N. (2013). Indicators for measuring competitiveness in tourism.
Richards, G. (2013). Cultural tourism. In Routledge handbook of leisure studies (pp. 505-
514). Routledge.