Destination Marketing Report: Planning, Campaigns, and Digital Role

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of destination marketing, focusing on Thailand and the Philippines. It begins with an introduction to destination marketing, emphasizing its role in promoting tourism and economic development. The report delves into destination marketing planning, outlining key principles and the importance of strategic planning. It then explores key elements of destination marketing campaigns, offering examples of family, pilgrimage, and adventure destinations. A comparative analysis of Thailand and the Philippines is presented, examining their missions, SWOT analyses, PESTLE analyses, tourism targets, and marketing strategies. The role of digital marketing in promoting destinations and the roles and challenges faced by Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are also discussed. The report concludes with a summary of the key findings and insights into effective destination marketing practices.

Destination Marketing

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
1) Destination marketing planning...................................................................................................3
1.1 Destination marketing planning principles...........................................................................3
1.2 Importance of destination marketing planning.....................................................................4
1.3 Destination marketing to support growth and development.................................................4
2) Key elements of destination marketing campaigns.....................................................................5
3) Role of digital marketing in promoting a destination..................................................................9
4) DMO's roles and challenges......................................................................................................10
4.1 The role of DMOs ..............................................................................................................10
4.2 Challenges faced by DMOs................................................................................................11
4.3 Branding..............................................................................................................................12
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13

Introduction
Destination marketing is related with application of marketing principles in order to
promote a destination so that tourism in that destination can be increased which can help in its
economical development along with improving its global image. In this report the marketing
principles are applied to two international destinations Thailand and Sri Lanka so as to promote
their tourism. Thailand is a SE Asian country which is located at the centre of the Indochinese
Peninsula with a population of 66 million people (Almeida-Santana and Moreno-Gil, 2017). The
country also witness a large number of tourists each year with more than 35 million tourists
visiting Thailand in 2017. Philippines on the other hand is an archipelagic country in SE Asia
and it consists about 7,641 islands with about 110 million inhabitants. The country also witness a
large number of tourists with about 8.2 million international tourist who visited in 2019. The
DMO in Philippines which help in promoting tourism in the country is the Philippine
Department of Tourism which is a government agency that help in promoting tourism in the
country. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) help in promoting quality tourism in
Thailand so that better facilities can be made available to tourists. In this report the importance of
destination marketing planning key elements of destination marketing campaigns, differences
between the destinations, roles of DMOs and the challenges faced by them, use opf digital
marketing tools etc. will be discussed in details.
1) Destination marketing planning
1.1 Destination marketing planning principles
Marketing planning is important so that the destination can be marketed effectively and
more number of customers can be attracted to visit the destination that can help in its growth and
development. Marketing principles can thus be efficiently applied which can help in achieving
the marketing goals of a destination: Destination: It is important that the destination, which is marketed, is accessible and
affordable for the target customers that can help in enhancing customer satisfaction and
can help in effectively marketing the destination. Pricing strategy: Price plays an important role in developing a tourist destination and so
it is essential that the price of tourism in destination is favourable for customers which
can help them in making decisions regarding visiting the place. The products and services

offered to customers must be such that they can attract customers efficiently and so that
DMO should collaborate with various services so that they can be provided to customers
at reasonable rates (Avraham, 2016). Promotional activities: In order to promote a destination it is important that effective
marketing channels be used by the DMO so that the target customers acne b reached and
promotion of the destination can take place. It can also help in reaching to a large number
of target customers so that the sales of destination can be increased.
 Services offered: The destination which is promoted must be able to provide all the
product and services that are required by customers while their stay at the destination like
accommodation facilities, shopping areas, food and beverages etc. so that more number
of customers can be encouraged to visit the destinations.
All the above mentioned principles of marketing should be effectively applied by DMO in
order to market about the destination so that sales can be increased and more number of
customers can be attracted towards the destination.
1.2 Importance of destination marketing planning
Destination marketing planning plays an important role in developing, managing and
promoting a destination through an efficient plan which determines the roles and responsibilities
of different stakeholders, set clear plans and actions which are to be performed, allocation of
resources appropriately etc. It also help in the following ways:
 It ensures that the target markets and segments are appropriately targeted which help in
attracting them towards the destination (Bastiaansen and Wang, 2018).
 It help in making destination marketing both cost and time effective.
 It helps in effectively conducting the market research so that the needs and wants of
customers, competitors strategies etc. can be found out for effective planning.
 It helps in making the tourist destination highly attractive by providing high quality of
facilities.
1.3 Destination marketing to support growth and development
Destination marketing plays an important role in not only representing a specific
destination in the global market but it also help in the economic and community development of
the destination which brings long-term benefits to the destination like attracting more number of
visitors, increasing economic gains etc. It also help in the growth and development of the

destination by facilitating future marketing and product development decisions so that better
regional development can take place and also community relations and partnerships can be
improved.
2) Key elements of destination marketing campaigns
Destination marketing basically refers to different types of advertisements that particular
destination is offering in form of different modes. It consists of different platforms such as E-
Commerce sites print media in form of newspaper magazines journals, electronic media in form
of television radio. The overall motive of activities large number of individuals who can show
their interest in a particular destination that can help in development in future. There are some
major points that can be reflected in services offers prices and many other such related. Name of
the examples related to the promotional campaign has been discussed below by use of different
destinations:
Family destinations: It is the concept associated with tourism that allows different people
to spend their time with their known once family members and friends on search holiday trips.
Steps are preferred because of majority population are willing to visit in different across globe.
Organisation has to be approached for providing various services so that they can have a security
regarding requirements of each individual are made (Bokunewicz and Shulman, 2017). In case of
Turkey there are different shows of light and sound have been started in order to attract people
towards search destination. Here, discussion about a particular location is disclosed with the help
of audio and various parts of places that can be shown by using lights of attractive colours.
Pilgrimage destination: It is a destination that part of this category and are because of the
people who are old. The overall Concept of Mosque, Church, temple and other types of related
locations . The main active of this destination is to provide experience of peace and harmony.
These are the basic essential peace that is part of the overall Idea behind pilgrimage destination.
Majority of the locations have been connected the history ant with different spiritual places are
part of this category. Translate to increasing the overall culture of people across different
countries so that it can lead to more promotion and marketing of a particular destination (Garrod
and Fyall, 2017).
Adventure destination: There are certain destinations that are related with sport activities
and can give a different type of experience to people. These are mostly consists of some extra
ordinary and completely different experiences that can be offered to people. People who fall

under the category are mostly millennial that are part of the present generation and a willing to
explore some different on explode areas and get some new experiences. Such as Iceland recently
started a different type of campaign that is having a tag-line "fills your heart". It is part of the
overall plan of tourism Iceland that is used for providing attractive information about their
country for boosting the overall level of energy among millennial generation (Ghosh and Sarkar,
2016). It is a very innovative and creative idea that Iceland is using for engaging their visitors
with their country. This particular campaign has resulted into recently in different number of
tourist that is willing to travel and visit this destination. It consists of lot of advantages and
benefits of advertisement that can be experienced by increasing their overall revenue and
promotion of the destination.
Following are the comparison of key elements of different destinations and their level of
inter-dependency for the success of campaign:
Tourism in Thailand Tourism in Philippines
Mission/
vision
statemen
t
Mission: To enhance the expansion of
quality market base, develop a
marketing information technology
system etc. so that high quality of
tourism can be promoted.
Vision: To become a leader as the
must sustainable and preferred
destination for tourism (Gibbs and
Gretzel, 2015).
Mission: To make tourism plans and
programs so that high tourism can be
generated which can help in the
economic development of the country.
Vision: To make Philippines as a
premier tourist destination in Asia.
SWOT Strengths:
 It provides superior quality of
services like Spa tourism,
restaurants, health related
services, entertainment.
 Skilled labour which is highly
innovative and creative.
Weaknesses
 Lack of capital in acquiring
Strengths
 Competitive cost structures in
relation to other global locations.
 Effective combination of
technology and business services.
Weaknesses
 sales and marketing skills.
 Scalability of Philippines IT

new technologies.
 Lack of language competence.
Opportunities
 Thai services are known for
their quality and it can be
expanded overseas.
 Strategic location can help it
in gaining more tourists.
Threats
 Political instability
 High production costs make it
less competitive.
services labor force.
Opportunities
 Government support can help in
improving tourism industry.
 New markets can be created by
developing new services.
Threats
 Maritime disputes and political
instability.
 Middle management scarcity
PESTLE
analysis
Political: The country is a
constitutional monarchy and the focus
is on improving tourism (Jiang,
Ramkissoon and Mavondo, 2016).
Economical: Thailand has progressed
as a upper-income country and which
help in providing advanced facilities
to tourists.
Social: The purchasing power of
people is increasing which can help in
increasing tourism.
Technological: Latest technology is
adopted making tourism highly
automated.
Legal: The legal structure of Thailand
help in increasing legal tourism.
Environmental: Many natural
locations can help in promoting
tourism.
Political: Philippines has a presidential
system and the government highly
encourages tourism so that it can come
up as a global tourism destination.
Economical: The country has a strategic
location and also has a low cost structure
which can help in increasing tourism.
Social: Friendly, hospitable and
optimistic people can help tourists with
their tourism.
Technological: Rapid progress in
technology and innovation can help in
making tourism more beneficial.
Legal: Comprehensive legal structure
helps in strengthening tourism.
Environmental: Stunning beaches,
hotels, lurking volcanoes etc.

TALC
stage
Thailand is in the exploration stage of
TALC model
Philippines is in the involvement stage of
TALC model.
Competit
ors (by
target
market)
Thailand tourism targets family
markets and its competitors are
Malaysia, Bali etc.
Philippines tourism targets younger
travellers and its competitors are
Vietnam, Malaysia etc.
Positioni
ng
Positioning of Thailand tourism can
be done through promoting its special
services like Thai spa, food, beaches
etc.
Positioning of Philippines can be done
through promoting its beaches, heritage
towns, mountains, rainforests, islands,
diving spots etc.
Unique
Selling
Points
Historical sites, islands, rock pooling,
caving, adventurous activities,
beaches etc.
Historical and archaeological sites, hotel
and tourism industry, rainforests etc.
Destinati
on
marketin
g
goals/obj
ectives
The goals of destination marketing in
Thailand is to increase sustainable and
quality tourism so that better
experiences can be created.
The goal is to increase tourism in
Philippines so that major economic gains
can be achieved which can help in the
development of the country (Kotoua and
Ilkan, 2017).
Branding
:
Icons/lan
dmarks
Pubs, weather, casinos, Spa facilities
etc.
Hotels, beaches, mountains etc.
Brand
elements
logo &
slogan
Amazing Thailand tourism It's more fun in the Philippines
Promotio
nal mix:
Advertisi
ng
In Thailand various types of
promotional mix can be used like use
of technology so that tourism can be
promoted through AR and VR
In Philippines promotion of tourism can
be done through increased advertising,
sales promotion, building relations with
existing tourists so that loyalty can be

Sales
PR
Product
placemen
t
techniques, advertising, discounts and
offers on travel etc.
increased among tourists etc.
Performa
nce
indicator
s
Increase in revenue, cost of customer
acquisition, customer retention etc.
are the performance indicators used
by Thailand.
Increase in revenue, referral rates,
customer satisfaction etc. are the KPIs
used in Philippines.
3) Role of digital marketing in promoting a destination
Digital marketing
tool
Critique Recommendations
(Content. i.) Video,
photography, text
The videos can related to a
destination can help in providing
engaging content to the potential
tourists which can help in
increasing tourism of destination
(Kozak and Buhalis, 2019).
Videos, photography can be
effectively used as they can help
in giving better view top the
customers so that more
engagement can take place.
(Content. Ii.)
Website
Websites needs to be made up-to-
date so that recent information and
development can be provided to
the interested tourists which can
help n increasing tourism
Social media
 Facebook
 Twitter
 LinkedIn
 Instagram
These platforms can help in
providing better information to
customers and are also easy to
navigate along with providing
latest information about the
destination.
YouTube can be used as a social
media platform for promotion of
destination so that better insight
can be developed among
customers by providing them
better details about tourism in

 YouTube destination.
SEO This tool can help in tracking the
interests of customers so that better
marketing can be facilitated.
They can help in increasing
customer satisfaction and can be
used by DMO.
Apps Different apps can be used for
promoting tourism of DMO like
makemytrip, goibibo etc.
Other digital tools
 e-brochure/
virtual guide
 Podcast
 VR
 AR
These tools can be used in
increasing approach to customers
so that tourism can be increased
(Line and Wang, 2017).
Use of AR and VR can help in
creating better experience for
customers so that better decisions
can be made.
4) DMO's roles and challenges
Destination marketing organisations help in coordinating the efforts of all the
stakeholders who are related with tourism industry so that the mission and vision of tourism
related to the destination can be achieved. DMOs help in conducting research of destination so
that the available resources can be explored along with the changing demands of customers so
that the destinations can be developed to gain a competitive advantage in market. DMOs also
help in making a marketing campaign so that the destination can be promoted effectively. They
also help in coordinating the tourism communications so that effective tourism can be generated
through planning, developing and marketing of destinations (Makkonen, 2016). They also help
in promoting the unique selling propositions of a destination so that international travellers can
be attracted and economic development of destination can take place. NTOs and DMOs are
public sector organisations which help in promoting destinations and are not directly involved in
delivering quality products to the tourists.
4.1 The role of DMOs
 Devising a marketing campaign promotion: DMOs can help in devising marketing
campaign so that target customer can be effectively reached and they can be attracted to
the destination. This help in effectively promoting the destination and also the customers

can gain a better knowledge about the tourist opportunities that are present in the
destination that can help in enhancing their satisfaction (Mariani, Di Felice and Mura,
2016).
 Building a brand identity: Brand equity can be built through increased brand promotion
by DMO so that perceptions of customer related with brand can be changed and they can
be attracted towards the destination. It also helps in building a string brand value so that
better image of destination can be created in market.
 Positioning the destination: DMOs help in positioning the destination in market by
applying principles of marketing planning effectively so that better market mix can be
developed which can help in encouraging more customers to visit the destination.
 Portraying an image: DMOs also help in building a positive image of the destination in
market so that positive brand value can be created in market which can help in attracting
more number of customers. It also help in increasing the tourism of destination so that
profits can be generated (Navruz-Zoda and Navruz-Zoda, 2016).
 Providing amenities for locals: As DMOs help in increasing tourism of the destination it
help ion the economic development of the place which help in providing amenities to
locals and in boosting their businesses so that overall development can take place.
 Organising workshops: Workshops can be organised with the help of DMOs as the
destination develops and creates a brand image in the market which can help in
improving the local businesses. It can also help in attracting more business meetings,
seminars, conferences in the destination so that tourism can be effectively developed.
 Conducting marketing research: With the help of market research the strengths and
weaknesses of the area can be found which help in developing the area effectively. It also
help in determining the likes and preferences of customers so that they can be offered
with goods and services which can help in enhancing their satisfaction so that better
tourism opportunities can be developed.
4.2 Challenges faced by DMOs
There are various challenges which are faced by the DMOs that can affect their functioning and
also affect the promotion of the destination effectively: Adopting to the technological changes: Adopting technological advancements so that
services provided to tourists can be automated and made highly efficient which can help

in enhancing their experience is difficult as it is to be integrated in all the sectors which
also involve huge investments. Also this requires highly technical staff so that the
integration of IT can be efficiently done which pose challenge or DMO to promote a
destination (Okumus and Cetin, 2018). Access to the required funds: There is a limited availability of budgets with DMOs to
promote destinations which can affect the effective promotion of these destinations and
application of market research, marketing planning, marketing mix etc. so that the
promotion of destination can be done. Competitors: It becomes difficult for DMOs to make the destination more attractive than
the competitive destinations which provide similar facilities to the tourists which can
affect the effective marketing of the destination. The competitive destinations of Thailand
and Philippines can affect the ability of DMOs to promote the respective destinations. Changing needs of tourists: With the advancements in technology the tastes and
preferences of tourists are changing which also pose a challenge for DMOs as these needs
are to be assessed by them regularly so that the destinations can be developed and the
target market can be attracted. Threat of terrorism: Political instabilities in Thailand and Philippines can pose a
challenge for DMOs as terrorism affects the national security and safety of the
destination which can make it difficult for a DMO to promote destinations in
international markets.
 Natural calamities: The frequency with which natural calamities occur at a destination
also pose a challenge for the DMO to subside the fear among tourists related to the safety
of the destination so that it can be promoted effectively.
4.3 Branding
Destination branding is a similar concept as destination branding which is aimed at
promoting a tourist destination by building a brand image of the destination so that the tourists
can recognise the brand which hep in creating an identity of the destination (Stalidis, Karapistolis
and Vafeiadis, 2015). It helps in creating value related to the destination both from the view
points of tourists and businesses so that investments in destination can increase and more
customers can be attracted. Following are the ways of creating a destination brand:

 Research: It is important that detailed research of destination is done so that the tourist
attractions in destination can be identified like monuments, museums, cultural activities
etc. so that the target market can be determined along with the facilities that can be
offered in the destination. Communication: It is essential that effective communication channels are used so as to
reach the target market which can help in spreading information about the destination
which can help in attracting tourists efficiently. Creating official website: Official website must be created containing authentic
information about the destination so that accurate and complete information can be given
to the tourists so that a destination brand can be developed.
 Stressing on unique selling points: The unique selling point or the major attractions
which make the destination different from its competitors must be focused so that a
brand can be created which can help in attracting target customers.
Conclusion
From the above discussed it can be concluded that destination marketing has been a very
important factor for promotion of a particular destination different historical places across globe.
Are many different principles that are associated with Marketing planning that can be applied for
meeting of the objective set of a particular destination and providing to their prospective and
present customers with the great support system and guidance for meeting their expectations.
Different types of destination such as family adventure and many others that help in
differentiating a experience of particular customer. There are some promotional tools that can
help in promotion of a particular destination like digital media site social media platforms
Google activities that help in increasing overall revenue and sales.

References
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