Understanding Marketing Mix in the Travel and Tourism Sector: Report

This report delves into the application of the marketing mix within the travel and tourism industry, focusing on key elements such as product, price, and place. It examines the significance of these components, alongside promotion, in achieving competitive advantage, particularly for companies like Thomas Cook. The report also highlights the importance of the service sector mix, including processes, people, and physical evidence, in enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Furthermore, it explores the concept of total tourism and its impact on market share and customer experience. The analysis provides a comprehensive overview of marketing strategies essential for success in the dynamic travel and tourism sector, with references to relevant literature.

Task 3
3.0 To understand the role of the
marketing mix in the travel and
tourism sector

3.1 Product, price and place
elements of the marketing mix
 The travel and tourism industry is growing at
unprecedented fast rate and thus, a large number
of tourism destination and tour packages have
emerged. Therefore, marketing mix plays a crucial
role in assisting businesses in the industry attains
much success. In this case, there are several
issues relating to marketing mix that affect the
dynamics in the industry and the principle ones are
price, place and product (Kotler, 2017). Thomas
Cook needs to take into account this marketing mix
in order to attain competitive advantage in various
tourism destination centers in Egypt and Morocco.

Price
 In most cases, customers are highly
price sensitive and hence, they compare
prices of the products and services
offered while talking into consideration
their features and quality. Pricing of
products and service comes out as a
major challenge to Thomas Cook and
hence, the company has to be vigilant
on the prices that it sets in relative to
what the competitors offer(Verma,2010).

Product
 Product is the most important component of the
marketing mix of any organization and is
instrumental in fulfilling the wants, preferences and
needs of the customers. Customers have different
needs and desire that create major challenges to
markers and organizations in general in selecting
suitable products that suit a specific market. In this
case, Thomas Cook has a responsibility of ensuring
that it offers the best services and products while
simultaneously considering the cultural attributes of
the market in order to attain a competitive edge
over its rivals (Goeldner & Ritchie, 2012).

Place
 Place entails putting the right product in the right
place within the right time. In this case organization
especially those in the travel and tourism industry
select an ideal location that they can use to concert
the potential customers into actual, customers in
order to attain its goals. Thomas Cook utilizes the
online platform such as email and social media
alongside other electronic communication to provide
information about the tour package to customers
and undertakes some transaction using these forms
of media to ensure that the customers effectively
access their products and services (McCabe, 2012).

Promotion
 Promotion as an element of the
marketing mix ensures that information
about the products, the relevant prices
and where they products and services
can be accessed reach the target
audience. In this case, any business that
intends to gain an upper hand in the
travel and tourism industry must strive
to promote itself ardently in order to
develop a strong brand (Verma, 2010).

3.2 The importance of service sector mix
elements to the travel and tourism sector
 The service sector comprises of a
number of advantageous factors that
are essential for the tourism and travel
industry. Basically, marketing of the
services offered by the firm have
interwoven relationship and mainly
consist of processes, people and the
physical evidence.

Processes
 In the travel and tourism sector,
strategies and tactics play a key role in
retaining the customers in the business
for a long time. In this case, proper
process is being pursues by the company
and this consist of effective control,
controlling and organizing of different
activities it undertakes to ensure that
quality is provided to the target
customers(Goeldner & Ritchie,2012).

People
 People are the most important aspect of the tourism
and travel industry. The contemporary market is
highly demanding and intensive since people have
varied expectations, either the employees who are
the driving force in the core activities of the
organization, the customers who are the end users of
the services and the products and other stakeholders
who contribute differently to the success of the
organization (McCabe,2012). Therefore, it is
imperative for Thomas Cook management to analyze
the needs and requirement of its people and come up
with services that are alluring and acceptable to a
large pool of people.

Physical evidence
 The services offered in the tourism and tourism is
intangible in nature and hence, it is vital for
organizations in the industry to showcase the
information about them to customers so that
they can develop a good perception towards the
destination. Basically, the element portrays the
environment in which different packages are
offered to the customers and hence, Thomas
Cook should make sure that the packages
provided are attractive and positioned according
to the needs and preferences of the end users
(Kotler, 2012).

3.3 The use of total tourism
 Total tourism has been successful in developed
nations such as the United Kingdom and is
expanding at a high rate in terms of the number
of people employed and the total market share
and hence, Thomas Cook can leverage on it to
create a large market niche in Egypt and
Morocco. The notion of total tourism guarantees
that every component of the expectations of
the customers is met and that they attain
maximum satisfaction so that they can develop
long term relationship with the firm.

 When the demand in the tourism and travel
sector is taken into account, Thomas Cook
offer several packages in the Moroccan and
Egyptian market all the year round with
emphasis placed on during summers so as
to attain maximal customer satisfaction in
the possible way(Bagdan,2013). In addition,
other attractive packages used in enhancing
the promotion of the products and services
are transport services, accommodation
services and eateries.

References
 Kotler, P. (2017). Marketing for hospitality and tourism.
Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
 Verma, R. (2010). Tourism marketing. New Delhi: Centrum
Press.
 Goeldner, C. R., & Ritchie, J. R. (2012). Tourism: Principles,
practices, philosophies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
 McCabe, S. (2012). Marketing communications in tourism
and hospitality: Concepts, strategies and cases. London:
Routledge.
 Kotler, P. (2012) Marketing Management, 2ed. Pearson:
Harlow.
 Bagdan, P. J. (2013). Guest service in the hospitality
industry. Boston:McGraw Hills.