Evaluating Thomas Cook: Marketing Strategies in the Travel Sector

This report provides an analysis of marketing in the travel and tourism sector, focusing on Thomas Cook, a global British travel company known for its tour operations and travel airlines. The report explores the marketing mix in the tours and travel industry, evaluating issues related to product, price, and place, particularly in the context of Thomas Cook's summer 2018 holidays to Morocco and Egypt. It also discusses the importance of service sector mix elements, including people, process, and physical evidence, to the travel sector. Furthermore, the report examines the concept of the total tourism product and its application to individual tourism businesses, referencing Thomas Cook's approach to meeting consumer needs and demands within the rapidly growing UK tourism industry. The analysis references academic sources to support its findings and provide a comprehensive overview of marketing strategies in the travel and tourism sector.

MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND
TOURISM

INTRODUCTION
The sector of travel and tourism deals with providing services to the people who
wish travel and visit different places across the country or across the world.
These services involve facilities like travelling, accommodation, food etcThe
report has been prepared in context to Thomas Cook a global British travel
company. The company owns many tour operators and travel airlines and is
known for its comfortable and quality services.An understanding of
marketing mix in the tours and travel industry has also been provided by
evaluating the issues of product, price and place and how the total tourism
concept can be applied to individual travel business has been seen.

TASK 3

3.1 Issues in the product, price and place elements of the marketing
mix with reference to Thomas Cook’s summer 2018 holidays to
Morocco and Egypt
Marketing mix is a tool used by the marketers to analyse the product and the
brand. It involves research performed for identification of the product and the
offers provided by the firm. It consists of four P's which are product, price,
place and promotion. The tourism industry constitutes only three P's which
are product, price and place which are discussed as follows -
• Product
• Price
• Place

3.2 Importance of service sector mix elements to the travel sector
The service sector mix is also known as extended marketing mix. It gives a
representation of internal part of the organisations. The industry of travel and
tourism includes aspects from planning of the tour to the final destination.
This includes various destinations to be visited, budgeting of the total trip,
preferences and likes of the customers, etc. Transportation, hotel
accommodation, food and various visit locations are also included in it. It
comprises extra 3P's along with marketing mix 4P's which are people,
process and physical evidence. These aspects are mandatory for ensuring
quality and expertise of the delivery of the service. These are discussed
below :
• People
• Process
• Physical evidence

3.3 The concept of the total tourism product to an individual
tourism business with reference to Thomas Cook
• The tourism sector is rapidly growing industry in UK as well as other
countries of the world. It has significantly increased its market share and has
opened up many opportunities for people by easing the trips and make it
comfortable and wonderful.
• It has lead to decrease in number of unemployed people by creating many
employment opportunities in the market. The products and services offered in
this industry are combinations of the needs and demands if the consumers.
• The tour and travel sector could be classified on the basis of the services
offered. The firm can offer a total tourism product or either individual
tourism business.

REFERENCES
Buhalis, D. and Foerste, M., 2015. SoCoMo marketing for travel and tourism: Empowering co-creation of value.
Journal of Destination Marketing & Management. 4(3). pp.151-161.
Xiang, Z., Magnini, V. P. and Fesenmaier, D. R., 2015. Information technology and consumer behavior in travel
and tourism: Insights from travel planning using the internet. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 22.
pp.244-249.
Hudson, S. and Thal, K., 2013. The impact of social media on the consumer decision process: Implications for
tourism marketing. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing. 30(1-2). pp.156-160.2015. About Thomas Cook.
[Online]. Available through: <https://www.thomascookgroup.com/about-us/>. Accessed on [6th April 2017].

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