Investigative Project on Tourism and Hospitality Industry Report

This report presents an investigative project focused on the tourism and hospitality industry, specifically analyzing the tour operator Topdeck Travel. The introduction establishes tourism's significance as a service sector and its economic impact. LO1 provides a PESTLE analysis of Topdeck, examining political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors influencing the company's operations. LO2 delves into the 7 Ps of marketing (Product, Price, Promotion, Place, Physical Evidence, People, and Process) within the tourism industry. LO3 explores marketing communication strategies. LO4 analyzes the 7 Ps of Topdeck internally and externally, providing a comprehensive understanding of the company's marketing approach. The report concludes with a summary of findings and a list of references.

Investigative Project in the
Tourism and Hospitality
Industry

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................1
Pestle Analysis of Top deck Travel ............................................................................................1
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................3
7 P's of marketing of tourism industry.........................................................................................3
Lo 3..................................................................................................................................................6
Marketing communication...........................................................................................................6
LO 4.................................................................................................................................................9
Analyse 7 P's of Topdeck internally and externally....................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
Tourism is considered as travelling for pleasure. It can be domestic and international as
both of them incoming and outgoing implications on a nation's balance regarding payments
(Becker, 2016). The tourism industry is considered as a part of the service sector as it has
becomes a significant source for the income for various regions as well as for various nations.
Tourism benefits huge amount of income within the local economy as within the form of
payments of services as well as goods as it is required by the tourist. Tourism can be short term
movements of the individuals to the places that can be different and unexplored. Travel and
Tourism provides the knowledge regarding products ,operations, structure in the industry as well
as tourist also learn about various operators ,hotels, airlines and also tourist boards. Present
report focuses on Topdeck is a company/ tour operator from that gives he trips to people who are
aged between 18 to 39 all over North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia,
Egypt ,Middle East. It was founded within 1973 and provides 330 various tourism within 65
nations. Report focuses on Pestle analysis, Marketing mix, marketing communication, marketing
strategy, Public relations and many more.
LO 1
Pestle Analysis of Top deck Travel
Pestle analysis
It is an approach that can be used to analyses the macro factors used within
environmental scanning component of strategic management. It gives people professional insight
into the external factors influencing their firm.
Political Factors-
These factors are concerned with the stability of political issues and the changes in
policies that can affect the operations of the business. If the stability of political issues is stable it
is beneficial for the companies such as Topdeck travel to engage in an environment of business
which helps them to predict the trends of the market and working according to these measures
(Hsu, 2017). Any type of issue in these factors affect the ability of the company to raise capital
from the shareholders and affect the growth of the company. The environment of business is
uncertain and the policies relate to political aspects can change anytime which can affect the
business of the company. Company needs to understand the forces of the market so that they can
cope up with the level of these type of changes (Uludag, 2016).
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Economic Factors-
These factors are concerned with the level of inflation, rate of taxes, rate of inflation and
rate of unemployment in the country. The rate of growth of the economy will help the company
to assess the rate of growth of the company and work on the strategies with the focus on long
term sustainability in the market. Efficiency of market is also assessed on the basis of financial
aspects so that company can improve their liquidity in the market and increase their strength
against their competitors. Apart from this company needs to assess the conditions of labour
market such as wage rate so that they can recruit the skillful and talented workers according to
that which will help them to increase their performance. If the market of labour is flexible in
condition then they will be able to increase the productivity of the company (Radjenovic, 2018).
Social Factors-
These factors are concerned with the differences in culture, beliefs and values of people.
Company needs to select the right type of demographics so that they can target the right audience
in the market. The right segmented selected will help the company to work according to their
potential. Company needs to assess the patterns, behaviours of the people of the country. They
need to make their policies according to the variations in income so that people can accept the
company. This will also limit the changes in the power structure of the country which affects the
growth of the company (Hsu, 2017). They need to enter into market after assessing that
inequality of income. Also company needs to understand the roles of gender and align the
strategies of marketing according to that so that the people do not feel distinguished. Company
has the option to target them on the basis of their buying patterns as it is concerned with their
status symbol. If the company works on making their experience better then they will be able to
achieve growth (Mainil and et.al., 2017).
Technological Factors-
These factors are concerned with the development of technology so that they can help the
company to develop new strategies and bring innovation into the market. Companies such as Top
deck travel takes the help of social media tools. To improve their performance they claim as
many opportunities they get through this aspect (Hsu, 2017). With the help of technology, the
company has started the campaigns on the platform of social media to make it look more creative
and develop the community and access to brand. Other than this they need to keep up with the
competitors and need to invest in the department of research and development so that they can
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bring new technology which is updated so that they can improve the supply chain and the
structure of cost so that they can increase the profits, retain them and reinvest them to look out
for the updated technology in the market (Radjenovic, 2018).
Environmental Factors-
These factors are concerned with the condition of environment and causes by the
businesses which harms the environment. Top deck travel needs to adopt the strategy of
recycling and managing the waste. This is important for the company as many countries has
made the norm that the business has to control the waste specially in those areas which are urban.
Other than this company needs to invest in the technology which is renewable so that they can
have the benefit of long term sustainability in the market (Hsu, 2017). This will help the
company to satisfy their shareholders and increase the base of customers as they will enhance the
image of the brand. Efficiency of the Topdeck travel can be affected due to the changes in
condition of climate and weather. Changes in climate can lead to increase in cost of operations
which the company will pass to their consumers and overall this will affect their strategy of
pricing. Company needs to go green and take more initiatives of eco friendly activities. This way
they will be able to gain trust in the market from their stakeholders. If they do not cope up with
these factors then they will be noticing a negative response from the consumers, media,
protection group of environment (Eugenio-Martin and Inchausti-Sintes, 2016).
Legal Factors-
These factors are concerned with the rules and regulations of different countries in which
the company maintain their operations and if these factors are not followed then the company
may not be allowed to maintain their operations in different countries. Top deck travel needs to
follow the laws such as health and safety so that workers have a secure workforce. This will also
help the company to attract and retain the candidates with more potential. The company follows
the laws which are related to consumer protection and no unfair trade practices are followed by
the company with their consumers (Kazak, 2017). They also have laws which are intellectual
property rights which helps them to design the patent of the company. This also helps the
company to gain competitive advantage in the market.
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LO 2
7 P's of marketing of tourism industry
The marketing mix focuses on the sets of tactics that a firm uses to promotes their
products or brands within marketplace. These are the marketing mix is considered as the
combination that can be used through a business to allows to meet the requirements as well as
expectations of the consumers.
Products
This P refers to the firm as according to the needs of the consumers as well as their desires and
wants as here within the tourism industry. The product is consider as tangible and is not easily
scrutinized in most of the cases it is considered as intangible thus whenever ask about the service
firm there is always deigned the needs carefully as most of the successful are done due to the
blue print as well as properly defines the service product (Becker, 2016).
Price
According to this P it means that setting price of product that can be profitable for the
firm, it also been attractive to the consumers as well as competitive within the marketplace also.
The factors that depends on the pricing are such as
Government polices and regulations
Based on the seasons
Based on the geographical locations of the destination.
Competitor pricing
This industry also responds well for their high complexity at two levels as first level it
can deals with the marketing strategy as it consists of the long term return investments, product
positioning, cost-effectiveness (Chi, Zhang and Liu, 2019). While the second one consists that
the marketing operations where the prices can be manipulated with competition and demand .
All of them the final pricing required t be labour overhead costs that gives the final service price.
Promotions
It is known as how the consumers able to find out the tour operations business of
particular firm as there are different ways to sell the services, communicate and also describes
the services. So when any firm creates the promotional messages than there is a need to use the
term that able to highlight the advantages from the services of that firm as what kind of the
unique features that offered by a firm that cannot be given to the customers by the other
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competitors within market. The promotion regarding the tourism industry is done mostly through
advertising, sales promotion, publicity (Chi, Zhang and Liu, 2019).
Place
It is known as the factor that where the consumers can buy the services as well as
products. The place can be retail market, high street, shopping mall, etc. Since the services of
this sector is largely intangible so its is best to select the service online.
Physical evidence
There are main problems that can be within this sector is the consumer cannot test it
before buying it as they are unable to produce until they required. It is crucial for the firm to
offer the other means that which a potential consumer also makes he informed decisions. Tourist
can also attracted by the most expensive as it is vital that makes it more tangible highlights
items . Brochure are also vital for representing that how different elements are offers as it
includes all the relevant data that require by the costumers (Eugenio-Martin and Inchausti-
Sintes, 2016).
People
The service industry heavily depends on the customer services and professionalism.
Within service industry the consumers are facing difficulty within the person they engage as
compare to the actual services. It shows that that consumer care is critical for business. A lot of
operators focus on training their employees within interpersonal skill and the satisfaction of the
customer. They are also trained so that they can talk politely to the clients and have the
knowledge regarding the product.
Process
It focuses on the various stages that can deliver the service to a consumer. These services
required to be booked in advance so that they can deliver the services to the enhance the
experience of the consumers as well as requirements. They are tangible goods that kept within
stock as well as ready for the buying within anytime (Hsu, 2017). As an operator of Tour there is
a need to assures that all the stages regarding the delivery the service that can be planned as well
as executed.
Tour information- It can be regarded that travelling can be on a convenient location.
Liaising with service providers- Before providing the tour to the clients ,the contractors needs to
have within the place that involves transportation firms, coaches, hotels and may more.
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Planning as well as costing tour- When they tour operators can finalized all the arrangements
then they can start planning as well as costing of the tour. All of its depends on the tour picking
as per the requirements of induvial (Mohanty, Swain and Besra, 2018).
Ticketing- It include the online reservation systems.
Lo 3
Marketing communication
It focusses on the framework that can be adopted by the various firms so that they convey
messages regarding the products as well as brands they sell, either indirectly or directly to the
consumers with the intention of purchasing it. While within in other words several medium that
firms adopts to exchange the information regarding goods as well as services to the clients is
coined as a term Marketing Communication.
It involves Sales Promotion, advertising, public relations, direct marketing ,publicity, interactive
marketing, Personal selling. These are the effective tools and collectively known as Marketing
communication Mix.
Elements of Marketing communication
Advertising- It is consider as an indirect as well as paid method that can be utilised by the
company so that they can in form the consumers regarding their goods as well as series such as
radio, TV, online websites, print media. The advertising is considered as one of the major
methods used for the communication mix, where it provides the complete information regarding
the products or services of the company. It can be communicated to attract large number of
people.
Sales promotion- It includes the various short term incentives that can be provided to the
customers to initiate the purchase. These techniques of promotion not also aid to retaining the
current staff members but also attract the new ones. Such as discounts, paybacks ,coupons and
many more are consider as some of the tools regarding sales promotion (Hsu, 2017).
Events as well as experiences- Various firms sponsors the events such as entertainment, sports,
non-profit or community events accompanied by the intention to reinforce within the minds of
the consumers as well also creates a long term duration. The sponsoring event within the tour can
also be seen within the boundaries of playground where they can play, trophies, awards that wins
by them during various competition within tour ,hoarding and many more.
Public relations-
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It is a strategic process of communication firms, organization, individuals used to build
relationship that are mutual with the public.
Objective of the public relations
It maintains positive relations and strategic relationship with partners, staff members as
well other stakeholders that leads to the creating a strong brand image regarding brand.
Functions if public relations is differ from the adverting as these are the agencies that are unable
to buy ads as don't write the stories as well as not focuses on the promotions that are paid. They
can use the brands through using editorial content such newspaper, magazines ,blogs, Tv
programs and many more.
Marketing communication of Topdeck
The Topdeck also provides various social activities within a view to create a positive
image within market. The actions of the firms are taken such as donating some portion regarding
their buying to the education of the child , planting tress, organize the campaigns of the blood
donation and many more (Eugenio-Martin and Inchausti-Sintes, 2016).
Direct marketing
With the use of the technology the Topdeck makes use of mobile phones, fax, emails to
communicate directly with the context of the consumers by not involving within third party.
Interactive marketing
It gains the popularity recently as it can interact the consumers with the organization
online as well as get their resolved their queries online.
Personal selling- It is known as the traditional method regarding the marketing communication
as where the approach of the salesman prospect is to directly inform the consumers about the
goods as well as services that they are dealing with. It is known as one of modes of
communication that can be done orally or directly such as writing through emails as well as text
messages.
Marketing strategy.
It refers to the business plan that can reach to the consumers as well as turning them into the
consumers regarding products or services. It increases the value of firm. Investing within the
firm is a vital success of the travel agencies (Mohanty, Swain and Besra, 2018).
Using E-mail marketing
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It is considered as the foundation stones regarding the strategy of digital marketing as
most of the people visit the travel agency as for the first time and are not able to buy services.
But for that there is a need of the subscribe the emails list as individual has the ability to display
credibility and authority so that boots them to buy the travel products. As per the earlier guests
they are also inspired to becomes the regular consumer through weekly as well as daily regarding
the daily information of the products.
Paid search
Every second there is are thousand of search queries on the google as no other marketing
strategy has the kind of the potential to get the travel agency as known as the paid search .It is
like SEO that takes several months to complete to get the required information as due to the paid
search google makes available the information at the top of the page 1 in hours.
Drop business cards
It is a significant option in terms of the marketing strategies as to prepare business cards
as well as hand them to the outside people. Not only send the card within person there are
various place where the cards can be drop such as
Leave the card within the tip of the restaurant
Place card within the books related to it within library
Also put the card within the public bulletin road.
Speak at events
When there is any professional events there is a great chance to meet the new people as
well as build the brand awareness. So for that there is a find of the local event that can be more
associated with the travel industry.
Marketing communication of the company
The Topdeck can be communicated by the traditional and online methods as it can uses
both of these methods such as by using the social platform like Facebook, YouTube, twitter and
many other as all of these of social sites are the cheapest modes of communication and also
target the large audiences. Nowadays people of every age uses the smartphones as lined to such
websites as all of them likes the pages as within a second hundreds of like of the page of the
Topdeck firm. They can communicate by the online websites as there is always 24/7 availability.
They can also communicate with their app that can be developed especially for the
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communicate, resolving the issues of the clients, communicate with stakeholders and marketers
and many more.
Location
The firm has grown various competitors as Topdeck targets the marketers that includes New
Zealand, Australia, United States, South Africa, Canada and enhancing emerging markets such
as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Singapore and South Korea. Firms can primary sold by the
students travel as it focuses on the Youth brand of the student (Gretzel, 2017).
LO 4
Analyse 7 P's of Topdeck internally and externally
The marketing mix is a term that can be coined through Neil Borden. The service of the
marketing mix that can be considered crucial part regarding any service. Mention below are 7ps
Topdeck Travelodge
Product
It is refers to the products that can be needed
by the costumer. As their desire to buy and
their requirement is known as the heart of the
marketing mix heart. It is tangible within
traditional sense. Thus, within the travel and
tourism firm Topdeck sells the product at lot
of variety as it enables customers to select the
variety that can suits them best. Topdeck
sells the products that are considered as highly
differentiated accompanied by the different
features offered to their consumers that their
rivalries doesn't offer. As their products can be
highly unique.
The products that can be offered by the firm
are posses high quality as compare to their
rivalries thus consumers are willing to pay the
high prices regarding products (Mulet-Forteza
Product- In context to Travelodge products are
similar to it. they also provide services such as
hotel bookings, tourism services, etc. here, all
services are offered to people under the brand
name of Travelodge. Besides that, Travelodge
provides variety of services in differentiated
way. so, people are easily able to distinguish
their services as per their needs and
requirements. the services are of high quality as
compared to Travelodge and also there are
more variety. Besides that, the services are sold
in traditional design (Sirgy and et.al., 2018).
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and et.al., 2018).
Topdeck also sells the products that are
famous regarding their traditional design that
can be more practical for the consumers to
utilise.
Price
The current pricing strategy of the topdeck is
that they follow the competitive pricing
strategy as this is due to the information on the
competitors are easily available because of the
large number of the rivalries that can exist
within Industry.
Topdeck sells its goods within the higher
prices than this competitors as it offers unique
as well as more features and that's why high
pricing can be make-up because of all these
features (Sirgy and et.al., 2018).
Firms also uses the optional product strategy
regarding specified products as if offers the
prices regarding separate prices and base
product.
Firms also fixes its price for the final product
such as retailers, channel
members ,wholesalers ,buy the product within
at lower price as well as earn by their own .
Price- the pricing strategy of Travelodge is
competitive one where they follow same
strategy of competitors. other than this, prices
of services is set on basis of service quality and
products features. However, price of
Travelodge product is higher than topdeck due
to its high quality, advance features, etc. With
help of it, company is able to attract customers
and retain them for long term. the company
charge high price online rather than in physical
stores. moreover, in different market
Travelodge change their pricing strategy on
basis of target customer and market condition.
But there are some fixed prices of services as
well which is offered through distributors. it
leads to generate high profits and sales (Mulet-
Forteza and et.al., 2018).
Place
Topdeck also sells its products by two
marketing channels. The first one is that where
it can sell directly to its consumer by the
online platforms. While second one is that to
Place
Travelodge also sells its products by directly
to the consumers by also the online platforms.
Travelodge focuses on , Ireland and
Spain. United Kingdom
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