Analyzing Marketing Strategies in Travel and Tourism: Visit London

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of marketing in the travel and tourism industry, with a specific focus on Visit London. It explores core marketing concepts, the tourism marketing environment, factors affecting consumer motivation, and principles of market segmentation. The report also delves into the importance of strategic marketing planning and the relevance of marketing research for tourism sector managers. Various analytical tools such as SWOT, TALC, Boston Matrix, and Ansoff’s Matrix are discussed in the context of Visit London's marketing strategies. The analysis covers both internal and external environmental factors influencing the business and highlights the significance of understanding consumer needs and market trends to effectively promote London as a tourist destination. This document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wealth of study resources for students.

Marketing in Travel and Tourism

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Tourism marketing environment..................................................................................................3
Figure 2: market segmentation....................................................................................................................6
Figure 3: Product life cycle in tour industry................................................................................................8
Figure 4: Marketing mix elements.............................................................................................................10
Figure 5: Promotional mix for Expedia.com.............................................................................................13

Introduction
Tourism refers to providing the services to the individuals who are going out for the short span of time
from where they actually resides. In the tourism, marketing plays the crucial role in increasing the
business of the organization dealing in it. In this context, the role of marketing strategy, concepts, factors
and principles is to be carried out by the manager through research is done. The need of plan will also be
addressed in the report for providing satisfaction to the customers so as to make more profits. Further,
from marketing it will be possible to conduct the interaction and understand their desires with
introducing the new products to maintain the trends as well. Moreover, the study is useful in gaining the
insight knowledge about the role of marketing in Visit London and Expedia.com.
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Task 1
1.1 Discuss the core concepts of marketing and apply to the destination selected of London
The important concept of marketing is to maintain the desire of the travelers and in this regard planning
shall be done to meet the customer wants so that sales of the organization can be raised. As the assistant
trainee at Visit London, the role is promoting the London destinations such as London Eye, Tower of
London, Buckingham Palace and many more. The promotion of destinations is only possible ones
organization gets aware about the customer perspectives (Li et.al. 2017). Following this, Visit London
frames different strategies and policies as the useful plan in marketing that supports the employees to
move up to the general factor of marketing mix like product, price, place and promotion factor. The
below are the listed concepts that supports in promotion of Tower of London is as follows:-
Customer needs: Visit London has to formulate the priorities before making any package. There are
basically different types of customers that are divided into two categories such as family trip and
business trip. Marketing is conducted to support the strategy and offering latest offers for the London
destination to meet the demands (Core Concepts of Marketing, 2018).
Products and services: Tower of London is the product for Visit London that takes into account the all
new latest trends. As assistant trainee it is my responsibility to aware about the small things in mind to
promote tourism at the selected destination while planning. At that place, the services given must be
reliable in relation to accommodation, food and travelling at reasonable costing.
Exchange process: It is the transaction between the seller and buyer where the traveler or visitor pays
the money for offering the product or services by Visit London or offering satisfaction required by them.
Place: Place must be according to the customer needs and satisfaction across the national and overseas.
The location and size of the market will change within different organizations (Sharpley and Telfer,
2014). To put the foot in the market, Visit London has to adopt the new strategy at every time of interval
and must include certain modifications in their offerings which meet the customer’s requirements.
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1.2 Analyze the tourism marketing environment and assess its impacts on travel and tourism businesses
and destination itself
In two segments, marketing in environment is divided i.e. internal and external environment. Internal
environment refers to the factors existing within Visit London and external environment means
occurring outside the organization and puts the big influence on the organization business. Internal
factors are within the control of the organization and external factors are not in control such as demand
change, competition fear etc (Mason, 2015). All these factors impact the business of Visit London. After
assessing, the strengths and weaknesses of the organization is being concluded.
Figure 1: Tourism marketing environment
(Source: Author, 2018)
Internal Micro environment:
Competitors: Although competitors resides in external environment but it puts the great influence on
the organization internally. Suppose if the competitors have reduced their packages prices and in that
case Visit London can lose their customer base and in that case it is the duty of the manager to aware the
changes in trend to the organization as well.
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Intermediaries: These are the services offered by Visit London to the travelers. Services related to
luxury food, accommodation and travelling at reasonable price by intermediaries to influence the
customers is done by the organization.
External Macro environment:
Demographic: Demographic factor involves modification in trends and locations. The customer’s are
basically impacted by this factor that impacts organizational strategy. Visit London serves different
packages for London for different locations (Page and Hall, 2014). Firstly, research shall be done that
amendments carried out in packages are adopted or not in specific places if they are according to the
wants then only served for that place.
Technology: Because of technology advancement, the business gets influenced. All the new information
to the website is still not be seen by the organization and still many individuals did not know the use of
technology in their daily lives.
Further, any changes in the macro environment directly influence the sales like in period of recession;
customers want to spend less on luxury products etc. This type of factor impacts the business of Visit
London as they have crucial role in the organization business.
1.3 Discuss the factors affecting consumer motivation and demand for London as tourist destination for
both business and leisure travelers
By assessing the motivation change in the Visit London, the desires of the travelers are predicted that
supports in creating the tour packages and marketing planning. The factors can be social, personal and
emotional. The next factor is the government policy that relates to fiscal and monetary that puts the
impact of tourism business. Any currency variations influence the industry profits. In the same manner,
any decrease or increase in the factors outcomes in the demand of tourism sector in the similar way.
Loyalty: Few of the customers are very loyal towards the organizations products. Travelers who get
satisfied with the destination offered by Visit London will stick in the organization while taking any
package (Horner and Swarbrooke, 2016).
Sociology: The trends of buying of the customer changes frequently due to many competitors with the
new product try to capture the customer base of Visit London. Even brands also impact the customer’s
attitudes.
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Psychology: It is the human tendency to purchase different every time in comparison with the previous
one. So as to make the customer happy and to stop them to move over other brand, Visit London has to
offer the new products for both types of customers. Also in future use the new policies as well for
business and leisure customers.
The main determinants of customer motivation are as follows:
Influence on customer decision making: For meeting the customer satisfaction and motivation, Visit
London has to provide the flexibility, good products and services and need satisfaction so that buying
decision can be made by the traveler for the next visit as well (Ozturk, 2016).
Influence in consumer conflict resolution: After meeting the customer needs and satisfaction, the major
motivation reason is to impact or motivate customers to move out of the grievances by purchasing the
product himself. In front of the suppliers for supplies of the homogenous product the confusion
generally arises.
1.4 Analyze the principles of market segmentation and discuss how you can use these in destination
marketing planning for London
Market segmentation is to capture the target customers so that organization targets and desires of the
customers are met. It is essential for the market for planning where market can be segmented in several
groups depends on the factors called as target consumer. The target customers are referring the
consumers with respect to geographic, demographic and behavioral attributes (Principles of Marketing,
2018). The market of the customers in London is segmented by considering lifestyle, needs, personality
and class etc of the customers. In the big competitive edge where so numerous competitors are presented
with variety of products that gives the satisfaction to the customers. It is the crucial role in the tourism
segment where the travelers are segmented into several divisions of market and including the similar
requirement of all individual.
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Figure 2: market segmentation
(Source: author, 2018)
Further to attract the customers towards the London by Visit London it is necessary that organization
brings the changes and new innovation thoughts. In the market segmentation scenario of the Visit
London, it addresses the requirement of travelers and then categories in various sections according to the
expectations. Market segmentation supports the organization in offering the outstanding packages of the
tours according to the wants so as to satisfy the consumer at its best (Backer and Morrison, 2015). The
general factors on which tourism market divide are nationality, family, age or gender etc. or at the stages
of customers like youth, teenage etc. however, the sole concentration is customer satisfaction.
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Task 2
2.1 Critically analyze the importance of the strategic marketing planning for London as a tourist
destination and discuss the importance of marketing research in the planning process
A successful strategy is that supports in meeting the customer wants and earn the business profits. For
meeting the benefits the strategy is important to analyze. The strategy planning addresses and assesses
the weaknesses and strength of the Visit London operations and external affairs as well. The objective is
to create the strategy for London tour packages for the travelers that supports in meeting the targets of
the business after putting certain facts in mind (Moutinho and Vargas-Sanchez, 2018). The marketing
plan of Visit London is analyzed below:-
SWOT: this analysis supports in measuring the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of the
Visit London. In this purpose, organization first has to carry out the details before implementing the
strategy. As Visit London is planning the package for the London it is important that the organization to
first learn the experiences about the positive and negative aspects of the business and carry out the plan
related to the new trends to be taken in the business for the future as well.
TALC (Tourist Area Life Cycle): It explains regarding the places that develops the uncertainty for the
travelers. In the tour industry, organization rarely discloses the entire information about the destination
such in case London for example which is the city place, location etc. The destination place is the
procedure that is crucial to give to the customers. It is just same as the academic model that explains all
the information related to the destination, site seeing, hotels and a research must be done by the market
planner (Liu and Chou, 2016). The entire research work must be presented in the report. Visit London
duty is to plan related to the marketing the products at several steps of TALC; evaluate it and then
expand the level of the steps for the destination expansion in various situations.
Boston Matrix: It is the technique to evaluate the product or services identification out the preferences
for creating the opportunities for growth. On other side creating the new approach the Visit London has
to select the London and the trends present in it. The organization uses this strategy to assess the various
tour packages and its destination then plan according to the evaluation.
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Ansoff’s Matrix: It supports the travel organization to identify the prior destinations that have the
potential to meet and capture the new capable markets for meeting developments using technology
(Xiang et.al. 2015). It supports the Visit London in achieving the advantages over the customers by
offering them big variations in the London destination.
Figure 3: Product life cycle in tour industry
(Source: ResearchGate, 2018)
2.2 Discuss the relevance of marketing research and market information to travel and tourism sector
managers at London Tourism
Market information refers to entire facts that are important to the organization Visit London and
effective for the further success. The market research is only possible by the team of professionals that
include marketing managers as well. In the market, survey is done for the organization in kind related to
the market in which it makes efforts to meet the success of the organization (Veal, 2017). Various
competitors are presented in the market those are offering the similar product at less or reasonable
prices. While few of the organization come up with the entire new product.
So, it is based on the strategy that how the organization can influence their customers with maintaining
the existing customer base as well. In this context, Visit London determines that the market research is
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