aR eRUHOTION cERVICES 501 DEN BAITH ACADEMY LIBRA SECESSION, Oi VICTORIAH. VILLEGATOURISM PROMOTION SERVICESSALES AND MARKETING OPERATIONS IN TOURISM This chapter will introduce how products and services are marketed and promoted in. tourism, the importance of value to customers, keeping the customer and the product, ‘oer ogi tet Siticepe nan ‘ges Car riven i focus, and communicating messages tothe target markt the right way Tere is also a Senspctenmemgrnee dacsion on the ls and regulations that rextit unawfl actions elated to tourism. Tromeweunacee tel Bovonigon oimetenscareae OBJECTIVES Cy In this chapter, the student should be able to define and explain the importance and relevance of sales and marketing in tourism. Given this set of knowledge, the student should, be able to demonstrate the following abl ee oe «relay the importance’ of value in ales and marketing; fervor ust + Getermine the important varablesin marketing tourism product and services; «be familiar with the different tools that can be used for promotions; and *dentify the situations related to tourism that would violate laws related to the society, cultare and environment UKE AND SHARE | n the previous chapters, you have learned about tourism and briefly about marketing,‘Through time, the Four P's also evolved and three more P's were added. In hospitality and tourism, the additional elements of People, Process, and Physical Evidence became useful in arriving at a new or non-traditional approach of marketing tourism products and services. People simply refers to service providers—such as the employees, staff, and managers—that interact directly or indirectly with the visitors or tourists. Proces pertains to the service being provided, which includes the initial stage wherein a tourist ‘would make inquiries about a product, the actual consumption, and even after the purchase has been made. Physical evidence are the elements that can be sensed and detected, such as visual appearance, smell, noise, and actual comfort that the guests would have. There are numerous cases wherein the people of an organization made or broke the quality and reputation of a product or service. The same goes for the quality of service as well as the physical aspects that are inseparable from a tourism product or service. “To further visualize the importance of the marketing mix elements discussed, suppose ‘your class will be going on a field trip. You, along with fellow classmates, were tasked to organize the trp. Fest ofall, the product that you would want to avail should be an educa- tional trip, meaning the design of the tour should bring new knowledge and experiences that students will enjoy and hopefully use in the future. The price should also be student- friendly, so a tour package might be a good option. To avail of a good package, you would want to purchase only from trusted sources—from legitimate travel agencies or tour opera- tors, for example. How do you find out which travel agencies or tour operators have good offers? One way would be to look atthe promotional materials in newspapers or magazines for any advertisements. Another way is to search online fr the list of tour operators accred- ited by the Department of Tourism. What ae the elements that you would look for to make yourtrip enjoyable and memorable? Pechapsit will be a good tour guide to explain the fun facts and history of the place you are visiting. Another would be the organization of the tout, which includes the itinerary wherein a schedule is given, explained, and followed. ‘Tour participants are also allowed to make questions or ask for assistance when needed. To top off your enjoyable field trip, you would want to have a clean and comfortable ride, safety precautions for your peace of mind, and, most of al, forthe sights that you will visit to be appealing, clean, and pleasant. You are done specifying your needs and requirements now; what should be your next move? As the organizer of the class field trip, you would definitely find a good service provider if a company (travel agency or tour operator) possess all the requirements you have assessed. Moreover, it is important for you to communicate with the company and gain access to the services ofthe tour operator, PROMOTION: THE COMMUNICATIONS PART OF MARKETING Marketing facilitates the meeting point of service requirement and provision of service as it goes beyond the transactional exchange of you (the target market) buying and the tour operator selling, In this process, the experience of the consumer is highly relevant. Marketing tourism services that explore emotional dimensions of guest experiences through genuine hospitality is an acceptable business strategy that aims to gain competi- tive advantage through the uniqueness ofthe service quality (Lashley, 2009). Tourism is an “experiential consumer product” that requires excellence, which creates the need to empha size messages that appeal toa consumer's emotions (McCabe, 2009), That being said, itis ‘very important that the information on tourism products and services are made available 64 TOURISM PROMOTION SERVICESto the target market using the appropriate method and at the right time when the market needs it. Ths also proves the importance of promotions as the communications arm of ‘marketing, Ifyou were the company or tour operator, you might want to invest in tools and ‘methods that would enable you to reach your target market effectively. Communication Principles Useful for Tourism ‘Communication isan interaction between two or more people or group of people (inter- personal) with the objective of achieving a desired result. This endeavor makes use of one for more language that alds in the exchange of messages, which can be orally delivered through spoken words or read through the different forms of literature. Organizations as an entity also engage in communication by sending out messages in a collective manner. Why People Communicate People communicate for different reasons and among the familiar and common ones would be to inquire, persuade, and basically just to inform. Communication—be it interpersonal ‘or within an organization—is vital Interpersonal skills are increasingly critical because of the growing importance of other factors, such as technology, time pressure, diversity, and duties and responsibilities. (Arredondo, 2000), In the tourism industry, technology, time, and diversity greatly afects almost all processes. Therefore, communication happens at different levels, with encounters often happening simultaneously. ‘Communicating can be a very simple task, but it ean also be very dificult in certain situations, A common misconception is that when a person speaks or writes well, he or she is already a good communicator. There is more to communication excellence than just being able to talk well because different people make use and possess different predominant senses—such as the visual, feeling (kinesthetic), auditory (hearing), taste, and smell— thus having different effects in different circumstances (Denny, 2006). Recalling the idea ‘of putting the target market and the product in focus, it would be good for tourism profes- sionals to have a mindset that is not focused on themselves alone. It would be more benefi- cial to understand other people's perspective rather than imposing your own. Avoiding Miscommunication ‘Communicating in the tourism industry poses challenges, especially in situations that present language and cultural differences. For sure, you have heard of the term miscom- ‘munication and are aware that itis a bad situation to be in. It would be difficult to use Printed words and materials to communicate your products and services to a person with visual difficulties. It is not always effective and appropriate to use spoken words in commu- nicating with people who may have difficulty in speaking and listening. However, these challenges are not without solutions. There are different techniques and methods to address and prevent communication gaps. If communication difficulties are encountered with people who have a diferent predomi- nant sense, then the sclution is to simply change the language in order to communicate more effectively (Denny, 2006). In non-English speaking countries, locals and visitors often resort to body language, hand signals, and gestures to relay a message. Filipinos have the advan- tage of being able to speak more than one language at a time, which should be utilized and enhanced through language training programs. Miscommunication canbe avoided by carefully studying the predominant senses and language ability ofthe people you are to interact with. SALES AND MARKETING OPERATIONS IN TOURISM 65, im rope communication, tare ‘aganees and tu operators ae abe to undesta acd mest fae ents