Transcript Tourism Marketing

Marketing Sustainable
Tourism
Ronald Sanabria
Barcelona, Spain
October 2008
Rainforest Alliance Mission
The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve
biodiversity and ensure sustainable
livelihoods by transforming land-use
practices, business practices and consumer
behavior.
Sustainable Tourism Program
 Help the tourism industry protect the
environment and provide sustainable
livelihoods through training and market
linkages
Build travelers demand for sustainable
tourism and enable them to travel responsibly.
 Facilitate the development of regional and
global sustainable tourism standards
Three Steps for Effective
Marketing
 Identifying your target market and targeting the
right market segments
 Product development – Balancing travelers’
traditional concerns with their growing willingness to
“make a difference”
 Effective distribution through mainstream
channels by choosing the marketing outlets that make
the most sense for your business
Identifying Your
Target Market
Profile of North American tourist in Costa Rica:
• Pleasure: 82%, business: 10%
• Independent: 72%, package tours: 21%
• Principle activities:
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Sun and beach 77%
Hikes 61%
Wildlife observation 57%
Volcan visits 46%
Canopy (zip line) 44%
• Average stay: 10 days
• Average expenditure: $1087
• High season: December – March,
July and August
Source: Costa Rica Tourism Institute
Product Development
Sustainability
Acceptable Price for
Value Offered
Quality
Accessibility
Safety / Health
courtesy of Ariane Janer
Marketing Tools
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Brochures
Web site
Commercial relationships
Trade shows
Visual Marketing Tools:
Brochures and Web sites
Images should:
 Attract the attention of the target
market.
 Make the brand stand out.
 Communicate product characteristics.
 Engage the viewer so they keep reading
 Generate emotions towards the brand.
 Portray professionalism: consider
purchasing photos from an image bank.
 Have synergy with all of your other
marketing materials
Design Suggestions
 Images are well-balanced
 Proportions of objects are
pleasant to the reader.
 Components follow an
orderly manner.
 One element of the brochure
stands out from the rest.
 Uses colors that catch your
eye but that complement, not
control.
Brochure
 Develop a distribution plan
 Consider hiring a
professional designer
 Include information that
doesn’t become outdated
 End with an action - tell your
reader what he/she has to do
 Try to use recycled paper,
certified paper or paper that is
environmentally friendly
 Prominently feature
certification seals
Web Page
In addition to selling your
business, it should be
interactive:
 Users can make sales
and reservations and
give feedback
 Update content
regularly to keep users
coming back
Layout and Design
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The Web page should
download easily.
Preferably include moving
elements – not pop ups.
Should not be too
saturated with
information nor with
graphic elements.
Navigating and reading
should be easy
Prominently feature
certification seals
Web Page Example
Pacuare Lodge
www.junglelodgecostarica.com
Info about your
company
Info about the destination
(particularly important
if unknown)
Full details on what you
offer and
example itineraries
Rates
Contact Info
Indication of quality –
organizations of which
you are a member
Show how you
are sustainable
Photos
Articles written
about your business
Trade Shows
• Let people know about
your products and services
• Get to know your
competitors and the market
• Maintain relationships
with your clients
• Find distributors and get
sales!!!
Trade Show
 Choose wisely - consider your
target market
 Prepare promotional material
according to your target market and the
country.
 Make appointments with wholesalers
that are in your same line of work.
 Analyze the possibility of having a
raffle or a promotional event.
 Take advantage of conferences or
social events.
 Most importantly – Follow Up!
FAM Trips and Tour
Operator Inspections
•Show them the full scope of your
product
• Talk about additional services
that you offer
• Prepare information packages
ahead of time with information
including rates
• Discuss commission
FAM Trips and Tour
Operator Inspections
• Be honest about what
you offer
• Show them your behind
the scenes commitment
to eco-practices
•Always follow up and
answer emails
Word of Mouth
In tourism, word-of-mouth is among the first
three sources of information people use.
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 People typically tell 5 other people about
restaurant and vacation experiences.
How to stimulate word of mouth:
 Create a unique product or service
 Answer all inquiries
 Feed the business’s loyal customer base
 Respond to positive comments as well as
complaints to maintain high levels of customer
satisfaction.
 Use the Internet to nurture word-of-mouth
by placing phrases like “send this page to a friend”
Source: Kaplanidou and Vogt,
MSU Department of Park, Recreation and
Tourism Resources
Internet Resources
Eco-Index Sustainable Tourism
www.eco-index.org/tourism
 Over 175 businesses from 16
countries in LAC
 Exclusively for sustainable
operations
 No charge to users or participating
businesses
Comments:
“So far this month we have received 20
visits to our Web site from the Eco-Index,
many thanks!”
-Joxan Obando, Green Hotels, Costa Rica
Preference for Environmentally
and Socially Sound Businesses
“Kyra Sedgwick, star of The Closer and
next month’s The Game Plan, wanted
adventure. She and her family found it on
an eco-friendly trek through Costa Rica.”
Lessons Learned
 Social and environmental responsibility are important
to the consumer, usually after their safety, quality and
price requirements have been satisfied.
 Marketing to consumers can be done more effectively
through intermediaries in the supply chain.
 For businesses, certification improves performance and
saves money but we need to measure impacts in order to
market better.
 Make information about sustainable suppliers
available to all players in the supply chain.
Lessons Learned
 Participating in trade shows is only effective after attending
the same event several times.
 Participating in trade shows with others under the same
umbrella is more cost effective.
 Always use a mix of marketing tools.
 Alliances in marketing with like-minded organization can
be very beneficial.
 Involve the media.
Questions & Answers
Sustainable Tourism
Rainforest Alliance, Costa Rica
www.rainforest-alliance.org
[email protected]
Tel/Fax: +506 234-8916