In all tourism marketing,
whether destination based or otherwise, your audience is primarily seeking
answers to the following questions:
- What to see and do?
- Where to stay?
- Where to eat?
- Where to shop?
If you can answer these
four questions effectively, you are well on your way to helping them get
started on the experience of a lifetime. Of course a whole lot depends on
whether your destination has any of these to offer! But then, if it doesn’t
fulfill these basic criteria, it has no business being a destination worth
considering does it?
What
to see and do?
If your destination is
blessed with natural beauty or even man-made wonders, congratulations! You have
a highly-marketable aspect already in place. Even if nothing obvious throws
itself up immediately, take some time to research what you have that can be
positioned uniquely. Do you have a golf course that can compete with some of
the best internationally? Or maybe you have some walking trails that will blow
the minds of your visitors! Or better still, a tucked-away secret beach that is
great simply because it is isolated! Do your research and find out what will
attract your visitors to your destination. And allow them to have a great time
while they are there!
Where
to stay?
This one is more
important. While all visitors want the best experience when it comes to things
they can see and do, there are several other criteria that determine where they
can stay. Price is a big factor. In a beach location, a sea-view bungalow often
commands a premium. In high-altitude locations, rooms with scenic views command
a premium. As they both rightly should! But it is not enough to cater to the
well-heeled or luxury traveler. The bulk of your visitors are likely to be
seeking something equally good but at a more affordable price range. And the
biggest volume visitors are likely to be on a shoestring budget.
Ensure that you have a
range of accommodation options to cater to every budget and requirement. All
the way from backpacker hostels through motels and budget rooms to luxury
suites and villas. You will attract the all kinds of visitors and there will be
something to cater to everyone’s needs.
Where
to eat?
This can be a tricky one.
If your destination is famous for a particular type of cuisine, great! Ensure
that you have a couple of options for people to sample the local cuisine. But
depending on your visitor geography, you may need to make allowances for their
local cuisine as well. Foreign tourists, on budget vacations, often opt for all-expenses-paid
packages that offer them two meals, preferably of their local cuisine. This
still allows them to sample the tourist cuisine without losing out on the
familiarity of their own. Ensure that you have some options for them too. It
also helps to have a couple of cover-all-your-bases options. Good, wholesome
food that is not identified with any specific cuisine options. Fast food joints
are also welcome although too many may give you the wrong kind of positioning.
Play to your strengths and brand identifiers but also keep in mind your
audience preferences and tastes.
Where
to shop?
This is easy if your
destination has something culturally or historically unique to offer. Ideally,
your destination should have a main shopping area (either a souk or a cultural shopping
district). Rather than remind them of supermarkets back home, this should have
a distinctly destination-themed feel to it. Think of the Gold Souk in Dubai or
the Strip in Las Vegas.
As regards what to offer,
this is simpler still! All shoppers to destinations with famous landmarks want
some memento of their time there. Replicas of man-made monuments or natural
landscapes are always a big hit. Hookah apparatus from the Middle East, Lamps
& Carpets from the Orient, Spices from Kerala or Sri Lanka, Clogs from the
Netherlands and Matrioshka dolls from Russia are never going to get passé.
However, ensure that you stay away from becoming a tourist trap. No visitor,
irrespective of their financial status or affordability likes being harassed or
taken for a ride. This is precisely what has given some otherwise beautiful
tourist destinations in Asia and the Mediterranean a seedy reputation. As ALWAYS,
the rule of thumb is to offer something for everyone. Switzerland may have a
glorious tradition of watch-making. However they too offer a budget line that
allows budget travelers to own a piece of Swiss watch-making history!
That’s it! Get these four
things in order and your visitors will go back raving about what a great
destination you have on offer. Naturally this post simplifies it more than a
little bit. But if you offer these things, across a variety of budgets, you
will never suffer from a lack of visitors.
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