Destination marketing

A DETAILED marketing strategy for Sri Lanka should flow from the tourism planning process and reflect the vision, goals and objectives of practical targets for the industry. After several years of growth, the local industry is calling ever louder for a comprehensive destination marketing plan as arrivals plateau out amidst slowing growth.

However, before an effective destination marketing plan can be formulated, there are several aspects that have to be considered. The importance of integrated product development and marketing cannot be overstated. Marketing without product development is risky; product development without an accompanying marketing strategy is often futile.

If an area does not have the right product for a particular market segment, no amount of promotion will produce the desired long-term result. The marketing strategy needs to objectively examine what the consumer is seeking and how the destination can fulfil that need. It needs to articulate the destination’s identity and positioning, as well as highlight its unique selling proposition.

The Destination Marketing Plan should consider and reflect the marketing direction of higher or complementary entities. This may involve integration with the regional tourism plan, the product region development plan, Sri Lanka’s strategic plans, as well as, perhaps, plans of adjoining regions and special interest groups. It should always be remembered that visitors do not recognise boundaries. They will travel through other areas to get to and from Sri Lanka, so collaborating with other towns and regions will not only acknowledge consumer behaviour, but can also be very cost-effective.

Special interest sector plans are particularly important if their product offering is, or is intended to be, a major part of the tourism destination’s proposed image. Similarly, it may also be worth considering the marketing efforts of any major events held in the area. The more marketing synergy that can be achieved between the various plans of local organisations, the greater the destination’s impact is likely to be in the marketplace.

A tourism audit needs to be undertaken to assess the product strengths. From this, careful analysis must then identify which strengths offer superior benefits when compared to competing destinations and how these match with consumer wants and needs. In determining competitive advantage, an individual product may have limited capacity to attract visitors, but when combined with a range of similar products, a competitive advantage can be developed.

Rather than applying a generic message to all markets, target marketing is the development of a specific message tailored to the needs and aspirations of certain market segments. Target marketing involves targeting the markets that will be the most responsive to the product offerings of the destination. Target markets need to be large enough and accessible enough to be viable. The key to successfully defining target markets is research.

To maximise resources, communication strategies should be strategically planned and monitored. To be effective, marketing messages need to clearly emphasise the product strengths of the area – generic marketing messages such as ‘we have it all’ are no longer satisfactory.

Benchmarks need to be developed upon which performance can be regularly measured, which would require greater transparency and accuracy in the way tourist numbers and their expenses are calculated. Perhaps the most important point of all is ensuring the Budget is used in an optimum manner. As calls grow louder, there is more chance of wastage and mismanagement, so it is critical that destination marketing does not lose its way.