Explore Marketing and Tourists

Marketing

Goodwin and Francis (2003) support that there has been a significant shift of the traditional holidays (sun, sand and sea) and tourists are now moving towards a more ‘authentic’ seeking holiday.  Consumers are actively looking for experiences and therefore it is vital that tour operators are promoting experiences rather than services or the physical properties of the product. However, it has been observed that there is an attitude behaviour gap in the market and this suggests that even though customers are interested in responsible tourism at the end they decide not to book with these tour operators as tourism is an industry which sells its products at the lowest available rate and therefore this is what customers are looking for.  (Middleton, 1998). Therefore, it is vital that tour operators do not only market their company as a ‘green’ firm as it does not attract customers but rather promote its unique selling points incorporated with responsible tourism through various marketing activities.

Furthermore, it has been argued that there has been a shift of the destination marketing, away from the economic profitability towards sustainability and therefore a shift towards destination management (Jamrozy, 2007). As most tourism related activities have an economic, environmental and social impact to a destination it is important that sustainable marketing takes into consideration all the above three pillars of sustainability (Goodwin and Francis, 2003). Therefore this report will analyse Explore’s existing marketing practices in regards to responsible tourism and suggest future recommendations.  

In regards to promoting experiences it has been suggested by Gardner (2011) that some individuals have high kinaesthetic intelligence and therefore learn better by doing something or by touching something and consequently when promoting an experience the potential customer can relate to the product offering by imagining that this individual can be undertaking that experience himself (Forbes, 2013). When looking at how Explore markets its product offerings it can be observed that they actively promote experiences as it can be seen in Appendix x.

Another way which Explore promotes its tours is by using the social media. Social media marketing provides convenience for travellers, as most people are now involved with social media. Explore has established its social media presence on Facebook with over 15,000 page likes, Instagram and Twitter (Tyrrell and Telfer, 2015). Through social media presence, Explore can promote its sustainable initiatives and at the same time people can communicate its thoughts directly with Explore. Therefore, Explore can later decide if the chosen marking strategy is effective (by positive customer reviews) or if they should review their marketing strategy (if there are any negative reviews). The social media platforms are also very important to Explore because it can increase its brand awareness, its reputation and at the same time it can educate its customers in regards of sustainability (as for instance by promoting a destination and its host community, or by promoting positive environmental causes they achieve during their tours) (The Green Economy Post, 2010).