Queensland Tourism - Target Market Segments and Stakeholders - Essay Example

?A Report on Queensland Tourism Summary In Queensland, tourism as a fast growing industry has become the major source of revenue. Millions of domestic and global visitors are flocking into the Sunshine State every year. The Queensland’s tourism sector generates nearly $4.0 billion annually, representing 4.5% of Queensland’s GSP. However, the natural disasters this region encountered over the past several months have threatened the further expansion of tourism industry. The flooding in Queensland during the beginning of 2011 was called “the worst natural disaster in Australian history” (Edmondson, 2011). The legal authorities estimated that the flooding affected over 20,000 people in this region. As a result of this disaster, the government declared three quarters of the State of Queensland as a disaster zone. This adverse situation was further worsened by severe thunderstorms that stalled damage to rebuilding activities. The storms also damaged power lines, roofs, trees, and numbers of vehicles. Naturally, the Queensland tourism industry experienced a considerable decline in tourist visiting rates, which gradually affected its operating income. Hence, it is essential to develop a brand marketing strategy to reform the struggling Queensland tourism sector. Unlike the past, numerous socio-economic and environmental factors have to be considered for an effective tourism policy formulation these days. The marketing strategy must be capable of convincing individuals that they would enjoy cent percent safety in Queensland even in times of severe natural disasters. Recently developed social media namely, the web based social networks would best assist the new marketing strategies to reach the ultimate beneficiaries. While designing this brand strategy, developers must give more focus on tourist safety factor rather than usual attractive features of Queensland. Recommendation As Bramwell and Lane (2000) point out, tourism planning is neither top-down nor bottom-up process; instead, it is an interactive or collaborative approach that involves the various processes like a governess between organizations and stakeholders, and interaction between various levels of organization (p. 146). However, what kind of development plan is required depends on the geographical feature of an area. Since Queensland is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, the policy makers have to greatly consider the infrastructural needs that would ensure tourist safety. The brand marketing strategy has to deal with modern flood prevention techniques like landscaping in order to mitigate the effects of disaster. Various studies point to the fact that thoughtless human interactions become the major cause of flooding. Strict governmental regulations are essential to prevent the exploitation of nature and thereby to keep environmental balance; it is the only potential method to avoid natural disasters. It is also advisable to offer attractive tourist packages by targeting different customer segments. However, effective disaster prevention methods only may not contribute to tourism promotion; on the other hand, the implemented changes must be effectively communicated to its ultimate stakeholders. For this, it is recommendable to make use of modern media advertisements. Television advertisements were the most effective way of product/service promotion during the 20th century. In the present condition, it seems that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter would be some of the most effective channels for Queensland tourism promotion because millions of people access these networks regularly. This type of a marketing strategy may bear potential commercial implications as it is the least expensive but quick result giving service promotion method. Target market segments and stakeholders The state of Queensland comprises of many landscapes that range from sunny tropical coastal areas to dry inland areas. Queensland’s main tourist destinations include Daintree Rainforest, Gold Coast, Great Barrier Reef, Sunshine Coast, and the Whitsundays. The Gold Coast of Queensland consists of five major amusement parks and this coast sometimes referred to as “Australia’s Theme Park Capital” (Queensland gold coast). There are also a number of wildlife parks in Queensland. While formulating a brand marketing strategy for Queensland tourism industry, the policy makers should identify the key stakeholders and define target market segments so as to effectively promote a potential tourism culture. In my opinion, it would be better to focus on three client groups such as; Young adults (18-29 years old) Young families with kids Retired individuals Evidently, each customer group has different needs and wants. Hence, the marketing strategy must be flexible enough to promote these different market segments on the basis of individuals’ perceptional variance. Finally, this grand marketing strategy has to clearly define the key stakeholders such as governmental authorities and other tourism related organizations. Impact of key social marketing elements As discussed earlier, social marketing can have a great influence on product/service promotion. This concept also contributes to market positioning. The major five elements of social marketing are; 1. Conversation scrutiny 2. Sparking conversation 3. Conversational content 4. Interactive conversation, and 5. Conversational copy Each of these elements plays a significant role in positioning and offers ranges of benefits to the market. The social marketing practice allows the marketer to observe the conversation between prospective and existing clients. It seems to be the least expensive and the promptest market research strategy as it assists the marketer to assess different customer needs and wants. In social media marketing, the promoter gets the opportunity for spark conversations. This way, the marketer can obtain clear information regarding what people say about the Queensland tourism industry. This strategy may aid the policy makers to determine what changes would be capable of meeting client interests. Likewise, content marketing is an innovative social marketing strategy by which the Queensland tourism sector can bind its prospective and existing clients together. The element of interactive conversation plays a vital role in creating the industry image in the minds of Australian domestic as well as global clients. The interactive conversation technique enables people to post comments and share the given content with their friends and relatives. It has been traditionally identified that mouth publicity is the most effective method of product/service promotion. Conversational copy may further assist the Queensland tourist industry to attract more and more new visitors. In total, the social market elements so described can greatly assist the marketers in publicising the potential features of Queensland tourism. Therefore this strategy may progressively lead to an increase in market demand. How to improve social marketing effort? In order to improve the social marketing effort, three strategic marketing recommendations are briefly described below. 1. Target the right sites Although hundreds of social media sites are available, no one can effectively use all of them. Hence, it is advisable for the Queensland tourism sector to settle on a few sites that would best fit its promotional objectives. Facebook and Twitter are some of the popular site choices as they involve large traffic volumes. In addition, general news and social bookmarking sites may also be recommendable. 2. Develop proper content The created content must be capable of meeting the demands of social media users or it has to appeal the targeted audience. Since the content development is the essence of social media marketing, the policy makers must give great emphasis on subjects and topics that are of specific interest to the targeted readers. 3. Convert By the first two steps, the Queensland tourism sector can attract people to the chosen websites. However, the primary intention of the industry is to convert the website visitors into clients. The term “convert” refers to the buyers’ decision to subscribe to the services of the industry toward which they have been attracted. For this purpose, it is advisable to encourage visitors by providing incentives including a discount, an exclusive coupon code, or a free gift. The strategies so discussed may greatly amplify Queensland tourism promotion. Above all, the Queensland tourism industry has a global significance and hence, improved social marketing practices are necessary to promote the industry’s global expansion. References Bramwell, B & Lane, B 2000, Tourism Collaboration and Partnerships: Politics, Practice and Sustainability, Channel View Publications, UK. Edmondson, K 2011, ‘Flood ‘worst natural disaster’ in Australian history’, Giftretailer.co.uk, Viewed 23 Aug 2011, ‘Queensland-gold coast’, 2011, Word News Network, Viewed 23 Aug 2011, Read More