Marketing plan ( part ) - Assignment Example

Marketing Plan I.D. Number: Term and Year Executive Summary This is a marketing plan, which is intended to follow the general format and purpose of the topic. The topic is Toronto tourism. The main foci are on identifying the cities that rival Toronto as a tourist destination and how to address the gaps in the existing tourist marketing strategy of the city. In this plan to be presented to the mayor of Toronto, aspectual analysis of the background problem has been considered critical. The element of proper publicity and advertising has been emphasized most.

Instead of furnishing the city as a hyper-center of trade and commerce, the cultural and recreational side of life in Toronto is ultimately focused. There is a need to create an integrated web portal that will adequately focus on the quality of life in Toronto. Marketing Plan The Business Challenge: Identification of Competing Cities In identifying the competing cities vis-a-vis the tourism industry of Toronto, it is critical to judge what are the strengths and weaknesses of Toronto as a tourist destination.

The main strength of the city is that it is highly diverse and business oriented. Several linguistic and ethnic groups live in the highly populated city and most of them are immigrants. As early as 1978, Wall et al (1983) embarked on the task of “identifying visitor profiles of five recreational and cultural institutions in Toronto: an art gallery, a museum, a zoo, a waterside theme park, and a science centre.” Moreover, evaluation of destination attractiveness involves describing the socioeconomic profile of the tourists, identifying their places of origin, finding out the ratios of first-time and repeating visitors, attractiveness from tourist/user perspective, etc.

(Crouch, 2011; Wall et al, 1983) Henceforth, in evaluating the role of other cities that determine tourist flows to Toronto, a factual analysis becomes imperative. Wall (2006) reports a very significant event in this context. In 2004, outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS alarmed the health organizations and travel agencies all over the world. SARS was being spread through fast traveling business executives and certain immigrant populations. Cases of infection were discovered in Toronto too.

However, the mayor of the city declared that the likeliness of infection among general population of the city was very low. Yet, tourism industry was drastically hit. And most importantly, the American Association for Cancer Research cancelled their annual meeting of 2004 scheduled to take place in the city. Hence, Toronto lost over 28000 delegates that were expected to come. (Wall, 2006; Tufts, 2004) Now the question is: Did American Association for Cancer Research cancelled their meeting altogether?

The answer is: No. Instead of Toronto, the meeting was now rescheduled and arranged in Orlando, which is a city in Florida, USA (WebMD LLC., 2012). The indication is clear. Since most of the cities in USA are well connected through international air routes, Toronto may lose its position as a gateway or junction point situated in the eastern fringes of continental North America. Furthermore, cities near Toronto such as Ottawa and Mississauga are also becoming thriving tourist destinations. Comparison between the major urban centers in Ontario, Canada Toronto Mississauga Hamilton The city is trying to offer almost all sorts of scope and opportunities to the visitors from basically business oriented perspective The suburban is rapidly becoming a hi-tech township which offers all the basic amenities of modern lifestyle.

The city authorities focus on this attractive quality Unlike Toronto, policy makers in Hamilton too have a clear understanding of the city as a tourist destination. The city is an industrial area and it focuses on its industrial business value In attempting to project itself as a multicultural cosmopolitan, Toronto is deviating from a clear cut publicity agenda This is a fastest growing suburb which is thriving with shopping malls, bars, and restaurant. It’s agenda is based on high quality of life and recreational value Hamilton projects itself as a prime industrial destination.

Hence, people who are interested in industrial history and education are attracted by the publicity mechanism of the city Toronto has high population density, hence less accommodation available The township is expanding The township is expanding, it can accommodate large number of tourists Traffic congestion and pollution are high Less congestion and pollution Less congestion. However, the pollution levels need to be managed Table 1: Comparative analysis of tourist value of Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton.

Adapted from Toronto City Clerk’s Office (2009) and Bunting and Filion (2000) Marketing Strategies of the Competing Cities The cities that are situated in warmer parts of Virginia, etc. are highly organized in terms of connectivity and publicity. For example, Ottawa is as racially diversified as Toronto. Ottawa authorities project the city as a liberal, tolerant, and internationally exposed cultural centre (City of Ottawa, 2012). Toronto also has the same qualities, but its peaceful way of life appears to be less attractive when compared with Ottawa or Mississauga.

The highly sophisticated suburbs such as Mississauga project themselves as quieter and safer with more controlled immigration. Hence, Toronto appears to be at risk of high competitions. The Market The market entailed in today’s tourism industry is no more restricted among potential settlers, investors, businessmen, and job seekers. After the economic recession, India and China have emerged as the stable economic growth engines of the world. Hence, the nature of market has changed and today’s visitors are not always job seekers or potential settlers.

Rather, there are business executives. But the most important groups of tourists are the visitors, who wish to spend a holiday, enjoy their leisure, and find intercultural exposure. Increased popularity of the Art Gallery of Ontario in recent years indicates a basic change of tourist attitudes and priorities. (Carmichael, 2002; Aoyama, 2009) The Strategy: Current Gaps The policy makers at the City of Toronto appear to be neglecting the fact that web based publicity is playing a key role in the 21st century tourism industry.

Their website (http://www.toronto.ca/) has a more dynamic design than necessary. Topics such as “Living in Toronto”, “Doing Business”, and “Visiting Toronto” have been kept at the main focus (City of Toronto, 2012). Moreover, the landmark of City Hall has been given a special mention, whereas tourism experts like Wall et al (1983) sought to focus on the sites like science centers, art galleries, theme parks, etc. It is strange to notice that even over 30 years ago, the authorities of the city were aware about its main attractions.

But today, the publicity and advertising elements of the marketing processes have become highly business centric. This is like ignoring the city’s unique qualities. Even the most vibrant Canadian cities like Ottawa are depending on a service oriented approach with regard to media and communications based publicity platforms like (e.g., the official website of the City of Ottawa located at http://www.ottawa.ca/). But Toronto has a retrograde merchant-mentality in publicizing itself, which may be highly detrimental to its specific qualities.

Potential Directions Instead of becoming a busy business center, Toronto must now be furnished as a multicultural exchange centre. In this exchange centre, people will not only do business but also rediscover themselves. Instead of following the New York model, Toronto can emerge as the Paris of North America. Opportunities According to the policy makers of the city, the authorities aim to envision Toronto as a cosmopolitan, where “all are fully engaged in an open and accessible local government” (Toronto City Clerk’s Office, 2009, p. 9). Hence, the cliche’s of enhancing the tourist-attractiveness of an urban center can be optimally challenged in Toronto.

Hence, the policy makers are willing to use the most promising emerging technologies too (Toronto City Clerk’s Office, 2009). There are various types of sites and recreational centers in Toronto. These places are not only popular but also offer serious recreation and decent entertainment. The places like Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Zoo, Art Gallery of Toronto, etc. are immensely popular and decently maintained (Lee and Lovekin, 2009). Hence, instead of focusing on the business districts and monuments like CN Tower, the Office of the Mayor of Toronto should highlight Toronto’s art, culture, and vibrancy along with Ontario’s majestic antiquity.

Budget Since this marketing plan does not involve any material reconstruction or planning of Toronto’s cityscape, the budget can be maintained as highly cost-effective. The most important part of this plan is redesigning the official website of the City of Toronto. The mayor of the city must not only attempt to attract business people from around the world but also invite the students, art lovers, holiday makers, etc. to enjoy Toronto. Hence, an integrated web portal is needed most along with a publicity campaign through international level business, educational, and tourist periodicals.

Conclusion Toronto is famous for its cost-effective management and livable environment, which is highly naturalized with its zoo, gardens, parks, and museums exhibiting natural history of America. Hence, marketing of Toronto as a tourist destination should now be made less business oriented. Instead, qualities of Toronto that involve educational opportunity, cultural exposure, cost-effective life, peaceful environment, etc. must be spotlighted. References Aoyama, Y. (2009). Artists, Tourists, and the State: Cultural Tourism and the Flamenco Industry in Andalusia, Spain.

International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 33, 80-104. Bunting, T.E. and Filion, P. (2000). Canadian Cities in Transition: The Twenty-First Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Carmichael, B. (2002). Global competitiveness and special events in cultural tourism: The example of the Barnes Exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The Canadian Geographer, 46, 310-324. City of Toronto. (2012). toronto.ca | Official website for the City of Toronto. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://www.toronto.ca City of Ottawa. (2012). City of Ottawa.

Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://www.ottawa.ca/ Crouch, G. (2011). Destination competitiveness: An analysis of determinant attributes. Journal of Travel Research, 50, 27-45. Wall, G. (2006). Recovering from SARS: The case of Toronto tourism. Tourism, Security, and Safety: Theory to Practice (pp. 143-152). Burlington: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Lee, P., & Lovekin, H. (2009). The rough guide to Toronto (5th ed.). London: Rough Guides. Toronto City Clerk’s Office. (2009). City Clerk's Office Strategic Plan 2010 ? 2015. Toronto: Author. Tufts, S. (2004).

The Impacts of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Crisis on Cultural Events and Organizations in Toronto: Final Reort. Toronto: Ontario Region of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Wall, G., Lieber, S., & Fesenmaier, D. (1983). The economic value of cultural facilities: Tourism in Toronto. Recreation Planning and Management (pp. 15-25). Philadelphia: Venture. WebMD LLC, W. W. (2012, January 1). Medscape: Medscape Access. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://www.medscape.com/viewcollection/3045