Encouraging Tourists from the United Kingdom to Visit Kuwait - Research Paper Example

 Encouraging Tourists from the United Kingdom to Visit Kuwait Table of Contents I. Introduction …………………………………………………….... 3 II. Research Objectives ……………………..……………………... 4 III. Purpose and Procedure of the Proposed Research Method and Design ……………………………………………… 6 IV. Rationale behind the Questionnaire Design ..………………... 7 V. About the Proposed Research Questionnaire Design …….… 8 VI. Importance of Strategic Questioning, Interview Techniques and Evaluation …………………………………….. 9 VII. Proposed Research Methodology ……………………………… 11 VIII. Proposed Research Reporting …………………………………. 12 IX. Proposed Research Schedule and Timing ……………………. 13 X. Cost Feasibility Analysis and Breakdown …………………….. 14 XI. Marketing Research Fees ………………………………………. 15 Appendix I – Quantitative and Qualitative Research Survey Questionnaire ………………………………………… 16 – 17 Appendix II – Proposed Research Schedule for the Marketing Research Study ………………………………………….. 18 References ………………………………………………………………… 19 I. Introduction Tourism in Kuwait creates job and business opportunities for the local people. In relation to strong correlation between having a good economic performance and the increase in the revenue of hospitality, lodging, and tourism industry, the balance of payment of Kuwait is expected to increase for every penny spent by foreign visitors. Considering the natural resources and beauty of Kuwait, tourism can be considered as a significant factor to GCC export (Alhemoud, 2005). As a result of globalization, changes in the trend of tourism destinations have become more complex and fast-paced (Formica & Kothari, 2008). With the changing paradigm of the world, the tourist demands are changing too. There is a growing preference for new and varied experiences and for this tourist organizations are resorting to different and new ways of satiating their customers. There are a lot of internal and external factors that may contribute to the success or failure of tourism in Kuwait. Internal factors include political climate within the country, economical situation, government policies, rules and regulations, social factors and legal factors. External factors including factors such as the world financial state, growing recession and world perception about Kuwait. Aside from the need to design effective marketing plan that will help promote tourism in Kuwait, it is crucial on the part of the Department of Tourism to identify risks associated with inefficient tourism industry. An effective marketing plan would be one that goes on to explore in depth the problems with the tourism industry in Kuwait at the moment, the weak areas, the strengths, and the ways in which it can be revamped to attract more tourists. This report will focus on discussing a market research study that will enable the readers develop a deeper understanding on how to improve marketing strategy to enhance tourism in Kuwait. Upon identifying the factors that will make tourism in Kuwait more active, this report will discuss not only the market research objectives but also the main purpose and procedure behind the proposed market research study. In line with this, strategic ways on how to conduct a qualitative and quantitative market research study will be tackled in details. Eventually, the proposed research reporting, research schedule and timing, fees, and credentials will be provided in this report. The report includes British tourists because they rank high in the number of visits they make per year. Brits are avid tourists. They visit very often and spend heavily on their trips abroad. They seemed to be the best subjects. French are the worst tourists and Spain is itself full of Brits most of the time. Due to the high frequency of their visits and greater spending ratios, Brits make the best tourists. II. Research Objectives The main research objective of this study is to determine ways on how the Department of Tourism can encourage the English people to visit Kuwait. The primary research objective has been broken into the following sub-objectives: 1. Identify the psychographics of English tourists 2. Identify the preferred accommodation and lodging of English tourists in terms of the quality and price of hotels; and 3. Convince English travelers travellers to visit their country by advertising The following are the detailed information and rationale for selecting each of the research study’s sub-objective: 1. Identify the kind of tourist spots, sports, and entertainments options preferred by the English tourists. Determining the specific tourist sports, sports activities, and entertainment options preferred by the English tourists will increase the ability of the Department of Tourism to convince the English travellers to visit Kuwait. Based on the research study result, Department of Tourism in Kuwait should focus more on promoting tourists spots, sports activities, and events that are attractive to the English travellers. 2. Identify the preferred accommodation and lodging of English tourists in terms of the quality and price of hotels; and Customers’ satisfaction is a significant factor that will affect the profitability and success of the hotel industry in Kuwait. Through the use of questions that are answerable by ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and a likert scale, the proposed research study will focus on determining the specific preferences of the English travellers when it comes to the quality of the available hotel services and the room rates. As part of gathering basic information about the hotel preferences of the English travellers, this particular sub-objective will determine the impact of hotel services such as the provision of regular tea and coffee, the availability of tea or coffee facilities in each room, access to Wi-Fi inside each room, availability of modem, fax and data line in each room, child-care services, the quality of air-conditioning in each room, availability of laundry services, live entertainment like bands, cleanliness of each room, the swimming pool and reception area over the satisfaction of potential customers. 3. Identify some recommended ways on how the Department of Tourism in Kuwait could improve their ability to convince the English travellers to visit their country. Based on the market research study results, specific recommendations as provided by the researcher is useful in terms of guiding and providing relevant information on how the Department of Tourism in Kuwait could effectively attract and encourage the English people to select Kuwait as one of their most preferred travel destination. III. Purpose and Procedure of the Proposed Research Method and Design The main purpose of the proposed marketing research method and design is to identify significant factors that will make it easier on the part of the Department of Tourism in Kuwait to develop effective marketing plan for the English travellers. In line with this, the proposed research design will combine the use of both primary and secondary research study. The primary research study will make use of qualitative and quantitative research survey questionnaires in order to determine the different kinds of tourist spots, sports activities, and entertainment options preferred by the English travellers and the types of hotel services preferred by the English travellers. As part of analyzing the marketing research study results, a literature review related to the importance of customer satisfaction and loyalty, sales and marketing strategies that are commonly used in tourism, and evaluation methods on how to measure tourists’ satisfaction will be conducted accordingly. Aside from gathering materials for the literature review, the secondary research study will be conducted in order to gather more information about the kinds of tourists spots, sports activities, and entertainments that are currently available in Kuwait. This information will be use in refining the main purpose and objectives of the proposed research study. As part of the desk research work, the following research questions were used in the structuring of the proposed quantitative and qualitative research survey questionnaire design. What are the preferred leisure activities of the English tourists? Are English tourists price sensitive? What are the preferences of English tourists when it comes to selecting for hotel accommodation? Are English travellers willing to pay for high price hotel room in exchange with excellent hotel facilities and services? Do English travellers prefer to visit the national museum or the beach resorts? Are English travellers interested in Arts and Science? What kind of sports activities interests the English travellers? Would English travellers consider visiting Kuwait Again? IV. Rationale behind the Questionnaire Design The use of scientific-based quantitiave research method is widely accepted when confiming the credibility of a research hypothesis or research questions (Anderson, 1983). The problem with the use of pure statistical quantitative research method is the fact that the researcher could only obtain a general evaluation of the research study (Leong, 1985). Similar to the use of pure observational approach Anderson (1983), the application of pure statistical qunatitative research method is not considered the best option since the researcher’s speculation on the hypothesis may distort the end results of the research study. A phenomenological research approach applies a qualitative inquiry on a research question (Patton, 1990, pp. 66 – 91). The benefit of using the phenomenological approach in research studies is the fact that it enables the researcher to have a closer look at the real world in order to come up with a conclusion that is grounded on empirical world (Patton, 1990; p. 67). Considering the benefits and limitations of using a pure statistical qunatitative method and pure qualitative approach to research, it is best to apply both to enable the researcher to obtain an unbias study conclusion. V. About the Proposed Research Questionnaire Design The researcher designed the questionnaire purposely to identify and determine the factors that could make the Department of Tourism in Kuwait be more effective in attracting the English travellers to visit Kuwait. Questions 1 to 3 will focus on determining the possibility that the research participants would consider travelling to Kuwait. As soon as the research survey participant indicates that he or she does not have any plan of travelling to Kuwait, the researcher will automatically disqualify that particular research survey questionnaire. This strategy is important in terms of avoiding possible distortion in the quantitative and qualitative research survey results. Questions 4 and 5 will focus on identifying the preferred places that English tourists are willing to visit. Learning about the specific tourism destination that the English travellers finds attractive could enable the Department of Tourism in Kuwait have better idea on how they can convince the English travellers to visit the country. Questions 6 and 7 will intentionally ask the survey participants about their preferred sports activities. Sports activities can be considered a good strategy to increase the success rate of tourism. Given that the Department of Tourism promotes and/or sponsors a world-wide sports festival to be conducted in Kuwait, there is a higher possibility that the number of visitors visiting Kuwait would significantly increase temporarily as a result of such marketing strategy. Questions 8 to 17 were designed to give the researcher a better idea with regards to the hotel room and services preferences of the English travellers. Although the availability of laundry, sports, and children’s facilities inside the hotel vicinity can be attractive to the tourists, it is equally important to know whether or not these people are willing to pay a higher price in exchange for outstanding hotel room and services. In line with this, the Department of Tourism in Kuwait should be aware of price sensitive customers. Questions number 18 and 19 were designed to determine whether or not the English travellers would consider travelling to Kuwait in the near future or simply recommend to their friends to visit Kuwait. For the last question, the researcher used a qualitative survey (open-ended survey question) to determine the personal point-of-view of each research survey respondent as to how the Department of Tourism in Kuwait could further improve their existing marketing strategy in order to attract more English tourists to visit Kuwait. (See Appendix I – Quantitative and Qualitative Research Survey Questionnaire on pages 16 – 17) VI. Importance of Strategic Questioning, Interview Techniques and Evaluation The correlation between strategic questioning and the accuracy of survey results is high. It is important to ensure that the data collected via questionnaires, surveys and other techniques is in accordance with the proposed research question. Thus the researchers should properly prepare the research questions. He should ensure that the right questions have been prepared for the selected research participants. (Richards, 2003, Chapter 2; Richards, 2006). The only way to achieve good quality questionnaires is by thorough proper understanding and analysis of the main purpose of the study. Since this study is designed to determine the best and most effective marketing strategy that could enable the Department of Tourism in Kuwait to attract more tourists coming from the United Kingdom, the researcher designed the survey questionnaire in a way that it could provide the researcher with information about the preferred tourist attraction and sports activities that can be used in encouraging more English travellers to visit Kuwait. (See Appendix I – Quantitative and Qualitative Research Survey Questionnaire on pages 16 to 17) Keith Richard (2006) is of the view that it is important to have a thorough understanding of the research process once the researcher has zeroed down on a qualitative approach. After writing the questions down, the researcher must revise them again and again to ensure that the questions are as focused and as refined as possible. There are no limitations where conducting an interview is concerned. Kvale (1996) believes that an interview is more dependent on the researcher’s personal evaluation and intuition then a certain set of rules that need to be followed one by one. (Kvale, 1996, p. 105). The statement of Kvale (1996) is confirmed with the statement of Keith Richards (2006) such that “the personal dimension is the central to qualitative research”. While evaluating it is important for the researcher to keep in perspective the ethical boundaries and limits of the respondents and the society he is interacting with as well. (American Evaluation Association, 1994). This will help avoid evaluator bias when zeroing down on a conclusion VII. Proposed Research Methodology It is necessary to select the research survey respondents randomly in order to avoid bias survey results. Therefore, the researcher will randomly distribute the research survey questionnaires to selected respondents1 particularly the English travellers. Based on the data gathered, the researcher will interpret the result of the surveys using a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques. (See Appendix I – Quantitative and Qualitative Research Survey Questionnaire on pages 16 to 17) For the actual research survey, the researcher will provide a total of 100 quantitative and qualitative research survey questionnaires which will be distributed only to qualified respondents.2 To satisfy the main purpose of the study, the researcher will intentionally select only the English travellers as the potential research respondents. Prior to the process of requesting the randomly selected research respondents to participate in the research survey study, it is ethically acceptable for the researcher to personally seek their approval and explain the main purpose of the study. With regards to the analysis and interpretation of the gathered data, the researcher will apply simple statistical method using the excel software. VIII. Proposed Research Reporting After conducting and analyzing the research survey results of the proposed study, an interim presentation-report will be prepared and submitted to the Department of Tourism in Kuwait before setting a schedule for a meeting with the Department of Tourism in Kuwait and the local travel agencies to discuss the research findings and direction to the next stage of the research study. As part of the meeting, a formal presentation using a PowerPoint slides will be conducted to explain and discuss the main purpose of conducting the proposed research study, the actual research study results, and the proposed recommendations and conclusions. Before the formal meeting ends, a copy of the written report that summarizes the research findings, recommendations, and conclusion will be submitted to the Department of Tourism in Kuwait. IX. Proposed Research Schedule and Timing The proposed research schedule will be conducted within a 14 weeks timeframe. During the first couple of weeks, the researcher will focus on writing a market research proposal regarding the possible ways on how to encourage more English travellers to visit Kuwait. During the first week of the research schedule, the researcher write a marketing research proposal followed by conducting a literature review related to the importance of customer satisfaction and loyalty, sales and marketing strategies that are commonly used in tourism, and evaluation methods on how to measure tourists’ satisfaction. While conducting the literature review, the researcher will also allocate some time to talk with the head of the Department of Tourism in Kuwait to support the development of the proposed marketing research study. To encourage the head of the Department of Tourism in Kuwait to support the development of this study, the researcher will explain to them the main purpose and the proposed marketing research method that will be used in the study. On the 4th week onwards, the researcher will start preparing at minimum of 100 research survey questionnaires which will be distributed to English travellers who are randomly selected as the target research respondents for the proposed marketing research study. On the 5th week onwards, the researcher will start working on the official research paper followed by conducting the actual quantitative and qualitative market research study. After completing the actual research survey study, the researcher will start analyzing the research survey study results. After finalizing the market research study, the researcher will submit the final paper to the marketing experts for further review and analysis. Getting the individual opinion of the marketing experts is necessary to ensure that the official marketing research study results are perfectly written when presented to the Department of Tourism in Kuwait. Upon receiving comments from the marketing experts, a span of one week time will be used in revising and formalizing the market research study report. As soon as the formal marketing research paper is ready, the researcher will informally discuss the quantitative and qualitative marketing research survey results to the head of the Department of Tourism in Kuwait before seeking approval to conduct a formal presentation with the staff of the Department of Tourism in Kuwait and the local travel agencies concerning the purpose of the research study, the proposed research method, the quantitative and qualitative research survey results, and the recommended solutions and conclusion on how the Department of Tourism in Kuwait and the local travel agencies could work together in terms of attracting more tourists coming from the United Kingdom to visit Kuwait. (See Appendix II – Proposed Research Schedule for the Marketing Research Study on page 18) X. Cost Feasibility Analysis and Breakdown The proposed marketing research study with randomly selected research participants will most likely be conducted within 2 to 3 days. Aside from the transportation and telecommunication costs that will occur while seeking for the approval of Department of Tourism in Kuwait during the first 2 weeks of the research schedule, the transportation costs, paper, printing expenses, and food expenses are needed to complete the actual research study. For the presentation that will be conducted during the formal meeting with the staff of the Department of Tourism in Kuwait including the local travel agencies, majority of the expected expenses will be mostly on food, travel, and printing expenses which may amount to approximately £2,770. (See Table I – Estimated Cost of the Proposed Research Study below) Table I - Estimated Cost of the Proposed Research Study Expected Expenses Pounds (£) Marketing Experts’ Fee 2,000 Food Allowances (14 days x 30) 420 Travel Expenses 250 Printing Expenses 100 Total Estimated Expenses 2,770 (Jan Wiid, 2010) XI. Marketing Research Fees Based on the feasibility cost of the proposed marketing research study, the quoted marketing research fees presented below are inclusive of VAT. The proposed marketing research fees are subject to the basic terms and conditions. Therefore, the presented marketing fees are subject to further changes when necessary. Table II – Computation of the Proposed Marketing Research Fees based on Feasibility Cost of the Proposed Marketing Study Expected Expenses Pounds (£) Total Estimated Expenses 2,770 Multiply by 250% 2.5 6,925 Appendix I – Quantitative and Qualitative Research Survey Questionnaire Sex: male ___ female ___ 1. Do you have plans on travelling outside the United Kingdom?  ( ) A. Yes B. No 2. Have you been to Kuwait? ( ) A. Yes B. No 3. Will you consider travelling to Kuwait? ( ) A. Yes B. No Note: If you are planning to travel to Kuwait, please proceed to the following questions. 4. Do you like visiting tourist spots? ___ Yes; ___ No; If No, why? ________________________ 5. Which of these tourist spots in Kuwait would you consider visiting?  (Number your choices with 1 as your preferred destination) _____ The Kuwait National Museum _____ Kuwait Municipal Gardens _____ The Liberation Tower _____ Failaka Island _____ The Kuwait Towers _____ Kuwait Science Club _____ Science and Natural History Museum _____ Liberation Monuments _____ Sadu House _____ The Scientific Center _____ The Tareq Rajab Museum _____ Mosques _____ Amusement and Recreational Parks _____ Bayt Al-Badir _____ Musical Fountain _____ Art and Artists 6. Are you into sports? ___ Yes; ___ No; If No, why? ________________________ 7. What kind of sports activities interests you? _____ Bowling _____ Marshall Arts _____ Swimming _____ Basketball _____ Tennis _____ Horseback Riding _____ Ice Skating _____ Car Rallies 8. Do you prefer your hotel room to have access to Wi-Fi? ( ) A. Yes B. No 9. Is the provision of modem/fax/data lines in bedroom important to you? ( ) A. Yes B. No 10. Would you prefer your room to be fully air-conditioned all the time? ( ) A. Yes B. No 11. Is the provision of the following laundry facilities important to you? Washing machine ___ Yes ___ No Tumble dryer ___ Yes ___ No Ironing facilities ___ Yes ___ No 12. Do you prefer a hotel that offers live entertainment such as band at least once a week? A. Yes B. No 13. Is the provision of the following important to you? Swimming pool ___ Yes ___ No Does the hotel have lifeguards in the pool area ___ Yes ___ No Is the pool area maintained clean ___ Yes ___ No 14. Are you planning to bring your child(ren) with you during your visit in Kuwait? ( ) A. Yes B. No 15. If yes, do you need the following facilities and services? ( ) Baby-sitting / watching or listening intercom services ___ Yes ___ No Supervised playrooms or safe playing area ___ Yes ___ No High chairs ___ Yes ___ No Special children’s menu ___ Yes ___ No 16. Are the following sports facilities important to you while you stay in a hotel? Golf course ___ Yes ___ No Tennis court ___ Yes ___ No Squash court ___ Yes ___ No Gym ___ Yes ___ No Spa ___ Yes ___ No 17. Are you willing to pay high price for a hotel room in exchange with all these facilities and services? A. Yes B. No 18. Would you consider travel to Kuwait again? ( ) A. Yes B. No C. Maybe 19. Would you recommend your friends to visit Kuwait? ( ) A. Yes B. No C. Maybe 20. What are your suggestions on how the Department of Tourism in Kuwait could improve its marketing strategies to attract more English travellers to visit Kuwait? ______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ *** Thank You! *** Appendix II – Proposed Research Schedule for the Marketing Research Study Write a marketing research proposal Seek support from the Department of Tourism in Kuwait Re: the Proposed Market Research Study Gather related materials for the literature review / desk research Prepare 100 Research Questionnaires Work on official research paper Conduct actual research survey study Analyze the research study results Finalize the research paper Submit research paper to marketing experts Complete revision if necessary Submit revised research paper Seek meeting schedule Conduct research reporting Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 References Anderson, P., 1983. Marketing, Scientific Progress, and Scientific. Method Journal of Marketing , pp. 18 - 31. Alhemoud, 2005. Managment Ethics Is Smart Business Formica, S., & Kothari, T. R., 2008. Strategic Destination Planning: Analyzing the Future of Tourism. Journal of Travel Research , 46(4), pp. 355 - 367. Kvale, S., 2006, August. Interviews: An Introdction to Qualitative Research Interviewing. in Richards, K. (Eds) 'Quality in Qualitative Research. Keith Richards IATEFL Research Sig Newsletter , 18. pp. 1 - 4. Leong, S., 1985. Metatheory and Metamethodology in Marketing: A Lakatosian Reconstruction. Journal of Marketing , 49, pp. 23 - 40. Patton, M., 1990. Qualitative Evaluation and Research Meth­ods. 2nd Ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publisher. Richards, K., 2003. Qualitative Inquiry in TESOL. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, Ltd. Richards, K., 2006. Quality in Qualitative Research. Keith Richards IATEFL Research Sig Newsletter , Issue 18, pp. 1 - 4. Jan Wiid, C. D. (2010). Marketing Research. 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