Marketing Strategy - Majorca Culture and Heritage Tours - Case Study Example

Majorca Culture and Heritage Tours

Introduction

Majorca is among the four Balearic Islands in Spain. It is synonymous for its tourist attractions sites as it places a key role in the Spanish tourism sector. The island is 80 kilometres square wide with approximately 550kilometers of sand beach coastline. The beaches contain white sand and clear waters which are ideal for coastal shore sports such as water diving, fishing, scuba, windsurfing, sailing as well as even surfing. The island is also famous for its golf courses as the surrounding is suitable for all levels of the game. Majorca Island’s countryside places an important role in its tourism bid (Kozak et al, 2002. 68). The outstanding Sierra de Tramuntana Mountains’ goes up to 1400 meters above sea level which creates a good site for the oversight of impending dangers. This aspect creates a sense of security in the island since navy officers have a camp at this spot. The island is cheap to explore as it has hiking trails and host routes both in the in land and along the coast. Culture is a vital element in the island. The island has an extensive period of concerts, festivals, literature events, art exhibitions, historic ancient towns and excellent night events such as fashion and bonfire events. The island also invites visitors who are majorly football fanatics to watch matches in the Iberostar stadium that plays host to Real Club Deportivo Mallorca which places in the Spanish Segunda division challenge.

Product description

The core product of Mallorca Culture and Heritage Tourism is the urban and rural cultural tours. The urban cultural tour comprises of the Palma city which is the capital of Mallorca as well as the major business district in the island. The Palma has a diversity of culture beginning from its infrastructure to the social capital. For instance, the Cathedral de Mallorca is located in Palma city. The Catholic Church is famous for its Golithic architecture that is perceived to have taken 500 years of construction. This aspect makes it one of the major tourist attraction sites for scientists and historians all over the world. The hotels in Palma town perpetuate the town’s riches in cultural diversity (Essex & Newnham, 2004. P14) . For instance, the Santa Clara Spa and Hotel a series of cultural aspects such as the Arab baths used in the tenth century and interior decorations of stone walls as well as wooden beans which are exposed with a current sleek design. Despite being finished with an ancient design, the hotel is equipped with modern technology such as satellite televisions, air conditioning, Wi-Fi access and safes together with mini-bars. The rural section is equally full of cultural diversity. There are three major tourist attraction villages in Mallorca. These are; the Valldemossa, Deia and the Soller. Valldemossa is a village in Majorca rural areas famous for its contribution to the tourism sector in the region. It is known as the home of Royal Charterhouse of Valldemossa which was built in the 14th century. The charter house was the home of Ramon Llull. He is described as one of the eminent philosophers in the beginning of the 14th century. Deia is a coastal village located 16 kilometres from Valldemossa. It is best known for a rich a rich musical and literature culture. Soller village is located 3 kilometres from port Soller. The village has a population of approximately 14,000 people and is famous for hosting most of the cultural festivals in Majorca. The Daniel Leslie and Mariana Sigala say young people tend to be interested in cultural tourism as compared to old people in Europe. Many Europeans between the age of 16 and 35 years visit cultural centres and tourism sites during their short break period (Gyte, 1988. P 7). This analysis affirms that Majorca is a good site for tourism as it is located in south Western Europe. British tourist registered the highest number of travellers in search of culture and diversity. Mintel says that 43% of people I between the age of 16 and 30 years engage in culture and heritage tourism (Mintel web).

• • Cultural and heritage travel in Europe

The chart presents an analysis of cultural and heritage tours in the summer holidays. The graph presents an analysis that perpetuates a large number of people in Europe love traveling to places with culture and heritage and activities such as festivals, famous monuments, live music, art galleries, religious buildings and historic buildings. The analysis was compiled by the VisitBritain organisation in the year 2013. In this case, Majorca culture and heritage tour is strategically positioned as it offers all the services that tourist traveller use during the summer and winter holidays in Europe.

Objective

Majorca culture and heritage tours aims at creating partnership with various work organisations and schools in the ain of targeting the majority of travel groups in Europe. The concept entails an organised strategy that creates a link between various employers all over the world so thus providing discount in accommodation and travel expenses during retreats as well as academic trips. Many young people fear spending extravagantly in trip but find it convenient to travel in staff trips organised by their organisation or academic retreats established by schools. Majorca culture and heritage tour aims at capitalizing on this aspect in order to expand its global market.

Strength

Majorca is strategically placed in a position that is favourable compared to its competitors. Many tourists is in Europe prefer a site that is rich in diversity. Majorca is rich in traditional culture, sports and historic structures. Majorca is a good site for student as it helps the m move away from the class monotony (Sampol et al, 1996 p 350). In this case, students make a significant percentage in Majorca culture and heritage tour market. Contiki is a travelled analyst who analysed the efficiency of Mallorca as a tourist attraction site. In his analysis, Mallorca is the most preferred tourist destination for UK students. This is due to the cultures that blend with activities which youth partake during their summer and winter holidays in the United Kingdom. Nightlife is one of the famous cultures among the youth in the UK. This aspect makes Mallorca a good tour site for students from the UK. It also makes it a favourable tour site compared to its major competitors such as Barcelona who offer sports as the major tourist attraction event (Yoon et al, 2009 p 48). Mallorca has a good security system that ensures the safety of its visitors. Located in the middle of a large water body, the island contains high points which are used to view impending security threats. The island is perceived to be safe as it contains no record of terror threat as well as incidences resulting from terrorism threats. Residence in Mallorca treasures a peaceful existence in the area as they value hospitability cultural endorsement. The area’s culture supports the accommodation of foreigner thus inspiring the local dwellers to extend their culture through teaching people from various parts of the world.

The island offers a product that is suitable for the environment thus promote environmental sustainability. The diversity of culture is one of the key elements of environmental sustainability (Kent et.al, 2002. p 17). Environmentalist believes the diversity in culture offers a positive attitude towards the relation with the environment. Various cultures contain norms that are suitable for environmental conservation. In this case, the passing of cultural practises from one community to the other presents positive approach towards environmental conservation. The island provides reduced expenses in terms of accessibility and navigation. It has inland routes that enable tourist to move independently inside the cultural villages. There are host routes that enable tourists to move along the coast. Mallorca has a typical Mediterranean climate which consists of warm temperatures with seasonal rain as well as hot and dry summers. This form of weather is favourable for tourism in the region. Most students in the UK target the summer season to take tours to cultural and heritage sites. Mallorca geographical structure is physically shaped by the sea. This geological structure makes the place experience warm and calm temperatures. The sea regulates climatic features thus making the place suitable for cultural practices. Mallorca is rich in cultural resources which makes it suitable for hosting cultural festival. Mallorca villages host the variety of cultural festivals throughout the year.

Weaknesses

Majorca faces a stiff competition from similar islands. For instance, the Canary Islands in Spain offer similar products and share a common market with Majorca. Tenerife and Gran Canaria islands are the most famous islands for culture and heritage tours. In this case, it is for upcoming island such as Majorca to compete with ready established brands such as the Gran Canaria and Tenerife islands.

Opportunities

The Island of Majorca practises a unique culture and heritage approach. Majorca culture and heritage tours capitalises on the use of cultural events and nightlife to capture its customers. This is unlike other tourist attraction centres in Spain which focus on sports and other recreation activities as the core marketing concepts of their brand. Majorca culture and heritage tours also employs the concept of food culture its marketing strategy. Food is among the most essential element in tourist cultural attraction. In this case, it provides the island with a favourable platform for competition as the concept is new in the market.

Threats

Tourism in Spain is threatened by a high rate of racial segregation and external terrorism. This aspect affects the performance of many tourism companies in the countries. Despite the assured security offered in the Majorca Island, the threat of terror attracts tend to scare tourist who might be willing to visit the tourism site. As a result, the Majorca culture and heritage tours face a stiff competition from numerous similar ventures in terror free areas around the world.

Tactical approach

Marketing is a very process in a business. It is how the business is positioned to satisfy the market’s needs. A 4P’s analysis of Mallorca shows its position in the market with regards to consumer needs. The 4P’s are critical elements in marketing products. They are: product, price, place and promotion. Each of the 4P’s is a control that serves to attract customers and as such the success of a business depends on it (Laws 1995).

Product

Product is a term that is used to refer to the goods and services that are offered to the customers. Aside from the product itself, some other side aspects of the product like packaging are also considered. Other aspects like warranty, brand name and after sale services are also under this classification. Mallorca has a lot of products to offer to the tourists visiting the area. The Rocky Tramuntana Mountains to the North West offer great areas for tourists who like hiking. The mountains are also a source of attraction to mountain climbers who like tackling the Rocky Mountains. The area also has a hot Mediterranean weather that serves as a source of attraction for tourists who like sunny areas. The natural beauty makes the place a great source of tourist attraction. In addition to these, the beautiful and vast beaches in the area provide multiple options from which the tourists can choose from (Sheldon & Dwyer 2010). The area also has varying resorts and a wide range of sports and other tourist activities. It therefore means that the tourists will not lack something to entertain them in the island. Mallorca has a wide range of high quality locally produced goods that are a great source of attraction apart from the natural beauty, beaches and mountains. The local wine is a very good example of the products that are offered in the island. The Majorcan pearls are also a unique Mallorca product that is being demanded worldwide. The island also has a unique fashion. For instance, the Tony Mora boots are manufactured in the island. In addition to these, the island offers unique traditional foods, for instance the infamous ensaimada that is taken as breakfast among the locals and millions of other tourists. The area thus offers unique products and these products meet the needs of the target group.

Price

Price is used to refer to the amount that the business or company charges for its products or services. The pricing should reflect the appropriate position of the business in the market and should be able to cover for cost of items and also cover for the product margin. The price should be able to add a profit to the cost of the product, should be competitive, and should be value based. Mallorca has pricing that accommodates various social classes, but it may be deemed a little bit more expensive as compared to its counterparts like Barcelona. But comparing the pricing with the services that are offered at the island, it can be seen as fair. For example, Placa dén Coll is a town that is located in the island with a lot of bars and cafes where tourists can get affordable meals for less than 15 Euros. The transportation is cheap, at 15 Euros a day. Even though it is higher than other towns, the fee includes tours to more places with different diversities. There are other areas such as the marineland zoo which is an entire day experience for 20 euros only. The place is great for children and adults alike. The entrance to museums averages at 5 euros for adults and 3 euros for children. For example, the Pueblo Espanol Museum is designed like a miniature village and contains major classical works of various Spanish artists. There are several artisan shops in the museum and it is a great place to spend the day. There are other great museums too, and the average entrance fee for these is 5 euros (Kozak et al, 2004 pg. 136). Mallorca has great places to visit, great places to offer. The pricing may be a little bit higher than other areas, but it is a great value for money. The tourists visiting the area cannot feel overcharged because of the amazing places one can visit and the amazing things one can do at Mallorca. The prices may be a little bit higher but they reflect the quality of what the customers expect back, and that is what they are given.

Promotion

Promotion refers to the selling and advertising section of marketing. This is letting people know what is being offered for sale. Promotion helps people understand the products, how they can put the product to use, and why they should consume the product. The promotion should contain a clear message in order to be effective (Vives Miró 2011). The sites of attractions, activities and other areas of recreation are highly promoted in Mallorca. The hotels are promoted through daily magazines, television and online. For example, Hotel Sentido Castell de Mar is situated in the coastal town of Mallorca, and it is promoted in daily magazines, weeklies and monthly journals. The hotel is also marketed online, with ads in hoteltravel.com and other ad sites. The island is promoted worldwide in other areas like Beijing Olympics where they advertised cycling routes. These serve as a way of exposing the island as the ideal tourist destination and thus will definitely attract tourists. For example when advertising about the hotels, they give the location of the hotel, the services that are offered by the hotel, and the price. Hotel features like guestroom features are also included in the promotions, and the expected expenses in the hotel are also mentioned. Where food is served, the promotion informs the user (Yoon & Uysal, 2009 p 50) . For example, Hotel Sentido Castell de Mar has a Jacuzzi, a swimming pool and other facilities for leisure and this is shown in their promotions. This serves to inform the user on the product being offered, the specifications and the price. The promotions in Mallorca also features the availability dates. For example, for some specific festivals, the available time is shown by the promotions which clearly mark the start and the end of the event. The clarity of this information that is relayed to the tourists helps them to plan themselves financially and mentally, and to plan their timeframe too.

Place

Place or distribution is a vital part in the market mix. The position or distribution of an item determines its accessibility to buyers and thus influences sales. In position, an understanding of the target market is vital. In Mallorca, location is very vital for the number of tourists that the island gets. The location of the island is very vital. It is located to the east of Spain whilst its main sources of attraction are located to the southwest areas. Its position means that it is easily accessible from the capital city of Spain. The location is very vital as it means that the island is easily accessible and thus giving it a huge boost. The area has mountainous regions, but they are only two of them and thus road transport is easy in the island (Franquesa, 2011. P 1021). The location of the island and its geography facilitates cheaper road and rail transport. It is also located near the Mediterranean climate. This position is vital in its climate and this is one of the major sources of attraction. Most tourists visit the area during the summer because of the warm temperatures that the island experiences. Thus this location serves as both a source of a conducive environment for tourism and a source of a great climate to support the biodiversity in the island. The location of the island is very vital in determining the number of tourists that visit the place yearly, and it thus gives it an advantage over other destination areas. The location of the tourist attraction areas is also vital. They are located in strategic locations, not far from each other and thus eventually reduce the cost of transport to visit different areas (Hof & Blázquez-Salom, 2013. P 33). This location gives the island its identity and also serves as a great source of pulling tourists to the island.

The 4P’s analysis discusses the position of Mallorca in terms of pricing, products offered, place and distribution and promotion. The island is in a good position in the market as compared with other destination areas.

Conclusion

Majorca culture and heritage tours offer a fair travel and accommodation fear for its customers. In this case, the strategy captures a wide range market of schools and organisations. Majorca Island is strategically placed thus presents a ready market for its products. The islands climate is favourable for tourism (Rico-Amoros et al, 2009 p 500). This aspect justifies the quality of the product and service delivery in the tourist attraction site. The island of Majorca presents a strategic method of minimising threats such as terrorism in the region thus making it a safe a suitable tour site.