The Tanzania Tourist Board - Assignment Example

Introduction Changing the outcome of various organizations relies on the correct marketing mix and understanding of how to approach the needs within various communities. The scenario for the Tanzania Tourist Board is one that can use different marketing approaches to begin to change the tourist levels that come to Tanzania. Identifying new target markets, looking at various concepts of marketing and driving forward the economy forward relies on looking at other marketing concepts. The marketing mix as well as the alternatives that can be applied to the process of marketing will provide the tourist board with new considerations as they expand the tourist market to alternative possibilities for growth. Concept and Process of Marketing To ensure that the Tanzania Tourist Board is able to achieve the goals for an aggressive marketing campaign, there is the need to first identify the definitions of marketing. According to the American Marketing Association marketing consists of activities that are able to create, communicate and deliver various products or services to society. The information that is delivered is designed to offer a set of values through a business that will help clients, partners and society at large (AMA, 1, 2007). The basic definition of marketing is one that can be expanded on based on the levels of communication and delivery that is provided by the specific company, as well as the responses that are received from various areas of society. Even though this main concept is able to provide a basic focus for marketing, there are also other definitions that broaden the ability to market to others. One definition is based on the idea of adding value into a customer’s life, with the marketing having the ability to communicate messages that are designed to show the values and quality of products or services. However, for marketing to be effective there has to be the belief to the consumer that the product or service adds value to their life while carrying specific levels of quality for different needs. More importantly, there is the need to create relationships between the customer and the business so there is a sense of loyalty. Creating this partnership through communication of marketing is able to strengthen any business and add into the understanding of a specific product or service through the basis of value (Sheth, Uslay, 302, 2007). The current scenario with the Tanzania Tourist Board is one that requires a combination of definitions for better marketing. The main aspect of this is based on the idea of reaching to different segments of tourists that are interested in travelling. The holiday destinations that are given to the consumer need to have a high level of communication and creation of definitions of Tanzania that attract a diverse group of people. To do this effectively, there needs to be an understanding that the tourism to Tanzania will increase the value of their lives through experience and the ability to enjoy their time away from home. Creating quality through tourism and a sense of value that is a part of visiting the country will provide a loyal consumer base for tourism and will effectively help to increase the amount of tourists that visit the country. To achieve the goals of the Tanzania Tourist Board through the marketing is to define the characteristics and goals of the marketing oriented organization. The achievements of the organization will be based on delivering the right creation and marketing plan, specifically which is able to communicate the message of value to potential tourists. To begin doing this, there is the need to identify how marketing has changed while adding in new concepts, such as technology, to attract different segments of customers. To further this, the organization should be able to understand the orientation of the business such as the main products and services as well as the goals that the corporation desires to reach. The organization should follow this with the philosophies of potential customers that drive toward matching orientations. It is the philosophies of customers, as well as the orientation they follow that will determine the communication needed for the target market to show value and quality that is provided through the business (Brassington, Pettitt, 27, 2007). The marketing concepts that have to be used for the organization are based on the strengths and weaknesses that are added into the corporation. The concepts that should be included are profit, overhead, productivity and marketing orientation. The organization should be able to define and segment each of these areas while making predictions of the outcome that will occur through the way each relates to the other. For instance, the orientation and productivity will affect the profit and overhead that is created through organizations marketing efforts. The marketing concept should also include positioning of the company against competition and with the potential customers. Doing this will lead to promotions, increasing responses from customers and finding new and loyal customers that are interested in a specific business (Baker, 34, 2001). The elements of the marketing concepts then lead into the approach that is used, specifically through benefits and cost. The first benefit that is a part of the marketing used is based on the customer satisfaction that comes from the marketing used. This is followed by the quality, service and care that are provided. The marketing approach used should be able to define the expectations for quality and services that are received through the main business. To do this, relationship marketing should be used as well as the ideology of total quality marketing. The cost will reflect the benefits that the customers have, specifically by showing substantial increases in the amount of profit that is used within the company (Kotler, 42, 2004). Extended Marketing Mix The marketing mix that will be used with the Tanzania Tourist Board will be based on the 4 Ps that are used for communication and distribution. Using this will further the value of the tourism that is used within the region while building a complete understanding of what is occurring within the market. Currently, there is a lack of understanding with the main competition that is a part of tourism as well as what to sell to different types of tourists. The Tanzania Tourist Board has noted that the main segment used is for those that are interested in outdoor activities, such as going to beaches, climbing mountains or watching animals. However, there is not an understanding of how to reach different customers and how to overcome the main competition. The first aspect of the marketing mix is based on the products that can be developed against the competition. The current tourist destinations based on products are divided first by places around the world that individuals are interested in going to for either family or individual vacations. The products that are developed are based on attractions as well as leisure activities that are available. The activities include night life activities and natural sites that can be seen. These are further divided into land, air and water activities that are available. Entertainment and sports are then divided into specific products that are offered in various regions. Many will also add in additional activities by culture as well as through historical and artistic attractions. Each of the activities that are divided by region attracts several segments for the various leisure events that make the tourist attractions available (When we Get There, http://www.whenwegetthere.com/, 2010). For the Tanzania Tourist Board to compete with this there is the need to expand the available attractions in the area. Currently, all that is offered is based on natural attractions, such as Mount Kilimanjaro. To expand the products, there is the need to highlight the night life, entertainment, culture, at and culture of the region will develop the products against other competition that is in the industry. The second component that can be used for the Tanzania Tourist Board is the distribution that is arranged for customer convenience. Currently, the main distribution channels are based on North American and European markets, specifically with markets in Britain, Germany, France, Spain and Scandinavian countries. The main channel for advertising is on CNN, which has increased the amount of tourism in the last years. However, there isn’t an increase in the newer ways to advertise to those that want convenience in finding a vacation. Other areas for campaigns, such as the Internet, magazines based on vacation destinations and outlets that provide information on tourism are currently not being used. Other areas of distribution can also be considered, such as historical, cultural and natural magazines and PR areas. Creating segments of the target market and advertising in public relation areas will help to increase the tourist awareness while segmenting the market to adding in Tanzania as a destination for specific interests. A third element to consider for tourism is based on the prices that are a part of the packages. In 2008, there was an average of 800,000 tourists that brought in close to $1 billion with an anticipation of 750,000 tourists coming in 2009 for a profit of $950 million. From the past, this offers a substantial increase from other years, which will allow the tourism board to expand with the prices available. The prices that need to be included should be based on building tourist accommodations, such as better roads and accommodation areas available in various regions of Tanzania. The prices will need to reflect the objectives and market conditions by matching the increased interest to the region. If there is an upgrade in the overall environment, as well as the available activities, then it will be possible to get reoccurring activity to Tanzania, as well as reviews of experiences that help to increase the amount of tourism that is in the region. Another component that will be added into the marketing mix is the promotional activity that is included for tourists. The promotional activity will be divided into market segments that are interested in different aspects of Tanzania, all which will go into different forms of print and into information that is available on the Internet. The more that this is done, the more likely it will increase the response from tourists while helping to create sustainability with the growth into the region. The marketing objectives can be furthered by promoting special prices and features that are included in options such as marketing packages. Integrating into tourist destinations and adding this into the overall marketing mix will help to offer higher levels of quality to those interested in visiting the region while providing added value into the region. To further the tourism that is from the Tanzania Tourist Board, there will need to be extra elements that are added into the mix. The soft elements of marketing that will be included in the mix consist of physical evidence and process management. The physical evidence that is a part of the mix will need to be advertised through highlights of the country that will draw different individuals to the country. This should be combined with images of some of the best accommodations that are available within the country. Highlighting this with responses from tourists that continue to go to the destination and showing that it creates value through experiences will help to increase the interest to Tanzania. The process management that is included with this should link to different travel agencies and the internal organization. The 200,000 employees that work within tourism should be highlighted within this, all which will need to be looked into for specific services offered. Looking at different branches that are related to tourism and redefining how they work will help to increase the interest to Tanzania while showing a combination of services and activities that provide comfort while individuals are on a vacation. Conclusion Applying a marketing mix to the Tanzania Tourist Board will help to create a different approach to the available options that are in the country. Currently, there is not a defined mix that is used for different market segments and is limited to highlighting the country through a basic target of different countries. Expanding this to various activities and changing the destination by upgrading the tourist option can help to provide more attractiveness to Tanzania. More importantly, this will help the country to move into the main competition from other countries. The process management and physical environment will need to change for complete effectiveness. The environment will need to combine with new outlets and promotional activities that are a part of the marketing mix, all which will lead to a higher return and amount of interest from tourists who are interested in taking a vacation to Tanzania. Self – Evaluation While putting together the marketing evaluation for the Tanzania Tourist Board, I recognized that there were different definitions that had to be applied at a practical level. Rather than just understanding the theories of marketing, as well as the basic definitions, the scenario required practical evaluations of how to apply various concepts. More importantly, the scenario allowed for a different understanding of what was required to be effective with the definitions provided. Putting together a formula through the marketing mix that would lead to complete results was one of the main challenges that had to be worked through when looking at this scenario. When beginning to look at the definitions and examples of a marketing organization, was the ability to understand the theories from a specific perspective. While writing this paper, I was able to evaluate how each of these would work in a given situation, specifically by defining the concepts first. However, when applying this to the scenario, a different angle had to be approached to get the right return. Specifically, there was the need to find alternative ways to apply the definition to a scenario. To do this effectively, the theories that were used had to be looked at with the given information from the tourist board, as well as from outside sources. The more that the information was compared in relation to tourism, the easier it became to define what had to be done and how to communicate effectively with tourists. My weakness in writing this paper was to try to find ways to apply the theories and concepts given into practical application. However, as this was done, my understanding of how marketing works was able to increase and was easier to apply. References American Marketing Association. (2007). Definition of Marketing. Retrieved from: http://www.marketingpower.com/aboutama/pages/definitionofmarketing.aspx. Baker, Michael. (2001). Marketing: Critical Perspectives on Business and Management. New York: Routledge. Brassington, F, Pettitt, S. (2007). Essentials of Marketing: Business Essentials. New York: Financial Times Press. Kotler, P, G Armstrong. (2004). Principles of Marketing 4th Edition. London: Prentice Hall. Sheth, Jagdish, Can Uslay. (2007). “Implications of the Revised Definition of Marketing: From Exchange to Value Creation.” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing (26), (2). When We Get There. (2010). Fun Things to Do Around the World. Retrieved from: http://www.whenwegetthere.com/. Read More