In-Depth Analysis of Tourism Australia - Essay Example

?Tourism Executive Summary This paper takes an in-depth analysis of tourism Australia as one of the destination marketing organization in Australia. It looks at the marketing strategies used by the organization to reach the international as well as domestic visitors to various tourist attraction sites in Australia. It also looks at specific destinations that are marketed by tourism Australia such as the Ningaloo Reef and shark bay. Other aspects of the paper include the type and statistics on the number of visitors that visit Ningaloo reef, the destinations that are main competitors to Ningaloo and tourism Australia, market segments, discussion on Visiting Friends and relatives (VFR), a discussion on the tourism Australia’s website and the rationale on the types of tourist segments. Introduction Tourism activities all over the world take place at particular destinations. Destinations are very important parts of tourism since they determine whether the country is exciting to tourists or not. Most tourists get attracted to various destinations in the world through destination marketing organizations. In Australia, the marketing of various tourist destinations is done by an organization known as tourism Australia. A destination may refer to any location in any country. However, tourists may define destinations to mean those naturally attractive sites that are pleasing to explore. Destination can be a specific geographical area or a combination of several locations. Further, in the perspective of a tourist, destination can be defined as any area that has appealing attributed and services that would enable them choose the place for their leisure purposes. To succeed in destination marketing, organization such as tourism Australia should undertake a thorough analysis of the market. They should also determine other competitive destinations that can pose challenges to the Australian tourism sector. The analysis of the market should include the assessment of factors such as hotel accommodations, nature, historic sites and other attractions in the tourist destination. Other aspects that must be considered by the destination marketing organizations include security and the cleanliness of the place (Svarcas, Cass & Australian National Audit Office 5). Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay, Western Australia Ningaloo reef is an exciting place to visit in Australia. It is also one of the best tourist attraction sites where tourists can watch as swim with the world’s largest fish known as shark. The sharks congregate in this place shortly after the collection of coral spawning; this takes place in every third month of the year. Ningaloo reef is located in the North West region of Australia and is approximately 1200km from Perth. In addition, the reef is about 260 km in length and is the only reef in Australia that is located close to a landmass. The reef is also famous for its ability to allow for the feeding and the mating of sharks. This reefs provides a favorable breeding ground to ensure that the number of sharks do not reduce to extinction levels. There are several species of fish as coral that constitute the Ningaloo reef which attract several tourists to the site every year (Ningaloo par 1). Shark Bay Shark bay has one of the best coastal scenery and islands that provide exciting leisure adventures to tourists. Shark bay is located in the western part off Australia and has an area of about 4,800 km2. Other exciting species of animals that live in Shark bay include the Dugong and the Stromatolites. Stromatolites are members of the algae family that is said to be some of the ancient forms of life the world. The shark bay Tourist attraction is an important site in providing habitat for several endangered species of animals. Some of the endangered species of animals in Australia are actually found in this tourist site. The endangered species of animals include the Boodie, Rufous, Hare-Wallaby, Banded Hare Wallaby, the shark bay mouse and the Western barred. These species of animals provide exciting holiday venture to tourists that visit the site. Shark bay is also one of the most famous monument sites in the world (Tod, Hughes, Wood, Lewis and Chandler 45). Types of Tourists that Visit Ningaloo Reef Tourists that visit the Ningaloo reef come from all over the world. Tourism Australia has been able to market the destination in their website. This has made it possible for all individuals who have easy IT services such as internet across the world to see for themselves the attractive nature and the exciting features of the Ningaloo reef. Tourists, together with their families, come to the reef in all seasons of the year. In order to achieve success in advertising Ningaloo reef to the word, Tourism Australia has been able to effectively undertake market segmentation. Tourism Australia has been able to group its customers based on the number, their geographic location, and according to their behaviors. These factors are used by tourism Australia to influence the kinds of tourism products that they sell to the international market. International visitors to Ningaloo come from Europe, Africa. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United States of America, and Canada. Despite its location, Ningaloo attracts several foreign visitors to Australia every year. However, the majority of the visitors to the side are majorly western Australian visitors. Other visitors from Victoria and new south wakes also constitute a larger percentage of domestic tourists visiting the tourist attraction site. The two most important international countries that contribute the largest amount of international visitors to Ningaloo include Germany and Britain. In total, Europe constitutes about 87.7 % of the international visitors (Tod, Hughes, Wood, Lewis and Chandler 10). Table 1: Australian visitor state of residence state count percent Western Australia 809 70.8% Queensland 68 6.0% Victoria 108 9.5% South Australia 41 3.6% New South Wales 95 8.3% Tasmania 11 1.0% Northern Territory 6 0.55 ACT 4 0.4% Total response 1142 Courtesy of Tod, Hughes, Wood, Lewis and Chandler 8 Table 2. International Visitors to the Ningaloo Coastal Region Country of Origin count Percent UK 115 29.6% Germany 86 22.1% Rest of Europe 67 17.2% Ireland 31 8.0% Switzerland 24 6.2% North America 23 5.9% Netherlands 18 4.6% Other 15 3.9% Asia 10 2.6% Total response 389 Courtesy of Tod, Hughes, Wood, Lewis and Chandler 9) Due to its closeness no the beach, the few international visitors and Australian visitors compared to Exmoth is surprising. However the high number of west Australian visitors into Ningaloo may is due to its ongoing popularity fin the region. The natives are able to book their holiday trips to Ningaloo early during peak season; this is very important since they will be able to have adequate accommodation facilities at the Reef. The need to tour Ningaloo by both international and interstate visitors is growing, however, its location on a fragile environment needs necessary planning and monitoring to avoid environmental degradation of this very important home for several species of plants and animals. Main Competitors to Tourism Australia Competitors to Tourism Australia include; Tourism NSW, NT Tourist Commission, Geelong-Otway Tourism, Goldfields Tourism, Shipwreck Coast Tourism, Bendigo Tourism, and Ballarat Tourism. The destination marketing organizations compete to have a wider access to the market. The more tourists a DMO can access, the more profitability is the organization. Further, these organizations compete in marketing various tourist attraction sites in Australia. Various DMOs while trying to market their destinations ensure that they describe the market in some detail, which may involve the number of tourists, their geographical origin, or even their lifestyle. Destination marketing can be challenging if a given DMO does not adequately determine the market characteristic such as the number of visitors. Engaging in market assessment ensures that factors such as how much a tourist is able to spend and their number is very important to any organization because they strive to market various destinations in most viable markets. In Australia, the destination marketing organizations also have various branches within and outside the country, charged with the promotion of various tourist attraction sites. The main regions that are predominantly competing with Ningaloo reef and shark bay include; Kimberly, Kakadu, Red centre, Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, Blue Mountains, Byron Bay, Flinders Ranges, Australian Alps, Kangaroo Islands and Great ocean road. Competition in destination marketing is done through the social media, websites, and television and through magazines and news papers. However, in order to reach a wider market all over the world, various destination marketing organizations have changed their advertising strategies to majorly involve the e-marketing strategies. Visitors can access important information about tourist destination sites in Australia through websites and social media sites such as face book, MySpace, Tumbir, Google and twitter. Destinations Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) Tourism Australia encourages tourists within Australia and those from other regions of the world to visit their friend and family in west Australia state. In particular, the destination marketing organization ensures that British tourists reunite with their loved ones in the several Britons living in Western Australia (Research tourism Western Australia 16). The British communities that live in west Australia are known as expat Brits. Further, tourism Australia has launched a campaign to influence expat Brits to invite their friends from Britain to visit them. In addition, they also have a promotional program where the families and friends are able to win an amazing holiday. The promotion is only limited to four family or friends (Tourism Australia par 1). The tourism Australia visiting friends and relative program (VFR) is being done in collaboration with the expat magazine known as “Whingeing pom”. The campaign also stresses on the availability of holiday deals that visitors can enjoy while in west Australia making it the best season to visit friends and relatives living in west Australia (Tourism Australia par 2). Visitors with families and friends in Western Australia are required to describe in about 35 words, which friends and relatives they would like to spend their leisure time while in Western Australia. The main factors considered by the judges in this promotion is to identify the most unique and hilarious description of Western Australia. The winners get a change to experience their holiday in Western Australia with their best preferred destinations with friends and relative (Tourism Australia par 3). The terms of the VFR state that the winner will get to experience Western Australia holiday as well get a chance to witness some of the exciting tourist attraction sites in west Australia such as Perth and wildlife adventures at Rockingham, the Ningaloo reef and best experiences in the Kimberly. In addition, the winner was also expected to collect a prize worth $20,000. Other attractive packages to the winner included first class air flight from Perth to the UK (Tourism Australia par 4). Apart from the VFR campaign, tourism Australia also engages in a number off exciting travel experiences in Western Australia. They provide to the visitors real stories about travel and tours as well as travel ideas and itineraries. Approximately, 45 percent of British visitors in west Australia recommend spending their holiday with friends and families. Western Australia has large expat Brits that have most friends and families that were originally born in the UK (Tourism Australia par 5). Analysis of Tourism Australians Website Tourism Australia’s website has been professionally designed. The web site has been decorated by the various attractive pictures that are aimed at attracting tourists to the various tourist attraction sites in Australia. Customers can immediately identify the tourist locations that suit their tastes and preferences by looking at the pictures displayed. The website links and menus have been well organized into must see Australian destinations, things to see and do in Australia, special offers, find a travel agent, accommodation, facts about Australia and many more colorful and attractive links. In addition, the writings on the website are visible, they have been written using visible fonts and designs that are attractive to tourists. Customers can access the website through the facebook sign up and login link. Tourism Australia is also available through twitter and facebook. Customers can tweet the information or like the page by using face book, this enables tourism Australia to reach several customers all over the world with a lot of ease. Customers can email or ask a question to the Tourism Australia’s customer service through the website. Further, the website gives opportunity to customers to buy and book their travel online. Customers can book their travel through PayPal, MasterCard and visa by placing their orders online; they can also view the status of bookings by entering their email and a confirmation number. Information on tourist attraction sites such as Kimberly, Kakadu, Red centre, Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, Blue Mountains, Byron Bay, Flinders Ranges, Australian Alps, Kangaroo Islands and Great ocean road have been provided in the website so that visitors can wisely choose the destination that suits their likes and preferences. In addition, attractive pictures on the location of these tourist sites have also been attractively displayed in the website. Through promotion research, companies can be sure they are listening to the voice of customers. Marketing research involves preparation, gathering and analyzing data crucial to marketing decision. The outcome of marketing research is often sent to the management. In most cases, the information collected includes customer likes and dislikes, product perceived benefits, and consumer lifestyles. In the case of Tourism Australia, they use marketing research to test messages, taste and dislikes and the importance of displaying attractive pictures in their website. Tourism Australia’s creative staffs are aware of which types of pictures will sell best in the market place. Tourist Segments Tourism Australia aims at improving their market presence in both international levels. Effective market cover in the international market and domestic market require marketing Australia’s tourism attraction sites through international business events. These events will target international visitors who would like to visit Australia for their leisure activities thus spend more and do more while in Australia. The number and the taste and preferences of tourists may differ in different markets. The major segments of ,markets crucial to tourism Australia include china, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan south Korea, Singapore, middle east, Malaysia, Germany, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India, Canada, France, brazil, Vietnam, Italy and other markets Research tourism Western Australia 16). Tourism Australia continues to undertake market assessment to determine customer likes and dislikes concerning their products and services. The main aim in concentrating in the international market is to determine those market segments that will contribute to large amounts of foreign exchange in the next two years. In the years between 2011-2013, the market segments are very crucial to tourism Australia include; category one: worth over $3 billion by 2015, they include USA, China, UK and Australia; category two are worth over $2 billion by 2015, they include new Zealand, Japan and south Korea. Other important segments of the market include Germany Singapore, Middle East, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Canada and France; they are worth over $1 billion by 2015 (Research tourism Western Australia 20). To achieve success in their marketing strategies, tourism Australia must invest more resources in reaching visitors in category one segment of the market by 2015. Tourism Australia cannot work in isolation but work in collaboration with other partners to market their tourist destinations. The collaboration with other partners ensures that more tourists are encouraged to visit Australia. In the domestic market, their main role is to keep on urging the locals to visit the tourist attraction sites in their country. This can be done through creating awareness on the need to take a domestic holiday venture. Reaching visitors in the international market requires the effective use of current marketing communications. Successful marketing will require the delivery of correct and relevant information to tourists concerning the tourist destinations in Australia. The most current channels of communication that are used by tourism Australia include the digital and social media sites. Tourism Australia is committed to advertising Australia’s profile and reputation as the best tourist destination site in the world. Their marketing communications raise urgency to tour Australia. They also increase knowledge as well as create an important image in the minds of tourists on what Australia has to offer the potential tourist. Crucial marketing charnels at tourism Australia include brand advertising and cooperative advertising with their partners. Other strategies include their website; Australia.com; public relations, search engine optimization, promotions and other events that encourage the passing of information through word of mouth. Conclusion Destination marketing organizations such as tourism Australia are very important to tourism industry in Australia. They ensure that both domestic and international tourists receive accurate information concerning the services and the state of various tourist attraction sites in Australia. Without effective marketing, no foreign exchange can be earned from tourism. Tourism is a major contributor to the economy; therefore, poor marketing strategies will only lead to decline in revenue collection in this very important sector in Australia’s economy. In addition, inadequate marketing of Australia by various DMOs can lead to loss of employment. Tourism is a major source of employment in Australia. To succeed in their mandate, various DMOs must share their goals and aims with the government on the characteristics of the international visitor. This will enable the government and the DMOs to design appropriate measures to develop quality Australian products and services concerning tourist attraction sites. The destination marketing organizations should accurately implement their understanding of booth the internal and international visitors’ tastes and preferences so bas to help in investment attraction. The government should also give necessary support to these destination marketing organizations to get access to the international tourism infrastructure in the bid to develop a more attractive Australia for future tourists. Generally, destination marketing organizations (DMO) provide useful information to tourists concerning the availability of accommodation facilities in a particular tourist attraction sites. They are also charged with the advertising of the destination to both foreign and international visitors. Some destination marketing organizations like tourism Australia provide travel services to their customers. It should also be noted that identifying the correct market segments will enable any destination marketing organization achieve their objectives as far as revenue collection is concerned. Without channeling marketing to the right market segment, destination marketing organizations are bound to fail. Finally, destination marketing organizations must identify their main competitors. This will enable them design their products in a unique way so as to survive in the ever competitive market where customer needs are the main factors to consider. Works Cited Research Tourism Western Australia. Quarterly Visitor Snapshot-Year Ending September 2010. Tourism Western Australia. 2010. Svarcas Anne, Cass Barbara & Australian National Audit Ofice. Tourism Australia. Sydney. Australian National Audit Office. 2008. Tod Jones, Hughes Micheal, Wood David, Anna Lewis and Philippa Chandler. “Ningaloo Coat Region Visitor statistics Collected for the Ningaloo Destination Modeling Project.” Queensland, Goal Coast. 2009. Tourism Australia. Media release 7th September, 2009. Web. 17 May, 2012 www.westernaustralia.com/expat. Tourism Australia. Ningaloo. N.d. Web. 17 May, 2012 http://www.australia.com/explore/icons/ningaloo.aspx Read More