Strategic Marketing Planning - Essay Example

? Strategic Marketing Planning Strategic Marketing Planning Introduction As d by the World Travel and Tourism Convention, the most prevalent industry in the business realm is Tourism, Leisure, Hospitality and Event. The industry accounts for over 10 percent of most countries’ Gross Domestic Products. The city of Mandurah is one of the most spectacular local capitals in Western Australia (Middleton 2009, p. 112). Since the mid-1900s, the city has seen persistent swift progress as a water holiday terminus. Contemporarily, it is one of the chief tourist sites in Western Australia, providing pulsating shipping canal and unrivaled holiday accommodation. Positioned on the gorgeous seaboard nearly 70 kilometers south of Perth, the city of Mandurah boasts of a complex balance of the interior city and the countryside living between the vast watercourses of the Peel-Harvey River mouth, the Indian Ocean along with the subordinate stretches of the Serpentine River. Apparently, the year on year mean number of tourists visiting the city of Mandurah is approximated at 280,300. The city has persistently maintained its stake of Experience Perth tourist turnouts and faintly increased guest spend. Nonetheless, the aggregate number of tourists has rapidly deteriorated in the recent years. The tourism sector contributes roughly $233 million along with over 1000 jobs to the country’s annual economy. Moreover, the tourist, hospitality and leisure sector has every so often been the main economic activity for Mandurah (Norton 2012, p. 261). However, lasting destination policies must be established to attract more leisure guests, especially on commercial tourism, hospitality and events. Mandurah Tourism Strategic Marketing Plan is the result of the recurrent investigations and discussions that have often been conducted to improve the sector accordingly. The key intent of the strategic marketing plan is to lead Mandurah and its environs into a state in which it can efficiently deliver a reasonable tourism industry. Mission Statement The mission of Mandurah’s tourism sector is to deliver on the city’s brand objective of revitalizing experiences while at the same time safeguarding sustainability and economic progress for the community in corporation with the private sector. This strategic marketing plan provides an outline for apt planning, management and marketing in Mandurah and the region for the next five years (Kelph 2010, p. 72). Besides, it is meant for all interested parties devoted to the coordinated expansion of the tourism, leisure and events sector in Mandurah and its environs. Basically, the strategic goal is to make certain that Mandurah and the surrounding establish a viable, vivacious and flourishing tourism industry. The plan is utterly based on sustainability and partnership as its key guiding policies. The management’s decision making takes into account the contribution of tourism to the vast society in terms of social welfare, economic progress, and distribution of resources along with environmental conservation. The strategy also embraces partnership with both the public and private sectors to capitalize on the existing wealth. Financial Summary The economic alarms, skyrocketing costs, intensifying competition as well as the unpredictable fluctuations in end user perception all depict the contemporarily progressing nature of the tourism, leisure, events and hospitality sector (Lumsdon 1997, p. 67). As a result, syndicates within the industry must uphold a well-founded grip on the fluctuating consumer wishes as well as taste inclinations to persistently create goods and services that ultimately satisfy consumer needs. In the present day, operational upheavals encompass consumer security, association, extension and customer allegiance along with labor recruitment and retention. Fundamentally, brand cognizance attracts vital concentration as the industry rummages around for fresh openings to establish dependable market share. Mandurah’s financial and economic position is presently characterized by an extraordinary concentration of population-compelled sectors including production and marketing. Whereas the City of Mandurah continues to sustain these accomplishments, it is devoted to a lasting approach in pursuit of a more bearable sort of progress through financial and economic expansion (Marquardt 2012, p. 70). Economic expansion, on the other hand, implicates increasing the productive ability of the public. The growth of earnings per capita is one of the measures used. Furthermore, it is also about guaranteeing self-satisfactoriness and employment as well as providing employment security and quality to the public. Mandurah aims at facilitating constant growth afar the contemporary population-compelled extension, through an intensive strategy on significant expansion drivers. Furthermore, the City is currently crafting and employing myriad initiatives to upsurge productivity in the prevailing and support the modification of the Peel Region’s financial situation, in partnership with other public and private interested parties. As a matter of fact, the tourism, events, leisure and hospitality sector is currently experiencing a unique period of transformation. Entities within the domain every so often encounter more and more intricate issues on working merit, development, branding, asset possession and emergent expertise among others. Mandurah member entities are capable of meeting these encounters with state-of-the-art, professional guidance to accomplish their objectives. Marketing Overview In the tourism and hospitality industry, setting the entity interests across all crucial target markets as well as redefining product and service production is critical for sustainability and cost-effectiveness of a firm (Norton 2012, p. 89). Tourism is not described by its yields, but by the size of market it accesses. Target marketing champions for the emphasis of destination expansion and promotional accomplishments on markets present the highest potential to convey expansion. The city of Mandurah has sufficient marketing proficiency to promote its tourism operations with strategic marketing plans that habitually drum in creativity into the sector. The City’s marketing operations present a wide variety of cost-effectual promotional prospects for all Australian tourism firms, from product and service providers, guest services and marketing operatives. The management principally makes use of differential marketing channels as well as electronic marketing approaches. In general, the entity’s key to service provision lies in the ability to augment effectiveness and efficiency through resourceful marketing strategies and develop tailored approaches that offer the precise balance of modernization and competence (Thompson 2001, p.90). Consequently, the City of Mandurah is extensively recognized as the forerunner of tourism in Australia. The scrupulous monitoring of its professional associates by the management facilitates the sustenance of its standards. SWOT Analysis The critical exploration of an entity’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is extraordinarily essential for its success. Strengths The City of Mandurah virtually takes great pride in its copious strengths. It boasts of creative strategies coupled with meticulous attention to painstaking knowledge and far-reaching experience. Besides, the City’s management is enthusiastically engaged in marketing the region enabling it to work closely with other fundamental travel trade establishments; both public and private, to further improve domestic tourism offering in Mandurah. In addition, the management’s vast domestic awareness together with the City’s all-inclusive range of services makes it the key determinant of choice for customers from the entire world. Weaknesses Despite the strengths discussed above, the destination still faces a few internal challenges in its day to day operations. In the recent years, the City of Mandurah has failed to actively market its services to the world market consequently leading to the weakening of the prospective market. Being situated in an industrialized district, the city also encounters persistent environmental pollution. This has always seen the management utterly involved in rehabilitation projects rather than development schemes. Opportunities On the other hand, the destination revels in a promising external environment. For instance, it enjoys solid regional bonds with state agencies, private firms together with other stakeholders making the negotiations more operative. The city’s infrastructure and availability of resources is another shot in the arm (Abson 1999, p. 45). This particularly allows the destination to provide complete flexibility in scheduling and organizing. As a result, the company never loses vision of the need to uphold its highly revered approach to service provision. Furthermore, the Australian government rigorously supports the tourism sector. As a consequence, the city of Mandurah has kept pace with world’s remarkable growth rate. Its portfolio, therefore, has the prime variety of overland traveler programs, expeditions, exploration tours together with vested interest operations in the expanse. Not counting the numerous preplanned services, the destination is also capable of tailoring suites consistent with explicit customer briefs. Threats A secure and comfortable atmosphere is indispensable in drawing total satisfaction from recreation and leisure time. Nonetheless, in a world of sundry and increasing security threats, the creation and sustenance of such atmospheres is an intricate challenge. At Mandurah, however, the stakeholders are made to believe that such encounters present the opportunity to offer better and safer recreational experiences (Weinstock 2003, p. 12). The terminus’ wide-ranging skills and experiences of operating at events enable the board to take into consideration the bigger picture while appreciating the multifarious interdependence of diverse portions. For the Australian government agencies, event organizers and the general public, the destination’s solutions offer better security, amplified revenue-breeding opportunities as well as reduced overheads. For their clients, the solutions lay foundations for improving their experiences. It also offers to them the opportunity to delight in their recreational and leisure events in more secure environments. Portfolio Summary of SWOT Based on the SWOT analysis, Mandurah tourist terminus anticipates a brighter future in the region and the world at large (Royland 2010, p.23). The management has laid down strategies to improve on their firm’s weaknesses and capitalize on their strengths. For instance, marketing of the City and its environs to the world market is a contemporary key priority of the Mandurah executive. Besides, numerous strategies have been put in place to control the recurrent challenges posed by security instability. Assumptions Assumptions basically enable entities to create realistic foundations for both marketing strategies and objectives. Like any other, the tourist industry bears the obligation of pinpointing and addressing all factors which appear to be vital to the success or failure of the sector through assumptions (George 2006, p. 342). For instance, the inflation rates in the City of Mandurah and Australia at large have been favorably low in the recent years. Consequently, firms should every so often operate without fear of price rises. Besides, the country’s economic growth and development have consistently been on the rise. This is a clear pointer that most sectors in the republic expect a brighter future. The City of Mandurah and the entire tourism, hospitality and service industry should not be left behind. In addition, the healthy Australian political and statutory framework has at all times presented a favorable atmosphere to the tourism and hospitality industry. The last twenty years alone have seen the state pass numerous Bills apropos of the tourism industry. As a result, Mandurah believes in a healthier political environment in the years to come. Demography is a very important aspect of the industry’s success. On the other hand, the city is a vastly inhabited expanse. This large population certainly provides a wide market for Mandurah’s tourism and hospitality products and services thus encouraging local tourism. There is also a remarkable increase in the application of modern technology in the tourism sector. Marketing Strategy and Objectives Marketing strategies function as the ultimate foundation of marketing plans basically structured to accomplish marketing objectives (McDonald 1996, p. 45). On the other hand, marketing objectives are commonly tested for quantifiable outcomes. In most cases, marketing strategies are established with a calculated plan listing precise goals to be achieved in the present year. Both marketing strategies and objectives are self-motivated and cooperative; partially strategic and partially nonstrategic. At the city of Mandurah, marketing strategy encompasses vigilant scrutiny of the internal and external environmental factors. The external environmental aspects consist of customer and competitor analysis along with the assessment of technological and cultural aspects of the surrounding. On the other hand, the internal environmental aspects comprise the industry performance examination and strategic restrictions (Rosen 2001, p.56). The city’s main marketing strategy is to keep marketing in agreement with its mission statement to defend sustainability and economic development for the community in corporation with the private sector. After the environmental analysis, a strategic plan is established to pinpoint business choices, identify challenging objectives and detail enactment (Whitaker 2000, p. 17). The ultimate stage in establishing a marketing strategy is to develop a plan to supervise development and a set of eventualities if challenges arise in the enactment of the plan. Contrariwise, marketing objective principally revolves around the use of classical marketing practices. Accordingly, most new products and business ideas develop from illogical processes. In most cases the managers at Mandurah make use of experience and insight to analyze and manage the intricate situations it often encounters faced. In such cases, the marketing strategy together with the knowledge of the client utterly determines the worth of the marketing engaged. Three Year Timescales January-April 2013 Framework/Task sharing May-August 2013 Share strategic marketing plans September-December 2013 Present marketing plans/develop tools. January-April 2014 Confirm methodology and tools/Plan validation May-August 2014 Validation Work Conclusion The City of Mandurah is devoted to engaging the tourism and hospitality industry together with the entire community to enhance service sector in Mandurah. However, each stakeholder bears the responsibility of adding value to the service industry experience to entice more of both local and international tourists (Thompson 2001, p.78). The City of Mandurah Tourism Strategic Marketing Plan 2013-2016 presents the key channel to be used by the interested parties to pinpoint target marketplaces that will perfectly exploit the expanse’s tourism opportunities in due course. The industry’s prompt growth over the last few years has virtually changed the city. As much as the City of Mandurah and its environs have persistently maintained their share of tourist numbers, they still face a few upheavals. Consequently, they have to control the infantile ecotourism capabilities and continue refining the contemporary destination provisions. Moreover, the stakeholders have to value add by encouraging additional commercial tourism. For instance, Mandurah could be transformed into a gorgeous conference terminus besides becoming a renowned water sports and exhibition venue (Royland 2010, p. 54). The strategic marketing plan offers a premeditated framework to boost the tourists’ capability within the city and its surrounding thus embracing the vitality and prosperity of the industry. As well, it is structured to provide direction to facilitate the growth of the industry in Mandurah and the region for the next three years. Recommendations The Tourism Strategic Marketing Plan 2013-2016 virtually provides a significant dream for the tourism, hospitality and service industry in the City of Mandurah. Mandurah’s direct role in the industry has progressively increased in recent times (Geberth 2006, p. 112). As part of the recommendations, the city and the Australian government at large should embrace, provide and support the products and capabilities that complement the contemporary position of the destination while at the same time taking into account the prospective markets and existing tourism linkages. Besides, the management should establish a matching set of experiences that typify Mandurah and act as a magnet-card to draw target markets on top of exploiting both traditional and momentous resources in order to develop areas of specialization. The city is also projected to attract fresh venture to provide more housing elegances and marketing opportunities among other leisure nest eggs. In addition, it must also increase the quantity and quality of service sector experiences by facilitating access and infrastructure as well as working in partnership with the private sector to convey integrated tourism marketing posts (Johns 2008, p. 76). To maximize and uphold the expanse’s artistic powers and sporting experiences to vested interest tourists, the management must also address expertise and experience standards within the industry and the community at large besides engaging the vast industry to ensure they are utterly conversant, interested and compassionate (Abson 1999, p. 24). It also has to establish more tourism and commercial linkages and increase the association period with the basic stakeholders to improve on the tourist experience they have visited the district through well-run relations facts. References Abson, D 1999, Strategic Marketing Planning, Cengage Learning EMEA, Clifton. Geberth, V 2003, Hospitality and Tourism in Australia:  Practical and Clinical Perspectives, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. George, S 2006, The Future of Tourism, Westport, CT: Praeger. Jane, R 2007, Marketing Strategy and Objectives, Clifton, NY: Cengage Learning EMEA. Johns, F 2008, Professional Development: Personal and Professional Expertise, Cengage Learning EMEA, Clifton. Kelph, T 2010, Strategic Marketing Planning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Lumsdon, L 1997, Tourism Marketing International, Thomson Business Press: London. Marquardt, M 2012, Dealing With Challenges in Marketing, New York, NY: Routledge. McDonald, M 1996, Marketing Planning for Services, Butterworth Heinemann: Oxford. Middleton et al, 2009, Marketing in Travel and Tourism, Butterworth Heinemann: Oxford. Morton, S 2012, Tourism Sector and Planning, New York, NY: Routledge. Pender, L 2003, Marketing Management for Travel and Tourism, Stanley Thornes, Cheltenham. Rosen, J 2001, The Future of Hospitality and Service Industry in Mandurah. New York, NY: Knopf. Royland, C 2010, Spatial policing: The influence of time, space, and geography on law Enforcement practices (Ed.), Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press. Thompson, D 2001, Management and Planning, New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Weinstock, B 2003, Security and Tourism, Santa Cruz, CA: GRIN Verlag. Whitaker, R 2000, Mandurah: The underpinning Block, New York, NY: New Press. Read More