The Strategies and Policies Used by the Management of the Taronga Zoo - Case Study Example

Table of Contents Introduction 02 Taronga Zoo and its Attractions 02 Managing- 03 Quality of Services and Products 03 Visitor Numbers 04 The Environment 05 Crisis 05 Economics 06 Resources 07 Development 07 Conclusion 08 References 09 Introduction Tourism is considered as the world’s largest business enterprise and Taronga Zoo is one amongst them. Wildlife tourism has a special appeal and liked by the visitors. Taronga Zoo is situated in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the shores of Sydney Harbour. Opened in 1916, it is now a part of the Australian Conservative Society. It is hub for a large number of animals having a huge number of species. The Zoo has access to cable cars, different shows, zoo safari and many more activities which also proved to be a source of revenue or the successful running of the affairs. In this report we come across the strategies and policies used by the management to maintain the smooth running of the Zoo and the delivery of quality services to the visitors much to meet their satisfactory expectations. The concept of Fyall’s 15 C’s framework has also been used to describe various situations and instances to make the implementations more clear. The managing of different components like the quality of services, visitors number and controlling, managing crisis situation, procurement of funds for the economic running, optimal use of resources, time to time changes and development and many such factors have been intensely discussed. Taronga Zoo and its Attractions Tourist attraction is a place of interest for visitors which attracts them and has the characteristics of attracting people. Any historical significance structure, devotional and cultural places, natural attractions or any amusement and enjoyment arena can be termed as tourist attraction. Sydney, being a huge tourist destination has the right features for the apt definition and application of the requirements of tourist attraction. Taronga Zoo is a specific example of the same structure of tourist attraction which has the combination of both human and natural aspects requiring attention of management and an effective number of visitors. The management has to focus on the requirements of meeting the expectations of the visitors and satisfy them with a unique experience. Fyall’s 15C’s framework has some major elements of complexity and control which requires the tourism management to oversee the situation. These factors require special attention from the tourism service providers and present an attractable product. With the application of the best management policies to manage complexity and maintain control over the affairs of the Taronga Zoo the service providers can produce the best products and services and providing consistency in their achievements. Managing- Quality of Products and Services Fyall has highlighted the fact of increasing competition within the tourism to an alarming stage at a rapid rate bringing the pressure to preserve and grow economic returns from such business ventures under the hammer (Akama and Ondimu, 2001). Taronga Zoo needs to establish quality products and services to increase in business and fight the ever-increasing competition from its major competitors like Bridge Climb and the Wildlife World. This can be enhanced and obtained with the implementation of accreditation programmes and set benchmark as a level of certified standard to meet the customers trust and satisfaction levels. People do not tend to buy the products or services; in fact they purchase the total experience behind them (Morgan, Lugosi and Ritchie, 2010). The tourism department is Australia has already launched a project named Tourism 2020 T-Qual accreditation consisting of the benchmark level of requirements under the tourism industry of the Australian Government (T-Qual accreditation, 2013). All approved tourist destinations shall have a common symbol certified by the tourism department depicting the T-Qual tick to ensure the attainment of the benchmark standards. Tourism Australia sums up a list of benefits to increase the business of the approved places as an increase in the existing business, visibility and competitiveness. This sign of T-Qual tick makes a visitor aware and confident of getting quality standards and a fulfilment of his expectations. Taronga Zoo is also a T-Qual accreditation achiever under the existing accreditation with Eco Tourism Australia. Visitor Numbers The number of visitors who visit a specific tourist place has always been fixed an upper limit to accommodate and provide maximum satisfaction (Weavers, 2007). The carrying capacity and the management of the number of visitors play a pivotal role for the efficient running and longevity of the attraction place and for the customer safety and better experience (Croft, 2000). The carrying capacity is very important to be fixed at a suitable number as to ascertain the best economical result for the place keeping the social and cultural values in mind along with the satisfactory experience of the visitors. Taronga Zoo has a good capacity of 14 to 15 thousand visitors at a time with the annual footfall of over a million people. With such a huge turnout of visitors the management at Taronga Zoo is required to have a good system in place to enable maximum carrying capacity to generate revenue, contingencies for accommodation of crowd fluctuations and alternative shows and separate alternatives for customers when spectacles are full. The zoo has a computer tracking system to manage the inflow and outflow of visitors and also sets up staff members for manual counting in times of peak seasons. The Zoo authorities have also set a positive relationship with Sydney Ferries and buses. With the application of these systems the management at the Zoo has made things possible for smooth movement of queues and crowd management, as maximum people hate the experience of boredom due to waiting in queues causing anxiety, tension and even cases of humiliation sometimes. The relationship with the Sydney Ferries and Buses is a reflection of the features of Fyall’s framework of 15 C’s where the C represents the range of channels that the Zoo has adopted to ensure good control for better customer experience. The Environment Protecting the environment is a serious asks of the rapidly warming world today. Sustainable tourism requirement and guidelines are to be practised in all forms of tourism including mass tourism. Sustainable tourism has ensured the complete consideration of the economic, social and environmental factors for present and future also addressing the needs of the visitors, environment, industry and the host communities (UNEP and UNWTO, 2005). Taronga has presented a very strong character to protect the environment with the key leader in areas of water, energy, waste, fleet management, property management and sustainable purchasing. It has also taken part in various government programs like reduction in the use of energy and buying of green energy (Taronga Zoo, 2014). The Zoo has taken steps to integrate programs which encourage environmental awareness and is a message to the viewers, like the seal show which highlights the human effects on sea flora and fauna and also keeping the entertainment vales high. This is a step of creativity shown buy the Taronga Zoo, which is a C of the 15’c by Fyall and this also promotes the Zoo’s image towards environment sustainability. The Zoo also employs the help of volunteers from the community into various aspects of Zoo’s task with the animals and visitors which directly cut down the Zoo’s expenditure proving the community volunteers as an integral part of the survival of the Zoo. Crisis The fear of crisis is always affecting the tourism industry directly or indirectly. Crisis management can be studied as planning, incident response and making decisions prior to mitigate the effects of any such event. Crisis management is an ongoing effort made to encounter unforeseen situations to create the interest of the stakeholders (Pforr and Hosie, 2007). The place with the risk of any safety is always low on the list of the visitors and so Taronga Zoo, aware of the possible threats, has taken steps like orientation programmes for training of the staff in matters of first-aid, escaped animals, identifying bombs and suspicious objects and complete knowledge of evacuation plan and exits in times of emergency like fire. The management and the staff have taken effective steps to help minimise the damage due to any risk or crisis and ensure visitors safety. Economics No unit can prosper without good funds and making profits. With the cost of maintaining and feeding the animals increasing day-to-day, it has become very important to generate revenues handsome enough to meet the break even and make profits. Economic standing of the Zoo is very necessary for the smooth running and offering quality services and making a good brand name (Hankinson, 2004). The main source of revenue for the Zoo is general admission fees and the retail within the premises. Some other sources are promotions, tours in Mandarin, sponsorship, government funding and donations. The Zoo has also offered some high quality products for experience like the Zoo Safari, Big Cat Dinner, Roar and Snore, New Year’s Eve celebrations to generate revenue. With the 15 C’s feature of Fyall also explains that understanding the customer needs providing good experiences is all linked with the management of business economy. Seasonal downfalls are to be dealt with great care as the revenue during this period is very low making it very tough for the management to maintain the break even for those times individually. One such occasion is the Easter when the Easter shows are organised by the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The Zoo has to take steps like public treats, print media and discounts to promote and encourage tourism. This strategy has helped somewhat in the increase in the number of visitors towards the end of the Easter shows. Resources Fyall’s 15 C’s also depict the requirement of competitiveness and gaining the competitive edge over the others in the market. With the optimum use of the available resources and engaging the distribution channels to innovate is required for destination management system (Fyall, Called and Edwards, 2003). The availability of good food for the animals is very necessary as falling ill or sickness of the animal could be a reason of being ruled out from any activity. For this purpose Taronga Zoo has emphasised on the building up of relationship with the Fish market and the Flemington Market for the first access and choice of quality sea food and fresh food products for the animals. Taronga Zoo has another advantage in terms of resources as it has big brand image of securing a future for the wildlife and is named as a part of the Conservative Society Australia. Also the strategic goals of the Zoo of research, breeding, recreation and education add in this direction. The facilities and amenities, which are the resources helps in offering the positive experience to meet customer expectations. Development The process of development is something that cannot be only confined to the initial stages or making of a new enterprise or tourist attraction. Development of the Zoo is taken most care of to ensure the healthy living of the wildlife, support natural environment and above all to provide maximum fulfilment of expectancy to visitors (Hutchins, 2003). Fyall has also described the necessity of development to stay ahead of the competitive external attractions. The Taronga Zoo had taken steps to solve the issues when the Visitor Express, the external recruitment to track the movement of visitors and their satisfaction considering their satisfaction and dissatisfaction levels, revealed that many visitors used to be confused regarding the geography of the Zoo and missed many shows due to this problem. The management put up lead labels at all possible and suitable locations to for easy navigation. Conclusion Tourism provides a source of revenue and employment to many people all round the world. This report has aimed at presenting the research on the strategies used by the tourism providers for the management of the affairs of tourism to provide better experience. Taronga Zoo has plenty of strategies each devised separately for separate issues to manage the factors of business like quality control, visitor numbers, environment, economics, resources, development and crisis management. A presentation of the use of Fyall’s 15 C’s have been used like the communication strategies, control, competitiveness, control, consistency, customer satisfaction, etc. All the strategies and C factors have to consider to meet the customer expectations and to support the community with the social and environmental factors. References Akama, J.S. and Ondimu, K.I. 2001. Tourism product development and the changing consumer demand: a case study of Kenya. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 6(1), 56-62 Croft, D.B. 2000. Sustainable use of Wildlife in New South Wales: Possibilities and Problems. Rangeland Journal, 22(1), 88-104 Fyall, A., Called, C. & Edwards, B. 2003, “Relationship Marketing – The Challenge For Destinations”, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp 644-659. Hankinson, G. 2004, “The brand image of tourism destinations: a study of the saliency of organic images”, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp 6-14 HUTCHINS M. 2003: Zoo and aquarium animal management and conservation: current trends and future challenges. Int. Zoo Yb. 38: 14-28. Pforr, C. & Hosie, P. J. 2007 “Crisis Management in Tourism: Preparing for Recovery” Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing (The Haworth Press) Vol. 23. No. 2/3/4 Morgan, M. , Lugosi, P. and Ritchie, B. 2010. The Tourism and Leisure Experience: Consumer and Managerial Perspectives, Channel View Publication, Business and Economics. T-Qual Accreditation 2013. Tourism Australia: Industrial Advice retrieved on 26-03-14 http://www.tourism.australia.com//industry-advice/t-qual-accreditation.aspx Taronga Zoo, 2014. Taronga Conservative Society Australia: Environment Sustainability, retrieved on 25-03-14 http://taronga.org.au/animals-conservation/environment UNEP and UNWTO, 2005, Making Tourism More Sustainable - A Guide for Policy Makers, p.11-12 retrieved on 25-03-14 http://sdt.unwto.org/content/about-us-5 WEAVER S. 2007: Creating great visitor experiences: a guide for museums, parks, zoos, gardens, & libraries. Walnut Creek, Left Coast Press. 208 pp. Read More

The tourism department is Australia has already launched a project named Tourism 2020 T-Qual accreditation consisting of the benchmark level of requirements under the tourism industry of the Australian Government (T-Qual accreditation, 2013). All approved tourist destinations shall have a common symbol certified by the tourism department depicting the T-Qual tick to ensure the attainment of the benchmark standards. Tourism Australia sums up a list of benefits to increase the business of the approved places as an increase in the existing business, visibility and competitiveness.

This sign of T-Qual tick makes a visitor aware and confident of getting quality standards and a fulfilment of his expectations. Taronga Zoo is also a T-Qual accreditation achiever under the existing accreditation with Eco Tourism Australia. Visitor Numbers The number of visitors who visit a specific tourist place has always been fixed an upper limit to accommodate and provide maximum satisfaction (Weavers, 2007). The carrying capacity and the management of the number of visitors play a pivotal role for the efficient running and longevity of the attraction place and for the customer safety and better experience (Croft, 2000).

The carrying capacity is very important to be fixed at a suitable number as to ascertain the best economical result for the place keeping the social and cultural values in mind along with the satisfactory experience of the visitors. Taronga Zoo has a good capacity of 14 to 15 thousand visitors at a time with the annual footfall of over a million people. With such a huge turnout of visitors the management at Taronga Zoo is required to have a good system in place to enable maximum carrying capacity to generate revenue, contingencies for accommodation of crowd fluctuations and alternative shows and separate alternatives for customers when spectacles are full.

The zoo has a computer tracking system to manage the inflow and outflow of visitors and also sets up staff members for manual counting in times of peak seasons. The Zoo authorities have also set a positive relationship with Sydney Ferries and buses. With the application of these systems the management at the Zoo has made things possible for smooth movement of queues and crowd management, as maximum people hate the experience of boredom due to waiting in queues causing anxiety, tension and even cases of humiliation sometimes.

The relationship with the Sydney Ferries and Buses is a reflection of the features of Fyall’s framework of 15 C’s where the C represents the range of channels that the Zoo has adopted to ensure good control for better customer experience. The Environment Protecting the environment is a serious asks of the rapidly warming world today. Sustainable tourism requirement and guidelines are to be practised in all forms of tourism including mass tourism. Sustainable tourism has ensured the complete consideration of the economic, social and environmental factors for present and future also addressing the needs of the visitors, environment, industry and the host communities (UNEP and UNWTO, 2005).

Taronga has presented a very strong character to protect the environment with the key leader in areas of water, energy, waste, fleet management, property management and sustainable purchasing. It has also taken part in various government programs like reduction in the use of energy and buying of green energy (Taronga Zoo, 2014). The Zoo has taken steps to integrate programs which encourage environmental awareness and is a message to the viewers, like the seal show which highlights the human effects on sea flora and fauna and also keeping the entertainment vales high.

This is a step of creativity shown buy the Taronga Zoo, which is a C of the 15’c by Fyall and this also promotes the Zoo’s image towards environment sustainability. The Zoo also employs the help of volunteers from the community into various aspects of Zoo’s task with the animals and visitors which directly cut down the Zoo’s expenditure proving the community volunteers as an integral part of the survival of the Zoo.

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