Marketing Challenges - Essay Example

? Living the Challenges A study of marketing challenges for hotel industry in Cyclades Islands By Submitted to June Table of Contents List of Tables 5 Photo Credit 5 2.1 Service industry and its nature 3 2.1.1 Theoretical underpinning 3 2.2 Marketing challenges in the service industry 5 2.3 Marketing challenges in the hotel industry 8 2.3.1 Changing branding standards 9 2.3.2 Evolving Customer Expectations 9 2.4 Marketing challenges in the hotel industry in Cyclades Islands 11 2.4.1 Profile of the study area 11 2.5 Challenges for hotel industry 14 Bibliography 22 Table of Figures Figure 1: Plan for literature review 3 Figure 2: ISHC Top Ten Global Issues & Challenges for 2006 8 Figure 3: Geographical location of Cyclades Islands (marked in red hue) 12 Figure 4: Arrivals in Greece, Europe, World (1950 - 2000) 14 Figure 5: Percentage arrival growth by decade - Greece, Europe, World (1950-2000) 15 Figure 6: Supply of hotels in the Cyclades (highlighted) 16 List of Tables Table 1: Diversity in the type of hotels among Cyclades Islands 17 Photo Credit Cover page: http://media.lonelyplanet.com/lpi/9455/9455-108/681x454.jpg Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter reviews literature pertaining to the marketing challenges of the hotel industry in the Cyclades Islands. The subject deals with the point of view of two broad streams of knowledge – economy, and, marketing, with a heavier inclination towards challenges in tourism marketing in general, and, towards the Cyclades Islands in particular. Business Week in one of its articles asked “What a poor country to do?”, and said, “Ask the average economist how a country can lift itself out of poverty, and the answer will be simple: Educate your populace, squelch inflation, open your economy to free trade and investment, and then sit back and watch gross domestic product soar” (businessweek.com, 1997). True to its assertions, it is not that simple. Many poor economies, especially those dependent on tourism have made a mistake in relation to this. Greece’ ascension to the EU could do no miracles, and now talk of leaving the Eurozone is back in the air, though the majority of Greeks do not approve this(Wall St. News, 2011). As Theodore Levitt pointed out back in 1960 in his famous article Marketing Myopia, “Every major industry was once a growth industry. But some that are now riding a wave of growth enthusiasm are very much in the shadow of decline. Others which are thought of as seasoned growth industries have actually stopped growing. In every case the reason growth is threatened, slowed, or stopped is not because the market is saturated. It is because there has been a failure of management.” Levitt (1975) in his classic railroad example argued that today the railroads which were once a craze in the U.S. have been replaced by a developed transport system. He describes this as a trend wherein people were convinced that they were not a part of the transportation business as “they presumed themselves to be in the railroad business.” Then he further explains that they believed this to be a development that was “railroad-oriented instead of transportation oriented; they were product-oriented instead of customer-oriented” (Levitt, 1960). Even after more than five decades, Levitt’s arguments appear to be as valid and relevant as they were then, in all industries, and in all parts of the world. The hotel industry in the Cyclades Islands is no different. Therefore, as in the railroad case, the problem is not with the railroads, but with its understanding about its own fundamentals, in what business it was. In relation to this the fundamentals, the present review of literatures will try to answer the research question “what are the marketing challenges for the hotel industry in the Cyclades Islands”. The review will first shed light on the nature and characteristics of service industries, followed by a study of the marketing challenges in them. It will subsequently make a review of what researchers say about the marketing challenges in the hotel industry. Finally, it will delve into the subject of identifying the marketing challenges specific to the hotel industry in the Cyclades islands. In undertaking the review, literatures will be primarily drawn from academic sources, such as research publications, journal articles, and books. However, to get to the bottom of the matter and make the review complete, professional views in the form of periodical articles, conference proceedings, and resources from professional websites have been used. The plan of literature review is placed in the figure below: 2.1 Service industry and its nature 2.1.1 Theoretical underpinning Kotler et al. (2009) defines service as, “any act or performance that one party can offer to another that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything” (Kotler et al., 2009, p.G7). Sasser (1976) in his Harvard Business Review Article on Match Supply and Demand in Service Industries, explains that the four essential differences from manufacturing are: “(1) services are perishable; (2) involves high-degree of producer-consumer interaction in the production of the service; (3) services cannot be transported; and (4) services are highly intangible” (Sasser, 1976). Sasser states that, the perishability of services makes them un-serving. That is when services are perishable they need to be used on time and when not served with in time it won’t be of any use to customer. Unlike the manufacturing industry, the service provider does not have a buffer. Heterogeneity is yet another characteristic of services. This is the difference between the quality of service provided and performance of service delivered due to the interaction between customer and employee delivering service. Employees’ service might vary due to difference between time zones, from employee to employee and from company to company. Thus it becomes necessary to balance standardization and personalization during the delivery of service (Papastathopoulou 1989). Similarly, during the production of a service, interaction between a producer and consumer is necessary. This interaction between customer and produce can act both as a blessing as well as a curse. This is because, while consumers are a source of productive capacity, their role can create ambiguity of time, quality, and many other facilities of accommodation for the consumer’s needs (Sasser, 1976). When a customer demands for services with in time and with certain quality it will be easier for producers to provide it and the product will not be wasted. But when the producer can not meet the demand of customer the interaction or demand from customer becomes a curse for the producer for he will not be approached by customer any more. The third characteristic is its perishability because of which either the consumer has to approach the service delivery system or the system has to reach out to the consumer (Schultz & Doerr 2011). Finally, as the outputs of services are ethereal, “establishing and measuring capacity levels for a service operation are usually qualitative and are highly subjective” (Sasser, 1976). Sasser’s (1976) argument against the view of a few that, the services that are mere products with a few odd characteristics, is highly relevant. This is because the implications of the four key characteristic differences between a manufacturing unit and a service industry as Sasser stated are that, “the hamburgers have to be hot, the motel rooms exactly where the sleepy travellers want them, and the airline seats empty when the customers want to fly” (Sasser, 1976). Understanding of these basic differences can make a distinction between success and failure as well as prosperity and poverty. Thus we can see that service industry is very much affected by the four characteristics of intangibility, perishability, customer – producer relationship and it cannot be transported. All these characters need to be well balanced for a service industry to be successful in its functioning. 2.2 Marketing challenges in the service industry Owing to the typical nature of the service industry, it faces different kinds of marketing challenges such as marketing intangibles, developing trusts, increased competition, emphasising service instead of features, and creating a need. Schultz & Doerr (2011) of Wellesley Hills Group, a recognized leader in business development performance improvement consulting identified nine common and difficult challenges from their experiences. These are: 1. Clients can’t see or touch services before they purchase them; 2. Services are often produced and consumed simultaneously; 3. Trust is necessary; 4. Competition is often not who the firm thinks. Competition for the service companies are often the clients themselves; 5. Brand extend beyond marketing; 6. Proactive lead generation is difficult; 7. Service deliverers often have to do the selling; 8. Marketing and sales lose momentum; 9. Passion is necessary, yet elusive (Schultz & Doerr 2011) In comparison with this professional view, Smith (n.d) from University of Maryland presents an academic view of the marketing challenges in the service industry. The communication stated that marketing of services pose unique challenges because of intangible, heterogeneous nature of the product, and the critical role of customer contact employees in service delivery (Smith, n.d.). This necessitates dealing with the challenges in different ways like planning separate (1) customer relation management; (2) designing and executing the service delivery process; (3) developing and implementing the employee customer service skills; (4) developing framework for measurement and management of critical outcome variables such as customer satisfaction, customer equity, and customer lifetime value; and finally, (5) coping up and taking advantage of the role of emerging technology in customer service (Smith, n.d.). In another perspective, Bras (2005) in her study on “A manufacturer becoming service provider – challenges and a paradox” observed that marketing challenges are not only faced by service providers, but also by the manufacturers. Brax’ (2005) findings stated that many challenges originate from the manufacturing-oriented way of doing business; and the common underlying perspective that manufacturing can shift to service provision steadily, by adding service offerings to their total contribution gradually, may be detrimental to the business (Brax, 2005). This underscores the typicality of marketing challenges in a service industry. Yet another issue faced by service industry is inseparability. That is unlike in manufacturing sector it is difficult to manufacture services in mass. Even if it becomes possible centralization of capital or production will not earn much profit in service sector. This is because services are produced according to the customer’s convenience. Quality of a service is highly dependent on time of usage or during encounter of service. As customers play a major role in delivery and execution of service the producer need to be highly skilled to satisfy them. It is for the service provider to prove their excellence each time they deliver their service. Disruptions and issues caused by customers need to be tackled by the service provider and for this also he need to acquire great skill (Papastathopoulou 1989). 2.3 Marketing challenges in the hotel industry Dominici et al (2010) in their article “Customer Satisfaction in the Hotel Industry: A Case Study from Sicily”, stated that one of the biggest challenges for the hotel industry is to provide and sustain customer satisfaction. Earlier, at the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (2006) the members in a series of round table discussion to identify the ISHC Top Ten Global Issues and Challenges in the Hospitality Industry for 2006 voted the ten most challenging issues as placed in the figure below: Figure 2: ISHC Top Ten Global Issues & Challenges for 2006 Source: International Society for Hospitality Consultants (2006). 2.3.1 Changing branding standards The list includes two marketing issues as (1) brand standards, and (2) evolving customer expectations. ISHC in their discussions stated that many brands are changing brand standards, and “raising the bar” via increased services and /or amenities in an attempt to gain a competitive edge in the market place. This competitive strategy has resulted in escalating operating costs (International Society for Hospitality Consultants , 2006). 2.3.2 Evolving Customer Expectations Another challenge according to ISHC for the hospitality industry is that customers are increasingly becoming sophisticated in their use of technology to research, select and purchase lodgings. ISHC added that customers are resisting a “chain mentality”, necessitating creating unique and customised experiences. This needs marketing approaches to be adapted and updated to ensure customers’ needs are met effectively. Another challenge is that achieving differentiation in the upscale luxury markets is becoming increasingly difficult as it has become a mainstream standard in the industry. Earlier, Morrison (1998) in a study entitled “Small ?rm co-operative marketing in a peripheral tourism region” had identified several marketing challenges for small firms as follows: Weather not conducive to all-year-round tourism, causing seasonal demand effect restricting length of stay and season; As tourism is an industry highly dependent on season small firms will find it difficult to manage during off seasons. Scarce and variable quality of human resources for tourism employment; One of the major challenges faced by tourism industry is the scarcity of skilled labour which is very much necessary to tackle the needs of customers and to satisfy them. Remoteness from mass markets and gateways, and the consequent distance which often entails high transport and time costs; Service providers functioning at tourist spots at interior locations people will get only limited number of customers for most tourists will find it difficult to reach such remote places. Only those who knows about the beauty of such location will reach there and hence the business will be less due to reduced number of customers. Fragmented in market terms and lacking in dynamics which make small firms low barriers to entry, variable quality and capabilities to of management, comparative lack of innovation, technological transfer, and development of market research; Most of the service providers in tourism industry are not that capable enough to provide quality service to customers due to lack of skill and non availability of technologies or due to lack of technological awareness. Yet another issue is lack of innovation in the field and issues with market research. Weakening business growth opportunities in home markets encouraging participation in international markets; Those concentrating in home markets will find it difficult to compete with international market and thus will have reduced growth opportunities. Danger of a dependency on support culture, which may lead to a lack of entrepreneurial drive (Morrison, 1998, p.192). Each region in the hotel industry has its own unique set of marketing challenges; so as the hotel industry in the Cyclades Islands in Greece, which is discussed in the ensuing section. 2.4 Marketing challenges in the hotel industry in Cyclades Islands 2.4.1 Profile of the study area1 The island complex of the Cyclades is one of the 52 Prefectures of Greece. Along with the Prefecture of the Dodecanese, it constitutes of the Southern Aegean Sea, one of the 13 administrational regions of Greece, one of 4 that are completely insular. The Southern Aegean area is extremely isolated due to the great distance from the European core areas, the absence of borders with other European States, and the geographical fragmentation of the area. The Cyclades Islands comprise a total of 2,242 insular areas (islands, islets, rocks), more than one-fourth of Greece’ 9,837 total insular areas and out of these only 24 islands are inhabited. Figure 3: Geographical location of Cyclades Islands (marked in red hue) Source image URL: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Nomos_Kykladon.png/706px-Nomos_Kykladon.png Habitation Archaeological findings suggest continuous human habitation in the Cyclades Islands for a long time. According to 2001 census, the population of Cyclades was 112,615 about 1/10th of Greece’s total population (NSSG: 200; cited by Spilanis & Karayiannis, 2009, p.22). In 1980s the Cyclades registered their lowest level of population. In 1830s, the Cyclades was stated to be densely populated, which declined rapidly after the Second World War due to migration to larger urban centres. This trend however, is witnessing a significant reversal due to the employment opportunities created by tourism (Spilanis:2000, Prefectures of Aegean Islands and Crete: 2006; Mergoset.al.: 2004; cited by Spilanis & Karayiannis, 2009, p.22). Workforce and GNP About 60 per cent of the work force is employed in the tertiary (service) sector, which is constantly growing; followed by 29 per cent in the secondary sector, while only 11 per cent of the population is engaged in the primary sector. The Gross National Product (GNP) per capita (2005) in the Cyclades was 5 per cent above that of Greece’ national average; however, between the different islands in the Cyclades, there is considerable variation in the GNP (NSSG:2005; cited by Spilanis & Karayiannis, 2009, p.22). Greece as a tourist destination Tourism accounts about 18 % of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is one of the most important revenue earners that is at par with shipping. According to the World Tourism Organisation, in 2007, the sector earned 11 billion Euros and 17 million visitors into the country, making it as the 12th most popular tourist destinations in the world (Monsters and Critics.com, 2010). The table below shows Greece’ position in the world as a tourist destination: Figure 4: Arrivals in Greece, Europe, World (1950 - 2000) Source: WTO (2002), GNTO (2003); cited by SETE, 2003. Greek Tourism 2010: Strategy & Goals. B’ Edition. Athens : SETE Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises, p.11. 2.5 Challenges for hotel industry Tourism product-life cycle A report by the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises (SETE) (2003), until 1990 states that tourism in Greece developed at a faster rate than the rest of Europe. However it subsequently declined very rapidly in the next decade compared with the rest of Europe and the world. This indicated that the country had matured as tourist destination. Thus in the product-life cycle concept, it signals of an impending stagnation period, which will obviously be followed by a declining phase of unknown duration; unless appropriate corrective actions are initiated (SETE, 2003). Tourism needs to be updated every time for tourists will visit a place only once usually. In the case of Greece, the country gained momentum in tourism sector at a faster pace than Europe but they did not care to add innovative products or updating to this industry which reduced the flow of tourists to the country after a certain period. It is necessary that the product you offer must be continuously updated and be technologically advanced for attracting more tourists. Lack of this will reduce the customers and the industry will become stand still after a certain time period. Figure 5: Percentage arrival growth by decade - Greece, Europe, World (1950-2000) Source: WTO (2002), GNTO (2003); cited by SETE, 2003. Greek Tourism 2010: Strategy & Goals. B’ Edition. Athens : SETE Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises, p.11. The figure above depicts the maturing of Greek tourism industry over the decades. Tourism products Tourism development and hotels complement each other’s development. That is, when tourism develops in a country more hotels with advanced and modern facilities need to be developed and likewise more tourists will come to a destination only when the place can provide them with best accommodation facilities. Though, the Cyclades Islands are one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece attracting both domestic and foreign tourists and contribute significantly towards Greece’ GNP; yet, the primary tourism product of the Cyclades is limited to beach tourism. The large composition of domestic tourists, small size of the lodgings, the considerable percentage of rooms to let and the reduced dependency on tour operators reveal the non-organised – family business model of development (Spilanis & Karayiannis, 2009). In addition to all this the phenomena of a second home also contributes to this sector, bringing a regular influx of resident-tourists. Figure 6: Supply of hotels in the Cyclades (highlighted) Source: WTO (2002), GNTO (2003); cited by SETE, 2003. Greek Tourism 2010: Strategy & Goals. B’ Edition. Athens : SETE Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises, p.11. Trends in occupancy According to the General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, in 2005, there were 909 hotels in the Cyclades, with 21,000 rooms and 40,000 places. The chief type of lodging in the Cyclades was the two-star hotel (404 establishments). The composition of hotels in the main tourist destinations are placed as follows: Table 1: Diversity in the type of hotels among Cyclades Islands Tourist destination Five-star hotels Tw-star hotels Total number of hotels Santorini 6 240 Paros 1 145 Naxos 105 Schoinoussa 1 Sikinos 1 Source: (General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, 2006) The IoannisSpilanis for Plan Bleu (2003) stated that in 1997, the Cylades had a tourist load of 32 beds per sq-km (approximately, 0.75 beds per inhabitant). On an average, foreign tourists stayed 6.1 overnights and spent about 770 Euros, as opposed to 6.5 overnight stays and 725 Euros each for domestic tourists (ekathimerini.com, 2007). In 2006, the Cyclades received almost 10 per cent of Greece’s total tourists with 1.1 million overnight stays, over an occupancy rate of 61 per cent of the national average (General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, 2006). This trend has remained stable over several years, despite the number of tourists visiting Greece (General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, 2006). However, a somewhat unfavourable trend is seen by way of the changing composition of tourists. In 2006, 60% of tourists to Santorini were of Greek origin, which resulted due to gradual replacement of foreign tourists’ hotel occupancy by Greek origin tourists.(General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, 2006). By 2007, only 20 per cent of foreign tourists had made two trips as against 50% of Greeks who made two trips (General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, 2006). This brings several important challenges for marketing in the hotel industry in the Cyclades. For instance, the low quality of the tourism products offered coupled with inadequate infrastructure including public infrastructure and services and its inability to rise above the typical 3s (sand-sea-sun) tourism model (Prefectures of Aegean Islands and Crete: 2006; cited by Spilanis & Karayiannis, 2009). These problems translate to low tourism expenditure, short duration of visits, as well as intense seasonality (Prefectures of Aegean Islands and Crete: 2006; cited by Spilanis & Karayiannis, 2009). Chen (2006) stated that an EU project named (GEDERI) has been launched by the Island Commission aimed at the development of policies for sustainable tourism islands in 11 island regions, of which the Cyclades are one of them. The EU project included eight methods to improve tourism and they are: 1. What the meaning of accessibility is in the island environment; This includes the facts that can attract tourists to these Islands. Discovering various tourists attractions in the Island and to improve or increase them and to provide access to such attractions. 2. Sustainable tourism in the islands; To develop tourism in a sustainable way so that the environment will not be polluted and it will become a livelihood for the people living there. Thus the plan includes eco friendly tourism packages which bring about wealth to the people of Island. Thus the people of Island will be attracted to tourism industry as well. 3. What strategies can be adopted to encourage people to remain living on or move to islands suffering from depopulation; When a place provides with more opportunities people will get attracted to that place and this is how tourism will be implemented in these Islands. Some of these Islands are suffering de population which can be solved when natives find opportunities there. 4. How the mismatch between the supply of training and the demands of the employment market in the island environment can be resolved; As tourism is very much dependent on skilled labour it is necessary to train the people involved in the industry in a way to provide quality service to those tourists visiting the Island. More over unemployment issue can be reduced and the quality of living too will increase. 5. How the image of the island can be used as a means of developing and marketing local products; As the place will have its own unique products, tourism can be used as a market for selling them and for marketing them internationally. Local products can be marketed among tourists very easily and the local people will get great value for their products. 6. How to improve the islands’ rapid response capability in the face of major natural or environmental risks; As the Island has great risk associated with it like natural calamities it is to be taken care that safety methods for tourists arriving there are ensured. Various measures for the same are to adopted in consultation with local as well as service providers in the field. 7. What sort of higher education policies could make an effective contribution to the economic development of the islands and; Higher education with relevance to tourism can be provided to the local people for it will be helpful in developing their skill and they can also avail job at their native place. This will increase availability of skilled labour and will increase living quality of people. Locals will stay in Islands and this will also reduce depopulation. 8. Which integrated strategy for the development and management of island regions?(Chen, 2006, p.106). Various strategies need to be developed for the development of Island regions so as to attract more tourists for it is necessary to provide the tourists with good accommodation and other facilities. They need to be provided with facilities of international standard. Hence the questions asked by Levitt (1960) were concluded in his article as the hotel industry must learn to think of itself not as producing goods or services but as a customer because that will make people want to do business with it. The hotel owners, therefore, have the indisputable responsibility of creating this environment, this view point, this attitude, this aspiration (Levitt, 1960). Bibliography Aaker, D., 2010. Japan Builds Brands to Last. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Publications/MarketingNews/2010/5_30_10/Aaker%20on%20branding.pdf" http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Publications/MarketingNews/2010/5_30_10/Aaker%20on%20branding.pdf [Accessed 13 May 2011]. athensguide.com, n.d. Tourism Statistics in Greece. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.athensguide.com/practicalinfo/tourismstatistics.htm" http://www.athensguide.com/practicalinfo/tourismstatistics.htm [Accessed 05 June 2011]. Barro, R.J., n.d. Determinants of Economic Growth. MIT Press. Bolton, R.N. & Tarasi, C.O., 2006. Managing Customer Relationships. In N.K. Malhotra, ed. Review of Marketing Reserach, Volume 3. New York: M. E. Sharpe Inc. pp.3-38. Boulding, W., Staelin, R., Ehret, M. & Johnston, W.J., 2005. A Customer Relationship Management Roadmap: What is Known, Potential Pitfalls, and where to Go. Journal of Marketing, 69, pp.155-66. Brax, S., 2005. A manufacturer becoming service provider – challenges and a paradox. Managing Service Quality, 15(2), pp.142 - 155. Brudney, D.M., 2009. Selling hotel rooms: is the process really that unique? International Society of Hospitality Consultants, August. Buhalis, D., 2001. tourism in Greece: Strategic Analysis and Challenges. Current Issues in Tourism, 4(5), pp.440-80. businessweek.com, 1997. What's a Poor Country to Do?. [Online] (Aug. 28, 1997) Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.businessweek.com/1997/36/b3543039.htm" http://www.businessweek.com/1997/36/b3543039.htm [Accessed 02 June 2011]. Chatzipanagiotou, K.C. & Coritos, C.D., 2010. A suggested typology of Greek upscale hotels based on their MrkIS: Implications for hotels’ overall effectiveness. European Journal of Marketing, 44 (11/12), pp.1576-611. Chen, R.J.C., 2006. Islands in Europe: Development of an Island Tourism Multi-Dimensional Model (ITMDM). Sustainable Development, 14, p.104–114. Chondroleou, G., Elcock, H., Liddle, J. & Oikonomopoulos, I., 2005. A comparison of local management of regeneration in England and Greece. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 18(2), pp.114-27. Day, G.S., 2000. Capabilities for Forging Customer Relationships.. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute. Dominici, G., Economia, F.d. & Guzzo, R., 2010. Customer Satisfaction in the Hotel Industry: A Case Study from Sicily. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 2(2), pp.3-12. ekathimerini.com, 2007. Santorini, the bright spot. [Online] ( Saturday May 5, ) Available at: HYPERLINK "http://archive.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid%3D83143" http://archive.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid%3D83143 [Accessed 05 June 2011]. Fraser, P. & Thompson, N., 2011. Small business and entrepreneurial marketing: some approaches. Class notes: University of Hertfordshire. General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, 2003. Nights spent in collective accommodation establishments (NUTS). General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece. General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, 2006. Nights spent in collective accommodation establishments, by geographic region and prefecture. General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece. General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, 2006. Foreigners arriving in Greece classified by citizenship, mean of transport & place of entrance. General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece. General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece, 2006. Hotels classified by star rating. Statistics. General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece. GNTO, 2011. Cyclades. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.visitgreece.gr/portal/site/eot/menuitem.7f0d4e449429307c12596610451000a0/?vgnextoid=622941b7e2787210VgnVCM100000460014acRCRD&lang_choosen=en" http://www.visitgreece.gr/portal/site/eot/menuitem.7f0d4e449429307c12596610451000a0/?vgnextoid=622941b7e2787210VgnVCM100000460014acRCRD&lang_choosen=en [Accessed 05 June 2011]. Hoti, S., McAleera, M. & Shareef, R., 2007. Modelling international tourism and country risk spillovers for Cyprus and Malta. Tourism Management, 28, p.1472–1484. Institute of International Trade, 201. Greece Debt Crisis. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.iitrade.ac.in/kmarticle.asp?id=259" http://www.iitrade.ac.in/kmarticle.asp?id=259 [Accessed 02 June 2011]. International Society for Hospitality Consultants , 2006. ISHC Top Ten Global Issues & Challenges for 2006. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://hotel-online.com/News/PR2005_4th/Dec05_TopTenIssues.html" http://hotel-online.com/News/PR2005_4th/Dec05_TopTenIssues.html [Accessed 04 June 2011]. Ioannis Spilanis for Plan Bleu, 2003. Tourism and sustainable development in the Mediterranean: Greece, ((French). Ioannis Spilanis. Ivanova, M.G., n.d. Marketing Challenges Faced by Newly Affiliated Hotel. In Proceedings Economics, Management and Tourism Conference, 2011. University of Economics - Varna. Karatepe, O.M., Yorganci, I. & Haktanir, M., 2009. Outcomes of customer verbal aggression among hotel employees. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 21(6), pp.713-33. Kotler, P., Jatusripitak, S. & Maesincee, S., n.d. The Marketing of Nations. Free Press. Kotler, P., Keller, K.L., Koshy, A. & Jha, M., 2009. Marketing Mnagement. 13th ed. Pearson Education Inc. Koutsoubas, V.G.D., Sini, M. & Paikou, K., 2009. Marine Protected Areas & Diving Tourism in the Greek Seas: Practices and Perspective. Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 4(4), pp.181-97. Levitt, T., 1960. Marketing Myopia,. Harvard Business Review, 34(4), p.45–56. Lindsay, M.F.a.S., n.d. Plowing the Sea. Harvard Business School. Malhotra, N.K. & Dash, S., 2009. Marketing Reserch: An Applied Orientation. 5th ed. Dorling Kindersley Pvt. Ltd. MarketingPower, Inc., 2011. Brand. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.marketingpower.com/_layouts/Dictionary.aspx?dLetter=B" http://www.marketingpower.com/_layouts/Dictionary.aspx?dLetter=B [Accessed 13 June 2011]. Monsters and Critics.com, 2010. Tourism revenue tumbles 17.9 per cent in Greece. [Online] (Business News) Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1491165.php/Tourism_revenue_tumbles_17_9_per_cent_in_Greece" http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1491165.php/Tourism_revenue_tumbles_17_9_per_cent_in_Greece [Accessed 05 June 2011]. Morrison, A., 1998. Small ?rm co-operative marketing in a peripheral tourism region. International Journal of Contemporar y Hospitality Management, 10(5), pp.191 - 197. National Statistical Service of Greece, 2006. Nights spent in collective accommodation establishments, by geographic region and prefecture. National statistics. General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece. Papastathopoulou, P., 1989. An introduction to services marketing. Athens University of Economics and Business. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK “http://www.aueb.gr/users/esaopa/courses/introduction%20to%20services%20marketing.pdf” [Accessed 12 July 2011]. Payne, A. & Frow, P., 2005. Strategic Framework for Customer Relationship Management. Journal of Marketing, 69, pp.167-176. Perner, L., 2008. Introduction to Marketing. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/marketing_introduction.html" http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/marketing_introduction.html [Accessed 03 May 2011]. Pike, S., 2005. Beyond products brand management: Tourism destination branding complexity. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 14(4), p.258–259. Sahin, K., 2010. The impact of climatic on 3S tourism in Samsun, Turkey: The summer 2008 experience. International Journal of Human Sciences, 7(1), pp.776-93. Sasser, W.E., 1976. Match Supply and Demand in Service Industries. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://hbr.org/1976/11/match-supply-and-demand-in-service-industries/ar/1" http://hbr.org/1976/11/match-supply-and-demand-in-service-industries/ar/1 [Accessed 03 June 2011]. Schultz, M. & Doerr, J., 2011. Service Business Management: Nine Common and Difficult Challenges. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.whillsgroup.com/insights/articles/service-business-management-nine-common-and-difficult-challenges" http://www.whillsgroup.com/insights/articles/service-business-management-nine-common-and-difficult-challenges [Accessed 04 June 2011]. SETE, 2003. Greek Tourism 2010: Strategy & Goals. B’ Edition. Athens : SETE Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises. Sigala, M., 2007. Investigating the internet’s Evidence from the business travel management distribution chain: Evidence from the business travel management distribution chain. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 20(3), pp.335-55. Smith., n.d. University of Maryland. Service Marketing. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/marketing/mbacourse.aspx" http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/marketing/mbacourse.aspx [Accessed 04 June 2011]. Spilanis, I.P. & Karayiannis, O.P., 2009. Tourism and Environment: Pressures of Tourism Related Construction Activity on the Natural Environment of Host Areas Attempting A Sruvey in the Cyclades. Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of of Tourism, 4(4), pp.17-34. The Marketing Faculty of the Kellog School of Management, 2005. Kellog on Branding. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Tsartas, P.(.)., 2009. Tourismos. International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 4(4), pp.1-361. Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.chios.aegean.gr/tourism/vol4no4.pdf" http://www.chios.aegean.gr/tourism/vol4no4.pdf [Accessed 05 June 2011]. Wall St. News, 2011. Most Greeks oppose return to drachma. [Online] (05-24-11 09:11 AM) Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?threadid=221103" http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?threadid=221103 [Accessed 02 June 2011]. Read More