Introduction
Destination marketing organisations are involved in the promotion of a town, city, region, or country in order to increase the number of visitors. They promote the development and marketing of a destination, focusing on convention sales, tourism marketing, and services.
This unit develops students’ understanding of the process of marketing a tourism destination. Students will investigate the role of different Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) in developing and implementing the marketing plan and marketing campaign. They will explore the different aspects of marketing planning and marketing campaigns to evaluate how these concepts and principles can be applied to the challenge of marketing destinations, with particular focus on the branding and positioning of the destination.
The knowledge, understanding and skills developed through this unit
will empower students to contribute to the future development and marketing of
destinations, and enhance their career development opportunities in this field.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit students will be able to:
- Assess how marketing principles can be applied to support destination growth and development
- Analyse the key elements of a destination marketing campaign
- Evaluate the role of digital marketing in promoting a destination
- Assess the role of Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) and the challenges they face.
Essential content
LO1 Assess how marketing principles can be applied to support destination growth and development
Destination marketing plan:
The concept of destination marketing
The purpose of the destination marketing plan: positioning, competitive advantage, added value, new product development and building brand identity
The positioning of the destination in relation to Butler’s Tourist Area Life Cycle (TALC)
The elements of the marketing plan:
Understanding the visitor: theories and models of consumer behaviour and decision-making
Segmentation, targeting and positioning
Setting objectives and reviewing strategic options Branding the destination
Applying the marketing mix: defining and understanding the 7Ps (product, price, place, promotion, people, process, physical) and their importance to marketing the destination
Monitoring and evaluating the delivery of the plan
LO2 Analyse the key elements of a destination marketing campaign
Marketing campaign:
The definition and purpose of a destination marketing campaign The benefits of the destination marketing campaign
The value of collaboration and partnership with key industry partners
Elements of a destination marketing campaign:
Alignment of campaign objectives within the wider policy framework Identification of target markets
Use of big data and analytics to profile existing and potential customers Agreeing campaign messages
Establishing measurable outputs and outcomes
Evaluating the effectiveness of different channels to reach target markets Allocating resources
Establishing monitoring and evaluation controls
LO3 Evaluate the role of digital marketing in promoting a destination
Digital destination marketing campaigns:
Effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns in reaching different audiences and a global audience
Use of different communications tools e.g. search engine optimisation, email, mobile, pop ups, viral advertising, social media
Effectiveness of integrated multi-channel communications
Comparison of effectiveness of digital marketing with ‘traditional’ media e.g. print, TV advertising
LO4 Assess the role of Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) and the challenges they face
Role of DMOs:
Increase destination’s competitiveness
Identify and manage different stakeholders and stakeholder groups
Provide business advice, guidance and support on online marketing and advertising
Develop and provide support for marketing plans Develop and strengthen branding identity
Implement local, regional, national marketing campaigns Evaluate campaign success and performance
Influencing wider issues e.g. destination planning and sustainable tourism
Challenges:
Access to funding
Access to market research
Fragmentation of tourism industry and balancing interests of diverse stakeholder groups
Deciding the importance of different aspects, products and resources
of the destination
Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| LO1 Assess how marketing principles can be applied | ||
| to support destination growth and development | ||
| P1 Evaluate how | M1 Critically evaluate the | D1 Critically evaluate the |
| principles of marketing | effectiveness of applying | importance of applying |
| planning support the | principles of marketing | principles of marketing |
| marketing of a | planning to market a | planning for destinations |
| destination, using specific | destination, using specific | to achieve strategic |
| destination examples | destination examples | objectives |
| LO2 Analyse the key elements of a destination | ||
| marketing campaign | D2 Critically evaluate the | |
| P2 Analyse the key | M2 Compare and | marketing campaign of a |
| elements of a range of | contrast the key | specific destination and |
| destination marketing | elements of a range of | the use of digital |
| campaign examples to | destination marketing | marketing tools to |
| analyse how successfully | campaigns and evaluate | promote the destination |
| campaign objectives | the degree of inter- | and engage the target |
| were met | dependency of the | audience |
| various elements in | ||
| meeting campaign | ||
| objectives | ||
| LO3 Evaluate the role of digital marketing in | ||
| promoting a destination | D3 Make valid and | |
| P3 Review the different | M3 Critically evaluate the | justified |
| digital marketing tools | effectiveness of digital | recommendations for |
| used for promoting and | marketing tools in | improving digital |
| advertising a specific | reaching different target | marketing |
| destination | audiences for a specific | |
| destination | ||
| LO4 Assess the role of Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) and the challenges they face | D4 Make recommendations and solutions for overcoming challenges faced by DMOs for successfully meeting destination marketing objectives | |
| P4 Examine the role and services of DMOs in marketing a destination P5 Assess the challenges faced by DMOs in marketing destinations, using a range of examples | M4 Critically analyse the challenges faced by DMOs in successfully meeting destination marketing objectives, using a range of examples |
Recommended resources
Textbooks
KOZAK, M. and KOZAK, N. (2015) Destination Marketing: An International Perspective. Oxford: Routledge.
MORRISON, A. (2018) Managing and Marketing Tourism Destinations. 2nd ed. Oxford: Routledge.
PIKE, S. (2015) Destination Marketing. 2nd ed. Oxford: Routledge.
Websites
| www.destinationmarketing.org | Destination Marketing Association International Research (General Reference) |
| www.eyefortravel.com | Eye for Travel Social Media and Marketing (General Reference) |
Links
This unit links to the following related units:
Unit 8: Visitor Attraction Management
Unit 16: Marketing Essentials for Travel and Tourism
Unit 24: Destination Management Services
Unit 25: Strategic Destination Planning
Unit 34: Marketing for Ethical Tourism
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