Developing the Heritage Destination: An investigation of the implementation of strategic plans

This paper attempts to investigate the factors which are influential in the effective implementation of strategic planning in a heritage tourism setting. In particular, the paper looks at the respective roles of the public and private sectors in relation to creating an economically viable, augmented tourist experience from a core heritage resource, and the role of strategic planning in this process. This study is set within the context of a wider research programme which focuses on the strategic marketing planning of tourism at two heritage regions in Northern Ireland, which are made up of both publicly and privately owned resources. A conceptual model is presented, which serves to outline the marketing tasks of heritage tourism, making a distinction between strategic and operational dimensions and assigning each between public and private sectors. Findings are presented from in-depth interviews carried out with private sector tourism providers operating in the region

An investigation of Stakeholder Relationships in the Marketing of Tourism within Northern Ireland

Tourism is a high growth industry and there is increasing recognition that it must be managed and governed in a sustainable manner (Jamal and Getz 1995; Sautter and Leisen 1999; Gilmore and Simmons 2007; Gilmore et al. 2008). Tourism planners and managers operate at national, regional and local levels, and interaction is required at inter and intra sectoral level (Sautter and Leisen 1999; Wilson, Nielsen and Buultjens 2009). Tourism has some unique and individual characteristics which result in the need for a unique form of management, such as - Fragmentation of industry and infrastructure - Involvement of both public and private sector companies - Many companies are small – medium sized enterprises - Includes a variety of services and products (Gilmore 2003). The specific Northern Ireland context adds a further dimension in that the region is emerging from a sustained period of political instability. Political instability can have a negative impact on tourism (Altinay et al 2002; Gilmore et al 2008), and as such tourism is a relatively new focus on the Northern Ireland agenda. Within the tourism industry there is much focus on interactions and relationships as a result of conflicting directions among stakeholders (Sautter and Leisen 1999; Sheehan, Ritchie and Hudson 2007; Wilson, Nielsen and Buultjens 2009). Quite often there may be disagreement as to which stakeholder view should be prominent, and as to what objectives should be met. This results in a fragmented and disjointed approach to tourism management. Tourism planners and managers acknowledge that this fragmentation can negatively impact upon levels of coordination and cohesion within the tourism industry which consequently weakens the overall value of the tourism offering (Jamal and Getz 1995; Sheehan, Ritchie and Hudson 2007; Wilson, Nielsen and Buultjens 2009)

The Role of Destination Marketing Organisation in Strategic Marketing Management for Tourism

Destination Marketing Organisations are central to the marketing of regional tourism. They fulfil several roles, including visitor servicing and product development as well as operating as an interface between public sector tourism initiatives and private sector businesses delivering tourism. Sheehan (2007) states that while considerable resources are targeted at DMOs, there is little known regarding the extent to which DMOs recognise stakeholders in their destinations and the problems that may occur between the two. This paper investigates the role of DMOs in the context of a wider research programme focusing on two heritage sites in Northern Ireland. In order to provide context for this research, a Northern Ireland wide study of Destination Marketing Organisations has been carried out

Issues Which Impact Upon Marketing in the Small Firm

The high failure rates of small firms are usually attributed to weaknesses in financial management and marketing. The absence of agreed upon definitions of the small firm, or what constitutes success and failure of such entities, is examined, and definitions of these terms are provided. The importance of the small firm to the economy is acknowledged, alongside the inherent weaknesses pertaining to finance and marketing in small firms. Marketing practice is reviewed in the context of small firm characteristics, since traditional marketing practices for larger firms may not apply. The role of marketing educators and owners/managers in improving the small firm's marketing practice are discussed. Recommendations are made that educators establish what small firm owners/managers need from marketing in general and from marketing education in particular. These findings will help improve customer satisfaction by identifying owner/manager needs and creating and implementing the appropriate educational product

Non-Practice of Theoretically Based Marketing in Small Business—Issues Arising and Their Implications

This article is based upon the proposition that small fIrms share an inherent predisposition towards non-practice of formal marketing, and that this non-practice is linked with failure. The phenomenon of non-practice of formal marketing is the result of a number of related factors, not least of which in the ongoing debate amongst marketing theorists as to the definition of marketing, where the boundaries of marketing lie, what marketing does and how it should do it. This theoretical controversy must be at least partially responsible for the lack of clarity amongst small business owner/managers as to what marketing is and what it can achieve. This article explores theoretical and practical dimensions of small fIrms marketing, conceptualizing these dimensions within “the four perspectives” model, which identifies key problems surrounding small business marketing. The four perspectives of marketing - theoretical marketing theory, theoretical marketing practice, practical marketing theory, and practical marketing practice - (these are viewed in the context of the small fIrm) leads one to suggest that non-practice of theoretically based marketing is not necessarily the fault of the owner/manager, and that perhaps the capacity to encourage wider adoption of the concept and philosophy of marketing lies with marketing theorists. In this context implications for small fIrms’ marketing are discussed,the conclusions being that the model as presented identifIes and addresses small fIrms’ marketing problems, thus helping to bridge the ‘gap’ between marketing theory and practice in the small fIrm through broadening awareness and conceptualizing intuitive action

Issues which Impact upon Marketing in the Small Firm

Defining the small firm is somewhat arbitrary as criteria used to classify entities as such include size, number of employees, sales volume, asset size, type of customer, capital requirements and market share. There is, however, general agreement that smallness and newness create specific difficulties for business. Furthermore, there is widespread acceptance of the notion that small firms typically possess certain characteristics, which serve to differentiate them from larger organisations. These characteristics include inherent weaknesses with respect to capitalisation and marketing awareness and practice. Small firms are perceived as vulnerable yet valuable entities, important both economically and socially. High failure rates of small firms are largely attributed to weaknesses in financial management and marketing. Many classical management concepts are unsuitable for application in a small firm context, with research suggesting non-implementation of theoretically based marketing practice is the rule rather than the exception in the small firm. This paper reviews issues pertaining to marketing practice in the small firm. It examines the absence of agreed definitions of "the small firm" and "success" or "failure" of such entities, offers definitions for these terms, acknowledges the importance of small firms to the economy, reviews small firm characteristics, acknowledges inherent weaknesses with regard to finance and marketing in small firms, reviews marketing practice in the context of small firm characteristics, and considers the roles of marketing educators and owner/managers in improving small firm's marketing practice