Database Marketing In Travel And Tourism

An increasing number of organisations are developing customer databases in a bid to get closer to their customers and gain competitive advantage. This report investigates the practice of database marketing among different travel and tourism sectors, including airlines, hotels, museums and tour operators, and draws on UK and international examples. It compares direct marketing and database marketing and examines the different levels of sophistication at which database marketing can be practiced, the role of customer loyalty schemes, the ways in which a database can be segmented, the role of consumer data profiling companies and current developments in database marketing. The use of database marketing for customer retention and business acquisition is also investigated. In order to ensure true customer relationship building it is vital for the industry to leverage the information on their databases and provide customer recognition through the delivery of personalised service. Business acquisition through customer retention is likely to be a key strategy in future through the use of data-mining and cross-selling techniques. The report concludes that organisations must create a new marketing environment by moving away from transaction marketing towards the principles of customer relationship management

E-Business Models In The Travel Industry

Drawing on recently published data, this report examines some of the trends in travel e-commerce. Using a case study approach, the author examines in detail some of the e-business models impacting on the travel industry both in the Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) markets. Although B2C leisure transactions currently account for just 1% of the value of global travel, there is real potential for future growth. However to be successful both new entrants and existing players will need to ensure their e-business model adds value for the customer, otherwise their position in the value chain will be threatened. The most immediate potential for growth and profitability lies in the B2B market, particularly in the development of vertical portals or community extranets. These are virtual spaces enabling travel buyers and suppliers to trade online. The integration of legacy systems with Internet Protocol (IP) technology is taking place across a range of travel sectors and will provide the platform on which a wide range of e-business applications can be developed. This development will lead to the ultimate catalyst for travel e-business -- the convergence of data (internet), voice (telephone) and video (television)

eCRM in the Travel Industry

We are bombarded with Internet forecasts and statistics every day, however there is little doubt that the Internet has permanently changed the face of travel promotion and distribution. While only a minority of consumers are actually prepared to buy online at the present time, this minority is growing and there are large numbers of consumers who wish to use the Internet for information and communication. Travel and hospitality companies are selling an information-rich product and will need to leverage the full range of offline and e-channels to engage their customers in dialogue. The Internet does not have any respect for geographic or organisational boundaries and companies will have to forge new business models, involving partnerships and customer-driven product design, in order to meet the needs of the online consumer. There are major challenges and opportunities for companies wishing to add the e to their CRM strategy

An analysis of the key factors affecting the success of a re-launched destination marketing website in the UK

Business Information Systems e-Commerce/e-business Computer Appl. in Social and Behavioral Sciences Marketing Information Systems Applications (incl. Internet)This paper presents a case study of the re-launch of a DMO website in the UK. It evaluates the perceived usability of the new website and identifies the key factors affecting customers’ intention to use the new website. A large-scale online survey was developed to understand a number of issues relating to usability (e.g. aesthetics, effectiveness) and psychological and behavioural indicators (e.g. perceived trustworthiness and intent to use). Both quantitative and qualitative data was analysed to understand users’ perceptions, behaviour and attitudes towards the re-launched website. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was developed to identify the factors affecting their intention to use the new website. The SEM model identified the impact of a variety of factors on intention to use and the descriptive analysis, using both qualitative and quantitative data, highlights further areas of research

A communicative model for stakeholder consultation: towards a framework for action inquiry in tourism I.T.

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of BedfordshireThis thesis focuses on an under-researched area of tourism -the multi stakeholder, inter organisational business to business Tourism IT domain which exhibits a marked rate of failure. A critical review of B2B case studies reveals that this failure is in large part due to the primacy afforded to technical problem solving approaches over human centred ones. The main purpose of the research is therefore stated as: "how do we ensure that, as technological solutions are implemented within this domain, due consideration is given to human-centred issues?" In order to tackle this research problem an interdisciplinary approach is taken and a communicative model for stakeholder consultation is developed. At the centre of the model lies an innovative method for deconstructing and reconstructing stakeholder discourse. A Co-operative Inquiry research methodology was used and a significant number of stakeholders were engaged in an Open Space event sponsored by two major Tourism IT companies who wanted to investigate the issues and opportunities connected with travel distribution and technology. This was followed up with face to face interviews and live discussions over the internet. In addition stakeholder discourse was captured via the Travelmole tourism discussion site. The discourse between stakeholders was reconstructed and the normative and objective claims analysed in depth. The presentation of these reconstructions in textual, tabular and diagrammatic formats captures the complexity of stakeholder interactions, revealing that although IT is an important tool, what really lies at the core of multi stakeholder projects are the normative positions to which participants subscribe. The model provided a practical means for critiquing stakeholder discourse, helping to identify stakeholders both involved and affected by the issue; juxtaposing the 'is' against the 'ought'; and enabling critical reflection on the coercive use of power. The review of the tourism literature revealed that these issues are as important in general B2B tourism partnerships as in Tourism IT and in this respect the model provides a practical tool for critique and for enabling the formation of a shared normative infrastructure on which multi stakeholder projects can proceed. In addition, while borrowing from Management Science, this thesis also makes a contribution to it, specifically in the area of boundary critique, through the way in which Habermas' ideal speech criteria arc practically implemented

Understanding collaborative innovation from a dynamic capabilities perspective

Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to understand the key factors affecting collaborative innovation in a destination management organisation from a dynamic capability perspective. Design/methodology/approach – An in-depth case study was conducted, using semistructured interviews with the CEO and Chairman of the DMO and internal DMO documents from 2011-2016. Thematic analysis was carried out on the data both deductively, with generic themes identified and informed by theory, and inductively, where detailed sub-themes were developed from the data. Findings –The success of innovation in the context of a DMO depends on having a strong base of microfoundations that underpin the DMO’s capabilities to sense and seize opportunities and reconfigure its assets for competitive advantage. Collaboration with the key players in the sector has been the essential elements of these microfoundations. Research limitations/implications – This study has been conducted within a single DMO case study. Future research should test the proposed models in different types of organisation and collaborative contexts. Practical implications – The proposed dynamic capability framework helps managers to achieve collaborative innovation, leading to competitive advantage through better development of relevant capabilities. Originality/value – The study represents a first attempt to understand the key factors enabling successful collaborative innovation in the context of DMOs, from a dynamic capability perspective. The unique opportunity of accessing information and witnessing the changes in a DMO over a period of five years enabled the authors to gain in-depth insights and comprehensive understanding as to why and how a UK DMO has been successful in enhancing its business performance through a successful collaborative innovation

Entrepreneurial marketing in the digital age: A study of the SME tourism industry

This paper contributes to developing research enquiry relating to research at the Marketing and Entrepreneurship Interface (MEI) from the small and medium-sized firm (SME) marketing perspective. The paper presents findings emanating from a digital destinations project based on the south coast of England and a new, ongoing project on implementing digital marketing strategies in the context of small owner-managed firms. This area of research advances knowledge in several areas and is significant to the developing research of Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) for a number of reasons. Firstly, there are still gaps in knowledge relating to the study of entrepreneurs (Li, 2008; Thomas et al., 2011) and the challenges associated with use of digital marketing and social media, including Twitter, Facebook etc. (Kim et al., 2011; Peltier et al., 2012). In addition there are reported difficulties with the embedding of e-marketing in SMEs for a number of reasons, notably employee resistance, a lack of technological ‘know how’ (Leeflang et al., 2014; Martin & Matlay, 2003) and, a lack of marketing competency, along with all the other associated limitations of a small business (Xiang & Gretzel, 2010) such as lack of finance, lack of business resource (Thompson et al., 2013). Third, these firms are geographically remote, in a rural region where they are situationally embedded and dependant on the overall effectiveness of destination marketing and where small tourism businesses often rely on a range of stakeholder relationships and agents to help promote their businesses via traditional (administrative) marketing approaches (Getz & Carlsen, 2005). Rurality also creates additional challenges with weak transport links and poor Internet connections while coastal tourist visits are often dependent on good weather and influenced by seasonality (Getz & Nilsson, 2004). Finally the fourth key challenge for entrepreneurs is detecting who they need to target their marketing towards, as digital marketing offers entrepreneurs an unbridled opportunity to market globally

Positioning the Destination Product-Can Regional Tourist Boards Learn from Private Sector Practice?

This article examines the role of positioning in the marketing of a tourism destination. The study focuses on the current positioning strategies pursued by the Regional Tourist Boards (RTBs) in England. A recent nationwide consumer research study into short holiday destination choice in the UK revealed that consumers were confused by the regional product message. The evidence suggests that current RTB positioning strategies are failing to keep pace with the constantly evolving needs of the consumer. This article explores the reasons for clearly positioning the destination product and suggests that, although RTBs could learn from marketing strategies employed in other sectors of the tourism industry, there are likely to be organisational and cultural barriers inhibiting this learning curve