Smyrnov I.G.,
Dr Sc in geography, professor,
Syrovets S.Y.,
PhD in geography, professor's assistant
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
MARKETING-MIX OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
The marketing mix in tourism like classical marketing mix is one of the main concepts of marketing theory that defines the components, tools and software variables used in tourism management and control of the tourism market. One distinguishes classical model «4P» of marketing mix (product, price, promotion and place) and its modifications 6P and 7P, as well as alternative model 4C (customers value, cost, convenience, communication). In the existing literature on tourism marketing in most cases these models of marketing mix mechanically applied to the activities of the tourism industry and travel companies , despite the fact that tourism as a branche of service sector has its own characteristics and unique features, including the most important one the fixing and attention to tourism resources on basis of which tourism business create a product.
Accordingly, the marketing mix in tourism must take this into account and in our opinion has to have an original, unique to the tourism industry module. Literature and publications on the topic of the article include both classic marketing dictionaries [1] and training manuals on marketing tourism that belong to Ukrainian authors [2; 3; 4], as well as publications of international and national scientific conferences devoted to development problems and prospects of tourism industry in Ukraine and in the world [5; 6; 7; 8], recommendations of tourism practitioners field [9] and authors' copyright training complexes "Tourism Marketing " [10; 11]. Marketing Mix (complex ) is term that was first used by Neil Borden from Harvard Business School in 1964 with the aim of identifying key components , tools and software variables that marketers use to manage and control market. It was a " cake recipe " that would be tasted better than its individual components. The idea of the marketing mix was offered with the conviction that every company should coordinate and integrate various marketing programs to maximize their effectiveness and efficiency . There are various models of marketing mix for different purposes , each with different components. The most famous and popular version of the model is the marketing mix called 4P, first proposed in 1978 by Jerome McCarthy, which components are Product, Price, Promotion and Place. Component «Product» includes the following features and characteristics of quality, style, design , packaging , service, warranty, warnings, life cycle, investment and profits. Component «Price» covers prices, discounts, public prices for credit and loan conditions. Component «Promotion» includes advertising , relations, direct marketing , promotional sales. Component «Place» means using the direct or indirect marketing channels, distribution of goods, territorial coverage of the market, retailing, supplies, logistics and order fulfillment.
Fig. 1. Model of the marketing mix in sustainable tourism (authoring)
Notes: TR - Tourist Resources, CR - cognitive resources, ER - Event Resources, AR- artificially created resources.
This model of marketing mix immediately attracted great interest and suggestions for additions. Thus, the proposed models were 6P (plus policies and public - relations ), and then – 7P (added personnel, process and planning). Academician Bob Loterbol in 1990 proposed an alternative variant of marketing mix called "4C" - from the perspective and interests of the buyer: Customer value (value of the goods to the buyer), Cost ( value of the goods to the buyer), Convenience (goods convenience to the buyer), Communication (buyer awareness about the product).
Despite the fact that sometimes the marketing mix model 4P considered to be too simple for the current market situation and focused mainly on the traditional markets of consumer goods, yet for experienced and new generations of marketers it continues to serve as a model of an integrated approach to marketing planning and retains its importance for the development and implementation of integrated marketing programs of companies .
As for the tourism marketing mix models, the available literature is mainly dominated by the mechanical approach of applying models of 4P or 7P to marketing activities of travel agencies and tourism industry as a whole , unfortunately, without considering distinct and unique tourism specificity as the only service industry (and type of business), which is forming on the basis of tourism resources, the consumption of which is the basis for tourism development. Actually tourism business activity is the "sale" of tourist resources (TR), i.e. tourism products formed on them. If your TR is "sold" to your customers (residents), it is domestic tourism, if your TR is "sold" to non-resident buyers it is a foreign ( inbound ) tourism, if TR is " sold" to our citizens it is outbound tourism. That is why in the center of the model of the marketing mix in tourism should be not the consumer ( tourist), and not the staff (as some authors consider), but tourism resources, since they define tourism specialization and the corresponding range of tours, their prices , specific promotional and advertising business , marketing channels and transport- logistics support ( Fig. 1). Indeed, depending on the available tourism resources in Fig. 1 they for convenience considerations are divided into three main groups, in reality there may be many more of them - see [4, 86-88 ], the tourist destination's specialization determines the type of tourism product - P1 (this can be recreational tourism (according to seasons), cognitive tourism, leisure tourism, etc.) that is offered for sale. Accordingly, depending on where the resource is located (at home or in another country) and to whom it will be offered (to residents or nonresidents ) the specialization of tourism product is defined - for domestic consumption (domestic tourism ), for external use ( foreign tourism ) or consumption abroad (outgoing tourism). Tourism resources define the price of tourism products - P2 (arrow from P1 to P2 indicates the sequence of marketing "steps" in tourism ). First of all, the price of tourism products (especially in international tourism) is affected by travel distance for tourism consumption. No wonder in the cost of long-distance travel 70-80 % is transport cost (aviation as usual). Thus, the closer to the tourist resources is the tourist place of residence, the lower is the price of the tour. For example, residents of Kyiv in order to visit Pechersk Lavra or Sophia Cathedral (which are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites), need to spend on transport (if they have no their own cars) 3-5 UAH. But the tour to Beijing (China) flight distance to several thousand kilometers (10 hours fly) and cost several hundred dollars are required. The second factor that influences the price of tourism products is the level of infrastructure development of tourist resources and its modernity. So when this level is low the permit price will be lower, but the living conditions are worse, and vice versa.
The specificity of the resource base of tourism determines the characteristics of P3 component of the marketing mix in tourism, i.e. promotional and advertising activities. Thus, the hallmark of tourism advertising is the ability to artistically portray those tourist resources that are offered for sale, such as the ocean, beach, palm trees , famous cities and places, medieval castles, palaces and fortresses, unique natural sites and more. Moreover, the ad's rules allow the advertising to depict all of this in publications and advertising media better and brighter than in reality.
So, choosing a particular tour, paying a price for it, getting all the information, a tourist falls through P4 component to his long-awaited vacation spot where he uses tourism resources "to the fullest" (thus arrow from P4 is directed to the center of the model, rather than from it, as in the case of P1 - P3). That element P4 in model of marketing mix in tourism means tourist destination, i.e. the location and use of tourism resources (destination). And the arrow from P1 to P4 suggests that there is a system connected with sales of tourism products with a direct or indirect distribution channels, transportation and logistics considerations and so on.
So proposed in article copyright model marketing mix in tourism takes into account the specific characteristics of sustainable tourism and its mandatory binding and attention to tourism resources and, at the same time having as a basis the classical model of the marketing mix. In our opinion, this model of marketing mix in tourism can be recommended for use in the educational process in the course "Marketing in tourism", which confirms the author's many years experience in teaching this discipline for future tourism managers in Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University [10 ] and Kiev national University of Culture and Arts [11] conferms.
Literature
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