PRODUCT

PRODUCT LEVELS

In planning its market offering, the marketer needs to think through five levels of product. Each level adds to the customer value, and the five constitute a customer value hierarchy. The levels of the product that the travel and tourism industry offers to its customers are as follows: 1) Core product The core product offered by Travel and Tourism industry is the destination. It is core because the main aim of the tourist is the destination where he has to reach or go. 2) Basic product The basic products offered by Travel and Tourism industry are ticket booking, transport, sight seeing, hotel booking. 3) Expected product These are the products that the customer expects the organization to offer. These are impeccable services, seat availability on needed time as it is critical to business travelers, accurate information, quick check in for the senior manger of the company, authentic information, information about various packages, different routes leading to a particular destination. 4) Augmented product These are the products that are offered by the companies to distinguish itself from others. These products become expected products in the future. Those are flat beds in business class, Wi-Fi connection in hotels, customized meals on board, tele checking 8hrs booking in hotels, hotels providing laptops on request, internet access as complimentary for the corporate packages. 5) Potential products These are the future products that the companies will offer to its customers. These can be underwater tourism, hovercraft for traveling. Also Virgin Atlantic airlines are thinking of adding a casino and a shopping mall in the airline. PRODUCT WIDTH AND PRODUCT LINE Product width of the product mix refers to how many different product lines the company carries. The width of the product mix refers to how many variants are offered of each product in the product line.

The product length is the total number in the product lines.

RATER
The well-known concept of five-quality dimension RATER, we hereby relate them to 7s of Travel and Tourism. So what do we mean by 7s Travel and Tourism Industry and what is its significance in relation to RATER. 1) RELIABILITY Suchna Information The way and the kind of information, which is provided, by any Travel and Tourism organization to its customers is the parameter of judging the Reliability of that organization. Why do we make such a statement? To explain that let us take an example of Travel agency. The various services provided by agency includes Planning Itinerates, Ticketing, Working out travel routes , Providing information on Destinations ,Arranging visas, Making stay reservations. Here information plays a very dynamic role. Let us assume that the customer comes for booking a ticket. It is very important on the part of the service provider (travel agency) to give accurate information on all types of flight available, their fairs, and new schemes going on which would in turn help customers to choose most suitable product for their traveling. Such repeated and accurate information creates of a reliable organization. I.e. in future the customer would trust the organization for any information. 2) ASSURANCE Suraksha Safety It is one of the prime factors considered when talking about this sector. A safe travel is the top priority of any traveler. Thus it is very important for Travel and Tourism organization to consider the safety of the tour package. The safe travel will in turn ensure the customers traveler. 3) TANGIBLES Swagat Suvidha Safai. These are the backstage elements, which help in a great way for the customers to evaluate the service. When we talk about tangible product in Travel and Tourism the 1st would include a) Swagat It means warm welcome. Everyone loves a warm welcome. It really gives a good start to the whole holiday. Thus keeping this tangible factor in mind the tourism agencies for example Thomas cook always keeps in mind the Swagat of their traveler. One good example of such is in this package of Thomas cook from Mumbai to Goa, wherein they give a welcome drink to travelers and provide them with a fruit platter and famous cashew nuts of Goa. b) Suvidha It means facility. Today if you talk top any business traveler they want to be pampered silly from flat beds in business class to Wi-Fi in hotels customize the needs. These are the kind of facilities

they expect. Thus if a Travel and Tourism organization is able to provide all such demanding facilities then it adds value to its travel products and makes the product hike from standard quality level to superior quality level. c) Safai It means cleanliness. Hygiene is also an important factor of a travel package. Clean hotel rooms and lobby create a spik and span impression of the package and add to the quality level. 4) EMPHATY Sahyog Cooperation. A famous quote from Stephen Cowe book goes like this Seek to understand and then to understood is very important. Thus thes that we relate to empathy is sahyog i.e. cooperation i.e. listen to the customers understand them and co-operate with them to come down to a solution this factor creates a very positive impression in the minds of the customers and helps the service to get a tag of its excellent service quality. 5) RESPONSIVENESS-Sanrachna Information. This is the last element in the concept of RATER. It is related to the lasts i.e. Sanrachna which means infrastructure. Why do we relate4 infrastructure to responsiveness is because how flexible is the infrastructure of Travel and Tourism organization affects the service responsiveness. For example if you plan and book a Qualis car to travel from place A to place B and if the car breaks down then how fast can you respond by replacing it with a new car shows the flexibility of the infrastructure i.e. the no of cars. COMPLAINT HANDLING No matter how well prepared you are there is always the potential for something to go wrong. The way you and your personnel handle complaints can be the determining factor in turning a disaster into a success. Tourism & More offers the following ideas on handling complaints: 1. Listen. When a visitor is angry or upset allows the person to know that he/she is being heard. Prepare your personnel to listen and to handle each complaint as if it were the most important part of their day. 2. Understand. Make sure personnel have a full understanding of the complaint. Prior to responding to the complaint they need to determine the exact nature of the complaint. Personnel should try to focus in on the main context of the complaint, and not be diverted by side issues. 3. Take Action. The visitor should see that he/she matters, and that you seriously consider their complaint. Make sure the upset visitor knows exactly what can or cannot be done, and what he/she may expect as a form of recompense. If the problem cannot be solved, immediately tell the visitor approximately how long it will take to find a solution. Often something as simple as an inexpensive complimentary gift or some special attention from the manager or boss can turn a negative situation into a positive one.

4. Learn. Every complaint and/or complainer provides a the tourist professional with a learning experience. Have your personnel share with colleagues what things went wrong, and the steps they took to correct the situation. Keep records of past complaints, not only for in-house training purposes, but also as a guide of future problems to prevent. DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE Here are some suggestions to help your staff cope with the angry guest. 1 Do not fight to win every battle. Often it is easier to simply say, Yes Sir/Mam you are right. Very few angry visitors are willing to listen to your side of the story. 2.Take the angry person out of a public area. Whenever an angry person decides to do battle in front of other guests you lose. Invite the person into a private room, offer him/her a drink and then listen. 3. Make sure that you know that the angry person knows that you will deal with the issue at that moment. Your credibility with an angry tourist is very low; telling him/her that you will get to the problem will only make the visitor even angrier. Start the repair process at that moment. Let the visitor see that you are doing something. 4. Use the persons right name and title. If the angry visitor introduces him/herself as Dr. Smith dont say Mr. or Ms. Smith and dont use a first name unless given permission. The misuse of names or titles only adds fuel to an already explosive situation. 5. Make sure that the person addressing the problem is competent to solve it. If a member of your staff cannot solve a problem, then turning to someone who can help, is doing something. Never just shrug ones shoulders and say sorry! 6. Rather than getting angry, try to think of something comical. For example, imagine what this person would look like angry in his/her underwear, and then laugh to yourself. PART II 1 Dont be defensive. Try to understand that people on vacation are often a bit irrational. Instead of reacting in a negative way, coolly ask how you can make their situation better 2 In a like manner, never argue, but rather apologize. Once the apology is made the upset/difficult person is more willing to listen. Win by losing! 3 In a like manner, never argue, but rather apologize. Once the apology is made the upset/difficult person is more willing to listen. Win by losing! 1. Dress in a professional manner. It is amazing how much more respect a well dressed functionary receives. It is a lot easier to deal with a difficult person when dressed in a suit rather than in jeans.

PRICE MIX. In pricing decisions, the product or the service mix of the tourist organization is important. They have to set prices in line with the quality of services to be made available to the customers and the type of customers they are targeting. Pricing decisions are influenced by internal factors like pricing policy of the company, and external factors like the destination itself. They are required to think in favor of discounting price. These may include discounts for cash payments, seasonal discounts, trade discounts etc. But while offering the discounts, it is not to be forgotten that it may also create image problem since some of the value sensitive tourists may doubt the quality. PROMOTION MIX. Creation of awareness has a far-reaching impact. The tourist organizations bear the responsibility of informing, persuading and sensing the potential tourists in a right fashion. The marketers need to use the various components of promotion optimally so that they succeed in increasing the number of habitual users. Promotion helps in maximizing the duration of stay, frequency of visit by offering new tourist products in the same country to areas, which have remained untapped or partially tapped. The various dimensions of tourism promotion are as follows: Advertising: Advertisement gives important information to the actual and potential tourists. Its coverage is wide. Advertising is aimed at the public to create awareness of the travel offers available on a resort and its attractions to influence their business decisions. Intangibility can be compensated with the help of visual exposure of scenes and events. We can project hotel bedrooms, well-arranged restaurants and cafeterias, swimming pools etc. Publicity: It focuses attention on strengthening the public relations measures by developing a rapport with media people and getting their personalized support in publicizing the business. It helps in projecting the positive image of tourist organizations since the prospects trust on the news items publicized by the media people. The publicity program include regular publicity stories and photographs to the newspapers, travel editors, contact with magazines on stories etc. advertising is a part of publicity. Sales promotions: Sales promotion measures are the short-term activities seeking to boost sales at peak demand periods to ensure that the firms obtain its market share and are used to help launch a new product or support an ailing or modified one. The tool of sales promotions is designed to appeal particularly to those customers who are price-sensitive. There are a number of techniques to promote sale and the tourist professional need to use them in the face of their requirements vis- -vis the emerging trends in the business. Eg. In the tourism industry, a travel company offers give-aways to their clients, such as flight bags, wallets for tickets, Foreign Exchange (Forex) and covers of passport. The hotels offer a number of facilities like shoe shine clothes, first aid sewing kits, shower caps and shampoo. Further, the VIP clients also get fruits and flowers in their rooms. Word-of-mouth Promotion: Most communication about tourism takes place by word-of-mouth information, which in a true sense is word-of-recommendation. In the tourism industry it is found that the word-of-mouth promoters play the role of a hidden sales force, which help the process of

selling. The high magnitude of effectiveness of this tool of promotion is due to high credibility of the channel, especially in the eyes of the potential tourists. The sensitivity of this tool makes it clear that tourist organizations need to concentrate on the quality of services they promise and offer. The marketers or the tourist organizations need to keep their eyes open, identify the vocal persons or the opinion leaders and take a special care of them so that they keep on moving the process of stimulating and creating demand. Personal Selling: Personal Selling is based on the personal skill of an individual. The travel and hotel business depend considerably on the personal selling. The development of travel and tourism has been possible due to well-educated and trained sales personnel. The development of tourism business has been influenced by the services rendered by the travel agents and travel guides since they work as information carriers. Personal selling is the personal presentation of a tangible product or intangible services or ideas to the customers. It is important to mention that in the tourism industry, the personnel who attend tourists form an essential ingredient of the product, such as sales personnel are found responsible for dealing with customers behind the counter, the resort representatives cater to the need of tourists when they reach the destination etc. all of them play a vital role in ensuring that the tourism products satisfy the tourists. The phrase- the customer is always right applies specifically to the tourism industry. No reduction in price would compensate for impolite and indecent travel guide, a solvent waiter and a surly or a haughty coach driver. These facts are testimony to the proposition that the travel business is linked with the performance and behavior of sales personnel or travel staff. Telemarketing: It is a method of selling in which a professionally sound telemarketer markets the business. The quality of technology and the communicative ability of the telemarketers determine the magnitude of success of this component. In tourism, the travel agents, offices of airways, receptionist, and secretaries cant work efficiently if the telephonic services are not up to the mark. Also recruiting a person considered to be professionally sound, personallycommitted sales personnel having an in-built creativity, innovation and imagination is very important. Exhibitions The participants include state and national tourism promotion boards, travel agents and tour operators, airlines, car rentals, cruise liners, holiday financiers, technology providers, hotels and resorts, education institutions in the field of hospitality and tourism. Over the years the participation of foreign tourism promotion boards like the Dubai Tourism and the Mauritius Tourism, etc has increased in order to aggressively promote their respective countries. PLACE MIX. Most tour operators sell their services through travel agents, however some deal directly with the consumers and eliminate middlemen. For example, Thomas Cook has its own branches situated throughout the country so they are easily accessible. The customer, in the travel and tourism industry, has to go to the service provider. Hence strategic locations are very important for Thomas Cook. Other companies may also utilize more than one method of distribution. Location:

Transport also plays a major role in the tourism industry. It makes the destinations accessible to people from around the world. Also, in the case of tangible products in tourism such as souvenirs and cuisine, transportation becomes a major logistical component. EXTENDED 3 PS OF MARKETING PEOPLE Like other industries, the tourism industry depends substantially on management of human resources. The tourism industry is an amalgam of the services of a lot of people and hence this industry cannot work efficiently if the travel agents, tour operators and travel guides lack world class professional excellence. Of course the offices of travel agents depends on the new technology but after all employees and the other staff contribute significantly to the process. The travel guides need professional excellence since the projection of a positive image regarding a destination in particular requires their due cooperation, failing which even the world class services offered by the travel agents are found meaningless. The tour operators also need to manage human resources efficiently. In the management of people, the related organizations are required to think in favour of developing an ongoing training program so that we find a close relation between the development of technologies and the quality of personnel who are supposed to operate and maintain the same. They need a lot of credentials to fulfill the expectations of the customers. The organization has to make the environmental conditions conducive and focus has to be laid on the incentives to the employees for energizing the process of performance orientation. Employee orientation requires due weightage to efficiency generation, value-orientation and perfection. In the tourism industry the travel agents and the travel guides are the two most important people who speak a lot about the industry. Hence it is imperative that they have to be at their best at all times. Travel guides especially, are expected to have a lot of patience, good sense of humour, tact to transform the occasional tourists into habitual ones, thorough knowledge of the places, linguistic skills etc. The Government plays an important role in providing the right kind of people for this industry. As such there are a lot of Govt. and Pvt. Institutes which offer training for the same.. The training courses run by the Institutes are designed to suit the needs of the various target groups. PEOPLE in service marketing includes EMPLOYEES OTHER CUSTOMERS EMPLOYEES They are the representatives of the company. Their performance can create a positive as well as negative impact of the service process and the image of the company. Keeping people factor healthy is one of the prime concerns of the company. When we talk about people in travel and tourism industry, they are really crucial part as at every stage they

play a role of the service provider on the stage of service encounter also known as moment of truth. SERVICE ENCONTER The so-called stage service encounter or moment of truth is the element of interaction between those providing services and the customers. The instances of service encounter in travel and tourism industry are In the ticket booking process when the customer calls the service provider that is the front line staff in order to book the tickets is the first service encounter incidence. Its the moment of truth where, there is one to one interaction between the service provider who is booking the ticket and the customer who wants the ticket booked. This interaction takes place on the phone. In the itinerary planning process the service encounter takes place when the customer visits the travel and tourism agency to purchase a holiday package and meets the travel manager. When the customer is experiencing the holiday package there are numerous service encounters that he goes through and one of them is his constant interaction with the tourist guides. These were some examples of service encounter. This stage is a very crucial one where in the provider has to perform at the optimum level in order to avoid the customer from having the experience of credence quality. CREDECE QUALITY Is the quality, which is difficult to evaluate, and when you ask the customer the question on how was the service? He usually gives vague answers like it was ok, I dont know. A very important concept in people is the service profit chain. In the service profit chain the first step is to keep the internal customers happy and satisfied the internal customer being the employees. To keep them following point have to be taken care of Work place design Job design Employee selection and development Employees rewards and recognition

 Tools for serving customers. These aspects in turn lead to employee satisfaction, which would result in to employee retention and productivity, this would result in providing value services and that would yield customer satisfaction. Which would lead to customer loyalty and finally revenue growth and profitability through referral and repeat business.

PROCESS
It is the way of undertaking transaction supplying information and providing services on a way, which is acceptable to the consumer and the effective to the organization. Now to make this definition of process true, it is necessary for the organization which provides services to recognize the critical moments in the entire process which makes the service acceptable or not acceptable to the customer depending on the zone of tolerance and effective or not effective to the organization. Further to realize what are the critical moments in the considered process a concept of blue printing is introduced.

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
It is a very important factor for the travel and tourism industry. This marketing p is important in 2 distinct ways: 1) as the environment in which the sales takes place 2) the environment where the product is consumed Explanation of the first case when the purchasing of the product is taking place, however the customer cannot be sure whether they will enjoy the product or not. In the mean time their expectations and emotions are influenced by factors like layout of the room, the furniture, noise level, temperature, lights and other factors like the brochure of the company. In case of customers who by electronically the appearance of the website is the physical evidence. Explanation of the second case In the travel industry where the product is being experienced s particularly important in securing repeat business thus extensive facitilities that prove to be physical evidence are provided to lure and woo the customer The tangibles include flat beds in business class, Wi-Fi connection in hotels, customized meals on board, tele checking 8hrs booking in hotels, hotels providing laptops on request, internet access as complimentary for the corporate packages. The critical incidences in this process are

Understanding the customers needs and expectations from the holiday or business tour which ever he or she is opting for Making an apt travel plan and route adhering to the requirements of the customer

Execution of the planned itinerary is the most critical one. As a company has committed some thing and this is the time when the customer is actually experiencing the entire product and if any one of the commitments dont materialize then the zone of tolerance is affected and lot as it is already low because the customer on a tour whether leisure or business expects perfection.

Incredible India : STRENGTHS : Indias geographical location is a culmination of forests, deserts, and mountains ands beaches. Diversity of culture i.e. a blend of various civilizations and their traditions. A wealth of archeological sites and historical monuments. WEAKNESSES Lack of adequate infrastructure. A xenophobic attitude among certain sections of the people. No proper marketing of Indias tourism abroad. Foreigners still think of India as a land of snake charmers. OPPORTUNITIES More proactive role from the government of India in terms of framing policies. Allowing entry of more multinational companies into the country giving us a global perspective. As well as growth of domestic tourism is one of the factors of the development of the tourism industry. THREATS Economic conditions and political turmoil in other countries affects tourism. Aggressive strategies adopted by other countries like Australia, Singapore in promoting their tourism affects Indi INTRODUCTION TO THE INDUSTRY The Travel and Tourism industry is still one of the largest single businesses in world commerce and its importance is widely recognized.

The tourism industry is now one of the largest sectors earning foreign exchange. In the face of many benefits, many countries have started assigning due weightage to the tourism industry in their national development agenda. Tourism statistics: i. The tourism industry as a whole is presently estimated to earn over US$ 3.5 trillion worldwide. ii. The travel and tourism industry generates about 11% of world GDP and 200 million jobs across the global economy. TOURISM INDUSTRY IN INDIA Indian Tourism industry is one of the most important export industries of the country. Although the international tourist inflow is relatively low, India has found tourism emerging as an important sector of its economy. Recent statistics have revealed that during the first quarter of 2006, the performance of the tourism industry has been very encouraging which has registered an 11% increase in foreign tourist arrivals. India Tourism office at Tokyo won two International Awards in Tour Expo held at Daegu in Korea for excellent tourism promotion. Indian Pavilion won the Best Booth Design Award as well as Best Folklore Performance Award competing with major players in tourism such as China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Canada. About the company The Kuoni Travel Group, India, is the countrys largest travel and Tourism Company and a 100% subsidiary Kuoni Travel Holding. Kuoni Indias vision focuses on providing all travel and travel-related services to travellers from, within and to India. Kuoni Travel Group, India was formed when Kuoni Travel Holding, Switzerland acquired 100% equity in SOTC on May 22nd, 1997. The Company was renamed Kuoni Travel (India) Ltd. SOTC World Famous Tours became a valued brand. Kuoni Travel (India) Ltd. became Indias largest travel company with the acquisition of SITA World Travel a forerunner in Destination Management, incentive and business travel market. Today, Kuoni-India is active across virtually every travel segment and operates a number of highly successful brands in India as also controls strategic markets around the world Organization Chart

Board of directors:1) Armin Meier, CEO, Kuoni Group. 2) Max E. Katz, Chief Financial Officer, Kuoni Group. 3) Zubin Karkaria, CEO and Managing Director, Kuoni India & south Asia. 4) Reto Wilhelm, EVP Leisure Travel Europe, Asia and Destination Management Kuoni Group. About the competitors

Cox & Kings is the longest established travel company in the world. At present, the COX & KINGS group has offices in UK (2 offices), USA, Japan, Germany Italy, Turkey, Pakistan and Nepal. In India, Cox & Kings has offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Hyderabad, Pune, Goa and Jaipur and one satellite office in Andheri in Mumbai and Gurgaon in Delhi.

Thomas Cook is one of the worlds leading international travel and financial services groups and serves over 20 million customers a year. They provide services to customers at 4,500 locations in more than 100 countries and employee over 20,000 people. The Thomas Cook Holiday comes with a 150-year-old guarantee of eternally sunlit memories. They couldnt expect any less from the people who invented travel for leisure. They offer the worlds most enjoyable holidays, to exotic destinations in India and abroad where everything is taken care of from beginning to end.

Established in 1984, Kesari Tours is a premium travel company, which offers world-class holidays in India and around the world. Kesari have perfected their tour itineraries to meet the special needs of the Indian tourist abroad. The motto of organization is No compromise on quality. At Kesari Tours, they have made a motto that if they make a promise to their customers, they honor it. They believe in honest, transparent deals. No hidden costs and no compromise on sightseeing. They strive for 100% satisfaction of tourists. The company enjoys an immense goodwill. Thats what they earned out of their beliefs.

A passion for Travel & a vision for creating innovative travel packages were the two driving forces saw the beginning of a Travel Company in a very modest way in Mumbais Masjid Bunder. The tremendous success & satisfaction of their tours paved way for Raj to hold its banner high & it continues to do so till date. They are proud to say that year after year they have improved on the product, adding new destinations, new attractions, pro-active marketing, & building customer confidence Quality measurement

Kuoni has been granted ISO: 14001, environmental certification in autumn, becoming the first tour operator to earn this Destination. Awards & Accolades

2005 Galileo India Express Award for Best Outbound Tour Operator 2005 Business Super brand 2004 Galileo India Express Award for Best Outbound Tour Operator 2004 Malaysia Tourism Award for Best Foreign Tour Operator 2004 Singapore Tourism Board Award for Best Travel Experience in India 2004 Star Cruises The Top Agents Award for 2004

Comparative Service Marketing Mix of SOTC and Cox and Kings PRODUCT Tourism service is the combination of tangible and intangible elements. The tourism product, which is mainly the destination, can only be experienced. The views of the location travel to the destination, the accommodation and facility as well as the entertainment at the destination all form the tourism product Components of Tours as a Product. WITH RESPECT TO THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY Traveling.

Sr.No.

BENEFIT

MEANING The fundamental benefit or service that the customer is buying.

1 2 3

CORE BENEFIT

BASIC PRODUCT Basic, functional attributes. Ticketing, hotel reservation. EXPECTED PRODUCT AUGMENTED PRODUCT POTENTIAL PRODUCT Set of attributes/conditions Customer friendliness, good the buyer normally expects. food. That meets the customers desires beyond expectations. The possible evolution to distinguish the offer. Prompt services, comfortable and convenient trip, spectacular sights, and music. Totally customized tour packages, A grade service at every stage.

SOTC

SOTC offers a variety of tours which includes tours for families with kids, tours for senior citizens, theme vacations like beaches and also special packages for pure vegetarian and jains. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS also offers a variety of tours which include tours for families with kids, tours for senior citizens, tours for Marathi people, and tours for Gujarati people. PRICE Pricing in tourism is a complex process. Pricing includes the prices of other services like Air travel, Bus, Railways, Hotels, etc. All are included in tourism package. Pricing also depends on the Geographic location of the destination. Pricing also depends on Seasonality. Seasonality is the most important factor in pricing. To match demand and supply tourist managers try to get either discount SOTC SOTC offers price sensitive tours like cost saver and premium tours which can be afforded by all classes. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS does not believe that the customer should pay a premium for excellent service and outstanding holidays. It is their policy to keep the prices as low as possible that is they follow Low Price Policy. PLACE

Different distribution strategies are selected to reflect the companys overall objectives. Tours as a product is distributed as a travel. Internet is also used widely. The middleman may be tour operators, who buy tours in bulk and make them available to travel agents who are retailers. SOTC

Different distribution strategies are selected for Tours marketing by SOTC. There are also small agents (who have taken franchise of SOTC) spread all over the town/country who also play a role of place. SOTC act as wholesalers and also act as a retailer. The latest mode of reaching the customers is through Internet that is SOTC has its own website from where information on the tours can be procured, direct booking can be done for which the payment can be made through the credit card. SOTC also has its own offices from where booking can be done. COX AND KINGS Almost same distribution strategies are used by COX AND KINGS also. They too have wide spread offices all over the country and their own website from where direct booking can be done. PROMOTION Advertising and sales promotion in Tourism is very effective when supplemented by publicity and personal selling. Public or PR (Public Relation) plays an important role in tourism. It is also through recommendation of friends and relatives which is itself a biggest promotion. Word-of-mouth is a very important tool of promotion in tourism. Research shows that about 80% of the tourist visited different places on the persuasion of their friends and relatives and also their own judgments.

One can see a clear domination by global and Multi-National tour operators. Kuoni Travel (India) was the top advertiser in this category commanding a 10% share. SOTC

SOTC uses electronic, print and all sorts of media as tourism is a highly promoted industry. SOTC gives printed ads in The Times of India mentioning the special tours in it with the special prices offered by them. Brochures are another form of communication provided by SOTC to stimulate customers and motivate them to buy. They are used to demonstrate in pictures and words the images and positioning of the product and the organizations. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS also advertises in newspapers. It also has a tie up with leading publications for features on travel, which appear once a week. PEOPLE It plays a most important part in tourism. In people, local people are very important, that how they treat tourist. The travel agents, guides, staff, sales staff, etc of company they are the people. Travel Company also like Railways, Air, etc. is included in people. SOTC Kuoni group (India) employs 2900 employees through its 347 offices and caters to 3 million customers. SITA alone enjoys loyalty of its 2, 00,000 Indian customers. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS employs 2600 employees it has 13 offices in India and a network of over 500 GSAs across the country (general sales agent). PROCESS

The operation process of the SOTC and COX AND KINGS is given in the form of sequential steps involved in the delivery of the tours as a product.

Provision of travel information The information regarding the travel is provided at a convenient location where the potential tourist seeks clarification about their proposed tour. SOTC SOTC provides information through its website, newspaper ads and in SOTC branches in the form of pamphlets. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS also provides information through its website, newspaper ads and in SOTC branches in the form of pamphlets. Preparation of itineraries It is a composition of series of operations that are required to plan a tour. SOTC The itineraries in SOTC are customized that is if the customer doesnt wish to visit a particular place that place can be replaced with a place the customer wants to visit. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS has fixed itineraries the customer can cancel the visit but it will not be replaced by any other place. Liaison with providers of services Before any form of travel is sold over the counter to a customer; contracts have to be entered with the providers of various services including transportation companies, hotel accommodation, coaches for local sightseeing etc. SOTC SOTC has its contracts with many of the Indian companies like Hilton, etc. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS also has tie-ups with various 5-star hotels across the country. Planning and costing tours Once the contracts and arrangements are entered into, then the task of planning and costing the tour, this will depend on the tour selected as well as individual requirements. SOTC

In SOTC the tours are customized that is if customer cant afford the premium holiday he will be given the same tour but the cost will be reduced by offering him a deluxe hotel instead of a five star hotel or by offering him a non ac bus instead of a ac coach. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS follows a low price policy that is they fix the tour price as low as possible. Ticketing The computerized reservation system has in recent years revolutionized the reservation system for both rail and air travel. SOTC In SOTC the tours, air and rail tickets are booked online. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS also book tours, air and rail tickets through their online access system. Provision of foreign currency and insuranceIn case of foreign travel the final task provide foreign currency as well as insurance. SOTC SOTC provides its customers with foreign currency and visa services. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS provides its customers with foreign currency and travel insurance. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE The tourist attraction, which is an expensive for the customer must be tangibilized with the help of tangible items like, comfortable seats while traveling, layout, and design of the resort, natural service, etc. the sign posts that indicate directions, route maps, information regarding rules and regulations of the tourist spot and the sign regarding the public utilities like toilets, telephone booth also form a part of the physical evidence. Printed matters such as brochures also play an important role in the development of tourism. As the product, in tourism is intangible. SOTC SOTC provides its customers with a detailed brochure of the tour they have selected, a list of things to be done before going for a holiday e.g. cooking gas switch to be turned off etc and if the customer is going for foreign tour then a list of basic words like hello, water etc in the foreign countrys language which will make it easy for the customer, this establishes

value for money, product image and status, which must be matched when the product is delivered. COX AND KINGS COX AND KINGS also provides its customers with a detailed brochure of the tour. To conclude, the above facts and figures draw a clear picture that SOTC is the best company in comparison with COX and KINGS.SOTC is reasonable in price, offers best customer service which results into customer satisfaction. SOTC is the market leader in outbound tourism as COX and KINGS is the market follower. SWOT ANALYSIS

The Marketing Mix (The 4 P's of Marketing)

By: Yogin Vora on February 14, 2009 3 Comments

Mba Projects Distribution Channels Goal Setting Marketing Manager

Introduction Marketing decisions generally fall into the following four controllable categories:

Product Price Place (distribution) Promotion

The term marketing mix became popularized after Neil H. Borden published his 1964 article, The Concept of the Marketing Mix. Borden began using the term in his teaching in the late 1940s after James Culliton had described the marketing manager as a mixer of ingredients. The ingredients in Bordens marketing mix included product planning, pricing, branding, distribution channels, personal selling, advertising, promotions, packaging, display, servicing, physical handling, and fact finding and analysis. E. Jerome McCarthy later grouped these ingredients into the four categories that today are known as the 4 Ps of marketing, depicted These four Ps are the parameters that the marketing manager can control, subject to the internal and external constraints of the marketing environment. The goal is to make decisions that center the four Ps on the customers in the target market in order to create perceived value and generate a positive response.
Product Decisions

The term product refers to tangible, physical products as well as services. Here are some examples of the product decisions to be made:

Brand name Functionality Styling Quality Safety Packaging Repairs and Support Warranty Accessories and services

Price Decisions

Some examples of pricing decisions to be made include:

Pricing strategy (skim, penetration, etc.) Suggested retail price Volume discounts and wholesale pricing Cash and early payment discounts Seasonal pricing Bundling

Price flexibility Price discrimination

Distribution (Place) Decisions

Distribution is about getting the products to the customer. Some examples of distribution decisions include:

Distribution channels Market coverage (inclusive, selective, or exclusive distribution) Specific channel members Inventory management Warehousing Distribution centers Order processing Transportation Reverse logistics

Promotion Decisions

In the context of the marketing mix, promotion represents the various aspects of marketing communication, that is, the communication of information about the product with the goal of generating a positive customer response. Marketing communication decisions include:

Promotional strategy (push, pull, etc.) Advertising Personal selling & sales force Sales promotions Public relations & publicity Marketing communications budget

Limitations of the Marketing Mix Framework

The marketing mix framework was particularly useful in the early days of the marketing concept when physical products represented a larger portion of the economy. Today, with marketing more integrated into organizations and with a wider variety of products and markets, some authors have attempted to extend its usefulness by proposing a fifth P, such as packaging, people, process, etc. Today however, the marketing mix most commonly remains based on the 4 Ps. Despite its limitations and perhaps because of its simplicity, the use of this framework remains strong and many marketing textbooks have been organized around it. four Ps are the parameters that the marketing manager can control, subject to the internal and external constraints of the marketing environment. The goal is to make decisions that center the four Ps on the customers in the target market in order to create perceived value and generate a positive response.

Product Decisions

The term product refers to tangible, physical products as well as services. Here are some examples of the product decisions to be made:

Brand name Functionality Styling Quality Safety Packaging Repairs and Support Warranty Accessories and services

Price Decisions

Some examples of pricing decisions to be made include:

Pricing strategy (skim, penetration, etc.) Suggested retail price Volume discounts and wholesale pricing Cash and early payment discounts Seasonal pricing Bundling Price flexibility Price discrimination

Distribution (Place) Decisions

Distribution is about getting the products to the customer. Some examples of distribution decisions include:

Distribution channels Market coverage (inclusive, selective, or exclusive distribution) Specific channel members Inventory management Warehousing Distribution centers Order processing Transportation Reverse logistics Photo Gallery - Incredible India Awards - 2010

Promotion Decisions

In the context of the marketing mix, promotion represents the various aspects of marketing communication, that is, the communication of information about the product with the goal of generating a positive customer response. Marketing communication decisions include:

Promotional strategy (push, pull, etc.) Advertising Personal selling & sales force Sales promotions Public relations & publicity Marketing communications budget