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Rural tourism and marketing
Rural tourism and
marketing Synthesis and new ways of working David Gilbert
There is no doubt that rural tourism can benefit from the application of marketing theory. While marketing is used more and more to help in the planning and promotion of traditional tourist centres, there is a paucity of expertise applied to rural areas. Some regional bodies may try to dispute this, but there seems to be little evidence that they have produced more than weak marketing proposals. A literature search shows there is nothing of importance written about general marketing applications for rural areas. It is hoped this article will provoke both interest and development in an area that deserves greater attention. Keywords:
rural tourism; marketing
David Gilbert is at the Department of Management Studies for Tourism and Hotel Industries. University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK.
In the UK rural development, such as nature trails, new forms of interpretation, agricultural and folk museums, and the support of rural accommodation schemes, has all led to a greater emphasis on area management or visitor management. with notions of capacity control and conservation schemes. Andrew Thorburn writing in 19S2 pointed out that attitudes to tourism generally had been seen as a pressure to be accommodated by good management of towns and the countryside. He went on to argue that town and country planners: Can initiate
action which will make places better for tourists. We can help the tourist industry adjust to changing demands. We can find ways to reduce the impact of large numbers of tourists upon the places they visit. To do these things we shall have to find new ways of working.’
It is argued here that rural tourism is a field which will benefit far more in the future if it develops an expertise of marketing management in relation to its core product rather than using more traditional forms of Followin g this, new ways of working will be tourism management. available.
Marketing scope
‘A. Thorburn, Positive Planning for Tourism: Planning for the Tourist, Cheltenham Conference Proceedings, English Tourist Board, 1982.
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Whenever the term marketing is used, there is always some confusion as to its exact meaning. At the crudest level people associate marketing with selling or advertising, and few people would perceive marketing as a body of knowledge including that of research, need assessment, analysis and planning in terms of pricing, promotion, the formulation of products and their final distribution to tourism consumers. Traditionally, marketing expertise is concerned with maximizing the areas of demand, revenue and profit for organizations. With rural tourism, the dilemma is that marketing has to take into account the fragile nature of the product it is promoting. This product is also characterized as being a public product and as such much of the access is open to whoever demands it. Even when access is confined to specific footpath or bridleway networks the attitude to the countryside is that it is open for public use. This leads to problems of control, conservation and types of access. To market a rural area is, therefore,
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not just to sell the area. Marketin g is a management systematically help to develop a rural area while quality of the product has to be protected.
approach which can recognizing that the
Definition of rural tourism development The definition of what constitutes a rural area is far easier than one which corresponds to rural tourism development. A rural area may be regarded as one bvhich is outside the jurisdiction of a municipal or to\vn it can include small towns or corporation or committee. However. increasingly suburbanized commuter countryside. Appropriate or sympathetic rural tourism development is more complex as it can be interpreted in more ways than one:
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As a cotzce~~t rural tourism development encompasses the connotation of achieving an improvement in both the kvelfare of the community and the environment of the rural area. As a pl~e~~~~ze~~on. rural development is the outcome of an interaction between the resources of people. technology and available budgets. As a straregy, it is the best plan which can be designed in order to improve logically the social benefits derived by the host, the visitor and the environment. As a disciplitle, it is multidisciplinary in nature dra\ving heavily on the management sciences of tourism and marketing management as well as the disciplines of geography, txonomics and agriculture.
It follows that the following definition can be proposed: ‘Appropriate rural tourism development is the planned use of resources for a countryside area lvhich will lend to an increase in the general welfare of the environment, the community and the visitor’.
Why develop rural areas? The main reason for deciding to use marketing techniques in order to develop rural areas is that it will make an area more efficient and prevent economic decline. The situation in many rural areas is one of low levels of income per head linked to high unemployment rates. Gilg has put forward arguments which describe the rural situation as one where: 0 0 0
0 0
‘A.W.
Gilg, Countryside Planning - The 7945-76, Methuen,
Firs? Three Decades London, 1978.
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unequal standards of living give rise to rifts and divisions in society: the existing primary activities cannot support economically efficient communities; the continuing exodus of people and jobs from the remote to the already overcrowded urban areas could lead to further congestion in these areas; rural areas contain a good deal of social capital. Lvhich it would be expensive to redistribute: and many people in these areas do not want to leave and others would return if given the chance.’
In addition to Gilg’s points. rural economies suffer from two other factors. First, they are bnscd on agricultural production which is susceptible to violent fluctuation due to its reliance on the optimum conditions of both nature and the Lveather. In many developed coun-
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1989
tries, it is also reliant on government policies which may determine circumstances (eg EEC imposed milk quotas) or set aside policies. Tourism offers the opportunity to introduce a mixed economy. Tourism can offer a more stable basis for income generation as uell as a diversification for the local economy. Second. rural tourism is mainly characterized by small, scattered and unorganized enterprises. This heightens the need for policies aimed at helping small-scale development and training. Figure 1 shovvs that there is a direct link between the size, character and demographic profile of natural or rural areas in relation to both the economic and social needs of the community. It is an attempt to explain how a rural area has a central locus whose character is produced as a result of both the size of the rural population, who are supported directly by the rural area, and the demographic changes taking place within that population. The dynamics of this relationship produce particular patterns of social networks and interactions. The rural community can be seen to have both social. non-food needs as well as economic, income related needs. If relationships are weakened for these two important inputs, then rural depopulation uill occur in those communities where the roots of the people would otherwise have remained in the rural area. If opportunities are not provided for the physical and social enrichment of rural communities they will fragment. Within this fragmentation it is usually the more able who move away and those vvho require the most support. because they are the least sufficient. are left. Second-home owners or urban commuters who may move to the area only serve to obscure many of the problems vvhich continue to exist for the original rural community. Many rural areas are disadvantaged due to the underprovision of basic infrastructural facilities and services. Population and investment decline has meant a worsening situation vvith respect to the provision of public transport, schooling, health care. accommodation and emergency services. Those villages which have poor amenities can exist in a cycle of deprivation where each generation will have worse access to essential services and the more able have to leave to find employment. To compound the problem, those who are left, eg the elderly. are the ones
/
Figure 1. Links between demographic attributes of rural area and social and economic factors.
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Economic
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1
needs
relations
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most in need of the services which may have been cut back. .L\rguments which stress that agricultural areas have traditionally found ways of coping miss the point that relative depri\,ation bet\vren the city and the rural community is wider than ever. There is a need for effective rural tourism development in order to provide freedom of choice for a community and to preserve the dignity of those people livin, ~7in rural areas. In an age of rising expectations Eve should remain aware of the need for social justice in sharing out society’s scarce resources to underprivileged areas. One may argue that advantage can bc taken of the current situation due to changes in consumer behaviour in relation to tourism demand. Research has sho\vn a potential demand exists for alternative types of leisure. These changes are part of the emergence of ne\v consumer needs.” Marketing management is primaril>, based on the philosophy that consumer needs have to be researched and understood in order to analyse which different product opportunities exist.
What are the emerging needs of the consumer? Nr~r* obje~ri~*e.s. There are now changed objectives in holidaying inhereby smnil sections of the public desire to experience other types of life and conditions. Close interaction with non-familiar cultures is being sought more and more by a new type of tourist. Tourists are demanding more experience than the traditional beach holiday. I~zdi~~itirlrrlrlpprorrclr. There
is the styin, 17 to more individual forms of tourism from mass markets kvhere only standard forms of supply are available. Rural tourism involves more choice and flesibility and offers a new set of tourism satisfactions: Less hvislz rrcconmodcctiorl. There is a hvillingness on the part of the public to accept clean, yet lower standard, accommodation from that which they may be used to. This would allow simplified barn type accommodation to be offered; Hedo~lisnz. Hedonism is an emerging value. Pleasure for its o\vn sake is a modern value - the idea that individuals deserve pleasure and diversionary activities as a right lvill lead to pressure for more leisure based activities: Activity
holidrcys. There is a trend among younger people to take more personalized holidays involving activity. eg climbing holidavs. or a week on a chartered sail-boat; Irlcrertsed
3F. Skelly. ‘Outline of the changing consumers in the 80s. its impact on travel and tourism marketing’, in TTRA. Eighth Annual Conference Proceedings, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 1977, pp 201-204.
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tourism sperldirzg. Members 1950s may be far more likely to spend possessions. They may be more likely granted and use credit facilities more;
of generations after the later money on tourism rather than to take economic security for
materialism. There is more desire for spiritual values and communing with nature. This has led to a range of pursuits such as hiking or camping rather than hotels. R e d lrceti
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Rural ~ounsm and murkrnn~
Rural development
and marketing planning
The preceding information has shown that there is a need for ‘new ways of working’, a need for rural development, and also consumer needs which require satisfaction. We can now discuss methods of planning based upon marketing theory. The overall goal of any policy aimed at rural tourism development has to be that of promoting an increase in the general welfare of a rural area. This comprises improvement in economic, cultural, social and environmental vvelfare. It is argued that if a marketing planning approach is adhered to, as an approach to the planning of rural tourism development, it will be more effective than other approaches. Policy formulation and infrastructure improvement will flow logically from the adoption of this perspective. This is primarily because marketing is involved in researching and understanding what consumers require. creating products which satisfy potential demand, promoting those products effectively and then researching the results of any development in order to improve the product on offer. It is assumed that any rural development plan has to be underpinned by the philosophy that its goal will be to maximize the general area welfare. This sequence can be more fully understood by reference to Figure 2. The first stage in planning is to build up a picture of the strengths and weaknesses of an area and to assess consumer needs in relation to rural tourism. For example, it may be found that there is infrequent public transport available on Sundays or that there is a lack of signposting. Consumer research may also show that potential demand esists for, eg cabin accommodation in the area. In this way, an area’s potential for development will emerge out of the research process. The research will ascertain both the resource base of the area as well as its potential demand opportunities. The guiding objective for rural tourism development will be to encourage changes which will bring about local increases in employment creation purchasing power, a freedom of independence from solely agricultural work and a harmonization in the supply and demand relationship between the environment and local community and that of the visitor.
Marketing approach to resource allocation and planning Rural marketing is also concerned with access to the countryside. Although the car is the main means of transport used, public transport is an important means of giving benefit of access to wider groups. The role of rural marketing has to be that of social marketing whereby the overriding values are those which stress the benefits of the countryside should not only be freely available but should be promoted actively to all social groups. This means that rural marketers should be actively engaged in countryside planning, advising on what products will be acceptable to the target publics, which communications programme vvill be the most effective and what access systems will be optimal. Rural areas have business interests in the form of attractions, transport systems, caravan sites, small hotels, farm accommodation. activity and leisure centres. Most of these types of business are too small to mount social marketing campaigns of any real influence and it is, therefore, the public bodies who carry out most of the necessary major
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UNDERST4NDl&i
OF
TLiE/
,-
-
Feedback of
monitoring outcomes -1
OPTI\lU\l
ALLOC,ATIONS OF
RESOURCES
E,IV’FOULlENTAL I\ I,
LOCAL MARKETING
INFORXIATION
Advertising
Signposting
Public
Relations
Distribution
Figure
Schematic diagram of the of a rural area development
2.
1 -
.--_
entrepreneurs Physical
Interpretation/
---(--------
to:
farmer,
Posters
IMPROVED
stages plan.
Grants
Leaflets schemes
Training
I\lPROVELlENT
improvement
DELlAND
TOURISti
BASE
GENERAL
AREA
WELFARE
FRO’.1
I
marketing tasks. However, much of the work carried out by public bodies is administered by managers without a formal marketing training. Many of the managers involved in tourism or tourism marketing have not held similar posts before their appointment. The aim of this article is to show that a marketing management approach can be an important philosophy for rural amenity provision. Any debate on rural tourism must consider the role of government and public bodies in its provision. The questions of optimal, equitable or even acceptable allocation are issues which cannot be left to the private sector. Equity is concerned with the perceived fairness of resource been concerned with allocation patterns. Marketin g has traditionally delivering products to a market only when there is sufficient revenue return to warrant the product’s existence. The returns in question are mainly satisfaction levels rather than local income generation. Satisfaction is a key concept for the marketer as it is degrees of satisfaction with a product which will dictate whether consumers will able to use the consumption repurchase. The marketer is. therefore, outcome, as measured in terms of satisfaction. as a non-profit approach
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1989
means would
of both be seen
resource as ‘who
allocation
is satisfied
with
and what’
product
development.
in normative
terms.
This which
relies on an understanding of different segments of the population and the relationship of product availability and type lvith potential demand patterns. Crompton and Lamb have pointed to the UK government’s spending less in an era of expenditure retrenchment.’ Whereas, in the past. they would have stifled criticism regarding claims of inequitable treatment with increases in budget.’ Here treating individuals with equality does not take into consideration distributional justice or need because it treats all individuals exactly alike. In planning. marketing uses princiand ples of segmentation or groupin, 0 in order to choose targets. recognizes that different groups want different satisfaction. Lucy and Mladenka approached equity as being based on need whereby some individuals are seen to warrant more of a service than others.” In comparison, the marketing approach takes into account need in terms of developing products which satisfy consumer needs. Marketing philosophy takes the consumer as the focal point of all planning and formulates different strategies in relation to consumer needs. Where the traditional marketing approach may be different is in the delivery of the rural product, which can only be acquired by paying a market price. If a community or individual wants a particular product they have to be willing to pay for it. This means of allocating public services is the accepted method of distribution for municipal utilities such as electricity, water and sewage, and therefore price or cost associated with recreation areas, parks or rural amenities is only an extension of this. The underlying assumption behind this is that the product offered by rural areas is based upon market demand factors rather than public body determination. This is due to visitors to the countryside arriving at known beauty spots or open spaces whether public bodies desire them or not. This concept assumes that individuals have the means to participate in rural tourism and that it is acceptable for those \vho cannot afford to pay to be excluded. Demand for particular rural products may become too great and this will warrant conservation planning or other methods of demand management such as demarketing or switching demand. Demands in the rate of participation may be too high to sustain the quality level of the product and, therefore. higher levels of maintenance or demand planning will have to be applied. There is a cost associated with this which will need to be recovered through either rates, taxes or fees.
4J. Cromoton and C. Lamb. ‘The imoortante of tie equity concept in’ the allocation of public service’, Journal olMacromarkeling, Vol3, No 1, 1983, pp 28-39. 5E.S. Savas, ‘On equity in providing public services’, Ekistics 46 (2763 1979, pp 144148; and F. Wise, ‘Towards equity of results achieved: one approach’, Public Management, Vol58, No 8, 1976, pp % 12. ‘W.H. Lucy and K.R. Mladenka, Equity and Urban Service Distribution Module 1, Department of Housing and Urban Development, N.T.D. Service, Washington, DC, 1980.
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What is a rural product? For every product
there
are two dimensions
- features
and benefits.
Benefits. Marketers isolate what they believe to be the key benefits of a product and stress these in all communication. This is because they realize that consumers buy products for the satisfaction they deliver to them. If a visitor comes to a rural area, it is not the countryside lvhich gives the pleasure but the benefits of a feeling of communing \vith nature or a sense of freedom or escapism. These benefits would be stressed in communication.
1989
Features are those characteristics which are designed into a product so that it is capable of satisfaction delivery. Rural areas require easy access or parking space and areas for recreation and picnicking. Fearwes.
TANG1 BCE
Augmented product (complete product offering) PHYSICAL BENEFITS
Figure
3.
Components
of a product.
ProLillCt
The product Lvhich a marketer means to create and deliver may be quite different to that received by the customt’r. In order to understand this more fully. distinctions can be dra\vn between the core benefits, tangible benefits and the augmented product offering (see Figure 3). Core. The core is the fundamental product benefit Lvhich the visitor receives. Rural areas offer the visitor a place to relus. a change from routine. or a different experience. Tangible. The tangible is th e ~vay in which the core or fundamental benefit is translated physically. This may be spatial size or openness of an area. the buildings and facilities. These will have certain standards if they are restaurants or accommodation, eg central heating which provides warmth. Arlgmenred product. The augmented product is the complete product offering. The core benefit which the visitor seeks can be seen to be similar for many rural areas yet this can bc modified in cost-effective ways to make the area more attractive to particular markets. For example appropriate interpretation centrcs. signs. leaflets. or marked trails are all ways in which the physical benefits can be improved to enhance the satisfaction of visitors. It can also bring a destination to life and distribute visitors Lvithin an area more effectively. Visitor sutisfrrction The focus of marketing a rural area has to be on providing the highest level of satisfaction outcome (see Figure 1). The marketing of rural locations is not about the marketing of a place, but of providing a range of experiences. To concentrate solely on ‘place’ leads to a product orientated perspective which loses sight of the delivery of esperiences. The rural product has some features which produce management problems unlike those which are found in manufacturing companies. A number of unique characteristics can he identified. which while not themselves unique, \vhen placed in combination provide a unique set of criteria kvhich rural area managers have to work \vith and plan for: 0
0 0
Visitors arrive \vho have the desire to satisfy the basic physiological needs of hunger, thirst. etc. Toilets. restaurants and parking all have to be planned in the corrtxt locations. Different visitors seek individual satisfaction from the area and therefore a range of consumer needs have to be planned for. Satisfaction is transient and as such the satisfaction of initial needs eg once the visitors’ children leads to more complex ones emerging, have enjoyed the vieiv, they avant further satisfaction. *
visitor consumotion _ _ experience
Product (features/benefits1
=-. Figure 4. Effect of product on visitor satisfaction.
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_.
__--
_-__ --__ Feedback
---___4_---
TOURISM
__-Outcome
/CM [as satisfactions dissatisfactions)
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Rurul tourism und marlwring
The visitor becomes part of the rural area product and as such may affect other visitors’ satisfaction. The major part of the interaction of visitors with the environment is unseen by wardens or rangers and this can lead to a range of damage which is almost impossible to control. A whole variety of pressure groups and organizations take an active interest in rural area products. Rural tourism cannot enjoy the benefit of being too successful because success will change the nature of the product. For example, if a village becomes successful, it will attract investment and the development of tourist services. This may be to the detriment of the local inhabitants as well as the long-term demand for the area. Success itself can gradually destroy the distinctive character of an environment. Marketing can supply guidelines as to image creation and protection but it is up to local public agencies such as planning departments to ensure that the long-term interests of an area are protected. The US National Park Services and National Park Authorities in England and Wales are ideal models of integrated management. An early example of the problems of unscrupulous development is that of the Niagara Falls. The land around the 167-foot high waterfall on the border between Canada and the USA was acquired by tourism promoters in the early 1800s. By 1860, there was no point overlooking the falls which did not have some form of fee payment associated with it. Everhart made mention of it being ‘America’s first environmental disgrace’.’ More recently, the most popular US National Parks such as Yosemite and Grand Teton, have received such heavy use that many of the qualities for which they were established are in serious danger of being destroyed. Land, water and air pollution are reaching dangerous levels in some parks and the fragile ecosystems are being affected by crime, vandalism and automobile traffic. Murphy discusses some of the strategies - such as ‘park and ride’ schemes - which have been used to manage visitor impact on the environment.” Countries which are developing rural tourism must ensure they create adequate provision in terms of a tourism infrastructure in those areas which are in demand. This includes the provision of pure water, power and sewage disposal. These are controllable aspects of visitor satisfaction. Rural demand is normally associated with some existing physical attraction which provides a focus for participation. This will often be in relation to features such as an attractive village, a lake, a valley area, mountain or steep hill, cave, picnic area or forest. Such locations may be concentrated into a specific area or be diffused in a large tract of countryside.
Marketing of rural areas
7C.W. Everhart. The National Park Service, Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 1983. *P. Murphy, Tourism: A Community Approach, Methuen. London, 1985.
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Sometimes marketers are involved in activities undertaken to change demand patterns, and to educate and change attitudes toward or knowledge about different places. Because rural areas are susceptible to pressure from uncontrolled groups which can destroy the benefit sought, marketing has to be involved in bringing about social understanding or change. Much of this can be seen in the information approach which directs persuasive information at rural users in an attempt to encourage people to adopt a consideration and code of
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conduct for the countryside. blarketing expertise in communication can be used such as campaigns to encourage people to keep an area tidy Lvith persuasive communication programmes such as - LEAVE NO TRACE. Signs have to inform, remind. and persuade users of the countryside to respect the resources. blarketers are used to planning communication and therefore should help in the formulation of all promotional campaigns. Information has to be used to persuade tourists to show some respect and order while in rural areas. eg in the Camargue region of France it has been estimated that ‘wild’ campers are three times as numerous as those in approved camps. These campers can cause considerable damage and therefore awareness on their part, of a code of rural conduct, is an important promotional objective. Public relations (PR) is one of the main marketing functions of importance to rural tourism. There should be PR plans for individual rural areas based upon the objectives of:
l 0 0 0
elucidating to a wide audience the aims of management policies for rural areas; giving concrete examples of the benefits of the results achieved through management policies; forming links with all local and regional media; and gathering a mailing list of influential people, both regionally and nationally, who will support. and act as. pressure groups and opinion leaders in relation to rural issues.
Marketing skills are required in the area of literature and information production in the form of brochures, 3LTuidebooks. posters. pamphlets and maps targeted to separate groups such as schools, the general public or specialist knowleclce groups. Themes such as the role of a fore:,c‘r, the living countryside, rural and farm life, the changing village, or our wildlife can all be developed in promotional literature. This is to ensure the area’s image receives maximum attention. There is also the mnnagement specialization of acquirin g sponsorship or selling advertising space on information material which is a well tried marketing activity used to subsidize printecl literature.
Public relations plan for the promotion of rural areas Promotion covers a range of activities including the main ones of Public relaadvertising, public relations, selling and sales promotion. tions is probably the most cost-effective means of promotion for a rural area and is therefore worthy of some explanation. PR is a management function which evaluates public attitudes and then sets objectives to alter behaviour or attitudes toward features of the rural area. PR has many benefits. At low cost it can: a 0 0 0 0 0
improve awareness of an area; project credibility of an area’s benefits; create interest in a rural area: motivate those living in the rural area; build repeat visits; and deal with environmental issues.
In order approach
48
to carry out an effective public relations campaign, a planned is necessary. PR planning phases comprise the following:
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Rural tourism
l l 0 0 0
and markettny
identify key publics; measure specific image/attitudes; set objectives; develop strategies; and monitor performance.
Any rural area will normally be involved with a range of public groups that it wants to influence. Moreover, some of these groups will be more important than others. The first stage of PR is to identify the key sections of the public who are vital to the area’s well-being. (See Figure 5). Once the public have been identified it is necessary to assess any particular importance of one group over another. This will help in the planning of resources in terms of time and effort in contacting particular groups. The types of groups represented will include - visitors, local residents, government, agricultural groups, the business community and pressure groups, and their importance to the rural area can be recorded as low, average or high in order to categorize the cross-section of the community relevant to the PR programme. A high level of good will is necessary from each of these groups, to ensure the minimization of area problems. For example, if visitors lose goodwill, they will find more to complain about or become dissatisfied with the management of an area. If goodwill is withdrawn by the local community it may become difficult to provide different amenities, develop new buildings or bring about general change. The next phase of activity is to measure those aspects of image and attitude which may be important for the rural area. In this ~vay, a check may be made on the strengths of opinion regarding the area as well as the level of knowledge about what it has to offer. Once the objectives have been set, the strategy of how to achieve the desired results most effectively has to be planned. This requires some understanding of who is important within the key public groups. If opinion leaders are identified then the strategy may consist of concentrating effort on the type of media they may refer to. It is necessary to find out who influences these opinion leaders and also \vho makes decisions within these groups. This will allow more efficient press release targeting to different media or specialist magazines. as well as the building up of mailing lists. A PR strategy has to be cost effective and therefore only a few major communication options will be posible. For this reason, it is necessary to monitor the results in terms of awareness or attitude changes as well as response in terms of interest shown in the area. Providing a rural area service well is not enough - it has to be projected as rvell Lxovrz to be a success. This can be achieved by providing relevant material for the printed media. All media require information which is ne\vsworthy, timely and factual. This can be in the form of written press releases, press kits, letters to editors, articles, familiarization or educational visits, setting of competitions or offering the fashion photographer the use of interesting locations. The broadcast media can also be contacted. Radio or television interviews for general interest, panel or specialist knowledge programmes are all areas where publicity can be gained. Rural
Figure 5. PR identification of public groups relevant to rural area marketing.
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I
I
Visitors
Loca residents
I I
Government
area
I Agricultural groups
I
I Loca
I
business community
1989
Pressure groups
I Visitor service workers
49
Conchsion the roles of marketing ami rural areas an effccticely be The initial negative rextinn of managers in the countryside
In conclusion,
combined. towards
marketing
stems from a misund~rst~tnctiiig
seem that these managers advertising and strong profit motives
t’qwtc
would ing.
I-fo~vevrr,
drveiopmrnt community protazt
creak
has to welfare
the t‘sxnce
as its marketing
50
tztkc which
into
wxount
includes
;&was.
have all ken
and new ways
that
the
of the environment.
discussd.
product
thnt
of
product
It
of market-
show
mximization
in the rural rejon.
the rural
i&If.
brash
gwls
in this wticlc
of the countryside
of more income
and rural
as the overriding
rsportnded
and fragility
the provision
the consumer insight
the concepts
of mztrkrting
cornmcrcializatiori,
an)
genrrttl
This
is to
21%\rcll
as to
heeds,
and its planning
I hope this encour;1gcs
both
of
as mull further
of working.
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marketing Synthesis and new ways of working David Gilbert
There is no doubt that rural tourism can benefit from the application of marketing theory. While marketing is used more and more to help in the planning and promotion of traditional tourist centres, there is a paucity of expertise applied to rural areas. Some regional bodies may try to dispute this, but there seems to be little evidence that they have produced more than weak marketing proposals. A literature search shows there is nothing of importance written about general marketing applications for rural areas. It is hoped this article will provoke both interest and development in an area that deserves greater attention. Keywords:
rural tourism; marketing
David Gilbert is at the Department of Management Studies for Tourism and Hotel Industries. University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK.
In the UK rural development, such as nature trails, new forms of interpretation, agricultural and folk museums, and the support of rural accommodation schemes, has all led to a greater emphasis on area management or visitor management. with notions of capacity control and conservation schemes. Andrew Thorburn writing in 19S2 pointed out that attitudes to tourism generally had been seen as a pressure to be accommodated by good management of towns and the countryside. He went on to argue that town and country planners: Can initiate
action which will make places better for tourists. We can help the tourist industry adjust to changing demands. We can find ways to reduce the impact of large numbers of tourists upon the places they visit. To do these things we shall have to find new ways of working.’
It is argued here that rural tourism is a field which will benefit far more in the future if it develops an expertise of marketing management in relation to its core product rather than using more traditional forms of Followin g this, new ways of working will be tourism management. available.
Marketing scope
‘A. Thorburn, Positive Planning for Tourism: Planning for the Tourist, Cheltenham Conference Proceedings, English Tourist Board, 1982.
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0
Whenever the term marketing is used, there is always some confusion as to its exact meaning. At the crudest level people associate marketing with selling or advertising, and few people would perceive marketing as a body of knowledge including that of research, need assessment, analysis and planning in terms of pricing, promotion, the formulation of products and their final distribution to tourism consumers. Traditionally, marketing expertise is concerned with maximizing the areas of demand, revenue and profit for organizations. With rural tourism, the dilemma is that marketing has to take into account the fragile nature of the product it is promoting. This product is also characterized as being a public product and as such much of the access is open to whoever demands it. Even when access is confined to specific footpath or bridleway networks the attitude to the countryside is that it is open for public use. This leads to problems of control, conservation and types of access. To market a rural area is, therefore,
1989 Butterworth
8 Co (Publishers)
Ltd
39
not just to sell the area. Marketin g is a management systematically help to develop a rural area while quality of the product has to be protected.
approach which can recognizing that the
Definition of rural tourism development The definition of what constitutes a rural area is far easier than one which corresponds to rural tourism development. A rural area may be regarded as one bvhich is outside the jurisdiction of a municipal or to\vn it can include small towns or corporation or committee. However. increasingly suburbanized commuter countryside. Appropriate or sympathetic rural tourism development is more complex as it can be interpreted in more ways than one:
l
0
0
l
As a cotzce~~t rural tourism development encompasses the connotation of achieving an improvement in both the kvelfare of the community and the environment of the rural area. As a pl~e~~~~ze~~on. rural development is the outcome of an interaction between the resources of people. technology and available budgets. As a straregy, it is the best plan which can be designed in order to improve logically the social benefits derived by the host, the visitor and the environment. As a disciplitle, it is multidisciplinary in nature dra\ving heavily on the management sciences of tourism and marketing management as well as the disciplines of geography, txonomics and agriculture.
It follows that the following definition can be proposed: ‘Appropriate rural tourism development is the planned use of resources for a countryside area lvhich will lend to an increase in the general welfare of the environment, the community and the visitor’.
Why develop rural areas? The main reason for deciding to use marketing techniques in order to develop rural areas is that it will make an area more efficient and prevent economic decline. The situation in many rural areas is one of low levels of income per head linked to high unemployment rates. Gilg has put forward arguments which describe the rural situation as one where: 0 0 0
0 0
‘A.W.
Gilg, Countryside Planning - The 7945-76, Methuen,
Firs? Three Decades London, 1978.
40
unequal standards of living give rise to rifts and divisions in society: the existing primary activities cannot support economically efficient communities; the continuing exodus of people and jobs from the remote to the already overcrowded urban areas could lead to further congestion in these areas; rural areas contain a good deal of social capital. Lvhich it would be expensive to redistribute: and many people in these areas do not want to leave and others would return if given the chance.’
In addition to Gilg’s points. rural economies suffer from two other factors. First, they are bnscd on agricultural production which is susceptible to violent fluctuation due to its reliance on the optimum conditions of both nature and the Lveather. In many developed coun-
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
1989
tries, it is also reliant on government policies which may determine circumstances (eg EEC imposed milk quotas) or set aside policies. Tourism offers the opportunity to introduce a mixed economy. Tourism can offer a more stable basis for income generation as uell as a diversification for the local economy. Second. rural tourism is mainly characterized by small, scattered and unorganized enterprises. This heightens the need for policies aimed at helping small-scale development and training. Figure 1 shovvs that there is a direct link between the size, character and demographic profile of natural or rural areas in relation to both the economic and social needs of the community. It is an attempt to explain how a rural area has a central locus whose character is produced as a result of both the size of the rural population, who are supported directly by the rural area, and the demographic changes taking place within that population. The dynamics of this relationship produce particular patterns of social networks and interactions. The rural community can be seen to have both social. non-food needs as well as economic, income related needs. If relationships are weakened for these two important inputs, then rural depopulation uill occur in those communities where the roots of the people would otherwise have remained in the rural area. If opportunities are not provided for the physical and social enrichment of rural communities they will fragment. Within this fragmentation it is usually the more able who move away and those vvho require the most support. because they are the least sufficient. are left. Second-home owners or urban commuters who may move to the area only serve to obscure many of the problems vvhich continue to exist for the original rural community. Many rural areas are disadvantaged due to the underprovision of basic infrastructural facilities and services. Population and investment decline has meant a worsening situation vvith respect to the provision of public transport, schooling, health care. accommodation and emergency services. Those villages which have poor amenities can exist in a cycle of deprivation where each generation will have worse access to essential services and the more able have to leave to find employment. To compound the problem, those who are left, eg the elderly. are the ones
/
Figure 1. Links between demographic attributes of rural area and social and economic factors.
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
Economic
I 1989
1
needs
relations
41
most in need of the services which may have been cut back. .L\rguments which stress that agricultural areas have traditionally found ways of coping miss the point that relative depri\,ation bet\vren the city and the rural community is wider than ever. There is a need for effective rural tourism development in order to provide freedom of choice for a community and to preserve the dignity of those people livin, ~7in rural areas. In an age of rising expectations Eve should remain aware of the need for social justice in sharing out society’s scarce resources to underprivileged areas. One may argue that advantage can bc taken of the current situation due to changes in consumer behaviour in relation to tourism demand. Research has sho\vn a potential demand exists for alternative types of leisure. These changes are part of the emergence of ne\v consumer needs.” Marketing management is primaril>, based on the philosophy that consumer needs have to be researched and understood in order to analyse which different product opportunities exist.
What are the emerging needs of the consumer? Nr~r* obje~ri~*e.s. There are now changed objectives in holidaying inhereby smnil sections of the public desire to experience other types of life and conditions. Close interaction with non-familiar cultures is being sought more and more by a new type of tourist. Tourists are demanding more experience than the traditional beach holiday. I~zdi~~itirlrrlrlpprorrclr. There
is the styin, 17 to more individual forms of tourism from mass markets kvhere only standard forms of supply are available. Rural tourism involves more choice and flesibility and offers a new set of tourism satisfactions: Less hvislz rrcconmodcctiorl. There is a hvillingness on the part of the public to accept clean, yet lower standard, accommodation from that which they may be used to. This would allow simplified barn type accommodation to be offered; Hedo~lisnz. Hedonism is an emerging value. Pleasure for its o\vn sake is a modern value - the idea that individuals deserve pleasure and diversionary activities as a right lvill lead to pressure for more leisure based activities: Activity
holidrcys. There is a trend among younger people to take more personalized holidays involving activity. eg climbing holidavs. or a week on a chartered sail-boat; Irlcrertsed
3F. Skelly. ‘Outline of the changing consumers in the 80s. its impact on travel and tourism marketing’, in TTRA. Eighth Annual Conference Proceedings, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 1977, pp 201-204.
42
tourism sperldirzg. Members 1950s may be far more likely to spend possessions. They may be more likely granted and use credit facilities more;
of generations after the later money on tourism rather than to take economic security for
materialism. There is more desire for spiritual values and communing with nature. This has led to a range of pursuits such as hiking or camping rather than hotels. R e d lrceti
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
1989
Rural ~ounsm and murkrnn~
Rural development
and marketing planning
The preceding information has shown that there is a need for ‘new ways of working’, a need for rural development, and also consumer needs which require satisfaction. We can now discuss methods of planning based upon marketing theory. The overall goal of any policy aimed at rural tourism development has to be that of promoting an increase in the general welfare of a rural area. This comprises improvement in economic, cultural, social and environmental vvelfare. It is argued that if a marketing planning approach is adhered to, as an approach to the planning of rural tourism development, it will be more effective than other approaches. Policy formulation and infrastructure improvement will flow logically from the adoption of this perspective. This is primarily because marketing is involved in researching and understanding what consumers require. creating products which satisfy potential demand, promoting those products effectively and then researching the results of any development in order to improve the product on offer. It is assumed that any rural development plan has to be underpinned by the philosophy that its goal will be to maximize the general area welfare. This sequence can be more fully understood by reference to Figure 2. The first stage in planning is to build up a picture of the strengths and weaknesses of an area and to assess consumer needs in relation to rural tourism. For example, it may be found that there is infrequent public transport available on Sundays or that there is a lack of signposting. Consumer research may also show that potential demand esists for, eg cabin accommodation in the area. In this way, an area’s potential for development will emerge out of the research process. The research will ascertain both the resource base of the area as well as its potential demand opportunities. The guiding objective for rural tourism development will be to encourage changes which will bring about local increases in employment creation purchasing power, a freedom of independence from solely agricultural work and a harmonization in the supply and demand relationship between the environment and local community and that of the visitor.
Marketing approach to resource allocation and planning Rural marketing is also concerned with access to the countryside. Although the car is the main means of transport used, public transport is an important means of giving benefit of access to wider groups. The role of rural marketing has to be that of social marketing whereby the overriding values are those which stress the benefits of the countryside should not only be freely available but should be promoted actively to all social groups. This means that rural marketers should be actively engaged in countryside planning, advising on what products will be acceptable to the target publics, which communications programme vvill be the most effective and what access systems will be optimal. Rural areas have business interests in the form of attractions, transport systems, caravan sites, small hotels, farm accommodation. activity and leisure centres. Most of these types of business are too small to mount social marketing campaigns of any real influence and it is, therefore, the public bodies who carry out most of the necessary major
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
1989
UNDERST4NDl&i
OF
TLiE/
,-
-
Feedback of
monitoring outcomes -1
OPTI\lU\l
ALLOC,ATIONS OF
RESOURCES
E,IV’FOULlENTAL I\ I,
LOCAL MARKETING
INFORXIATION
Advertising
Signposting
Public
Relations
Distribution
Figure
Schematic diagram of the of a rural area development
2.
1 -
.--_
entrepreneurs Physical
Interpretation/
---(--------
to:
farmer,
Posters
IMPROVED
stages plan.
Grants
Leaflets schemes
Training
I\lPROVELlENT
improvement
DELlAND
TOURISti
BASE
GENERAL
AREA
WELFARE
FRO’.1
I
marketing tasks. However, much of the work carried out by public bodies is administered by managers without a formal marketing training. Many of the managers involved in tourism or tourism marketing have not held similar posts before their appointment. The aim of this article is to show that a marketing management approach can be an important philosophy for rural amenity provision. Any debate on rural tourism must consider the role of government and public bodies in its provision. The questions of optimal, equitable or even acceptable allocation are issues which cannot be left to the private sector. Equity is concerned with the perceived fairness of resource been concerned with allocation patterns. Marketin g has traditionally delivering products to a market only when there is sufficient revenue return to warrant the product’s existence. The returns in question are mainly satisfaction levels rather than local income generation. Satisfaction is a key concept for the marketer as it is degrees of satisfaction with a product which will dictate whether consumers will able to use the consumption repurchase. The marketer is. therefore, outcome, as measured in terms of satisfaction. as a non-profit approach
44
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
1989
means would
of both be seen
resource as ‘who
allocation
is satisfied
with
and what’
product
development.
in normative
terms.
This which
relies on an understanding of different segments of the population and the relationship of product availability and type lvith potential demand patterns. Crompton and Lamb have pointed to the UK government’s spending less in an era of expenditure retrenchment.’ Whereas, in the past. they would have stifled criticism regarding claims of inequitable treatment with increases in budget.’ Here treating individuals with equality does not take into consideration distributional justice or need because it treats all individuals exactly alike. In planning. marketing uses princiand ples of segmentation or groupin, 0 in order to choose targets. recognizes that different groups want different satisfaction. Lucy and Mladenka approached equity as being based on need whereby some individuals are seen to warrant more of a service than others.” In comparison, the marketing approach takes into account need in terms of developing products which satisfy consumer needs. Marketing philosophy takes the consumer as the focal point of all planning and formulates different strategies in relation to consumer needs. Where the traditional marketing approach may be different is in the delivery of the rural product, which can only be acquired by paying a market price. If a community or individual wants a particular product they have to be willing to pay for it. This means of allocating public services is the accepted method of distribution for municipal utilities such as electricity, water and sewage, and therefore price or cost associated with recreation areas, parks or rural amenities is only an extension of this. The underlying assumption behind this is that the product offered by rural areas is based upon market demand factors rather than public body determination. This is due to visitors to the countryside arriving at known beauty spots or open spaces whether public bodies desire them or not. This concept assumes that individuals have the means to participate in rural tourism and that it is acceptable for those \vho cannot afford to pay to be excluded. Demand for particular rural products may become too great and this will warrant conservation planning or other methods of demand management such as demarketing or switching demand. Demands in the rate of participation may be too high to sustain the quality level of the product and, therefore. higher levels of maintenance or demand planning will have to be applied. There is a cost associated with this which will need to be recovered through either rates, taxes or fees.
4J. Cromoton and C. Lamb. ‘The imoortante of tie equity concept in’ the allocation of public service’, Journal olMacromarkeling, Vol3, No 1, 1983, pp 28-39. 5E.S. Savas, ‘On equity in providing public services’, Ekistics 46 (2763 1979, pp 144148; and F. Wise, ‘Towards equity of results achieved: one approach’, Public Management, Vol58, No 8, 1976, pp % 12. ‘W.H. Lucy and K.R. Mladenka, Equity and Urban Service Distribution Module 1, Department of Housing and Urban Development, N.T.D. Service, Washington, DC, 1980.
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
What is a rural product? For every product
there
are two dimensions
- features
and benefits.
Benefits. Marketers isolate what they believe to be the key benefits of a product and stress these in all communication. This is because they realize that consumers buy products for the satisfaction they deliver to them. If a visitor comes to a rural area, it is not the countryside lvhich gives the pleasure but the benefits of a feeling of communing \vith nature or a sense of freedom or escapism. These benefits would be stressed in communication.
1989
Features are those characteristics which are designed into a product so that it is capable of satisfaction delivery. Rural areas require easy access or parking space and areas for recreation and picnicking. Fearwes.
TANG1 BCE
Augmented product (complete product offering) PHYSICAL BENEFITS
Figure
3.
Components
of a product.
ProLillCt
The product Lvhich a marketer means to create and deliver may be quite different to that received by the customt’r. In order to understand this more fully. distinctions can be dra\vn between the core benefits, tangible benefits and the augmented product offering (see Figure 3). Core. The core is the fundamental product benefit Lvhich the visitor receives. Rural areas offer the visitor a place to relus. a change from routine. or a different experience. Tangible. The tangible is th e ~vay in which the core or fundamental benefit is translated physically. This may be spatial size or openness of an area. the buildings and facilities. These will have certain standards if they are restaurants or accommodation, eg central heating which provides warmth. Arlgmenred product. The augmented product is the complete product offering. The core benefit which the visitor seeks can be seen to be similar for many rural areas yet this can bc modified in cost-effective ways to make the area more attractive to particular markets. For example appropriate interpretation centrcs. signs. leaflets. or marked trails are all ways in which the physical benefits can be improved to enhance the satisfaction of visitors. It can also bring a destination to life and distribute visitors Lvithin an area more effectively. Visitor sutisfrrction The focus of marketing a rural area has to be on providing the highest level of satisfaction outcome (see Figure 1). The marketing of rural locations is not about the marketing of a place, but of providing a range of experiences. To concentrate solely on ‘place’ leads to a product orientated perspective which loses sight of the delivery of esperiences. The rural product has some features which produce management problems unlike those which are found in manufacturing companies. A number of unique characteristics can he identified. which while not themselves unique, \vhen placed in combination provide a unique set of criteria kvhich rural area managers have to work \vith and plan for: 0
0 0
Visitors arrive \vho have the desire to satisfy the basic physiological needs of hunger, thirst. etc. Toilets. restaurants and parking all have to be planned in the corrtxt locations. Different visitors seek individual satisfaction from the area and therefore a range of consumer needs have to be planned for. Satisfaction is transient and as such the satisfaction of initial needs eg once the visitors’ children leads to more complex ones emerging, have enjoyed the vieiv, they avant further satisfaction. *
visitor consumotion _ _ experience
Product (features/benefits1
=-. Figure 4. Effect of product on visitor satisfaction.
46
_.
__--
_-__ --__ Feedback
---___4_---
TOURISM
__-Outcome
/CM [as satisfactions dissatisfactions)
MANAGEMENT
March
and
1989
Rurul tourism und marlwring
The visitor becomes part of the rural area product and as such may affect other visitors’ satisfaction. The major part of the interaction of visitors with the environment is unseen by wardens or rangers and this can lead to a range of damage which is almost impossible to control. A whole variety of pressure groups and organizations take an active interest in rural area products. Rural tourism cannot enjoy the benefit of being too successful because success will change the nature of the product. For example, if a village becomes successful, it will attract investment and the development of tourist services. This may be to the detriment of the local inhabitants as well as the long-term demand for the area. Success itself can gradually destroy the distinctive character of an environment. Marketing can supply guidelines as to image creation and protection but it is up to local public agencies such as planning departments to ensure that the long-term interests of an area are protected. The US National Park Services and National Park Authorities in England and Wales are ideal models of integrated management. An early example of the problems of unscrupulous development is that of the Niagara Falls. The land around the 167-foot high waterfall on the border between Canada and the USA was acquired by tourism promoters in the early 1800s. By 1860, there was no point overlooking the falls which did not have some form of fee payment associated with it. Everhart made mention of it being ‘America’s first environmental disgrace’.’ More recently, the most popular US National Parks such as Yosemite and Grand Teton, have received such heavy use that many of the qualities for which they were established are in serious danger of being destroyed. Land, water and air pollution are reaching dangerous levels in some parks and the fragile ecosystems are being affected by crime, vandalism and automobile traffic. Murphy discusses some of the strategies - such as ‘park and ride’ schemes - which have been used to manage visitor impact on the environment.” Countries which are developing rural tourism must ensure they create adequate provision in terms of a tourism infrastructure in those areas which are in demand. This includes the provision of pure water, power and sewage disposal. These are controllable aspects of visitor satisfaction. Rural demand is normally associated with some existing physical attraction which provides a focus for participation. This will often be in relation to features such as an attractive village, a lake, a valley area, mountain or steep hill, cave, picnic area or forest. Such locations may be concentrated into a specific area or be diffused in a large tract of countryside.
Marketing of rural areas
7C.W. Everhart. The National Park Service, Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 1983. *P. Murphy, Tourism: A Community Approach, Methuen. London, 1985.
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
Sometimes marketers are involved in activities undertaken to change demand patterns, and to educate and change attitudes toward or knowledge about different places. Because rural areas are susceptible to pressure from uncontrolled groups which can destroy the benefit sought, marketing has to be involved in bringing about social understanding or change. Much of this can be seen in the information approach which directs persuasive information at rural users in an attempt to encourage people to adopt a consideration and code of
1989
47
conduct for the countryside. blarketing expertise in communication can be used such as campaigns to encourage people to keep an area tidy Lvith persuasive communication programmes such as - LEAVE NO TRACE. Signs have to inform, remind. and persuade users of the countryside to respect the resources. blarketers are used to planning communication and therefore should help in the formulation of all promotional campaigns. Information has to be used to persuade tourists to show some respect and order while in rural areas. eg in the Camargue region of France it has been estimated that ‘wild’ campers are three times as numerous as those in approved camps. These campers can cause considerable damage and therefore awareness on their part, of a code of rural conduct, is an important promotional objective. Public relations (PR) is one of the main marketing functions of importance to rural tourism. There should be PR plans for individual rural areas based upon the objectives of:
l 0 0 0
elucidating to a wide audience the aims of management policies for rural areas; giving concrete examples of the benefits of the results achieved through management policies; forming links with all local and regional media; and gathering a mailing list of influential people, both regionally and nationally, who will support. and act as. pressure groups and opinion leaders in relation to rural issues.
Marketing skills are required in the area of literature and information production in the form of brochures, 3LTuidebooks. posters. pamphlets and maps targeted to separate groups such as schools, the general public or specialist knowleclce groups. Themes such as the role of a fore:,c‘r, the living countryside, rural and farm life, the changing village, or our wildlife can all be developed in promotional literature. This is to ensure the area’s image receives maximum attention. There is also the mnnagement specialization of acquirin g sponsorship or selling advertising space on information material which is a well tried marketing activity used to subsidize printecl literature.
Public relations plan for the promotion of rural areas Promotion covers a range of activities including the main ones of Public relaadvertising, public relations, selling and sales promotion. tions is probably the most cost-effective means of promotion for a rural area and is therefore worthy of some explanation. PR is a management function which evaluates public attitudes and then sets objectives to alter behaviour or attitudes toward features of the rural area. PR has many benefits. At low cost it can: a 0 0 0 0 0
improve awareness of an area; project credibility of an area’s benefits; create interest in a rural area: motivate those living in the rural area; build repeat visits; and deal with environmental issues.
In order approach
48
to carry out an effective public relations campaign, a planned is necessary. PR planning phases comprise the following:
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
1989
Rural tourism
l l 0 0 0
and markettny
identify key publics; measure specific image/attitudes; set objectives; develop strategies; and monitor performance.
Any rural area will normally be involved with a range of public groups that it wants to influence. Moreover, some of these groups will be more important than others. The first stage of PR is to identify the key sections of the public who are vital to the area’s well-being. (See Figure 5). Once the public have been identified it is necessary to assess any particular importance of one group over another. This will help in the planning of resources in terms of time and effort in contacting particular groups. The types of groups represented will include - visitors, local residents, government, agricultural groups, the business community and pressure groups, and their importance to the rural area can be recorded as low, average or high in order to categorize the cross-section of the community relevant to the PR programme. A high level of good will is necessary from each of these groups, to ensure the minimization of area problems. For example, if visitors lose goodwill, they will find more to complain about or become dissatisfied with the management of an area. If goodwill is withdrawn by the local community it may become difficult to provide different amenities, develop new buildings or bring about general change. The next phase of activity is to measure those aspects of image and attitude which may be important for the rural area. In this ~vay, a check may be made on the strengths of opinion regarding the area as well as the level of knowledge about what it has to offer. Once the objectives have been set, the strategy of how to achieve the desired results most effectively has to be planned. This requires some understanding of who is important within the key public groups. If opinion leaders are identified then the strategy may consist of concentrating effort on the type of media they may refer to. It is necessary to find out who influences these opinion leaders and also \vho makes decisions within these groups. This will allow more efficient press release targeting to different media or specialist magazines. as well as the building up of mailing lists. A PR strategy has to be cost effective and therefore only a few major communication options will be posible. For this reason, it is necessary to monitor the results in terms of awareness or attitude changes as well as response in terms of interest shown in the area. Providing a rural area service well is not enough - it has to be projected as rvell Lxovrz to be a success. This can be achieved by providing relevant material for the printed media. All media require information which is ne\vsworthy, timely and factual. This can be in the form of written press releases, press kits, letters to editors, articles, familiarization or educational visits, setting of competitions or offering the fashion photographer the use of interesting locations. The broadcast media can also be contacted. Radio or television interviews for general interest, panel or specialist knowledge programmes are all areas where publicity can be gained. Rural
Figure 5. PR identification of public groups relevant to rural area marketing.
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
I
I
Visitors
Loca residents
I I
Government
area
I Agricultural groups
I
I Loca
I
business community
1989
Pressure groups
I Visitor service workers
49
Conchsion the roles of marketing ami rural areas an effccticely be The initial negative rextinn of managers in the countryside
In conclusion,
combined. towards
marketing
stems from a misund~rst~tnctiiig
seem that these managers advertising and strong profit motives
t’qwtc
would ing.
I-fo~vevrr,
drveiopmrnt community protazt
creak
has to welfare
the t‘sxnce
as its marketing
50
tztkc which
into
wxount
includes
;&was.
have all ken
and new ways
that
the
of the environment.
discussd.
product
thnt
of
product
It
of market-
show
mximization
in the rural rejon.
the rural
i&If.
brash
gwls
in this wticlc
of the countryside
of more income
and rural
as the overriding
rsportnded
and fragility
the provision
the consumer insight
the concepts
of mztrkrting
cornmcrcializatiori,
an)
genrrttl
This
is to
21%\rcll
as to
heeds,
and its planning
I hope this encour;1gcs
both
of
as mull further
of working.
TOURISM
MANAGEMENT
March
1989