Destination Management Strategy: Transformative Experiences for Target Market

1. WELCOME Tutorial 7 - Week 10

2. Revision From Last Tutorial Students should know: • The target market for your destination management strategy (and be able to describe that market). • The hero experiences for your destination and which one is most appealing to your target market. • The transformational experiences in your destination and be able to identify operators and the experience they offer. • The unique destination proposition - what is unique about your destination and the transformative experiences that would appeal to your target market?

3. Structure of Report (This information can be found as a document in the Assessment Folder) • The ONLY headings required for this assignment are: 1) Introduction, 2) Transformative Experiences Defined, 3) Experience Audit and Competitor Analysis and 4) Marketing Strategy. Please DO NOT include sub-heading within these sections. • Word limits exclude tables, figures and references. • Undertaken the project from the standpoint of the regional DMO for your selected destination.

4. Structure of Report Introduction (to be completed as a group) • In 100 words or less, name your destination, the key issue facing your destination, the target market for the strategy and overview the three sections of the strategy. • An example: This is a destination management strategy for the Gold Coast. The target market for this strategy is families with young children that represent 46% of the overnight visitors to the Gold Coast. This strategy seeks to address the provision of day time whole of family based entertainment for this market. The report will provide a strategy by firstly defining transformative experiences are defined and offer an audit of experiences in the destination. Secondly, key destination competitors are analysed. Finally a marketing strategy to attract this market segment is presented.

5. Transformative Experiences Defined - Student A • An overview of the term transformative experience (as an extension of the experience economy). Describe how this approach can improve what tourists experience and thus improve operator competitiveness. • Case study - provide a more detailed case study of ONE tourism offering (e.g., tour provider, visitor attraction) that demonstrates how the provision of transformative experiences occurs in your destination for your target market and that addresses the issue you identified for your destination. • How can the DMO facilitate the creation of transformative experiences in your destination? • 1500 words

6. Guidance for Student A • Key References • Lean 2012 – Identifies 3 phases: Before During and After. Social relationships continuing in all three phases are important. • Mermiri (2009) From the Art and Business Article the importance of long duration and the progression from thinking to physical engagement are key factors of transformative experience. • Volo (2009) Tourism providers can “shift from “customizing” to “personalizing” the experience and allowing tourists to co-create the context in which they develop the “essence of the experience.” (Volo, 2009, P.121). Three the phases of experience are ripe for tourist providers to anticipate (before), sort (during) and reinterpret after) those experiences in a personalised way. • Week 8 Lecture – Exercise to determine extra dimensions of transformative experience. PPT in the Assessment Folder

7. Audit and Competitor Analysis Student B • Conduct an audit of the existing transformative providers (and the experiences) in the destination and report your findings. Note - it will be almost impossible to audit all providers but students should document the complete range of the types of providers and the experiences. • Undertake a destination competitor analysis and report your findings (comparing your destination with two other destinations competing for the same target market as your destination. Note - Use a table to assist in reporting the findings of this analysis, but also provide some discussion in-text to summarise the findings in the table. • Based on this analysis then answer the question - what is unique about your destination in terms of offering particular transformative experiences? • Make three recommendations to the DMO on how they could improve transformative experiences in the destination. • 1500 words

8. Competitor Footprint Contrasting aspects or USP (unique selling proposition) Similarities shared by competitors Similarities shared by you and your competitor Similarities shared by all

9. Marketing Strategy Student C • Identify existing tourism strategies and policies that relate to the transformative destination management strategy that you are developing for your destination. Note – these include any document published by the DMO or government that guides the provision of tourism experience. These include policies, plans and guidelines. This is a research task for students • Identify and briefly describe a potential target market for the marketing strategy. E.g. German tourists for transformative experiences in Indigenous tourism. • Provide a destination marketing strategy (e.g., advertising, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling) that focuses on one potential target market for the transformative experience (identify in Part 1) in the destination. Based on the work of Student A and B as well as the above two dot points, how can the transformative experience be marketed in a personalised way. • 1500 words

10. The Promotional Mix

11. Assessment Criteria

12. How To Write an Essay Unpack the question by identifying key words. Brainstorm ideas – write down anything that is relevant (ideas, theories, etc.). Identify key points. Formulate a logical argument - develop an outline of your answer to each question in dot points. Finalise your plan – structure your essay with an introduction, body and conclusion.

13. The Structure Griffith University. (2011). Oral Presentations: Planning and Preparing. Available from course website at L@G. Follow a similar structural logic to academic writing. It is all about ‘making sense’: An Introduction should be included. This will introduce the audience to the general topic, your argument or ‘main message’, and the key points of your presentation. The Body of your presentation includes your key points, arranged in a logical order. Keep explanations and examples brief and relevant: Too much detail is not useful in an assignment. Finally, a Conclusion reminds the audience of your ‘main message’, and restates your key points. It may also lead into some relevant discussion questions about key ideas.

14. Structuring Your Paragraphs • Each paragraph should, like the essay itself, follow a particular format. Paragraphs are where the hard work of supporting your argument with justification and evidence takes place; each should include the following: • Topic sentence: the first sentence should indicate to the reader what the paragraph is about. • Discussion of research and evidence: after the topic sentence your paragraph should summarise in your own words what your research tells you about the topic, give some detail about the evidence or argument the relevant authors use to support their position on the topic, and point out any gaps, weaknesses or oversights you can detect in either their argument or their research. • Link back to the overall argument: each paragraph you write should include a sentence or two, which explains the connection between the topic under discussion and your overall argument. In effect you are guiding the reader through each point of your essay and reminding them, at every opportunity, why they support your argument.

15. Need More Time? New Due Date Monday 20th of October at 5pm (Week 12)

16. Submission - Strategy Report • Strategy structure for studentsAn outline for the destination strategy is available in the assessment folder to support you for the final report. Please make sure you follow and understand this document. • Clarification of presentationStudents only have to present in the tutorial in Week 12 using PowerPoint. Each student group has a maximum of 3 minutes to present. Strategy Report Assignment submission • Submit through Turnitin • One student from each group needs to upload a full copy of the completed report into Turnitin • For each part in the report (A-B-C) make sure next to the title you record student name and ID • The other two students in the group need to upload through Turnitin a cover page only (report title; group members information – name; ID; part – one page) – you must do this so we can mark a rubric for each group member. • The student who has loaded the completed report will need to share comments and feedback with other team members once results are released. • Please note if you do not submit your report correctly you will receive a penalty. • You have three Turnitin options to load your report • Draft – to check your assignment • Final – all students must load their group report (once only) or cover page into this link • Late – if you are late you will not be able to use the ‘final’ submission point

17. Questions Complete the Introduction • Q and A Session • Your Task: As a group write the introduction. The example is posted here again. Note: The objectives set out in the introduction will guide the whole report. Example: This is a destination management strategy for the Gold Coast. The target market for this strategy is families with young children that represent 46% of the overnight visitors to the Gold Coast. This strategy seeks to address the provision of day time whole of family based entertainment for this market. The report will provide a strategy by firstly defining transformative experiences are defined and offer an audit of experiences in the destination. Secondly, key destination competitors are analysed. Finally a marketing strategy to attract this market segment is presented.

18. QUESTIONS??? Questions…