Tourism

Hong Kong has been one of the favorite  tourist destinations globally. The package will be targeting the Eco-Tourism product for three nights and three days. Hong Kong has been a land that has come to the top in marketing, braving many disadvantages. The package would be making use of the many powerful practices in marketing. The package will be offered to couple, honeymoon travelers, corporate business travelers, students, and individuals all over the world. The package would be marketed beyond the traditional market of China and USA. The package will be covering Latin American markets, Indian market, Australian market and European market.

The Corporate Connection

Mission Statement
 The Eco-Tourism package will be aiming at increasing the tourism revenue of Hong Kong without destroying the environment.

Goals
There will be an effort to improve the  community support for package.

Objectives
There should be at least an increase of 10 of tourism inflow with this package. Leisure travelers will be targeted most when compared with business travelers.

Analysis and Forecasting

Portfolio Analysis
Hong Kong has been able to promote itself as cultural tourism and heritage tourism. The traditions that have been followed in this region has been that of China. Hong Kong has been able to develop cultural tourism that has been able to attract tourist to this place. The biggest festival is the Chinese New year celebration and other biggest festivals include Hong Kong winter fest, shopping festival that has been attracting many visitors,Cultural Kaleidoscope and Best of culinary awards (Ashworth, J.M 26).

There has been promotional efforts on the part of government to promote Hong Kong and they have been using Internet as a good promotion medium (Emma P. Y. Wong 198).

Dudgeon, D. in  Hills and Streams an ecology of Hong Kong  has argued that the tourism organizations in Hong Kong has been effective in promoting the place as destination marketing and there has been  continuous tourism product development. Dr. Cho Nam Ng  in website article Eco-tourism in Hong Kong its potentials and limitation  has argued that 40 of the land in Hong Kong has been country parks and the rest 60 has also scenic beauty.

Competitor Analysis
There has been very good places in the world that has been promoting Eco-Tourism. If the tourist wants to see Whaling, then there is Azores. This is one place that has been highly rated to view Whales. There has been Leopard Track Safaris in the region of South Africa and that will be helping the growth of Eco-Tourism.Maldives is one country that Hong Kong should be aware of  (Stokes E 186). Singapore is another country that is known for fresh water and fresh air. Singapore has been considered as a safe place for travelers.

Bangkok and Malaysia has improved a lot in the area of tourism and Hong Kong has to differentiate really in all aspects of marketing. The Eco-Tourism package will be looking at the tourism initiatives taken by other countries and will be trying to provide an independent path to tourism initiative.

Segmentation Analysis

Demographic
Eco-Tourism will be falling under the category of leisure and business traveling.

Geographic
USA, China, India, Australia,Latin America and Europe will be the main segments.

Benefit
The aim of the package will be to highlight Hong Kong as main tourist destination.Good value for money, excellent services, good rejuvenation packages, hassle free traveling will be the benefits that consumer should get.

Psychographic
Honeymoon travellers , couples, families, individuals, corporate and students will be the main target group.The group will be having an interest in knowing more about environment.The age group will be spread.The income will be also spread.
SWOT Analysis of Eco-Tourism package of Hong Kong

Strengths

Strengths of Hong Kong

Lovely Locations
Hong Kong has been able to attract high class business travelers ,thanks to golf course in Kau Sai Chau.The place boasts of three 18 hole course and is situated in  island. The background scenery has to be seen to be believed. The place has another feature as this was used for military training before. That had destroyed the natural beauty of island. The natural beauty had  been restored when  golf course came into place. There has been some tombs in the place and golf course has been constructed without destroying the tombs. The background of the golf course is  the mountain and South China sea. This is an ideal place for understanding Eco-Tourism better as the place has been restored beyond damage.

The reason for this statement is that Kau Sai Chau has been famous for its special  butterflies, turtles, deer, boar and porcupine. The place has been the dwelling place for cobras and Burmese Python and this is the best place for the Eco-Tourism package to start off. The village is small and boast of temple also. There will be participation of community in promoting the Eco-Tourism in this area.

Causeway Bay has been the next place in the project that will be highlighted. The main specialty that will be offered to the travelers will be the  typhoon shelter. The harbor of Abreeden boasts of the largest typhoon shelter  in Hong Kong.

Tiger Balm gardens will be the third place in the package. The leisure parks has been laid from the year 1935.Hong Kong has been boasting of bats, mammals, reptiles, freshwater fish, amphibians, butterflies and moths .There has been variety of dragonflies in this region. Hong Kong has been  known for avian diversity and more than 450 species of birds has been reported here. The package will be covering the Mai Po and Deep Bay Ramsar site and this site boasts of avian  diversity. Black faced Spoonbill, one of the endangered
bird species has been also found here.

Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical garden will be the next item that will be highlighted in the package. The  package will be covering this as part of recreational garden. Tourist will be able to view Orang-Utan here in this  zoo. The Gibbon, lion tailed Macaque, ring tailed Lemur,and birds having pink color Flamingo can be seen here. The other famous thing that can be observed with awe and fear will be the Burmese Python. The most famous time to visit this place will be the feeding time in the afternoon and there has been many plants and species that need not be missed.

Mai Po Marshes are considered as Hong Kong premier reserve and that has been protected  as a restricted area. Mai Po has been considered as a complex area having fish ponds and shrimp ponds. The river is well fed with water from small rivers and joins the Pearl river. There has been a lot of bird visiting here in migratory season and this has been considered as one of the international importance. There has been lot of trees in the shores that has been helping the birds to rest and allow the tourists to get a good scene. There has been a pond inside the reserve where captive Waterfowl is kept and this is done to ensure that visitor to get a closer look. There are Ducks here in this part and visitors can see it closely. If the visitors are lucky, they can get glimpse of imperial Eagle and  this has been considered as global endangered species. There has been a wooden walk through the mangroves and that would be bringing a sense to the travelers.

Climate
The climate of Hong Kong has been conductive to the growth of Eco-Tourism in Hong Kong. There has been clear development of protected areas of land and reserved land areas that has been helping the growth of Eco-Tourism in Hong Kong. The country boasts of marine parks and country parks.

Economy of Hong Kong
Regarding the financial strengths ,the strength lies in the fact that Hong Kong has been an open Economy and has been growing Economically. The political nature has been also stable.

Strengths of Firm
The firm has got in depth idea about the Ecology of Hong Kong and has got experience in meeting the demand of tourists.The firm has  the strength of having undertaken tourism packages to Hong Kong and the minimum duration has been three nights.That had helped the firm to understand more about the consumer needs and perceptions.This will be used well to market the product.

Weakness

Weakness of Hong Kong

Economy and Health
SARS and the Economy turmoil has affected the tourism business in Hong Kong. There has been unwillingness on the part of consumers to spend more these days and this to be overcome by offering good value for services.

International Airports
Beeton, S  in Eco-tourism A Practical Guide for Rural Communities  has said that there has been another weakness as absence of international airports when compared with China. Tourist agendas has been bypassing Hong Kong and that has to be avoided by linking more travel agents  with Hong Kong international airports. There has to be improvement in the cruise traveling system in Hong Kong as that can attracts  high class leisure and business travelers.

Weakness of  firm
The firm is dependent on the tourism policy taken by the Government of Hong Kong and that can affect the final out come.

Opportunities

Opportunities for Hong Kong
Mangrove filled wetland has been the best bet for teaching global tourist about the value of preserving the nature. There has been old villages and temples in Hong Kong that can be reached by tourists .The growth of Internet has helped to promote the value of Eco-Tourism and Eco-Tourism package can be marketed well. There has been satellite tracking that has helped to understand the movement of animals .There has been  protection of old  waterwork buildings at the reservoirs. There has been islands that can be marketed well. Hong Kong attracts  international film makers to shoot their movie in this part of Asia.

Opportunities for Firm
The firm has got opportunity in tapping a big global market because of Internet.There has been more disposable income with the younger generation that can be tapped well.

Threat

Threat for Hong Kong Eco-tourism

Fire
Fire is still considered as the biggest threat to parks in Hong Kong and that can affect the functioning of country parks. The public is still reluctant to see hill fires as a dangerous signal to the natural Eco system and that has to be removed. For this purpose, there has to be extensive teaching and community participating, regarding the benefits of Eco-Tourism in Hong Kong.

Less community participation
The tree planting can be termed a success but the public still has not understood the benefits that can be taken from this initiative and this has to be changed. There should be planting  of trees  in such a way that local wildlife is benefited management should be improved a lot.There has been a belief that environment will means  just air and water quality and the package will be aiming to get the local support.

Damage to existing Ecology
There has been potential threat of constructing golf parks inside country parks under the label of recreational parks and this has been a cause of concern for environmentalists .Freshwater wetland has been neglected in this part and that has to be avoided for future use. There has to be adjustment of boundaries in certain country parks that will goes a long way in protecting the  environment. Stream species has been inhabiting Tai Ho stream on Lantau but the river or the site does not have aquatic plants or freshwater invertebrates. Chek Lap Kok has been the site for new airport of Hong Kong and the site has been famous for providing habitat for wide species of reptiles and amphibians. This area has been famous for providing habitat for  Romers frog and there has to be more concrete efforts in protecting the species of Hong Kong.

Threat for firm
Economy and political changes globally and terrorism can affect the prospects of tourism inflow.

Setting Marketing Goals and Objectives

Marketing Goal A
Develop good brand for package using good advertising and using print, television and Internet medium along with personalized service and sales.

Objective Goal A
The duration for this objective will be three months after starting the package.

Marketing Goal B
Increase revenue for package by increasing loyal customers and the target will be business travelers.

Objective Goal B
The duration for this objective is six months.

Marketing Strategy

Primary target market

Demographics segmentation

Leisure travellers and business travellers are the target group. The minimum age group can be described as  three years and extending upto 70 years of age.The income group can be said as belong with middle class.

Geographic segmentation
USA , India , Australia , Europe and Latin American markets will be targeted.There will be intense marketing in mainland China.

Psychographic segmentation
Business  travelers will be normally divided into small , medium and big corporate. Leisure travelers are normally classified based on the age, income and the trips they take.The leisure travelers will be divided into those seeking adventure, honeymoon travelers, family travelers, couples traveling for pleasure, high income travelers, budget conscious travelers and students travelers .Leisure travelers will also include senior citizen travelers.

Benefit segmentation
For those who are interested in understanding nature more closely and for those who seek freshness  in traveling.The benefit will be spread across leisure and business travellers.

Behavior segmentation
Honeymoon travellers can enjoy the scenes , students can learn more about species , families can learn more
about environment , business travellers can rejuvenate their souls  after hectic work schedule.

Positioning

Positioning statement
For travellers interested in knowing more about Hong Kong natural beauty , and the name of package is called get closer to nature in Hong Kong.The competitors will include nearby market destinations like Bangkok, China and Maldives.There has been additional benefit in the sense that adventures tourism can be taken after three nights.

Product Differentiation
Eco-Tourism product of Hong Kong can be aptly described as a specialized product and  there has to be strict marketing efforts to promote these products. The customers will be looking at the package to help them out in such a way that the needs are met. The tourism packages will be designed in such a way that the queries and doubts of the customers will be met. The primary objective is that the time and money of customer will be spent in the most fruitful manner in the package.

Competitive advantage
The Hong Kong package is sure to meet the differentiation needs of the tourism industry and will be meeting the demand of a niche market. This is one market that would be satisfying the demand of a very elite class of travelers who wants a particular specialized product.

Tactics and Action Plans

Product Strategy

Product Mix
Environment tourism or Eco-tourism will be the primary product.The company will be offering adventure tourism also.There will be offering of culture and heritage tourism.

Brand Name
March2HongKong will be the brand name of the company. Hong Kong has been constantly trying to come out with impressive tourism campaigns and that has helped to change the way tourist has been seeing Hong Kong.This will be made best use with this brand name.

Packaging
The package will be offered on a long term basis and the package duration is for three days and three nights. There would be additional offerings like giving assistance on all matters with passport, airfare package, travel package and there would be an offering in which access to best entertainment and accommodation  will be provided with.

Product levels
The core product level will be the fact that travellers will be close to nature.Tangible product will be the sight seeing  to parks and other nature places and that will be done using vehicle.The augmented product will be that  good customer service that travellers will get.

Connection to differentiation
There has to be more product differentiation  and that will means more insight to Hong Kong.

Pricing Strategy

Pricing objectives
The tourism has started picking the pace with Economy climbing back. There has been increased demand for budget travel deals, budget hotels and budget airlines for travelers.The pricing strategy will be best deal in the market and better deal when compared with competitors.

Price comparison to competition
Price will be less than the competitors. There will be  improvement in the quality of service that has been offered in Hong Kong and there will be a  good overseas market segmentation.

Pricing techniques
The price will be bundled with other tourist packages like cultural tourism,heritage tourism and adventure tourism.That will give travellers the additional benefit of seeing more places in three nights. Hong Kong has been known for developing world class tourist attractions over the years. The most notable of this is the Disneyland Resort. Hong Kong wetland park,Ngong Ping 360 has been the other attractions in Hong Kong.

Connection to differentiationpositioning strategy
There will be  different position when compared with competitors.

Distribution

Type of distribution channel
The distribution channel that will be used is direct and there will be usage of Internet.

Internet
Internet will be used in such a way that proper use of blogs,social networking sites and  web site.There will be proper use of  Twitter.

Distribution Strategy
There will be distribution channel in the sense that will be personalized selling  to business travellers and there will be  tie up with travel agents and airlines to ensure that cheap traveling is offered  to travellers.

Connection to differentiationpositioning strategy
There will be also tie up with budget hotels and that will be ensuring that the travellers will be getting good service.

Integrated Marketing Communication Campaign Plan

Campaign Strategy
There will be more Internet banner ad and there will be advertisement in print.There will be more video campaign using You Tube and Internet TV.There will be sponsoring of ecological programs like seminar on weather.

Communication Strategy
There will be more communication that will be meant for business and young couple travellers.The aim will be to get a position in the mind of youngsters. There has been unique annual festivals and cultural festivals that has been promoting the unique nature of the place and that will be marketed well.

Media Plan
Web site content will be made search friendly and there will be promotional campaign to be displayed in popular TV channels connected with travel.That will include channels like National Geography,Discovery and so on.

Other Marketing Communication Activities
There will be personalized e-mails that will be send to people who has been frequently traveling.There will be promotions in schools and colleges.

Appropriation and Budget
At least 55  of the revenue will be earmarked for promotional campaigns in the first three months and after that it will be reduced 10 every three months till it reaches 25.That percentage will be kept like that for 24 months.

Campaign Evaluation
Both online and offline ad campaigns will be evaluated .There will be highlighting of best and worst performance.There will be  evaluation of campaigns and that will be used to understand the meeting of target group.There will be testing of consumer perceptions against parameters.