Relevant

Publicity - (courtesy of Tourism NSW)

Publicity is the result of public relations. It is not paid for like advertising. It appears as editorial, as a story or an article. Editorial is generally accepted to be three times more powerful than any other marketing tool in terms of influencing the consumer decision-making process. Editorial is a key motivator for a consumer's decision to trial a product or service. It is second only to a personal recommendation by a trusted friend.

Public relations

Public relations (PR) is exactly as it sounds - the management of an organisation's relations with its public. One of the main avenues of PR is through media coverage. PR is about managing and improving your communications with all of the people or organisations who have some impact on the success or otherwise of your business. The product or result of this PR is your image.

A good image is the result of well-managed and successful public relations.

Image

Image is an important part of gaining support from the community and being successful in achieving your aims. Your image is basically the picture that other people and groups of people have of your organisation - and, to a certain extent, the picture your organisation has of itself.

Public Relations - How?

Public relations is not glamorous. It has some great moments, e.g. when a well-written press release gets published almost verbatim in the paper, or your door is knocked down in the rush of customers responding to a story in a magazine or a TV program. Basically it's hard work. It requires a good understanding of the real business you are in and the 'public' (including different media avenues) you want to know about it. Nurturing positive relationships with your 'public' takes time and consistent effort. Once you've got that right, you can embark on new and exciting marketing initiatives to try to build your market share or boost your takings, but you must never lose sight of the original 'mainstay' of your customer base.

Who is my public?

The first thing you have to get straight before you plan any communications - whether it be a media release, brochure, advertising or special event - is to decide who are the most important people for you to speak to and how best to communicate with them.Packaging products for Domestic Markets

What is a tourist 'package'?

A package combines two or more products so that the purchaser (and market segment being targeted) is advantaged compared with buying the items separately.

Core holiday components - transport, accommodation, meals, attractions, entertainment - can be carefully combined into a complete packaged experience that provides the customer with either greater convenience or a more competitive price.

Benefits to the traveler;

• Convenience
• Reduces time and money spent locating key product and
• Booking information on a destination.
• Savings
• Reduces the cost of products and services, providing
• Greater discounts and better value for money.
• Ease of payment and planning
• Travel arrangements are generally pre-paid and confirmed
• Prior to travel or handled by tour staff/guides.
• Low stress
• Relieves travel anxiety of new and older travellers,
• Satisfies their need for security, reliability
• Companionship.

Changing attitudes to packaging

Traditional objections to packaging, including a belief that it is down - market and only useful to inexperienced travellers, large groups or older holidaymakers, is changing with the introduction of more flexible packaging methods that represent good value for money. These new methods can also be tailored to meet the needs of the growing free and independent traveller (FIT) market by presenting packages in a way that appeals to their travel values.