GARGI RAUTELA KUHOO MAHARISHI

ITB, 2011 IITTM, Gwalior

A Product is anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy a need or want. It is more than a tangible offering and can include physical goods, services, experiences, events, persons, places, properties, organizations, information, and ideas.

Tourism is an experiential product with both tangible and intangible elements. A tourism product broadly consists of attractions and facilities. In the travel and tourism industry, tourism products may be categorized as below:
The overall tourism product The specific product

Overall tourism product comprises a combination of all the service elements a visitor consumes during the trip.

This product is an idea, an expectation, or a mental construct in the customers mind, at the point of sale.

The specific commercial products are always a part of the overall tourism product such as accommodation, transportation, attraction or other facilities for tourists.

Tourism product is a mix of tangible and intangible elements.

Seasonal Fluctuations Irreversible

Intangible
Interdependent Experience

Perishable
Spatial Fixity Inseparable

Tourism constitutes of a wide span of products in terms of sectors rather than a single industry. It can be broadly classified in the following categories: Attraction Amenities Accessibility

Attraction:
They comprise natural attractions, built attractions and cultural attractions.

Amenities:
Are defined as the elements within the destination which make it possible for the visitor to stay at and to enjoy and participate in the attraction.

Accessibility:
Access is a matter of transport infrastructure, such as airports, harbors, motorways and rail networks.

A New Product ranges from major innovation to minor style change. It can be new for the market, the firm, or the buyers. From tourism point of view, a new product can be developed by changing or modifying an element of the package.

Major innovations Minor innovations New services for the currently served market Product-service line extensions Product-service improvements Style changes

They are completely new products and services that a market has never seen before. They result expansions. from inventions or market

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New products or services are offered for a market that is already served by existing products that meet the same generic needs.

Existing customers are offered a service not previously available from the company that maybe available from other companies.

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These represent augmentations of the existing service line.

These represent the most common type of service innovation.

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These represent the most modest service innovations that are often highly visible. They can have significant effects on customer perceptions. Include changes in uniform, colour, and design etc.

Idea Generation and Screening Conceptualization Prototype Development Commercial Viability Analysis Product Development Market Testing Launch or introduction in the market

Generic Development

Unique features development

Segmentation by Age Segmentation by Income Customized Products Product Design

Need gap analysis Behavioural trends Target segments profiling Analyzing supply

A marketer must understand the importance of creating an experience. Experience = a temporary new life for a tourist. Experience Activity

Sparks the imagination Engages the senses Stimulates the intellect Invoke an emotive response Enliven the spirit

Experience apply at all levels of tourism (products, businesses, destinations, role of local govt., and regional tourism bodies.) And so, Marketing of destination Marketing of experiences developed across destinations