Экономические науки|6.Маркетинг и менеджмент.

Bespayeva R., doctoral candidate PhD

Karaganda economic university of Kazpotrebsoyuz, Kazakhstan

DEVELOPMENT OF MARKETING IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY COMPANIES

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world economy, uniting a number of companies engaged in organizing recreation for travelers and providing consumers with a variety of tourism services. Every year Kazakhstan’s tourism industry is becoming more actively involved in the global market. However, this process is constrained by a number of factors, including shortcomings of public policies in tourism sector, industry’s still lagging behind its foreign counterparts, and so on.

In the context of economic changes, a modern tourism company, as well as any enterprise producing goods or services, is faced with many challenges, when there is a decline of investment in the sector, deterioration of organizing planned activities, limitation to carry out a long-term investment policy, etc. More tourism businesses are starting to show interest in strategic management and marketing with increasing competition, cost escalation, falling productivity and deterioration in the quality of tourism services.

In such circumstances, a company can not be limited to current planning and operational management of its activities. There is a need for strategic thinking that needs to be translated into a program of action, clarifying objectives and means of implementing chosen path of development.

Strategic management is based on assumption that it is impossible to predict long-term trends with sufficient precision, thus, strategic management is defined as a management technology under conditions of greater instability of environmental factors and their uncertainties in time.

Strategic planning and management at an enterprise in modern conditions includes foresight, planning, coordination, organization, development and management decisions, monitoring and evaluation that also involves senior management of organization to identify preferred directions of development, giving a competitive advantage and organization of means for achieving these goals through relevant strategies by making changes in organization.

Features of the tourism industry, which specializes in providing clients with a certain set of services, bring additional complexity in the sphere of strategic marketing, planning and management.

Managing tourism is specific and different from activities of other industries; at first glance it may seem that management of tourism enterprises is based on the same base as management of any company.

The challenge of tourism management is to uncover general trends and patterns of its development, and to find its specific features. Features of the tourism industry result from specific properties of services provided by tourism enterprises and organizations.

It is necessary to define the specifics of tourism services and its impact on management of tourism companies. Accordingly, it should be identified how and in what direction to form and develop management tools to properly solve those specific problems that are typical for tourism enterprises.

Consider the features of tourism; the first one contains a complexity of interactions between its constituent elements. Major tourism enterprises are created only in densely populated areas; they are typical for the tourism industry. Most of the tourism enterprises are small-sized. There are a lot of tourism enterprises and organizations that in one way or another have to fit into a single regional management system, where the aim is to ensure long-term viability and competitiveness in the market [1].

Another feature of tourism as a management object can be described as a form of difficult objectives. Due to the fact that tourism organization has no measurable goals, it is impossible to objectively evaluate its productivity and success. This is a probabilistic nature of processes taking place in tourism industry. This means that it is rather difficult to accurately predict all phenomena and processes occurring in tourism (political situation has changed, climatic conditions have worsened, system of taxation has changed (got complicated), etc.) [2].

Strong influence from the side of the interested customers is also a feature of tourism. Travel companies are working with a large number of interested parties (responsive groups of consumers) that have a strong impact on organization. Moreover, individual interest groups have their own interests. Tourism organization can quickly balance the interests between different groups involved in the service, if its activities are guided by generally accepted norms, priorities and perceptions of values and has wide-ranging objectives for further development of a region.

Central feature of tourism is specificity of tourism product, its inseparability from the source of formation. Goods in their material forms exist independently from their manufacturer, a tourism service, as a commodity, is inseparable from the source of its creation. As for implementation of a tourism product, personal aspect is enhanced, the process of providing tourism services can be automated to a far lesser extent than, in particular, process of producing goods. It is highly unlikely to predict a tourist’s behavior; it depends not only on objective circumstances, but also on subjective factors. Human resource management and regulation of interpersonal relations are paid attention in tourism management. This applies to the work of tourism companies and organizations whose services are in direct contact with people.

To ensure stable demand for tourism products and services it is offered to apply a combination of the two strategies - minimization of costs strategy and differentiation strategy, by which it can achieve greater competitiveness.

The price is an important point when choosing a route for standard tour programs for foreign and Kazakh tourists. Therefore, the strategy of minimizing costs should be followed to attract more tourists by standard tour programs. But in order not to limit the market by several customer segments, it is appropriate to use differentiation strategy that allows the company to gain a competitive advantage through a variety of routes, developing exclusive programs for visiting cultural and historical sites of the republic, it will attract more tourist groups. Also, the combination of these two strategies will help the company gain a firm foothold in the market, to achieve fame in the wider range of consumers, and consequently to increase profits constantly.

Also a feature of tourism as a management object of control can be expressed in the complexity of tourism services. Tourism service is everything that a tourist takes into account or what he or she uses while traveling. Therefore, tourism service is made for tourists from the whole range of services (both tangible and intangible) that are tourism-specific products.

A feature as seasonality should be emphasized, i.e. dependence of volume of tourism services, primarily, on climatic conditions. In solving the problems of management in tourism, this phenomenon must be taken into account by managers of tourism enterprises as demand fluctuations may significantly affect conditions of functioning of the entire tourism industry [3].

Managers of tourism business should understand that the tourism industry as a management object is nothing like other industries.

Seven distinctive features specific to manage any tourism company can be identified:

1. Inability to storage. Places in a hotel or on an airplane can not be stored for the purpose of selling them in the future. Therefore, managers need to make an effort to stimulate the demand for these services in the short term.

2. Intangibility of services. There no dimensional values to evaluate a tourism product: it is impossible to have an idea about the quality of the product prior to its purchase and use. In this connection, a company's image on the market and the image of its products (services) are important to consumers.

3. Exposure to seasonal fluctuations. Marketing activities of travel companies will vary during peak season and off-season. In the off-season, additional measures to stimulate demand are needed: low prices, a variety of additional services, variation of different types of tourism.

4. Significant static character, attachment to a particular place.

5. Discrepancy between the time of sale of tourism services and consumption. Tourism products are purchased weeks or months prior to their consumption. In this case, a big role is played by printed promotional products, which provide visual information about the tourism product being purchased and allow creating a sense of benefits that can be derived from its use in the future.

6. Dispersal of consumers and producers in tourism market. Information activities and advertising on a broader level are important.

7. Buyer overcomes the distance separating him or her from the product and the place of consumption, and not vice versa.

Although the general algorithm of the strategic management process is universal for enterprises of all sectors, considered features of tourism industry and travel companies have an impact on almost all of its stages.

Strategic management cycle of a travel company consists of the following stages:

- strategic analysis of internal and external environment;

- definition of organization mission and development of long-term and short-term goals;

- strategy development;

- strategy implementation;

- assessment of strategy effectiveness and correction of preceding stages.

As globalization and computer technology continue to advance, production process of goods and services is greatly accelerated, tourism product life cycle is rapidly declining. If the tourism industry shall succeed in terms of high-speed changes, the range will have to be changed at the same pace or even be one step ahead. This is facilitated by modern information technologies playing the role of a constructive factor.

The tourism market coverage with various tourism services, intense competition of travel companies for consumer preferences, ability of entrepreneurs to independently set goals, strategies, management structures necessitated the use of marketing in tourism.

As globalization and computer technology continue to advance, production process of goods and services is greatly accelerated, tourism product life cycle is rapidly declining. Today, tourism management must take into account that modern consumer is a competent, a well-informed consumer. Development of information technology, the Internet and the media broke the monopoly of producers on completeness of information: quality, price, variety of goods and services became available to interested consumers. Therefore, in strategic business planning it is insufficient to rely only on service (product) and volume.

The philosophy of business process management should be changed in modern conditions of rapidly developing scientific and technological progress and competition. Getting past objective phenomena when doing business is impossible.

The main strategic objective of a tourism company in these circumstances is to build a business based on new model of commercial success, in which the factors of accelerating changes play a positive role. This model of tourism management is based on level of company’s relationships with customers and market value of a tourism product. Such an approach inevitably at different times will suit all participants of tourism market, who want to be financially stable and professionally continue their business.

Following problems are immediately found in implementation of this approach:

- changing internal management structure;

- establishing a client base, its constant expansion and analysis;

- precise definition of content and volume of tourism product and services being marketed;

- inclusion of customer, consumer in creating the value of a tourism product, which he will really appreciate.

Addressing these issues requires qualified personnel, trained in the art of communication with a client and the art of selling tourism services. Currently, there are effective techniques that allow acquiring the necessary skills and ability to communicate with clients. Knowledge of communication technologies and sales allow to provide consumer preferences of customers and to establish a stable system of relations with them.

This system, in turn, will give new impetus to purposeful development of tourism products and services of a company, and their sale is guaranteed. Travel companies orienting their activities on development of close relations with customers should identify their clients, their particular segment on tourism market in the process of strategic management. The more accurate identification of customer’s type, formation of company’s client base, the more productive relations with them.

A tourism product of tourism company level includes many different services (booking, visa, airline and train tickets, etc.), which are offered to a wide range of consumers. A consumer can purchase or not purchase a particular tourism product, for example, if he or she is not satisfied with the price, does not like the attitude of staff, is not convinced by information booklet, does not like the company's office. If a tourism company works with its customers, is focused on a certain type of customer, it must rebuild its internal business process management structure.

Quality of service and service culture are the most powerful weapon in the competitive activity on international tourism market.

Consumer-oriented means studying not productive capacities, but requirements of the market and developing plans to meet them. In the sector of tourism industry hospitality for the whole staff of tourism facilities is a professional requirement. The pillars of hospitality are dignity, respect, courtesy and professionalism.

Psychological climate of interaction of tourists with the staff and considering psychological aspects of perception of services by a tourist, technology of their delivery are important when organizing technology of service. This means that personal interests of tourists, mental attitude towards them are put at the forefront.

The main criterion of quality of tours and service programs is the interest of tourists. The important thing is that each tour is consistent with the interests of those tourists, for whom it was designed, that they enjoyed the service program and the tours are in demand.

In such a company there will be a unit to work with clients, analysis department and others. The main direction in business strategy in this case would be selection criteria for expansion of the typology of its customers and expanding the range of coverage of consumer market segments. Expansion of customer typology and building business based on relationships with them both in form and content differs significantly from expansion of assortment policy of the tourism company.

If a tourism product and element wise technology of its production were at the center of business process in a number of tourism companies, currently some progressive companies are using a management formula: customer - his/her needs - business. Consumer properties of tourism products, technology of their production may change, but commercial success of the company will remain as long as there is a consumer of these products. More important is the question of pricing the tourism products and providing customers with a special cost of service and a range of value-added services whether or not within vacation package.

If the tourism industry shall succeed in terms of high-speed changes, the range will have to be changed at the same pace or even be one step ahead. People’s notions of best leisure activities are constantly changing, fashion of prestigious destinations changes, new resort areas emerge, new clients come with new requests.

If to analyze a tourism product offered to a consumer by different companies today, it will be very alike and there is a not much difference.

A successful tourism company, of course, seeks to provide a variety of services to as many customers as possible. This pattern of commercial success is typical for the majority of companies in modern tourism market. Success depends on service (product, goods) and volume. In connection with this approach, many travel companies are trying to diversify its range of services to satisfy as many customer needs as possible.

With development of tourism market, presence (or absence) of the organization’s trade name (brand) well-known among customers is becoming a significant factor in formation of consumer preferences.

A well-known brand offers tourism organization a number of competitive advantages: reducing the cost of marketing, purchasing a certain degree of impact on the organization (marketers), establishing higher prices than its competitors, easier implementation of expansion strategy of brand, protection in the face of fierce price competition, strengthening of corporate image, simplification of market promotion of new tourism products and services and ensuring loyalty among consumers and intermediaries.

Modern competitive conditions require tourism industry organizations to further differentiate the products and services sold under a specific trade name taking into account specific requirements of individual customer groups.

Solution to this problem is possible if tourism organizations will have a method of action for each selected segment of the target market and will be able to choose a variety of marketing programs to create, maintain and expand strong relationships with customers, to increase customer’s loyalty, to establish the image of tourism services offered by them.

The logic of developing market relations in tourism industry is leading to setting and solving such problems as the study and segmentation of tourism market, quantitative and qualitative assessment of effectual demand for tourism services, positioning, use of means of communication and sales promotion.

Having chosen a new formula of tourism business focused on achieving commercial success through development of relationships with certain types of customers and increasing the range and quality of services, on providing them with particular use value, a tourism company successfully implements its business idea.

Moreover, ensuring competitiveness of tourism company requires professionals in the sector of tourism business with special training. A company’s work should be placed in such a way that each of its employees is personally responsible for their area of work. General Manager should control the work, and his/her activity is connected with studying potential markets, maintaining and strengthening contacts with major customers and private intermediaries. Company management should pay more attention to market research, as the knowledge of market is a prerequisite for the company’s success.

Therefore, the following can be considered as basic conditions / factors of tourism company’s success:

- attitude of company’s employees to work in the sector of tourism as a complex production process;

- presence of own technology, according to which the production process is divided into elementary components having real implementation techniques and automation means, which contributes to guaranteed volume of sales;

- personal responsibility of each individual employee of the company for a particular area of work and availability of trained, highly skilled personnel;

- ability to compete (having leading position skills);

- effective advertising (publication of own brochures, catalogs corresponding to world standards).

At the present time it is impossible to the effective functioning of any company, including organizations of the tourism industry, without the use of the basic principles and methods of marketing, which are derived from the features of tourist marketing:

- demand management rather than encouraging it. Stimulating demand is not a priority. Demand for tourist services is constantly increasing, and the tourism industry to a lesser extent than other industries, depends on changes in market conditions. For tourist marketing the most important task is the direction of demand in the right direction;

- the accuracy and completeness of information on tourism products;

- special attention to protect the client's rights - the consumer of tourist products;

- advisability of diversification of tourist services and greater attention to the marketing activities in the off-season in order to reduce dependence on the seasonal tourist organizations;

- accounting in marketing activities not only material aspects but also psychological, spiritual and emotional state and characteristics of consumers;

- the need to coordinate marketing activities carried out by all organizations - participants of the production of tourist services.

Thus, the basic principles of tourism marketing are as follows:

1) Focus on achieving the final practical result of tourist activities. Effective implementation of tourist services in the market and the mastery of a certain share of the market;

2) Orientation Tourism Organization not momentary, and the result of long-term strategic marketing work. This requires special attention to forecasting research, development based on these results of new tourist services that provide highly profitable activities of the company;

3) The use of tactics and strategy of active adaptation to the requirements of potential customers with targeted simultaneous effect on them.

Marketing Principles identify specific areas of marketing activities of the tourist organization, its functions, which are closely interlinked and, therefore, can not be one of them removed from the system without disrupting its integrity.

Market research and forecast of its development provides a systematic, comprehensive study of the status and trends of tourist markets; analysis of the situation, capacity, dynamics, structure, competitors; assess their own position in the market, as well as the definition of short- and long-term development trends of individual segments of the tourist market, and as a whole.

Thus, the starting positions for the selection of the tourist strategy of the organization associated with marketing. Marketing activity Tourism Organization is the basis for the planning of all aspects of work and provides two areas of activity:

1) strategic Marketing (continuous needs analysis, development of new kinds of goods and services for the recognition of consumers and a sustainable competitive advantage of the organization) - an analytical process that focuses on the long term;

2) operational marketing (sales organization, sales and communications to demonstrate the distinctive qualities of tourist services at lower costs to customers search) - an active process with short-term planning horizon.

The main objective of operational marketing - generated revenues from sales, ie sales service and receive orders for services through the use of the most effective sales methods, while reducing costs. The goal of achieving a certain sales volume is transformed into the production program and sales program. Thus, operational marketing is the defining element that directly affects the short-term profitability of the organization.

In connection with the development of technological innovation, and globalization of the tourist business of the company to achieve and retain a competitive advantage over other organizations must necessarily take into account the following features of the present stage of development of society:

- benefits ceased to be strategic, they change under the influence of the innovation process (change of service technologies, management techniques, marketing methods and services, etc.), so to keep the competitive advantage requires constant innovation. Dates innovation must equal or exceed the terms of implementation of similar innovations from competitors;

- globalization of business is forcing companies to take into account national and international interests;

- country and area organizations are considered not only as the place where the company operates, as well as the basis for developing the strategy. The potential of the company essentially depends on the conditions in which it operates, and is subject to constant change.

Currently, economists have developed many areas of the organization to achieve a competitive advantage, but the most common are:

- strategy leading position on costs - organization striving to minimize costs in the production and distribution of tourist services, to set lower prices and expand its market share. Leadership in costs - an aggressive strategy aimed at achieving production efficiency of tourist services and to ensure strict control of all costs. This strategy requires the organization to the optimal size, the presence of well-developed distribution network, capture a certain share of the market, monitoring overhead and other fixed costs. The tourist companies with this strategy there is a hierarchical management structure, are quantitatively expressed objectives, tight control of costs, constant investment in modern equipment and technology;

- differentiation strategy - focus on winning the championship by the level of service, product quality, the maintenance technology, etc .; aims to provide consumers with special (Unique Service), is a modification of the standard. Differentiation of services on the market means the ability of an organization to provide uniqueness and more high (compared to competitors), the value of services to the customer in terms of quality level, the presence of its special characteristics, distribution methods, after-sales service. Potential basis for differentiation of services are factors that increase the value of production services for the buyer, including the psychological satisfaction. When differentiating the tourist services cost price increases, but the costs are of secondary importance, as compensated, as a rule, by setting high prices. Thus, differentiation of tourist services allows you to avoid price competition, to operate in different markets;

- concentration strategy (focusing) - the choice of limits on the scale of the scope of activities of the organization with the concentration of its activities in a relatively small target group of consumers, part of the product range, or any aspect of the activity. This strategy is based on choosing a narrow field of competition within the industry (market niche). focus strategy is inherent, as a rule, small organizations of the tourism industry. Experts identify two areas of focus within the selected segment of the market the company is trying to achieve advantages in costs or increases the differentiation of services or carries out both. focus strategy aims at providing advantages over competitors in a separate market segment. The basis of the strategy is a distinct trend in the activities of the organization and the level of staff to successfully serve a niche market. a very important role is played by marketing activities, which boils down to the definition of the pressing market challenges and possible solutions for the implementation of this strategy.

- early market entry strategy means that the organization is the first to offer the market an original tourist services. This strategy can provide a sustainable competitive advantage, to obtain exclusive, ultra-high profits, and promote rapid growth of the organization. First-mover advantage is based on the fact that the organization is the first in this business in the territory or in the new market. The main features of this competitive advantage is; use of innovation (product, process and organizational); the presence of significant risk; the complexity of the conservation benefits; difficulty in implementing the plan, as there is no experience in similar conditions;

- integration strategy - to provide competitive advantage by connecting a number of companies with the purpose of sharing resources, sharing of experience, market development, management experience, etc. The meaning of the integration strategy is that it helps to get higher profitability at the relationship of organizations than in the separate control of the situation.

In practice, usually quite difficult to identify or classify a clear strategy that uses one or another organization of the tourism industry.

Literature:

1. Ushakov DS Strategic planning in tourism: the manual / DS Ushakov. - Rostov n / D: Phoenix, 2007. - 285 p. - (Higher education)

2. Quarterly VA Theory and practice of tourism. M .: Finance and Statistics, 2003.

3. AV Lukyanenkova Strategic management of the tourist company in Crisis: abstract dis. ... The candidate of economic sciences: 08.00.05 / Lukyanenkova Anna Vladimirovna; [A protection Place: C.-P. state. Univ of Economy and Finance] .- St. Petersburg, 2009.- 22 p.