Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
3.
Connected consumers: these tend to be younger, often called Generation
Y, and they will expect all the marketing to be communicated to them via a
range of mobile devices and will never look at traditional marketing
techniques.
The research carried out by Brian Solis
3
shows how the modern consumer
obtains information. When it comes to travel the potential visitors research
10.2 sources on average and when it comes to restaurants they will use 5.2
different sources on average. As a marketer you need to get your message
into as many of those sources as possible.
Of the consumers in the study, 56% used offline social contact as an in-
fluence in obtaining the right information, compared with 24% who relied on
the printed message.
Developing a Tourism Product
Prior to developing a marketing strategy it is important to get the basics
right.
As Erica Croce and Giovanni Perri mention in their book
Food and Wine
Tourism
4
a region has to get a number of developments in place before it can
develop a tourism package. These are primarily:
•
Natural, cultural and regional resources: the tourist has to have a reason
to come to your area;
•
Accommodation: this could come in a range of different styles of facilities;
•
Services: today's consumer expects Wi-Fi and mobile telephone coverage;
•
Information on the region and the tourism attractions in the region that
are easily available;
•
A hospitality culture in the region. Locals need to be open to tourists;
•
The region is safe, secure and has high food and hygiene standards; and
•
The area has a sense of civic and environmental responsibility.
In our work as consultants we are often asked why farmers should be-
come involved in the tourism industry. We have found that many farmers
look on tourists as a problem rather than an opportunity.
The advantages to the farmer include getting the consumer to discover
what the product does, an opportunity to add value to the product. We have
a sweet chestnut orchard and there are numerous ways to add value to sweet
chestnuts, yet the majority of consumers have no idea what to do with sweet
chestnuts; this is our opportunity to add value. It allows farmers to promote
the region, educate the consumer and increase their income as well as develop
a database for future sales.
The results include increased local employment and increased sales, but
before that can be started a marketing plan needs to be put in place.
Food tourism is increasing in popularity and governments around
the world realize that tourism is one of the main sources of income for an
economy. It means the industry can engage with government as a partner to
