Visitor attraction product

Visitor attraction product

Learning objectives : Definition of a product Describe three levels of products Understand the different trends of

visitor attractions Explain the recent developments of

visitor attractions

Product

What is a product? Is anything that can be offered to a

market for attention, acquisition, use, or consumption that might satisfy a want or need. Includes physical objects, services, persons, places, organisations, and ideas

What is the attraction product?

Definition: A product is an offering of a business

entity perceived by both present and potential customers. Bundle of benefits designed to satisfy the needs and wants, and to solve the problems of, specified target markets. Composed of tangible and intangible elements

Visitor attraction as a service product

First, staff involved in producing and delivering the product are part of the product itself, attitudes, behavior and appearance are crucial to the way the product is perceived by the customer

Visitor attraction as a service product

Staff recruitment, training and performance by Disney at its theme park

Visitor attraction as a service product

Second, customers themselves are involved in the production process, use of the product will reflect their own attitudes, expectations and experiences

Visitor attraction as a service product

Third, service products are not standardized, product changing all the time to reflect the changing relationship between the service, the deliverer, the customer and the resources on which the product is based.

Visitor attraction as a service product

Fourth, product is perishable and cannot be stored, produced and consumed at one and the same time

Visitor attraction as a service product

Fifth, no tangible product to carry home, virtually impossible to sort out problems in the same way, service providers must get it right the first time

Visitor attraction as a service product

Sixth, surroundings of the service delivery process are a feature of the service

Visitor attractions and tourism products

As well as service products generally, some commentators have said there are also characteristics of service products that are rather more specifically related to tourism

The 1st contention is that tourism products are unusual because they offer shared use rights only to the purchaser

2nd, it assumed that consumers buy only temporary use rights to tourism products

3rd, is the idea that tourism, customers travel to the product

Visitor attraction product as an experience

Number of elements that affect the experience: Tangible elements of the product e.g.

rides, shops and restaurants and the cleanliness of the site.

Service delivery element e.g. appearance, attitudes, behavior and competence of staff

Visitor attraction product as an experience

Customers themselves in terms of their expectations, behavior and attitudes

Range of factors which are largely outside the control of either the attraction operator or individual customers e.g. traffic congestion and weather etc.

Three levels of products

1) Core product: what the customer is really buying Main benefit or benefits the purchaser

identifies as a personal need that will be met by the product

Intangible and highly subjective e.g. atmosphere, experience, relaxation or convenience

Three levels of products

2) Tangible product: need to turn the core

product into a tangible product

purchase to satisfy their needs

five characteristics including features, brand name, quality, styling and packaging

Three levels of products

3) Augmented product additional services and benefits the

customer receives, both tangible and intangible

total product bundle that should solve all the customers’ problems

Benefits sought from the product

Visit attractions in the hope of receiving benefits

Potential benefits vs particular benefit a customer look for and enjoys on a specific visit depends on two major factors: Nature of the visitors:

Elderly people look for economy, passive activities, nostalgia, easy access

Families with children look for entertainment for the children

See table 3.2 p. 47 for more

Benefits sought from the product

Type of attraction: Theme park looks for excitement, variety,

value for money, … Beach looks for sun tan, sea bathing, … Cathedral looks for history, … See table 3.2 p. 48 for more

Branding

Name, term, sign, symbol or design or combination of them intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them form those of competitors

One or combination to differentiate themselves from competitors

Represent familiarity and safety

Packaging

For goods: external wrapping to the make it attractive

For attraction product: providing information and signposting to help

visitors find the attraction Attractive entrances to attract passing trade Combining the attraction other facilities to make it

more attractive or accessible Selling the product by making it part of the

package

Price

Difficult to fix a price: Many of the organizations that operate

attractions in the public sector and subsidized, no return on investment

“Price” of buying the attraction product has three components:a) direct cost b) cost of extra discretionary purchasesc) cost of traveling to and from the attractions

Price

Possible permutations of costing All-inclusive price No entrance or usage charge at all Lack of perceived competition Different pricings for different groups of

customers e.g. senior citizens, groups, students, special interest groups, etc.

Attractions and the product life cycle

Products pass through several stages during their lifetime.

Different stages: Introduction Growth Maturity Decline

Attractions e.g. Disneyland Hong Kong (Introduction stage), Disneyland Anaheim (Maturity stage)

Trends in the attraction product

The 1980s New types of attractions appeared and

some well-established attractions were relaunched and given a new lease of life.

Trends in the attraction product

Developments resulted from a number of factors including: changes in consumer tastes and

preferences introduction of new technologies use of attractions by the public sector as

a tool of economic development and urban regeneration

Trends in the attraction product

The early 1990s Opening of Euro Disney (Disneyland

Paris), largest attraction ever seen in Europe

Over 700 new attractions opened between 1982 and 1992 including craft centres, farm-based attractions, factory-based attractions, hand-on science centres etc.

Recent development in the attraction products

Rapid growth in the supply of attractions

Creates more competition for the more established attractions

Recent development in the attraction products

Key trends include the following: Increasing concentration of ownership Attractions complete with other amenities

e.g. catering, retailing and accommodation Growth of new types of attractions e.g.

venue-based attractions Modern art galleries and non-traditional

museums

Summary

The visitor attraction is a complex concept and that in reality there a a large number of different attraction products

It viewed the attraction as a service product, a tourism product and an experience

It makes us understand better in the different stages of a product life cycle.