In the borders of the modern world between the countries, I started notice the results of globalization. Transport and communication became easier in comparison with the last century. Besides, after creation and growth of the European Union, it had a free flow of people between member states. This led to growth and development of tourism and tourist sector. In the modern world there are many tourism including forms historical, business and conference, culture, health, and tourism. To attract tourists in very competitive market, administrative marketing of management has to be taken into account. The most important marketing tool is public relations (PR) as it plays a key role of in advertising of a place, actions, and identity. The purpose of this article consists in analysing a role and importance of PR in the tourist industry and the industry of tourism.
Role of PR in Travel and Tourism
PR in tourism and travel have very important role as it is used in strategic marketing and the integrated marketing communication. The tourist industry is divided into many sectors, including travel, tourist destinations, venues, hotels, hotels and restaurants. In various industries have their own certain audience, instruments of public relations and transfer various messages. The important role of PR has to create the positive image of the tourist destination because the success of the industry is based on various sectors. Industries need effective PR to win popularity among tourists. The department of public relations makes positive impression in all sectors in industrial tourism and travel.
There are many definitions of PR, such as “process of creation of the positive image in the third Game of mind” or “practitioners of management of a flow of information between the organization and the public”. All these definitions have the general point: PR is used to create the favorable image of a product, the organization and identity to help the company to achieve them the objectives effectively, effectively and successfully.
PR is an important promoting tool for travel and tourism. It has some purposes, such as advance of an event or the destination, building reputation of the company of the responsible citizen, and distracting the population from negative events (accidents, natural disasters). PR in tourism can be used as a communicative, promotion and n crisis management. It can also be executed through sponsorship of events, competitions, and charity in a bid to receive and uphold a good reputation. It has other advantages such as creating cooperation with other organizations and to establish the relations of mutual benefit.
As we already know, PR is extremely important for establishment and strengthening of image of the company. PR can be positive (new release of new goods) or negative (crisis management) . Let’s look one case closer. Piccadilly hostel is a big hostel in the Central London. It has 7 floors, 300 rooms in hostels for 4, 6 and 10 people and certain rooms which are able to place to 700 guests. The hostel is simply a business at Piccadilly Hotel Ltd.
The pro-giving of function begins with 4P selling connection here (a product, the price, promotion, and a place). Qualitative housing of a product in the Central London is located around the subway and the main sights. The budget of the hostel establishes the prices, the travelers and those who simply traveling on the budget, people from around the world. The promoting hostel reaches their clients through Internet advertizing, direct e-mail, social media (Facebook, the Twitter) working with the international travel agencies, and housing on websites of comparison, such as trip advisor. The hostel sells the majority of the beds online directly on the website or through travel agents. The term of mass media belongs to print, electronic mass media, electronic and mass media online rather new, and becomes more popular, contact face to face.
Print media. Newspapers, magazines, catalogs and magazines and catalogs always played huge role in advertizing and actions of PR of the tourist industry. Press releases new hotel or appeal, brochures about the company, services (hotels, flights and travel agency), articles in Newspapers and magazines, published the reference book for travelers and contact information of sights and places always were big to use in tourism. Printing publications can concern a large number of clients at the same time in rather low cost; it can be addressed to a certain group of clients (business magazines, free Newspapers to read numerous group of potential travelers and others). Mobile, gives you ability to calculate the answer of readers to special coupons, has the additional factor of trust (advertizing in the form of news or articles of the review). The press represents interesting and colorful experience.
Special Actions
At any special event, whether it is official opening, anniversary, or the Open Day, there has to be a special covering. The specialist in PR can provide any necessary points, such as:
- Invitations: design, production or distribution.
- Program: an arrangement, design, making.
- Ordering conference rooms, Banquet rooms, services in entertainment of an orchestra.
- Special materials: audiovisual representations, screen, equipment, slides, Gifts.
TV and radio broadcasting, theater and other new digital and social media are parts of broadcasting mass media. Every mass media have its advantages and shortcomings, thus, mass media is often used in a combination.
- TV was always widely used in PR to advance goods and services (especially for the FMCG companies). It can cover a large number of clients in real time, can be zoned (divided into areas of various PR, can be used in various areas), interactive (allows answers in real time and sales), popularly, you can consider houses consumer comfort.
- Radio is owned and listened by a large number of people, it is very mobile (does not demand any special set, you can listen on the movement, using the mobile phone), in real time, and so far, 24/7 broadcastings. Though, radio has shortcomings – no image can be transferred which is not good for advertizing of the tourist destination.
- Cinema and theater are important tools for travelling and advertizing as clients can be shown colorful advertizing (restaurant, the tourist destination). People cannot pass cinema of lines, and, as a rule, to be the loyal and less irritating announcements when they arrived to cinema/theatre to possess.
Virgin Atlantic Brand Awareness Campaign
In order to create brand awareness successfully it is important to manage the flow of information from the Virgin Atlantic to the public. Brand awareness requires communication in engaging the target audience, develop vital relationships, as well as provide the audience with vital information. Public relations (PR) play a critical role in brand awareness, as it encompasses Virgin Atlantic airline in its entirety, this means the administration will provide the necessary support. Brand Awareness is critical in advancing the growth of the airline when information of the services reaches the potential consumers. Brand awareness requires the involvement of PR in Virgin Atlantic Airline, since; it enhances a positive outcome of the organization through brand building. Brand awareness requires the airline’s PR professionals to guide the organization in a way that is truthful, ethical, and fair to the public at large. The brand awareness ought to seek to help the potential consumers where the organization can change individual views in regards to the products and services that they provide.
The Awareness of the Virgin Atlantic brand ought to be flexible to allow various adjustments as the needs of consumers’ change. Virgin Atlantic campaign ought to determine the targeted consumers for instance it may be families going on a holiday or individuals on a business tour. In order, to increase the chances of reaching the target market it is important to apply various advertisement techniques such as catalogs, social media marketing or even television. Building a strong brand is critical for the airline to survive as the market leader, ensuring that their brand is on the minds of numerous individuals creates brand loyalty. Continued brand loyalty requires constant innovations and making the consumers aware that these innovations are available ensures that the company retains its share in the market.
The General PR Tools and Methods
To construct the relations with target audience and to support him in high level, experts of PR use a set of tools and methods. Some most widespread include:
- Participation in public actions – to draw public attention and to keep it in the obligation with a certain organization or certain professionals, PR uses each public action and opportunity to speak publicly. It gives them the chance to reach participation of the public eventually or indirectly much wider audience.
- Press releases – Information transferred as part of normal TV or broadcasts, Newspapers, magazines and other mass media reaches bigger influence, than advertizing. It is caused by that most of people considers such information in more reliable, and corresponding, than paid ads. The press release – one of the oldest and most effective PR tools.
- Newsletters – Sending newsletters – relevant information on the organization or/and products/services of directly target audience – also standard technique to create and maintain the strong relations with the public. Bulletins also full marketing strategy and EXPERTS of PR to use it to divide news and the General information which can be of interest to target audience, and not only advance of goods/services.
Whether it goes regarding the last iPhone or iPad, Apple how to create buzz with consumers and mass media (the last cards of fiasco aside). While other companies fight for attention, Apple apparently does use mass media about its start of new products with little effort and domination. Recently, the Apple Company sold 2 million iPhone 5 in the first day, and then couple of days later a share hit stratospheric to the price of $700 for an action. So it is possible to tell, they do something correctly.
There is various benefit of PR, and its power is outweighed, and address to wide audience. If it is the newspaper or the magazine, millions of readers will see information on your business and to understand it. Besides, if it is TV advertizing, it can reach still bigger audience, and they will see information which enters your business in TV.
The second advantage of PR is a big attractive force and answers. Information that public mass communications catch becomes standing in the weight of gold for readers and the audience. Therefore, it is the biggest feature of PR to bring effect which creates the requirement, shivering to intend for consumer minds which receive information.
The third advantage of PR – not expensive cost. Costs of carrying out actions of PR always proceeding, but you can operate the expenses if you compare it to other methods of advertizing. PR campaign is the cheapest way to reach the mass audience. It helps to stimulate awareness and demand for your commercial products and services.
Shortcomings
First, PR – very difficult discipline to understand, execute successfully. Strategy is supported by mass media of professional knowledge, it will be necessary if you want to enter into mass media where you can receive good answers to the actions.
It attracts people, who have poor quality, and you didn’t test in the business, your business isn’t presented in mass media. Therefore, the statement that your business never had before, can happen, or it often occurs that a problem of the chosen product. PR can end with result which gives opposite effect if don’t operate which includes a risk degree assessment, is made.
Definition of target audience (public) identification of the corresponding audience and subjects of research are important for this audience. The building on the correct message for the right of the public is the extremely important for success of the plan of PR. The main thing consists in creating messages which don’t refuse each other (for various interested groups) here and carefully check that the message not offensive another, and not target audience.
PR is a part of the promoting connection and also arrives to area with other elements. Therefore, checking efficiency of PR only as the promoting tool can be difficult. These are possible ways to see how effective PR is:
Opening in attention of mass media brought PR. Ways to measure its online and comments in the press, categories of a search engine, positive discussions in mass media, lifting awareness of the public. Agencies on PR supply clients, “keep books”, showing that all effects reached during a certain period of time (for example, for last month) in all mass media (TV, radio, the press, the Internet). However, influence can be difficult to count (it is impossible to know precisely, how many people were seen by the television announcement), and the influence sum not exclusively exhibition efficiency of PR (not, all influences can arrive from target audience). For example, the plane of representation will bring susceptibility of the population in the form of comments online and discussions, watching video online, TV and the radio discussion that isn’t paid by the company at the expense of the plane. All this influence will be carefully checked and measured to see as effective representation.