The Building And Dissemination Of An Image Of Touristic Destination Danube Benddocx

=== The building and dissemination of an image of touristic destination – danube bend ===

THE BUILDING AND DISSEMINATION OF AN IMAGE OF TOURISTIC DESTINATION-DANUBE BEND

Prof.uiv.dr.Mirela Mazilu

Assist.Phd.Sabina Gheorgheci

Abstract :

Încurajator este faptul că în ciuda tuturor ”atacurilor” la imaginea turismului european,a crizei economice,a criezei imigranților,a actelor teroriste produse în destinații de necontestat (Paris și Istanbul),Europa rămâne și în prezent destinația turistică nr 1 din lume cu o cotă de piață de 52% în 2015.generând (direct și indirect) 9,7% din PIB-ul total al celor 28 de țări UE, cifră care este prognozată să crească la 10,4% până în 2025.

O destinație europeană de excelență,titlu binemeritat câștigat în 2008 în urma unui proiect pilot al comisiei Europene,Clisura Dunării ,zonă dumnezeită din sud-vestul României este în căutarea unei imagini turistice de marcă din familia destinațiilor turistice eco-friendly.

Pentru aceasta reziliența acestei destinații cauzată de precara unor elemente vitale pentru un act turistic de calitate,precum infrastructura deficitară,cu numeroase și prea dese evenimente neprevăzute și mai ales nedorite (inundații,alunecări de teren,etc) existența unor spații de divertisment,căștigă,în schimb,prin geodiversitatea atracțiilor naturale,unicat la nivelul destinațiilor europene, care atrag anual mii de turiști din țară și străinătate.

Introduction:

1.1.DESTINATION IMAGE

Attitudes, perceptions and images have an important role in the decision to choose a tourist destination. The image is the sum of perceptions and beliefs that people have in relation to that destination. The image of a destination is not necessarily based on prior experience, i.e. a visit to that destination. All tourist destinations have a self-image and the marketer’s interest is to clearly distinguish it from other destinations.

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines destination image as “an impression that a person, an organization or a product gives to the public and/or a mental picture that you have of what something is like or looks like” (Hornby, 2011: 748). Destination is a mental image formed by exposure to destination attributes (Bagoglu, 1999; Baloglu and McCleary, 1999; Gallarza et al., 2002).

United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and define tourism image as “ideas, conceptions held individually or collectively of the destination”.

The Romanian tourism offer will be primarily promoted in Germany, Italy, France, USA, Hungary and the UK. The Government has recently approved, by a memorandum, the Master Plan developed by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), and the money for tourism promotion are to be directed mainly towards the countries where most foreigner tourists come from, such as Germany and Italy, or to those on whose market Romania has a great growth potential, such as the USA. The change is very significant, because until recently the Romanian state did not spend huge sums to promote Romanian tourism on markets where the offer was a rather doubtful success.

For example, throughout 2008, Romania was visited by 35,000 Spaniards, given that the defunct National Tourism Authority (NTA) allocated one million Euros to promote on the Spanish market! The document recommends as markets considered “source of tourism” to be classified by the opportunity they represent for Romania on short, medium and long term. Such countries as Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Great Britain and Ireland, Hungary, the Baltic states and the U.S. should be given priority in the promotion of Romanian tourism, and the Scandinavian countries, the Iberian peninsula, Russia, Israel and other countries in the EU sould be considered secondary. In 2013, during the Passion week (in April), according to a funny ad on Antena 3, under which NASA astronauts could very well have used in their missions the deserted Romanian beaches, Easter destinations of Romanians were: Bran-Moeciu, Bulgaria and Greece. Of a total of 35,000 Romanians registered as tourists, 15,000 went abroad (6,000 of whom preferred Albena), 15,000 went to Prahova Valley, and number of spas. Foreign tourists who have spent Easter in Romania did not exceeded 5,000, they chosing Bukovina and the mountain resorts in the Prahova Valley.

The ability to identify and promote value is the main factor of long-term competitiveness of the society. This requires to accurately and realistically identify areas where there are prerequisites for performance and to stimulate the development of quality related to these areas, to identify valuable individuals and their areas of excellence, followed by chanelling to education and training in line with their natural inclinations so as to harmonize their interests with those of the society.

In conclusion, the competitiveness of a destination is given by the rate at which it manages to exploit the valuable human heritage with which it is naturally equipped. This has two major components: mass education and training and predisposition channeling, creating the conditions for the individual to manifest in that area.Although economically speaking the concept of competitiveness in tourism defined as “the ability to cope with competition in an effective and profitable manner on the tourist market” incorporates that used in the literature, tourism specific content makes necessary a complex and multidimensional approach of this concept. This is necessary considering some particular aspects of the tourist product.

Firstly, we must emphasize that the multitude of components involved in designing and marketing a tourist product have made the achievement of its competitiveness to be a complex process in whose ensuring contribute: both the competitiveness of destination / resort, and the one made at each type tourist business: direct provider of tourist services: transport, accommodation, food, recreation, treatment, or intermediary: tour operator, travel agency, etc.

To this is added the fact that, from the tourist’s point of view, the product covers the complete experience of leaving home and up to the return, being sufficient that weaknesses manifest in a single component for the overall level of competitiveness to be affected.

We must also highlight that often a tourist destination overlaps or is near a local community: a city or rural settlement whose economic, social, cultural life influences more or less tourist activity, being in turn influenced by it.

All these aspects highlight the large number of determinants that influence the competitiveness of the tourist product.

Therefore, out of theoretical considerations, tackling the competitiveness of the tourist destination and tourist business will be made distinctly, although between the two there is mutual interdependence and interconditioning. A tourist destination cannot be competitive in the absence of competitive tourist businesses, while a tourist business cannot be competitive in an unattractive tourist destination.As a result, ensuring competitiveness of tourist products and services must be based on quality management, it being a way to ensure competitiveness and hence business market credibility.“Professionals” in communication considers unanimously that any country’s international advertising campaign, whether it sells economy tourism or culture, is useless in improving the image, as long as the “product” is not competitive.

1.3.COMPETITIVENESS IN TOURISM

Competitiveness in tourism should be treated in the new terms of globalization of economic life, highlighting the crucial elements that can influence and can become competitive advantages for Romanian tourism. The competitiveness horizon of Romanian tourism is inextricably linked to elements of strategy adopted by the Government through the National Tourism Authority, local governments, each economic agent. Starting from such an approach, we have defined and outlined two notions that those involved in the tourism industry must also learn and at the same time apply to produce competitive market services such as: competitiveness in tourism management and marketing.

Competitiveness in tourism suggests safety, efficiency, quality, productivity, adaptability, success, modern management, superior products, low costs. The competitive strength of a company lies in competitive advantages and distinctive competencies they it possess relative to other competitors.The success of travel agencies and others is determined by the process of attracting, winning, satisfying customer needs, and by gaining their loyalty, which is key to quality of services / products offered; only in this way will the company get the expected profit.

The essential aim of quality management is to achieve in conditions of maximum efficiency and effectiveness of only those products that: fully meet customer requirements, comply with the requirements of society, comply with applicable standards and specifications, take into account all aspects of consumer and environmental protection, are offered to customers at the price and time agreed with them.Introducing a quality system benefits all parties involved: the country as a destination, entrepreneurs, consumers and intermediaries.This includes ensuring a constant level of quality.

Therefore quality implementing is achieved by a set of requirements called standards and grouped by type, depending on the area in which they operate: performance standards, service standards, referential professional standards, standards that include specifications, standards with operating procedures (operational).Achieving quality does not involve only developing some standards and ensuring compliance with them, but quality performance should lead to requirements satisfaction and customer expectations on quality management.

In this context, the systematic analysis of quality of tourist services / products and taking the necessary measures is a priority of utmost importance at this stage.

1.3.1.DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS – AS A TOURISM PRODUCT

Ensuring the competitiveness of tourist products is the quintessence of the process of achieving competitiveness in tourism. This is both the result of the competitiveness of providers directly involved in the production of tourism services included in the package, as well as of other determinants that have a bearing on the competitiveness of the tourist destination.

In this sense, marketers have defined the concept of “product universe” which summarizes very well these influences.

Thus, the tourist product universe is represented by the sum of perceptions that the tourist has concerning the product: visual images: colors, ambience, geographical and physical environment, atmosphere, smells, musical sensations, human relations (with the personnel, other tourists, people), comfort level, etc.

A product / service is competitive when it has the ability to impose itself on a particular market, to sell in large quantities comparable perhaps with those of similar products or services produced and sold by competitors .

As a result, the tourism product design is not confined to the combination of multiple variants of the two categories of elements: tourist resources and services, but also requires a certain concept about the product..

The ever-growing demands that tourists have to travel products have imposed a series of attributes that a tourist product must meet for it to be competitive: satisfaction, accessibility, legitimacy, security and safety, authenticity, transparency, harmony with nature, in their achievement bringing their contribution alike both competitiveness of each tourist service provider to the tourist destination and other competitiveness determinants of tourist destination.

The differentiation firstly results from the value chain of the destination as tourist business.(fig.1) As with any product, also in terms of tourist product, the value chain must be analyzed from two perspectives, namely: the business’ value chain and the buyer’s value chai

Fig. 1. Destination value chain as tourist business

(Source: adaptation of the author in the teaching)

From the business’ perspective, the value chain includes the margin value and the value activities, each of which being a potential source of uniqueness. In turn, value activities (classified into primary and support activities) are divided into direct, indirect and quality assurance activities.

The evolution of the concept of quality, from quality assurance to total quality management, has required the use of working methods and procedures in all departments and at all the levels of the tourist product, with the establishment of indicators for all factors “creating satisfaction” (from quality ingredients for making food, respectively the quality of the linen cloth, up to the “quality of the destination”, this also including service provider staff quality).

In other words, the concept of quality, approached from the perspective of the supplier / provider, found in all value-creating elements, is found in the form of the element of satisfaction for the buyer (e.g., degree of comfort – for accommodation, nutrition / taste value – for food, equipment degree, competence, etc. – for the destination as a whole). These, combined with the attractive natural resources, not necessarily unique, and constantly referring to the needs and desires of the market / markets that they wish to aim, lead to the differentiation of the destination with sustainable competitive advantages.

Value creating elements – from the perspective of the supplier / provider, transformed throughout the consumption of “a tourist product, viewed from the perspective of the buyer, in elements determined for satisfaction, compose inter alia the image of a destination.

The image of a destination is the sum of information and impressions submitted to potential consumers about the population, infrastructure, climate, history, attractions, personal safety, etc.” and is formed by perceptions and experiences.

Since the sense of sight is predominant in forming a positive image, the visual perception of a destination can be decomposed, for a deeper understanding of the attributes / variables of differentiation that form the atmosphere / ambience, in an artistic image and a psychological image. Thus, intangible factors such as good weather, nature / scene, accessibility, turned into tangible elements, that is pleasant environment, relaxing ambiance, infrastructure, can create an artistic image favorable to the tourist choosing the destination. Intangible elements such as local culture, the diversity of sports activities, restaurants, cafes, etc., which can increase the value of a destination, turned into tangible elements, namely historical sites, events (cultural events, festivals, etc.) form an environment in which there are “lots of things to do”, and may create a favorable psychological image for the tourist returning to the destination. Transforming these attributes into benefits for the tourist, by which a destination can be differentiated, is held in a positioning strategy.

Besides the differentiating variables “product” and “image”, for a tourist destination other variables are also used (e.g., staff, a variable which can increase or decrease the value of the tourist product offered).

The destination identity is “the principal means of identification, but also the source of associations made by the consumer, which represent the links between values and brand”. In the case of tourist destination, the identity elements are those which are constituted most of the times in attractiveness elements (which add value and / or uniqueness to the destination) and, at the same time, in main motivation for choosing it.

Criteria for choosing a destination depend on how it is perceived, namely the image that the consumer has established about it; at the same time, evaluation criteria of the quality of destination are also considered.

Seen from the perspective of the buyer (from the target-market to destination), the value chain consists of actual or perceived values, through which one can distinguish / choose a destination.

Differentiation, in its most lasting form, results from the creation, in a unique manner, of a value for the buyer, namely criteria for purchase. They are classified, in turn, in criteria for use and criteria for reporting.

Criteria for use “measure” / assess the factors / elements that create value for the buyer, while the criteria for reporting reflect how customers perceive value, meaning that they are normally under the conditions of applying an effective marketing for the criteria for use.

Among the criteria for use are: product quality, product characteristics (physical and geographical), and length of stay, means of transport, etc. Among the criteria for reporting also important are: image / identity / reputation of destination, market share, tradition / seniority in the field, the price as an indicator of quality, product appearance, etc. Another criterion for reporting is only important insofar as it contributes to real perception of value of the “acquisition” made by meeting criteria of use.

Among the sources of sustained competitive advantage, mentioned in most of the literature, important are distinction, quality (value chain and system), cost reduction, niche marketing, performance or advanced technology, management manner, culture and style of the organization. Because of the specificity of the tourist product or products (which, in turn, are composed of a multitude of services) that make up destination or are identified with it, and, namely, the existence of two types of constituent, base – natural and anthropogenic (reason for the company will work with comparative advantages resources or competitive advantage resources) resources, relevant for destination management are its differentiation and quality, the others being slightly included (cost reduction, culture, management style and organization manner) or determined by the two (marketing niche, performance and advanced technology)

Increasing competition in terms of price and better and cheaper organized network of destinations from other continents accentuates the pressure on the European tourism sector and its traditional destinations.

More destinations are competitive in terms of experience, and competition is strengthened by a greater market transparency in terms of prices and / or other characteristics comparable of destinations.

At the request of tourists to purchase products / services at prices permanently related to the level of offer, operators respond by increasing optimization of the quality / price ratio.

In this context, classical small and medium tourism enterprises are forced to fight for survival with the integrated competitive destinations, which working with world-class professionals of tourism, having a strong and functional organization and being able achieve significant savings, superior to those of any small, isolated company.

On the other hand, these small enterprises, in order to cope with increasing pressure, should move toward cooperation, innovation, specialization and creation of branded, high quality products.

There are many studies that talk about the "anonymous state" in which our country is sinking, in terms of international tourist identity, of the symbols that define us. We never really knew how to become visible by what is individual to us, and not necessarily because we are missing features, but because it is possible that even we do not know, or no longer know, what really sets us aside.

There have been many initiatives, some recent and expensive, to create and promote a brand of country, based primarily on tourism, but they have not had the expected impact.

Why? There are lots of reasons which can be mentioned, but one that should be considered as essentially beyond political games and arrangements, the poor communication and decision implementation, is perhaps the simplest and is therefore overlooked: do we know today what essentially represents us? Do we have an element / several elements that instill a lasting image, not temporary, for Romanian rural tourism?

Are: adventure, culture, village traditions, gastronomy, authenticity, tourist identity elements, for the Romanian village part of tourist offer?

What symbols, values, ideas, feelings, places, emotions, characters, cuisine, and artistic expressions par excellence really Romanian?

Fig. 34 Imaginea turistică – diferite abordări conceptuale

Pentru fiecare destinație turistică, imaginea turistică joacă un rol important care servește la consolidarea legăturii dintre vizitator și destinația aleasă, Henderson (2007, p. 262) a definit imaginea destinației ca fiind „multidimensională”, cu sfere cognitive și afective (…) un amalgam de cunoștințe, sentimente, credințe, opinii, așteptări și impresii pe care oamenii le au de la o anumită destinație”.

Crompton (1979, p. 18) oferă o definiție integrată a imaginii turistice ca sumă a convingerilor, impresiilor, ideilor și percepțiilor pe care oamenii le au asupra obiectelor, comportamentelor și evenimentelor. Când un turist descoperă o destinație, atât imaginea generală cât și cea turistică pot fi afectate. Astfel noțiunea este una pertinentă deoarece turismul poate oferi singura și cea mai bună oportunitate de a corecta percepțiile greșite.

Astfel ia naștere o legătură între rezident/turist care își formează un anumit tip de imagine turistică despre o anumită destinație turistică (pozitivă, negativă sau neutră), care generează un anumit tip de comportament, de atractivitate, indiferențe sau repulsie față de acel loc (fig. 35).

Fig. 35 Relația între locuitori / turiști, imaginea turistică și tipuri de comportament turistic (prelucrarea după Ianoș, 2004 și Neacșu, 2010b)

Unele abordări teoretice ale imaginii consideră că aceasta poate fi pre-determinată și formată prin prisma experiențelor personale și actuale (Crompton, 1979), investigarea și înțelegerea turiștilor actuali oferă o bază de informații din care se poate construi și personaliza marketingul și serviciile turistice.

Astfel există o serie de factori care pot împinge (engl. push) oamenii să dorească să meargă în vacanță în acea destinație, pe baza unor considerente psihologice, de apartenență sau dobândire de cunoștințe, și imaginea, ca instrument de management strategic, poate să atragă (engl. pull) oamenii să aleagă o destinație, ducând la crearea (construcția) unei imagini primare a destinației (fig. 37).

Fig. 37 Sistemul de construire și difuzare a unei imagini turistice

Fig. 37 Sistemul de construire și difuzare a unei imagini turistice