Local Marketing Model To Develop Ben Tre Tourism

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Tourism resource factors

Tourism resources are one of the most important factors that bring competitive advantages to the position of the locality over competitors in terms of the locality's image as an attractive, attractive and leading tourist destination. However, to effectively exploit the resources, there must be a comprehensive and synchronous development strategy among the relevant parties in the locality.

Researching external and internal factors will help localities identify the main factors affecting local tourism development and serve as a basis for determining the causes of the current state of success, advantages and limitations of local tourism. From there, localities have a solid basis for making decisions and adjusting solutions to improve the status of local tourism development.

2.6.2. Local marketing model to develop tourism in Ben Tre

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Local Brand

Product

Client

Investment environment

Local travel

Distribution

Promotion

Local population

Government and regulatory agencies

Figure 2.5. Local marketing model for tourism development in Ben Tre

Based on the theory of Kotler (2002) [71], Kotler & ctg (1993) [73], Kotler (1993) [69], 7Ps marketing and qualitative research, the study will consider local marketing to develop tourism through 08 components: Local brand, Product, Investment environment, Promotion, Customers, Distribution, Local residents, Government and management agencies.

2.6.3. Building criteria for evaluating local marketing to develop tourism in Ben Tre province

Some studies on local tourism evaluation:

1) Crouch (2007) [60]: In the study of destination tourism, 10 factors were identified to evaluate destination tourism: (1) Biology and climate, (2) Market relationships, (3) Culture and history, (4) Tourism infrastructure, (5) Security and safety, (6) Cost/value, (7) Destination access, (8) Awareness/image, (9) Location and (10) Infrastructure.

2) Groffi & Cucculelli (2012) [64]: The study identified 07 factors for evaluating destination tourism: (1) Core resources and attractiveness, (2) Tourism services, (3) Infrastructure, (4) Supporting factors and conditions, (5) Tourism development policies,

(6) Tourism environmental management, and (7) Tourism demand factors.

3) Buhalis (2000) [58]: The study identified 06 factors to evaluate destination tourism: (1) Attractiveness, (2) Destination access, (3) Convenience, (4) Tour packages, (5) Entertainment activities and (6) Support services.

4) Barbosa & ctg (2010) [54], The study identified 13 components of destination tourism evaluation : (1) Infrastructure; (2) Destination access; (3) Tourism services and facilities; (4) Destination attractiveness; (5) Marketing; (6) Public policies; (7) Inter-regional cooperation; (8) Monitoring; (9) Local economy; (10) Enterprise capabilities; (11) Social aspects; (12) Environmental aspects, and; (13) Cultural aspects.

Based on the local marketing research model and studies: Crouch (2007), Buhalis (2012), Groffi & Cucculelli (2012), Barbosa & ctg (2010) and qualitative research, the study examines tourists' evaluation through the following factors:

Local Brand

The study examines local marketing and local branding through two factors: Ben Tre tourism image and local attractiveness:

Ben Tre travel pictures

The image of a tourist destination or country, region, or locality is what customers will immediately think of when talking about it, which are the outstanding, special, and different points of that place compared to other places that create a unique brand of that place. According to Knapp (2000) [68], a brand is a synthesis of all the impressions received from customers and consumers by a clearly distinguished position in their minds based on the functional benefits and emotions felt. Thus, a brand is not just a word but also a passion, a commitment, and a promise that needs to be fulfilled every day. According to Keller (1993) [65], “Brand image includes brand associations, brand enjoyment associations, brand strength associations, and brand uniqueness associations. In which, brand associations are what about the brand is present in the minds of consumers”. Thus, the brand of a tourist destination is the sum of feelings, thoughts, and impressions about a tourist destination when tourists talk and think about it. It is measured by 03 factors: (1) Memorable impression, (2) Ideal tourist destination and (3) Interesting experience.

Attraction

According to Buhalis (2000) [58], the attractiveness of a tourist destination is reflected through the following factors: natural environment, human-built environment, artificial structures, architectural works, cultural relics and special traditional activities.

Thus, the attractiveness of a tourist destination is the resources that can be natural resources, human-made resources, cultural heritage, history, traditional activities, etc. that are exploited to serve tourism effectively and create excitement for tourists about a tourist destination, specifically Ben Tre tourism.

In the study, attractiveness was measured by: (1) Weather, (2) Terrain, (3) Landscape, (4) Natural environment, (5) Flora and fauna, (6) Cultural and historical relics.

History, (7) Beautiful coastline, (8) Traditional arts, (9) Traditional festivals, (10) Cuisine.

Product

In the study, product marketing is considered in two aspects: tourism service products and service quality:

Tourism products and services

Products/services are the most important factor that demonstrates the ability to serve tourists to meet their needs and desires. Besides, tourists always want to explore and use new and different tourism products/services. This will give them an enjoyable experience of a tourist destination and will be the deciding factor in the repeat visit of tourists. According to Murphy (2000), the diversity and quality of products/services will be an effective way to bring an enjoyable experience to tourists and affect the return of tourists. In the study, the diversity of tourism products/services will be considered through the following factors: (1) Attractions, (2) Entertainment/recreation activities, (3) River tourism, (4) Tour packages, (5) Diverse types of tourism, (6) Shopping activities.

Quality of tourism products and services

According to Parasuraman & ctg (1988) [87], “Service quality is the comparison between customers’ expectations and perceptions of the service”. In the service sector, service quality is an important factor to retain traditional customers, attract new customers, and bring competitive advantage as well as increase profits, which has been confirmed by both practical and academic researchers. Because, if customers are satisfied with a service, they will tend to repurchase, which is a premise for loyalty, if customers are not satisfied with a service, they will rarely repurchase, which leads to the loss of traditional customers, and tell their experiences to others, which will lose potential customers. Choi & Chu (1999) [59], believe that service quality is a difficult factor to quantify. These two authors argue that the products and services of accommodation organizations are becoming more and more homogeneous. This uniformity is important when organizations

A retailer can offer a series of high-quality (consistent) products and services to differentiate itself from competitors.

Evaluating a service is not about comparing how much better or worse the quality of this service is compared to that service, but what is important is the level of service response to the expectations of tourists. Measured by 05 factors: (1) Products/services provided ensure quality, (2) Products/services provided have unique local characteristics, (3) Services are always innovative, (4) Customer care services are as committed and (5) Fast service delivery time.

Price competition (customer)

To attract customers, we will consider the price competition factor. According to Dwyer et al. (2000) [62], Price competition in tourism depends on the corresponding value of goods and services serving the needs of tourists. Price must go hand in hand with the quality of products and services. Therefore, the value provided by products and services is one of the important factors related to customer satisfaction and service quality. According to Qu & al. (2002) [89], hotel room prices significantly affect the demand for rooms. Prices depend on the location of the destination, the level of safety, the quality of service it provides, and the customer's perception. The study considers the price factor through: (1) Competitive product/service prices, (2) Right prices, (3) Room rates,

(4) Incentive policies and (5) Travel expenses.

Tourism promotion

According to Kotler et al. (2006) [74], marketing is an activity aimed at satisfying customer needs to achieve business goals. Therefore, the marketing capacity of a business is demonstrated through continuous monitoring and responding to changes in customers and competitors. Therefore, good marketing implementation will help the local tourism industry promote and maintain relationships between members in the business exchange process such as: the relationship between customers and brands; between businesses and suppliers; between businesses and distribution channels plays an important role in assessing the marketing capacity of businesses. Factors measuring tourism promotion: (1) Full and clear tourism information, (2) Guidebooks, (3) Organizing many tourism events

(4) Information provided through multiple channels and (5) Links with local and foreign locations.

Infrastructure (investment environment)

The study examines the investment environment through the common infrastructure factor. To attract investors, tourists and create favorable conditions for development, it is necessary to build a favorable investment environment, common infrastructure is a demonstration of service capacity, such as: convenient traffic infrastructure and modern means of transportation will reduce costs in terms of money and time, the communication system will help tourists to contact relatives and friends such as sending pictures of interesting moments of the trip or still be able to run the business or solve problems that arise, the medical system will help tourists ensure the health needs of tourists, .... Measured by the factors: (1) Many financial institutions and money exchange points, (2) Modern postal and telecommunications system, (3) Convenient transportation system, (4) Guaranteed clean water supply system and (5) Adequate public toilet system.

Tourism facilities (distribution)

The study examines the distribution of tourism facilities as reflected in the capacity of local tourism and related companies to meet the needs of tourists throughout the trip, such as capacity and storage (hotel facilities), tourism companies/agencies, etc. According to Murphy & ctg (2000) [81], "The level of tourism technical facilities affects the tourism experience, and technical facilities are a predictor of the quality of the destination and the perceived value of the trip". Measured by the following factors: (1) Adequate hotel/motel system, (2) Diverse restaurant/food stall system, (3) Many tourism companies/agencies/travel agencies, (4) Modern means of transport and (5) Conference center.

Local population

The study examines local population through two factors: Social environment and human resource quality:

Social environment

The social environment is one of the factors reflecting the socio-economic development and also the image factor of the destination or locality. In addition, in terms of the quality of tourism services/products, tourists often tend to choose places with a safe and secure social environment. The social environment reflects the development of society in terms of economy and culture such as living standards, intelligence, education, security/safety, etc. In addition, the development of the social environment also reflects the responsibility of businesses for the general development of society such as the participation of local residents in tourism. According to Bowen (1953) [57], corporate social responsibility is defined as the responsibility of business owners not to harm the rights and interests of others; business owners must be charitable and compensate for the damage caused by their businesses when they harm society. In addition, tourists also impact the social environment where they travel. According to Spenceley (2008) [93], tourism is a rather complex industry because tourists from different places have different behaviors and attitudes. It would be a good idea if tourists can participate in environmental protection during their travel journey. Thus, the social environment includes the interaction of the supply and demand sides, this interaction will promote the development of society and an attractive and safe tourism environment. The social environment is measured by the following factors: (1) People participating in tourism activities,

(2) People's lives, (3) Environmental protection, (4) Tourist safety and (5) Social security/safety.

Quality of human resources

According to Wayne (2010) [97], human is an important component for every business, without human the organization cannot exist. The more effectively the organization operates, the better their competitiveness. Therefore, human resources play an important role in the competitiveness of any organization.

Tourism is a service industry, the skills of the staff play a very important role, because they are the ones who directly contact tourists and are a component of the quality of service. Therefore, skills, attitudes, behaviors, gestures, and words have a great influence.

to tourists' perception of service quality, such as the unpleasant attitude of tour guides. Measured by 05 factors: (1) Staff are professional, (2) Staff are always willing to help guests, (3) Staff are always polite and courteous to guests, (4) Staff have enough knowledge to answer guests' questions and (5) Staff are professional.

When considering and evaluating local marketing to develop local tourism, specifically Ben Tre province in a comprehensive way, there will be many factors on different aspects and direct and indirect factors that can be clearly understood. However, depending on the research objectives, research subjects and survey subjects, the time will have different approaches, such as in the research, choosing the survey subjects as tourists and not considering the role of the government and local agencies and departments in the role of planning, organizing and implementing local tourism development strategies. Because, usually, most tourists do not know clearly about local policies and guidelines, it is very difficult to collect accurate information.

2.7. Some local marketing experiences to develop tourism

2.7.1. Local marketing experience in developing tourism in the world

Experience in Pattaya City – Chon Buri Thailand

Pattaya is a city in Thailand located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, coordinates 12°55′39″N 100°52′31″E, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok, in Chon Buri province. With an area of 22.2 km 2 , population: 104,318 people. Pattaya is an indispensable part of Thailand's tourism industry, this is one of the largest tourist centers in Thailand. Pattaya is one of the beautiful coastal cities, attracting many Vietnamese tourists to come here.

With the advantage of being a coastal city, the Pattaya government has had very effective tourism development strategies in exploiting the advantages of the sea combined with tourism resources of historical culture, festivals and culinary culture as well as supporting services such as shopping,...

Some outstanding products/services and types of tourism in Pattaya include:

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