INDEPENDENT STUDY: Athens as an International Tourism Destination
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Transcript of INDEPENDENT STUDY: Athens as an International Tourism Destination
An empirical investigation to the city’s imagery & the role
of local DMO’s
INDEPENDENT STUDY
Athens International Tourism Destination
“ Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts and eloquence, native to famous wits”
John Milton, Paradise Regained, bk.4, l.240^1
Why I chose this subject ?
“ Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. ”
Gustave Flaubert
Aim of the project
Identify the role of DMOs in promoting Athens as a tourist destination
Evaluate their effectiveness in terms of marketing and managing
Objectives of the Study
Impact of the study
Evaluate the contribution of Athens DMO’s towards the rising popularity of the city, as an international destination within the context of Destination Marketing
Objectives of the study Identify the activities for promoting AthensIdentify the importance of destination marketingPortrait the opinions and activity planning of
Greek DMO’sProvide insights and new trends on the Tourism
Industry Highlight the latest incentives concerning the
city’s future developmentsIdentify the key problems of Athens & points
for improvement
DMO Responsibilities
Key responsibilities Develop online marketing strategies
Create high quality material
Participate in international tourism fairs
Develop network synergies
Tourism in Greece
Greek tourism figuresElement Value
Contribution to GDP 16,4 %
Contribution to employment 18,3 %
Employment 688.800
International Tourist Receipts 10 billion Euros
International Tourist Arrivals 15,5 millions
Average per Capita Tourism Expenditure 646 Euros
European Market Share 2.9 %
World Market Share 1,5 %
Hotel Capacity 9670 Hotels,
771,271 beds
Source: Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises, 2013
Athens as a Tourist Destination
International arrivals
2012 20130
2,000,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
12,000,000
14,000,000
2,555,355 2,619,455
11,413,792
12,645,214
Athens
Total Greece
Source: Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE, 2013)
Destination Marketing
Destination framework
Destination Marketing Efficiency
Key determinantsAuthor Destination Marketing efficiencyChaitip et al. (2008) Satisfaction of the travel cost
Integrated tourism product Tourism product attributes Tourism product management
Buhalis (2001) Enhance the satisfaction of tourist and delight the visitor Strengthen long term competitiveness and profitability of the local tourism industry and of the local small and medium-sized tourism enterprises Develop the sustainability of the destinations and ensure prosperity of host population
Stankovic et al. (2012) Organization of cultural and sport events
Lopes (2011) Demographic features of the tourists
Echtner and Ritchie (2003) Scenery and natural attractions Pricing strategies Hospitality and friendliness Tourist activities Nightlife and entertainment Sport facilities / General facilities National parks and museums Local infrastracture and transportation Accommodation
Destination Branding
Brand image
Branding framework
Branding elements
Destination Management
Management model
Strategic planning
Sustainability framework
Destination Marketing Organizations
WNTO framework
Destination firms
The goals of DMOs
The Role of DMOs
Role of DMOs
DMO’s in Athens
Local DMOs in Athens
Interview Guide
Qualitative researchThe aim is a complete, detailed description
Researcher may only know roughly in advance what he/she is looking for
Recommended during earlier phases of research projects
The design emerges as the study unfolds
Researcher is the data gathering instrument
Data is in the form of words, pictures or objects
Subjective – individuals interpretation of events is important, uses participant observation, in-depth interviews, etc
Qualitative data is more 'rich', time consuming and less able to be generalized
Researcher tends to become subjectively immersed in the subject matter
Areas of discussion Question 1: What do you think about the popularity of Greece as a tourist
destination? Question 2: What do you think about the popularity of Athens as a tourist
destination? Question 3: What have you done as an organization to promote Athens ? Question 4: Do you think Athens can become more popular destination in the near
future? Question 5: What are the main problems & challenges of Athens as a tourist
destination? Question 6: What activities does your organization apply for Athens? Question 7: Which improvements, your organization should make to increase
efficiency ? Question 8: What do you think about the role of DMOs in promoting tourism ? Question 9: What can we learn of DMOs in other countries? Question 10: Destination Marketing, can help Athens to develop touristic offers ? Question 11: How do you manage the tourist product of Athens, except for
marketing? Do you pay attention to sustainable tourism issues?
Research limitations The size of the sample was relatively
small Qualitative research is not allowing
the measure of the examined problems
The analysis may be influenced by factors which were not mentioned
Characteristics of Athens
Market positioning Natural beauty, clean seas, sunlight
Historical monuments & archaeological sites
Offer high level cultural tourism
Congress tourism initiatives
Accommodation in Athens 2014 seems to be a year with many
prospects
The average stay per guest is near 2 nights
50 % Occupancy of the Hotels in 2013
The average price of hotel rooms is 70 Euros & the revenue per available room 45 Euros (2013)
Visiting experience A stopover for the islands
Visit Acropolis, Parthenon & the Acropolis museum
Walk in the city center & shopping
Most of the tourists are not informed regarding city events
Promotion Activities
DMOs main activities
Create publications Joint advertising activities Create online portals Develop membership programs Create of promotional souvenirs Conduct market research
DMOs main activities Participate in international tourism
exhibitions
Hold meetings with hosted buyers and trade visitors
Distribute large volumes of information material about city touristic services
Establish international collaborations
DMOs main activities
Publish tourist material such as tourist guides, thematic brochures, maps, special editions
Publish high-quality photos and translations from texts of famous Greek authors
Future Plans
DMO plans for Athens
Establish city to the top European destinations Enhance the brand name Develop a communication campaign Cooperate with tour operators, travel agents Create long-term strategy for the city Sponsor selected events in Greece and abroad Open new markets & promote domestic tourism
Opening new markets
Promote Athens in the markets of China, Russia, Turkey and USA
Brazil and India are also two key markets
Problems of Athens
Economic recession
Influenced competitiveness
Very high taxation
Value Added Tax (VAT) in Greece is relatively high (23 %)
Seasonality problems
Most visits between June and September
Affects the amount of revenues
Need to be more clean and organized city
Complete the major infrastructure projects
Infrastructure problems
The city needs more high quality hotel
Improvement in the public transport The coastal front should be connected
more easily
Recommendations
Recommendations Changes in the income tax
Reductions in VAT
Construct peripheral airports Arrange debts of tourism companies
DMOs Relationships
Partnership network
Update concerning the global trends
Enhance the movement of tourists between cooperating countries
Develop an advanced know-how
Regional development
Findings
Insights & new trends
Popular destination in the global tourism market with many growth prospects
International identity of the country’s destinations
DMOs performed activities
Focused in the markets of Germany, UK, France, Holland, Italy
Focused in seaside leisure tourism and convention tourism.
Not a coordinated effort for other types of tourism
DMOs action planStrategy will be based in 5 key sectors of the Greek Tourism:
1) cultural tourism2) health tourism 3) luxury tourism4) city break tourism5) convention tourism
Results of the study
DMOs are aware of their strategic role & have established strong and long term relationships with DMOs abroad
Partnerships allow the Greek DMOs to be updated concerning the trends of the global tourism market as well as to enhance the movement of tourists between cooperating countries
Stakeholders strategic role
Promotion of Athens requires a more concerted effort between the public and the private stakeholders
Multiply the benefits for businesses, the state and the society in general
Research Suggestions
Future research Conduct more interviews
Compare the role of the DMOs in different destinations
Use quantitative research approaches
Charts & Data
Greek tourism statistics
Greek tourism statistics
Personal Reflection
Experiential learning
Lewis and Williams (1994)
“ In its simplest form, experiential learning means
learning from experience or learning by doing. Experiential education first immerses learners in an experience and then encourages reflection about the experience to develop new skills, new attitudes, or new ways of thinking. ”
Living the Experience
Learning outcomesI spent many hours doing this project Set goals, you can achieve anythingPersistence pays Just push yourselfEnjoy what you do, it is much easier to
excelGain new colleagues, partners and
friends
Understand self-awareness I am the type of person who loves to
learn and always seeks to obtain more
I am especially passionate about
learning things that pertain to my major and my future career
Me…the Researcher!
Reading for the thesis
Many scientific articles
Relevant literature
Previous research on topic
…Like any journey, some of the most memorable experiences come from side trips that take us out of our comfort zones, changing us forever
Keeping the motive Very intriguing and exciting subject
Learned about the Greek tourism market
Great value of informational content
Task-oriented study
Demand of my academic view and critique
When we find what we look for…The view of our discovery is compensating
Challenges to overcome Demanding & time-consuming
Transcribing all interviews
Which data I would use, to produce a unique “product”
Become more confident in my interpretation of events and behaviors
Acknowledgements
Prof. George Roumeliotis. His wisdom, knowledge and commitment to the highest standards, inspired & motivated me
Prof. Ioanna Tsoka, who carefully analyzed the theoretical and research grounds for the study
Dr. George Papadakis, who expressed great trust in my skills and character
My friends and colleagues, who inspired my final efforts despite the enormous work pressures
I appreciate your help
Post-Graduate side of Life!
Read my thesis here
Bibliography & References
Literary sources Angella, F. (2008), Destination management and stakeholders' collaboration in urban
destinations Angella, F., Go, F., (2010), Tale of two cities’ collaborative tourism marketing: Towards a
theory of destination stakeholder assessment, Tourism Management Vol.30, pp.429–440 Bell, J. (2005), Doing your Research Project, Buckingham, Open University Press. Blumberg, K. (2005), “Tourism Destination Marketing –A Tool for Destination Management? A
Case Study from Nelson/Tasman Region, New Zealand”, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 10(1): 45-57
Bornhorst, T., Ritchie, B., & Sheehan, L. (2010), “Determinants of tourism success for DMOs & destinations: An empirical examination of stakeholders’ perspectives”, Tourism Management, 31, 572–589
Buhalis D. and Deimezi O., 2004, “E-tourism developments in Greece: Information communication technologies adoption for the strategic management of the Greek tourism industry”, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 5 (2): 103-130.
Buhalis, D. (2001), Tourism in Greece: Strategic Analysis and Challenges, Current Issues in Tourism, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp.440-480
Buhalis, D., & Michopoulou, E. (2011), “Information-enabled tourism destination marketing: addressing the accessibility market”, Current Issues in Tourism, 14(2): 145–168
Chaitip, P., Chaboonsri, C., Kovacs, S., Balogh, P. (2008), A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODEL: GREECE’STOURISM DEMAND FOR TOURIST DESTINATION, Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, Vol. 1., pp. 75-83
Keywords & Terms
Electronic sources http://www.all-athens-hotels.com/attica/webpage/athens-tourism-entities http://www.developathens.gr/el http://www.athensconventionbureau.gr/ http://www.thisisathens.org/ http://www.gnto.gov.gr/ http://www.gnto.gov.gr/el/marketing http://www.mintour.gr/ http://www.visitgreece.gr/ http://sete.gr/GR/Archiki/ http://www.all-athens-hotels.com/attica/webpage/athens-tourism-entities http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE http://gtp.gr http://unwto.org www.iobe.gr www.marketinggreece.com http://www.investingreece.gov.gr
Photo Attribution From flickr.com Moimois, syedahurra,anttsichlas, frans sellies,
fiorenza baratti, chanc, elia locardi, christophe anagnostopoulou, ioannisdg, ihashb33r, totororo-roro,dimakk, ekounoupamelissa, chartouliarissa, darrellg, lucie, showinmyeyes
From Google image with the use of presentation titles, as search keywords
For Q&A’s contact me!
Email: s.langkos@
emc.edu.gr
#EnjoyAthens
Enjoy Your trip!
Always Remember…
………..……..FINALLY……………….