Overview

Part Four of this book focuses on a theme of considerable importance to all visitor attractions, that of marketing. While there has been considerable growth in the literature on the marketing of visitor attractions in recent years, arguably much of what is said about visitor attraction marketing is premature. First, little is known about the fundamental nature of the visitor attraction product by those marketing them, particularly those sites of a heritage nature. Second, there is frequently a lack of suitable marketing information available upon which to make sound judgements about marketing strategy. The marketing research base of many attractions is extremely limited, and where research has been undertaken it is arguably still relatively unsophisticated. This has implications for the management and marketing of visitor attractions, severely limiting the scope for effective marketing. Third, whereas branding is a major marketing issue in most other parts of the tourism industry, to date it has played a relatively limited role in the visitor attraction sector. As with marketing research, where branding does exist it has tended to deliver limited benefits. Finally, there is also a tendency in the literature to discuss the marketing of individual visitor attractions in isolation from one another. Pressures in the funding and visitor marketplaces are serving as catalysts for a more...