Marketing of ecotourim products in destinations

The document has been written for a presentation at the Prithvi 2005 seminar on eco-friendly products by Alexandre Noel, consultant in responsible tourism and green marketing. It focuses on the marketing of ecotourim products in destinations (ecolodges, hotels, tour operators, houseboats operators…). It, however, does not cover the marketing of ecotourism destinations, whether national or local, and is aimed at providing a general overview of marketing activities for the ecotourism operators in destinations to improve their market access.

The document pictures what the market and its general trends are (tourism industry figures, ecotourist profile, green market gap, consumer’s expectations…) as well as the importance of the product (attributes, quality, positioning...) as the beginning of any marketing activities. It then describes what possible marketing activities can be implemented for an effective market access. Both the business-to-business development (international, national and local trade - tour operators and travel agents, selective networks, GDS – Global Distribution system, fairs & exhibitions) and the business-to-consumers development are covered (internet strategy, WOM – Word of Mouth, NGOs’ networking, public relation – press coverage and press trips, guidebooks, green awards…). It also stresses the importance of joint and cooperative marketing in the case of ecotourism products in destinations.

Download the full document on PDF format or vision the shorter power point presentation used for Prithvi speech