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Discussion Paper Series, 12(5): 83-100
The Tourism Focus of Place Marketing in the
Mediterranean: Evidence from
Nea Ionia, Magnesia, Greece And Pafos, Cyprus
Alex Deffner
Assistant Professor of Urban and Leisure Planning
Department of Planning and Regional Development
School of Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos 383 34, Greece
e-mail: [email protected]
Theodore Metaxas
Adjunct Lecturer
Department of Planning and Regional Development
School of Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos 383 34, Greece
Abstract
European regions and cities have been, especially during the last twenty years,
characterised by a plurality of efforts to define their vision, to construct their identity and
to shape their images, in order to become more attractive (to visitors, new residents and
businesses) and, consequently, competitive, and also to increase their market share in a
globalised economy. The purpose of this paper is to present the importance of Place
Marketing as a strategic procedure contributing to development and competitiveness.
The international experience shows that Place Marketing can operate effectively,
through the promotion and support of the image of a place as a ‘final provided good’, in
order that it becomes attractive and competitive for the potential target markets. In
addition, the majority of implemented place marketing policies relate to tourism and
culture. The paper presents the planning process of Place Marketing in the
Mediterranean, focusing on the cases of Nea Ionia, Magnesia Greece and Pafos,
Cyprus. The paper, by taking into consideration the distinctive (‘branding’)
characteristics of each place, constructs the ‘final provided good’ and proposes
strategies, tactics and alternative scenarios for each place. The data are provided by the
INTERREG IIIC CultMark (Cultural Heritage, Local Identity and Place Marketing for
Sustainable Development) project, which has been in operation in five European places
since the beginning of 2004: Nea Ionia/ Magnesia/ Greece (lead partner), Chester/ UK,
Kainuu/ Finland, Rostock-TLM/ Germany and Pafos/ Cyprus. The main aim of the
project is to construct, in a creative way, a final successful image for each place and for
the study area as a whole.
Key words: Place Marketing, tourism, final provided good, Nea Ionia, Pafos
June 2006
Department of Planning and Regional Development, School of Engineering, University of Thessaly
Pedion Areos, 38334 Volos, Greece, Tel: +302421074462, e-mail: [email protected], http://www.prd.uth.gr
Available online at: http://www.prd.uth.gr/research/DP/2005/uth-prd-dp-2006-5_en.pdf
The Tourism Focus of Place Marketing in the Mediterranean
85
Introduction: Defining Place Marketing as a Strategic
Process
Place/city marketing constitutes one of the most interesting areas of research the last
twenty years, since many cities, especially in Europe, use promotion policies in order to
support their images and become competitive among other cities (Ashworth and Voogd,
1990; Kotler et al, 1993; 1999; Duffy, 1995; Ward, 1998; Avraham 2000, 2004; Urban,
2002). With reference to European regions and cities, Kotler et al. (1999) point out that
the economic dynamism of a region/city also reflects on the development dynamics of
that place, attributing an attractive or unattractive character to it. Regions/cities are
characterised by their necessity to present, in their external environment, a positive
image as far as their economic development is concerned, and for this reason they
adopt promotional programmes and actions, which they subsequently implement (Hall,
1998/2001). In case of Place Marketing this product (Goodwin, 1993), or ‘good’
(Metaxas, 2003), is a place or a city or an island, especially when we talk about tourism
destinations (Buhalis, 2000; Chaudhary, 2000) or tourism products (Meler and Ruzic,
1999; Morrison, 1999: 288), or destination products (Oppermann, 1996; Choi et al,
1999; Murphy et al, 2000). According to Kotler, et al (1999: 125), City/ Place Marketing
…refers to a place planning procedure concerning the satisfaction of the needs of
target – markets. It could be successful when it satisfies two main parameters: a)
the enterprises’ and the residents’ satisfaction from the purchase of goods and
services that the place provides, b) the satisfaction of the expectations of potential
target -markets (enterprises and visitors), as long as the goods and the services
that the place provides to them are those that they wish to get.
The application of place marketing policies as tools for urban economic development
expanded in several sectors such as tourism, sports, recreation, the arts and the media
(Bianchini, 1993: 29), creating, at the same time, powerful cultural industries, including a
variety of activities such as fashion and design, architecture and townscape, heritage,
local history, eating and entertainment, and generally a city’s identity and external image
(Pratt, 1997; Deffner, 2000; Kong, 2000).
Primarily, a City/ Place Marketing procedure should be evaluated under the philosophy
of Urban Management (Ashworth and Voogd, 1990), in the same way that the promotion
process is a basic part of Marketing (Sandhusen, 1993). The Strategic Planning process
concerns the analysis of the internal and the external environment of cities (SWOT and
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Alex Deffner, Theodore Metaxas
PEST analyses)1, relating to the examination of the relationships, which developed
inside the organization (city/ place)2.
The most significant issue is that the vision of the city and the development objectives
and strategies, depended on the local distinctive characteristics and the particularities of
each place and the final strategic place marketing plan in order to become effective
should based on these characteristics.
1. Place Marketing and Place Development in the Field of
Tourism
The investigation of the relationship between place marketing and place development
and competitiveness, in most of the theoretical and empirical approaches tends to
examine each of the above terms separately, presenting, mostly, place promotion (and
not place marketing) procedure as something less interesting in the whole process of
local economic development and place competitiveness, without any academic or
empirical investigation of the impact of place marketing on place development (Bradley
et al., 2002). Cheshire and Gordon (1996), suggest that there must be some evaluation
of development policies between those territorially competitive policies that are pure
zero sum and those territorially competitive policies that potentially offer net gains not
only to the people who live in the territory but also to the wider community. These views
are opposed to place marketing supporters (Ashworth and Voogd, 1990: 45; Kotler et al
1993, 1999; Short and Kim, 1998; van den Berg and Braun, 1999; Urban, 2002). The
implementation of promotional activities and policies without strategic planning based on
knowledge and “know-how”, are not useful and therefore could become waste strategies
(Metaxas, 2002). The appropriate application of promotional efforts could cause positive
influence on decisions concerning planning policies related to local economic
development issues (Reese, 1992).
1
SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
PEST analysis: Political, Economical, Social and Technological factors.
2
In the case of Place Marketing case, but also in Marketing generally, the analysis parameters
are the following:
a) Basic factors examining the identification of the relationships between the organisation and
Strategic Planning in the past (where we were)
b) Basic factors examining the identification of the relationships between the organisation and
Strategic Planning in the present (where we are).
c) Basic factors examining the identification of the relationships between the organisation and
Strategic Planning in the future (where we would like to go)
(Needham, et al, 1999: 17)
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The international experience indicates a focus on tourism and culture and shows an
extensive variety of initiatives that concern urban and economic regeneration, by using
particular strategies and tactics (i.e. the cases of Sheffield – Bramwell 1998, Apulia in
Italy – Novelli 2003, of Bradford – Hope and Klemm 2001, of Pamplona and Holstebro in
Spain – Kotler et al., 1999, of York – Snaith and Haley 1999, of Alonnisos and the
National Marine Park of Northern Sporades in Greece (Loukissas et al., 2002). All these
cases focus on tourism development and use as tools some particular actions in order
to achieve their main goals. These tools are: a) identification of the city’s environment
strengths and weaknesses, b) identification and evaluation of cities particularities and
distinctive characteristics, c) use and implementation of market research analysis, d)
development of promotional policies, and e) development of partnership between city’s
actors.
The existence of a sustainable and effective tourism and cultural economy is based on
the capacity and knowledge of the places’ internal actors to create particular plans of
action, by evaluating which fields of implementation of tourism and cultural policies
could constitute a competitive advantage at a given time (Deffner and Metaxas, 2003).
The contribution of tourism and culture must be related to the conformance and the
implementation of urban policy actions, the focus on the satisfaction of the needs and
demands of the potential target markets, the enforcement and promotion of the cultural
identity and image of the place, the contribution of citizenship to achieving a better
quality of life, and to the construction of a place competitive advantage.
2. The Vision, the Image and the Distinctiveness of a Place
Shaping the vision concerns the identification of sustainable development objectives
that each place sets up as part of its long-term vision. Furthermore, the vision is the first
step in the strategic planning implementation that a place has to follow in order to
construct its identity and to produce its image as a ‘final provided good’. The most
important issue is that the vision of each place, as well as the development objectives
and strategies, depend on its local distinctive characteristics and particularities. Also the
Place Marketing Final Plan, in order to become effective, should be based on these
characteristics (Metaxas, 2003; Deffner and Metaxas, 2006).
The creation of a positive city image constitutes an extremely important part of
economic regeneration (Hall, 1998/2001: 115). Cities are striving towards the creation of
the most competitive and attractive image in order to increase their market share in a
global economy. Cities like Rotterdam (as a marked and business centre) [JansenVerbeke and van Recom, 1996], Singapore (as an information city ‘intelligent island’)
[Mahizhnan, 1999] and Bradford (as an industrial area) [Hope and Klemm, 2001] are
seeking to develop culture, tourist and leisure policies in order attract potential target
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markets and so enhance their economic development. The final provided good is the
image of the place/city that is applied to the selected target markets. The production of
this ‘good’ is not something random: it is a continuous process with particular
development stages. The image of the city/ place is related to its distinctive
characteristics. Each one of these characteristics constitutes a ‘distinctive good’. The
image of a city/ place is more or less a puzzle of ‘distinctive characteristics’, each of
which needs a different strategic approach (Metaxas, 2003), and the production of city/
place image as a ‘good’ is an integral part of Place Marketing.
3. The CULTMARK Project3
CultMark (Cultural Heritage, Local Identity and Place Marketing for Sustainable
Development) is an INTERREG IIIC project. CultMark is applying a place marketing
strategy with a cultural approach. This means that it emphasizes the cultural dimension
of marketing, as well as the promotion of the cultural resources of each place both in
connection with the planning of demonstration actions.
The main aim of CultMark is to create a final successful image for each city/ region
partner, as well as the study area as whole. The main objective is the development and
implementation of innovative place marketing strategies, based on the elements of local
identity and the cultural assets of the partner areas, in order to contribute to their
sustainable economic and social development. Its secondary objectives include: the
promotion of heritage as a significant factor in local and cultural development, the
promotion and improvement of the investment climate of each area, the global
promotion and support of the image of each area, the connection between place
marketing and spatial development as an innovative approach to planning, the
promotion and support of the representation of common developmental interests, the
promotion and support of local knowledge and skills, the development of common and
individual demonstration actions taking into account the particularities of each area, the
support of the provision and diffusion of knowledge and know-how to actors,
encouraging the development of entrepreneurial skills.
3
The scientific support of CultMark is provided by the Laboratory of Tourism Planning Research
and Policy (LATOUPREP), Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of
Thessaly. The director is Alex Deffner, Assistant Professor of Urban and Leisure Planning, and
the members are Nick Bogiazides (Αdjunct Assistant Professor), Pashalis Arvanitidis (Adjunct
Lecturer), Theodore Metaxas (Adjunct Lecturer), Christos Liouris, Penelope Melidou, and
Christina Vlahopoulou. Sections 4.2 and 4.4. are based on the Cultural Data Report (2005) which
was elaborated by P. Arvanitidis (mainly), C. Liouris and P. Melidou.
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In this paper two cases of CultMark partners are presented. The case of Nea Ionia
municipality in Magnesia prefecture in Greece and the region of Pafos in Cyprus. The
analysis focuses on the presentation of the vision, the image which represents the ‘final
provided good’, the implemented promotional policies, and the proposed promotional
strategies and tactics.
4. The Cases: Nea Ionia, Magnesia, Greece and Pafos,
Cyprus
4.1 Profiles
The Prefecture of Magnesia, having a central geographical position in Greece and being
almost equidistant from the two major urban centres of Athens and Thessaloniki,
constitutes a very important junction. By having one of the most significance harbours of
Greece (Volos) it has a developed system of sea transports and a high level of
communication infrastructures in the sectors of transports and energy.
The urban agglomeration includes the municipalities of Volos, Nea Ionia and other
smaller areas, and it has a population of about 130,000. Volos and the wider area have
been developed as manufacturing and industrial centres, especially in the last three
decades. The economy of the city is based on the industrial and the service sector.
An important advantage in the attempt for Nea Ionia’s tourist development is the
construction of a modern, organized and large (in size and possibilities) sport centre
around Panthessalikon Stadium sports centre, and the gratis international promotion of
the city. This constitutes a comparative advantage against other cities that, like Nea
Ionia, don’t have a classic tourist destination profile to promote. The elements that could
lead to tourist development should be focused on:
•
The staging of special sport events after the Olympics (this is actually happening:
European Gymnastics and Volley Championship)
•
The promotion the great arched Mycenaean tomb in ‘Kazanaki’ area that could
become the ‘heart’ of a visited archaeological site
•
The promotion of the local cuisine.
Pafos is located to the west of Cyprus. The whole city of Pafos is included in the official
UNESCO list of cultural and natural treasures of the World Heritage. For the last fifteen
years tourism has been major source of income in Pafos. Tourist development has been
increasing but well controlled. The environmental protection measures, the special
morphology and the many ancient sites provided Pafos with the opportunity to become
one of the most popular tourist destinations in Cyprus. The Pafos area has beautiful
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mountain villages where life has remained unchanged over the years, and where the
customs and traditions of Cyprus have been kept alive.
Pafos has recently experienced a rapid growth in commercial and business activity; with
the development of a number of well-designed shopping centres in the tourist area, Kato
Pafos (lower part), and in the city centre. Pafos is well provided for in the fields of
banking, financial and consulting services. All the important enterprises have a branch in
the city and the area of Pafos, which gives an indication of the importance of the area,
especially after the recent boom in tourism.
4.2 Vision and determinants that satisfy the vision of the two places
This section looks at the vision cities/places have in terms of their position and
development prospects in the near future. It starts identifying how respondents envisage
their city/place, then it moves to discuss what they think are the chances this to come
true in the near future, and it concludes exploring the contribution of a number of factors
to the accomplishment of this vision. More particularly:
According the evidence of the ‘Cultural Data Report’ (2005), experts and decision
makers in Nea Ionia envisage a city that is economically robust, socially balanced and
pays due respect to both the natural and the cultural environment. On these grounds,
they regard that a well planned development, which takes care of the environmental
problems (including traffic) and provides the necessary cultural infrastructure (museums,
theatres, galleries or other spaces to house culture), will support the further
development of the city as a tourist destination and attraction pole. The local cultural
characteristics of the people (mainly refugees for Asia Minor), the beauty of the natural
environment of the wider area, and the available sport infrastructure (developed for the
2004 Olympics), constitute some of the main assets of the place. The vast majority of
the respondents (about 84%) argue that such a vision is quite possible to become a
reality in the future.
The vision of Pafos is for a cultural and nature heritage area able to attract high quality
tourism all year round, improving, at the same time, the quality of life of the locals. It is
argued that what is required is the development of appropriate cultural infrastructure
(e.g. new theatre, galleries, etc.), the maintenance and protection of archaeological
areas, the improvement of the Archaeological and other Museums and the organization
of events of worldwide range (such as European Capital of Culture). It is generally
agreed that such a vision is not difficult to be accomplished. Actually, about 60% of the
experts surveyed believe that the vision is very possible to come true.
In regard to the factors that contribute to the accomplishment of the city/place vision,
those that score high are two: the participation in European development programmes in
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cooperation with other cities/places, and the acceptance of the vision by the local
community (Table 1).
The diagnosis and the evaluation of the distinctive characteristics of each development
sector for Nea Ionia is a crucial factor that could contribute to accomplishment of the
vision. Also the significance of partnerships development between local authorities with
the universities and with citizens, in the frame of a co-operative marketing strategy, is
very crucial in order the vision of the city to be satisfied. At the end the ability of local
authorities to adopt and implement innovative activities presents a quite high degree of
importance for the vision of the city. All others are seen as of medium importance, apart
from the analysis of the internal and external environment, which is regarded as of low
importance. Nea Ionia seems to acknowledge the role and the value of those factors
that could contribute effectively in order the vision of the city to become real. Of course,
all these factors could operate successfully when all the internal actors and forces of the
city, represent common interests and develop common activities, taking into
consideration that the vision of the city concerns equally all groups.
In Pafos, as far as the factors that contribute to the accomplishment of its vision are
concerned, respondents unanimously place at the top of the scale the development of
partnerships between local authorities and the business community, as well as the
acceptance of the vision by the local community. Other factors that score very high (but
not unanimously) are the existence of development goals, the participation of the
community in the development of Pafos’ vision, and the level of capacity and knowledge
of local authorities to plan and implement development policies. All the rest are deemed
to contribute to a high degree to the accomplishment of the vision. These include the
existence/provision of a development plan, the analysis of the internal and external
environment (e.g. SWOT analysis), the identification of the distinctive characteristics,
the development of partnerships between local authorities, research centres and the
citizens, the participation in European development programmes in cooperation with
other places, and the systematic collection of data and information required for
comprehensive decision making. The total average is consequently very high (4.4). This
fact leads to the conclusion that in Pafos, a well-organised effort of developing
corporative actions in order to satisfy its vision has already been implemented by the
relevant actors and decision makers.
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Alex Deffner, Theodore Metaxas
The planning and the implementation of particular city development
plan
The identification of particular main development goals
The analysis of city internal and external environment (based on
particular methods, such as SWOT analysis)
The diagnosis and the evaluation of city distinctive characteristics in
each development sector
The planning and the development of partnerships between the local
authorities and the business community
The planning and the development of partnerships between the local
authorities and the and the academic or research centres
The planning and the development of partnerships between the local
authorities and the citizens
The participation to specific European development programmes in
co-operation to other cities
The development of a systematic collection of data and information
supporting the decision making process
The adaptation and the implementation of new innovative promotional
policies by local public authorities
The representation of common interests for city development by the
local authorities, the enterprises and the community
The level of capacity and the level of knowledge of the local public
authorities to plan and to implement development policies
The understanding of the community that the vision of the city is a
common interest
average
PAFOS
Factors
NEA IONIA
Table 1: Factors that contribute to the accomplishment of vision (1: min, 5: max)
2,8
4,6
2,5
2,0
4,8
4,2
3,0
4,2
2,5
5,0
3,0
3,8
3,3
4,0
3,8
4,0
2,8
4,4
3,2
4,6
3,0
4,6
3,0
4,6
3,5
5,0
3,0
4,4
Source: Cultural Data Report-CultMark project (December, 2005)
The two places share the same wider objective, looking forward to economic prosperity,
social cohesion and high quality of life for their citizens. The development of the cultural
sector can substantially contribute towards this end. It can improve the quality of life and
enhance the overall attractiveness of the place, advancing tourism. As expected,
however, this general objective is tailored differently by each city/place in the attempt to
form a vision that suits better its specificities, conditions, needs and history. Nea Ionia
and Pafos, have a clear orientation towards leisure and tourism and, in a rather narrow
perspective, seek to develop the cultural sector (mainly infrastructure) and use it as a
vehicle for the enhancement of their position as tourist destinations.
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4.3 The image of the two places as ‘final provided good’
The image of Nea Ionia comprises two elements, the traditional and the modern. On the
one hand it is a city that seeks to keep its links with its distinctive traditions and cultural
heritage, and on the other it strives to become modern and economic robust, confronting
the same problems of urbanisation that most Greek cities face (i.e. congestion, pollution,
etc.). The image of Nea Ionia is a multiple tourism good based on heritage, sport and
food’, a combination of distinctive characteristics that characterised the city. This
combination is a very difficult one since it requires particular promotional actions and
consequently particular sub-promotional maps. Of course the combination of the final
provided good, offers the opportunity to the selected target markets to receive a
multidimensional final goods, combining several activities. On this case the creation of
specific promotional packages that include all the aforementioned forms, will be one
very good action. Of course this is something that depends on the identification of the
particular target markets that the city of Nea Ionia wants to attract.
Local experts support that the factors that are related strongly with city’s image effective
promotion are the high level of natural environment quality (77,8%, i.e. the added
percentages of columns 4 and 5), the local community hospitality (66,7%) and of
provision of open and green spaces (55,5%) [Table 2].
Pafos is a well-known resort and tourist destination with rich historical heritage and
environmental quality. The city is included in the official UNESCO list of cultural and
natural treasures of the world’s heritage. More specifically the particular elements of this
image highlight the city as: Well-known tourist resort, a city rich in historical and
archaeological sites, a city with beautiful scenery and high standards of hospitality and a
city of low crime and high quality environment. For Pafos the creation of the ‘final
provided good’ based on the analysis and evaluation of based on the analysis of culture
and tourism sectors. The main development axis is the enforcement of the ‘mega event’
area and the creation of special goods and services deriving from culture and tourism
mix composition. It’s very obvious that Pafos needs to penetrate in international event
tourism. With main axis of development and competitiveness the Aphrodite festival,
seeks to improve its ‘event image’ and to become attractive among other cities.
A slightly different view emerges in the ‘Final Provided Good Report’ (2004). As Table 2
indicates, and according to local experts opinion, the city’s capacity to satisfy the needs
and requirements of tourists is medium in terms of urban aesthetic and the provision of
open and green space, and low in terms of ability to keep the public spaces clean. A
more positive city image is supported by high levels of hospitality and an attractive
natural environment, all of which have been identified above.
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Table 2: Factors related to the image of Nea Ionia and Pafos (1: lowest, 5: highest)
Factors
Nea Ionia
Quality of urban aesthetic
The
attractiveness
of
the
natural
environment
Capacity of the city to provide open and
green spaces
Capacity of the city to have clean public
spaces
Local people hospitality
Pafos
Quality of urban aesthetic
The
attractiveness
of
the
natural
environment
Capacity of the city to provide open and
green spaces
Capacity of the city to have clean public
spaces
Local people hospitality
1
2
3
4
5
Total
0,0
0,0
22,2
11,1
33,3
11,1
33,3
55,6
11,1
22,2
100
100
0,0
0,0
44,4
44,4
11,1
100
0,0
44,4
11,1
33,3
11,1
100
0,0
11,1
22,2
66,7
0,0
100
0%
0%
40%
20%
20%
20%
40%
60%
0%
0%
100%
100%
0%
20%
60%
20%
0%
100%
20%
40%
20%
20%
0%
100%
0%
0%
0%
80%
20%
100%
Source: Final Provided Good Report – CultMark project (June, 2004)
4.4 Promotional policies related to the city/ place image
As regards promotional policies, local experts in Nea Ionia agree that none is
implemented at a high degree. Of the six with medium implementation the one that
scores higher is the creation of a website for a specific event that takes place in the city
(although there is quite a divergence of opinion among the respondents on this issue).
The other five are the creation of a website for the city, the creation of city image guides,
the creation of particular actions and promotional packages for specific target markets,
the participation of the city to European culture-related networks, and the promotion of
city image through links with other cities and countries. The policies that are marginally
implemented are development of sponsorships, the existence of strategic marketing or
public relation plans, and active participation of city actors in the development of city
image promotional process.
In the case of Pafos, promotional policies show an above average degree of
implementation. Those score high are five: the creation of a city website and city image
guides (both of which are unanimously at the top of the list), the development of
promotional packages for specific target markets, the creation of strategic image
marketing plans, and the participation to European/international exhibitions, fairs, etc.
(which shows considerable divergence of agreement). All the rest are regarded medium
in their implementation, apart from the existence of information centres and the creation
of promotional CD-ROMs, DVDs and Videos, which, surprisingly for a tourist destination
city, score low (actually they get the lowest score).
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Table 3: Degree of implementation of promotional policies in relation to the city/ place
Promotional Policies
NEA IONIA
PAFOS
image (1: min, 5: max)
Creation of a website with particular links to the cultural sector of the city, or
other sectors (business environment, services etc)
Existence of a particular website of special events that your city is known of,
with a variety of information for the visitors
Creation of city image guides, focus to the culture, tourism and business
environment of the city
The existence of a newsletter which is published from a local authority
organization and it is distribute to the city community groups (citizens,
enterprises, hotels, restaurants etc)
The existence of information centres with specialized staff
The creation of CD-ROMs, DVDs and Videos, which provides information to
the potential target markets
The use of advertising campaigns in the city but also at a regional, national
or European level
The use of advertising in magazines or newspapers in local level or national
level
The participation of the city to European or international exhibitions, fairs,
festivals, musicals or theatrical performances etc
The creation of particular actions and promotional packages for specific
target markets (visitors with special interests, disability groups, students etc)
The participation of the city to European networks that promote and support
the image of the cities, with special reference to culture
The existence of particular package of sponsorships
The promotion of city image through links with tourist and culture
organizations and agents in other cities and countries
The creation of a strategic image management and marketing plan
The active participation of city actors and organizations (museums, theatres,
tourist agents etc), to establish common strategies and tactics for the city
image promotional process
The development of cultural business activities, through the production and
the promotion of products, which characterize the image and identity of the
city
The creation of a strategic public relation plan, aiming at the most effective
distribution of the image of the city as ‘good’
The creation of a specialized working group which will evaluate, organize
and implement all the aforementioned actions above
average
2,8
4,0
3,2
3,4
2,7
4,0
2,3
3,4
2,0
2,2
2,4
2,4
2,0
3,2
2,0
3,4
2,3
3,6
2,5
3,8
2,5
3,2
1,8
2,7
3,0
3,4
1,8
1,8
3,8
3,2
2,2
3,2
1,8
3,2
2,2
3,2
2,3
3,3
Source: Cultural Data Report - CultMark project (December, 2005)
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Alex Deffner, Theodore Metaxas
The two places have certain similarities in terms of the wider image they strive to
develop. This is perhaps due to the fact that they have the same problems, needs and
objectives. The basis of their image can be found on the local distinctive characteristics,
whereas their development can be seen as an attempt to reconcile history, traditions,
industrial past, etc. (the ‘old’) with modern requirements and way of life (the ‘new’), in
order to achieve sustainability. Although Nea Ionia realises the importance of a well
developed and promoted city image, it seems hesitant to take appropriate action. Pafos
tries to build on its well-known advantage (natural environment, history, tourism, etc.)
and experience further growth and prosperity.
4.5 Proposed marketing strategies for the two places
The identification of the marketing strategies should satisfy the development objectives
of each place. Kotler et al (1993, 1999), point out two crucial questions concerning
strategies: what advantages do we possess which suggest that we can succeed with the
strategy? and do we have the resources required for successful implementation of the
strategy? Porter (1980) proposes two basic strategies that could be implemented in the
case of Place Marketing: differentiation and focus strategy. The first strategy is related
to the awareness of the competitive advantages and the uniqueness of the place, while
the second one focuses on a specific target market in which the place should cover and
satisfy particular needs. Deffner and Metaxas (2006) propose penetration and cooperative marketing strategy. In the first one, the place image penetrates a new target
market promoting and supporting the local goods that already exist, while the second
strategy requires the planning and implementation of promotional actions, through the
representation of common interests of the internal actors. More particularly:
In the case of Nea Ionia, the study proposes the implementation of focus strategy, by
taking into account that Nea Ionia wants to promote three main types of tourism
(cultural, sports and food), should choose the appropriate strategies for each type and
per each target market. Based on its distinctive characteristics and the advantage of an
Olympic Municipality, Nea Ionia tries to acquire a strong position in the area of sport and
cultural tourism. Taking into consideration that the vision of Nea Ionia is based on the
identification of distinctive characteristics and the strong cultural identity, the focus
strategy could satisfy the vision and the development objectives for the following
reasons:
•
The city tries to increase its market share to specific tourist markets at national level
and to penetrate in the same markets at European and international level. So, the
enforcement of its tourism economy based on the effective attraction of these target
markets and the total satisfaction of their needs and perceptions.
•
The creation of a competitive advantage based on the analysis and the evaluation of
these target markets. Nea Ionia should focus on their particularities in order to plan
UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY, Department of Planning and Regional Development
The Tourism Focus of Place Marketing in the Mediterranean
97
and implement the appropriate actions that secure the successful development of its
promotional policy.
•
The vision of Nea Ionia is to become an attraction pole, promoting to the potential
target markets a multi-dimensional image. The implementation of a focus strategy
provides the opportunity to the city, to get knowledge and experience through this
process that allows to satisfy its development objectives
•
The implementation of a focus strategy is closer to the vision and the objectives of
the city, since it is a strategy that is proposed for small cities, with low level of
reputation, low ability to implement a variety of promotional policies and also an
internal weakness in developing effective partnerships between the internal actors.
In the case of Pafos, the study proposes the implementation of a combined strategy.
Concerning the cultural sector, Pafos has to follow a focus strategy based on the
promotion of special events (as the main development axes) and also the penetration to
specific target markets. More particularly:
•
The worldwide cultural reputation will be stronger through the organisation of these
events. At present, a considerable effort is taking place for the Aphrodite Festival. A
tourist marketing office exists, but it is necessary to apply a place marketing
perspective, for the planning and implementation of particular place promotion
strategies and tactics. The implementation of this strategy aims at those
organisations that accept to participate in special events that the city has the
capacity to organise.
•
The creation of competitive advantage is also crucial. The implementation of this
strategy needs the existence of qualified staff, a good Public Relations Plan, and the
development of alternative methods such as the brainstorming.
In the area of tourism, the region, in accordance with the general national tourism
strategy, has to follow a penetration strategy, investing to a variety of special tourist
products aiming to become an attraction tourist destination for a large market. Based on
the promotion of distinctive characteristics and the provision of high-level customer
services, this strategy is related with the satisfaction of the vision and the development
goals of Pafos, for the following reasons:
•
The creation of branding based on the provision of services and tourist facilities.
Pafos has the capacity to follow the international tourism trends and to create new
tourist products and services, combining the sectors of tourism and culture.
•
this leads to the awareness of Pafos as a top tourist destination, at European and
international level, for developing mass tourism activities.
Discussion Paper Series, 2006, 12(5)
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Alex Deffner, Theodore Metaxas
5. Conclusions
Place marketing is a strategic process contributing to place development and place
competitiveness. To this end place marketing can operate effectively mainly through the
promotion and support of the image of a place as a ‘final provided good’. This image
relates both to the vision and the local distinctive (‘branding’) characteristics of each
place. The paper, using two examples from Mediterranean countries (Nea Ionia,
Magnesia Greece and Pafos, Cyprus) and the data of the INTERREGIIIc CultMark
project, and argues that Place Marketing should have a focus on tourism, while, at the
same time, tourism (and/or destination) marketing should have a focus on place
marketing.
The two places have certain similarities in terms of the wider image they strive to
develop. Their development can be seen as an attempt to reconcile history, traditions,
industrial past, etc. (the ‘old’) with modern requirements and way of life (the ‘new’), in
order to achieve sustainability. An additional common point is the proposal of a focus
strategy.
Acknowledgements
Paper presented to the Hellenic Open University International Conference of Trends,
Impacts and Policies on Tourism Development Amoudara, Heraklion, Crete, GREECE
15-18 June 2006
We would like to express our thanks to the JTS INTERREG IIIC East and to the partners
for the use of the delivered material.
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UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY, Department of Planning and Regional Development