Promoting Your Travel Business in the Russian Market: A Marketing Guide
The common objective shared by countries, cities, airlines, hotels, and hospitality business owners is to attract more tourists. To achieve this aim, they rely on travel marketing, which involves organizing all travel industry activities based on a thorough analysis of market trends and consumer demand. The ultimate goal is to lure tourists and generate revenue.
Traditionally, travel marketing has been associated with promoting specific travel destinations such as countries, cities, or regions. However, the travel and tourism industry has evolved to emphasize the interdependence of all service providers and their collaborations. This integration is especially evident in a long-term perspective, as the success of carriers, including airlines, relies on the availability and quality of accommodation options provided by hotels. Similarly, the popularity and sustainability of a travel destination are heavily influenced by the quality of attractions and the number of visitors it receives.
It is essential for every tourism business to have a marketing strategy
Consider two hotels: one located in Turkey and the other in Belize. They are both situated by the sea and provide the same services. Can they use the same marketing strategy to attract tourists from the Russian market? Definitely not.
The reason is straightforward: Turkey has already established itself as a popular travel destination for Russian tourists. In 2018, Turkey was ranked number one for Russian visitors, and many cities in Turkey have direct flights from major Russian cities. Therefore, the main marketing challenge for the owner of a Turkish hotel would be to stand out and attract more Russian tourists to their specific hotel. In contrast, the owner of a hotel in Belize would need to focus on promoting Belize as a destination to Russian tourists, in addition to promoting their own hotel.
Imagine that your hotel is situated in the beautiful country of Belize, and you are looking to draw in more Russian tourists. Where should you begin? You must start from the very basics: introducing Russian tourists to Belize as a travel destination, informing them about visa requirements, explaining how to get to Belize, highlighting the country’s attractions and reasons why it’s worth visiting. Only after that, you can start promoting the services offered by your hotel. Additionally, keep in mind that Russian tourists will have to obtain a visa and travel over 10,000 kilometers with connecting flights to reach Belize. This means that a significant amount of effort, resources, and communication channels must be utilized. Even after investing in these efforts, changes in visa policies or other regulations could render your marketing strategy ineffective and require further reconsideration.
Conducting marketing research is crucial for the success of any travel business
As previously mentioned, it is crucial to conduct a thorough study of a new market before developing a marketing strategy. This includes analyzing both the internal structure and capabilities of the travel destination market, as well as the target market.
If your aim is to attract Russian tourists, our “Russian Tourism Market Report: Trends, Analysis & Statistics” study can aid you in accomplishing this goal.
Marketing research of the travel market can yield the following benefits:
- Provide information for making strategic decisions, such as determining if entering the market is worthwhile.
- Provide information for making tactical decisions, such as planning for tourist flow.
Seven Unique Characteristics of Travel Services
When developing a marketing strategy for travel services, it’s crucial to take into account the unique characteristics of the products being promoted. These peculiarities can affect the timing of advertising campaigns, demand generation, and the selection of promotion channels. Here are 7 key features of tourism products to consider:
- Preservation incapacity: Hotel rooms and passenger seats cannot be stored for sale in the future, so managers must focus on generating demand in the short-term.
- Intangibility of services: Travel products lack tangible dimensions, making it impossible for customers to experience them before buying. As a result, a company’s brand reputation and prestige value of its services become crucial factors for buyers.
- Sensitivity to seasonal fluctuations: Marketing efforts for travel agencies will vary in high and inter-season periods. Inter-season periods require extra demand generation measures, such as low prices, additional services, and diversified tourism offerings.
- Static nature and attachment to a certain place: Resorts and airports are fixed locations that can’t be moved elsewhere, which impacts marketing strategies.
- Time gap between sale and consumption: Travel products are often purchased weeks or months before consumption, so credibility and reliability of information become critical factors for customers.
- Territorial separateness of consumer and producer: Informing and advertising efforts should be conducted at a wider, international level to reach potential customers.
- Buyer’s effort to overcome distance: The buyer must make an effort to reach the travel product and the area of consumption, rather than the other way around.
Travel marketing targets not only tourists but also intermediaries like travel agencies, partners, social tourism associations, and travel regulation authorities. To learn more about building a marketing strategy and utilizing various promotion channels, check out our article “6 Steps to Enhance Your Destination Marketing Strategy in Russia.”
If you’re interested in promoting your travel services in the Russian market, Quarter Billion Agency Travel Marketing Agency provides a comprehensive range of services, from managing research in the Russian travel market to preparing and executing marketing strategies and analyzing the outcomes.