Executive Summary

The paper aims at conducting a tour assessment of the Lantau Island destination through the use of a thematic analysis of the image and products of the destination. Some of the main themes that have been used to conduct the thematic study include the natural environment, built environment, social life and hospitality of the services at the site. These themes have been fully expounded with the help of the existing literature review and various sources that entail the induced image of the destination. There is also a discussion concerning the significant means of improving the marketing strategy of the products and image created to visitors through the principles of economic experience, i.e. the four experiential realms of the destination (4Es).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 1A

Tour Assignment

Lantau Island is the largest island in Hong Kong, and it is based at the mouth of river Pear. It has a considerable contribution to the naming of Hong Kong city as a lively city. The island is situated on the far end of Hong Kong, and it entails some of the best and most significant sites for tourism that exist in Hong Kong. Some of the best places in this island include the mighty big sized Buddha, he spills and thrills of Hong Kong Disneyland, the Ngong Ping cable car fantastic view and finally the pink blushing dolphins that are the favorite scene of all in the site (Wong and Fung 2016). For smooth movement into and out of the island, there is a Ferry that transports people regularly ans therefore, after visiting all the best scenes in Lantau, you may go back to Hong Kong and spend a night since Lantau does not have excellent hotel services that many customers require. This paper, therefore, aims at examining the perceived image of the Lantau Tour destination through conducting a thematic analysis of Lantau and then come up with new marketing strategies for the Lantau islands.

Literature Review

Information search Behavior by Tourists

Research entails that tourists usually engage in a broad search of information since every destination has its unique characteristics. This is because many touring sites post information that creates an induced image about the site and upon arriving there, the reality it turns out to be the opposite of the expectations. Therefore, it is ideal if the induced image created concerning a touring site depicts the existence of the place so that it is always easy to understand what to expect as a visitor upon arrival at the site (Wong and Fung 2016). The internet is the most common means of conducting research and obtaining the required information that tourists usually look for.

According to Leung, Law, and Lee (2011), the internet has strong capabilities of giving someone adequate information concerning the Lantau tour site since numerous archives and sites entail the real image of the tour site. Also, due to the increase in the number of internet users and China now moving towards embracing E-commerce in almost all its activities, it, therefore, implies that the many of the events in China can easily be retrieved through online services including tourism information for places like Lantau Island.

Thematic Analysis

Touring information from Travel Blogs about the Destination Image of Lantau Island

The nature of tourism activities like the natural environment of the touring site is one of the things a tourist desires to know about before visiting the place when the touring period comes. When information about the environment that the visitor will tour has an appealing description, it raises the curiosity and urge of the visitor concerning the place (Mcdonald 2015). The experience is intense for tourists who come from distant places, and all they know about the area is just its description.

Therefore, travel blogs are very vital in offering a piece of descriptive information concerning a touring site. For instance, there is a travel blog post that tries to expound on how exactly the beaches, forest, and parks within Lantau Island look like. According to this blog, Lantau Island when you are in the Island, indeed you cannot hold to boast on the long stretching beach that has clean (ish) water and golden nature of the sand (Mcdonald 2015). Once on this beautiful and fantastic beach, you may also relax and have enjoy having a meal prepared from the seafood available in the Island that you will not hold your thoughts from craving for more once you have a taste of it. The blog also goes o to describe Lantau Island as having a reputable forest and hilly places that are referred as watching sites where visitors go and enjoy the opportunity of observing the beautiful serene of the forest lying just beneath them. The feeling experienced in the Island is indeed one of its kind, and that is why maybe this touring site together with the entire Hong Kong City is referred to as the City of life.

Touring Information from a Newspaper Article About the Destination Image of Lantau Island

Newspaper articles are also other vital sources of information when one wants to obtain an induced image of his/her touring destination. For instance, according to Leung, Law, and Lee (2011), in his newspaper article about Lantau Island, the destination is stipulated to have one of the gorgeous heritage buildings and roads. Once you have visited the Island, you will be free to walk and have fun along the place since it has appealing and loving urban landmarks that have been developed and enhance the attraction of the visitors to the place. It is also postulated that the touring destination has an urban environment that has been extended through the ideology of cityscapes. Also, when entering Lantau, it is so lovely that there are also Ngong Ping cable cars where visitors have a ride and enjoy the beautiful serene beneath them and also watch birds and other attractive features around.

Therefore, from this newspaper article, it can be noted that the destination image of Lantau Island is excellent and thus depicts one of the best places a touring visitor may dream of being.

Lantau Island Destination Image According to its Official Website

Based on the data that was obtained from the official website of Lantau Island, it was recorded that the destination has a unique social life that is based on the cultural activities of the region. The site entailed that one of the best things that steer visitors to tour Lantau Island continuously is that the community circumscribing the place has its unique way of entertaining visitors (Erb and Ong 2017). For instance, this region has a fishing tradition whereby fishing activities are conducted locally and traditionally in the Tai O fishing village. Also, various unique festival activities usually take place during the festival seasons like Buddha’s birthday. This day is one of the essential days for all the Hong Kong members and other touring visitors present since they gather and celebrate in spirituality the birth of Buddha (Erb and Ong 2017). It is indeed one of the best festival activity carried annually that a tourist will not imagine missing to attend. Such information about the destination image is appealing and attractive for any visitor to be so eager to visit it.

The Role of Hospitality in Developing the Destination Image of Lantau Island

According to the official website of Lantau Island touring guide, it was noted that the destination stipulates some of the best hospitality behaviors. For instance, there are quite some pubs, hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars where visitors may go and enjoy the locally prepared meal (Shoval, McKercher and Birenboim 2011). There are some places where the available meals are just purely local while others have blended and offered both domestic and international meals to cater to visitors who may not prefer the local snacks. The meals are of excellent quality and are sold at affordable prices so that the visitors will have the opportunity to dine freely whatever they desire without fear of the cost.

The hospitality image created about the destination indeed creates a friendly environment within the destination that caters for its visitors in diverse activities. This, therefore, develops an appealing impact on visitor planning to visit the destination.

Lantau Island Destination Image in Relation with the Theme of Buddhism

The Lantau Island has a famous image of the big Buddha that has made it to be referred to as a Buddhism theme park. The Big Buddha steers people to having the curiosity of knowing why Buddha was placed in the part and the feeling of climbing up the long stairs just to have a glance at him. A touring visitor will, therefore, be eager to visit the place and get to see the big Buddha that is so famous in China. The connection of Buddha to religious activities of the Chinese people and how the theme park is driven into the entire issue is significant in steering a visitor to make a decision of touring and visiting the site.

Part 1B

Consumer Behavior and Hospitality Concerning the Destination Image

The hospitality and consumer behaviors have been noted to have a significant impact on how touring visitors acknowledge the touring destination based on the general impression of the destination. The image posted about the destination and the feeling experienced during the visit communicate a lot on the aspects of recommending colleagues and friends also to visit the place. Also, the experience encountered at the destination informs the possibilities of the visitor from revisiting the site. Therefore, the perception that the tourists develop towards the destination generates a reliable indicator of how well they were satisfied with the visit for the place. Knowledge is a reliable indicator of decision making by a tourist on whether to go ahead and visit the site or not. When the perception is active, the touring visitor is alluded to make a quick decision of attending the destination (Wong and Fung 2016). However, when the judgment is weak, this lowers the urge of the visitor from touring the place or recommending a colleague from visiting the destination.

Therefore, based on the thematic analysis of Lantau Island destination image, we can entail we can postulate that the images created and displayed about the destination have a significant impact of alluring and convincing a potential visitor to decide to visit the place. The various informational sources that portray information about Lantau Island image prove to show some mismatch at the end of the day since some of the information and perception created from these materials has to some extent proven to be absent in the park. There is indeed a mismatch between the induced image and the real image of the site that to some extent makes visitors to have a negative perception from their expectations of the site.

However, one of the significant parts that are absent in this part is the atmosphere and the climatic condition of different times of the region. Such information should be included since it is crucial in enabling the visitor to know the type of dressing code to go for at any period of the visit in the year. Also, it will allow the touring visitor to choose the appropriate time for visiting.

Part 2 New Marketing Strategy

These are strategies that are aimed at enhancing and improving the marketing and promotion of the destination product. The promotion is conducted through designing ways that will enhance the perception and image created about the destination to keep attracting touring visitors to the destination (McKercher and Wong 2013). Based on the thematic analysis of Lantau Island, the following two aspects will be vital in laying down a new marketing strategy, and they are new destination products and image and the promotion-mix strategy.

New Destination Product and Image

For Lantau Island to have a more prominent and attractive image among its touring visitors and other potential visitors that may desire to tour the destination, there should be a further improvement in the quality of the products it entails to the visitors. The products offered by the site should incorporate the aspect of education for its tour activities. For instance, when students visit the destination, they should be able to enjoy the issue of tourism and also in the process acquire new concepts and educational ideas (Quadri and Fiore 2016). As for that reason, when the selling the image of the destination through the various information and data sources, the aspects of education and learning through exploration while at the destination should be well identified and sold to enhance and allure more touring visitors including students. There should be an aspect of knowledge gaining out of visiting the destination.

Tourism goes hand in hand with entertainment experience. Visitors desire to visit a destination that entails the image of entertainment in a deep and vast way. Therefore, Lantau Island should ensure that the image it portrays to a touring visitor involves numerous entertainment activities of all sorts that will thereby attract more and more visitors (Quadri and Fiore 2016). This is because tourists at times visit places when they are on vacation or need a moment to rejuvenate themselves from their daily activities. Hence, by creating an image and perceptions that promote appealing levels of entertainment will always steer many potential visitors to visit the destination.

Research entails that to create a positive and attractive image to the tourists, the levels of esthetic aspects like harmony, serenity, and genuineness all have a strong correlation with the general satisfaction of the tourists. Besides, the delight of the tourists has a direct relationship with influencing activities like loyalty, and the extent to which visitors may recommend their fellow friends and colleagues to visit the destination or themselves from revisiting the site in the future or similar places. Hence, if the experiential quality and genuineness are effected in the general image portrayed about the destination, then it will stand a strong chance of attracting increasing numbers of visitors daily.

The other vital aspect of enhancing the product and image of the destination is escapism. This is a real experience that ensures that the visitors are indeed immersed and depict active participation in the site (Quadri and Fiore 2016). Therefore, to effectively cater to the needs of tourists who desire destinations that entail escapism activities like fishing, mountain climbing hiking among others. Thus, Lantau Island should portray add these services and hence create an image that will attract more visitors with a desire of a destination with immersion and participation.

Promotion-Mix Strategy

Communication strategy is a significant aspect in the marketing and advertisement of a product or image of a touring destination. Therefore, it should be organized and executed appropriately. It is important to first to identify the target market and all the potential visitors to the destination and their preferences and choices. However, upon developing and maintaining an excellent image of the site, the potential customers may be reached through various innovative activities. For instance, people currently have smartphones, and therefore it will be ideal if the destination creates a smartphone application that will advertise and sell its image and products with an option of booking a visiting and redeeming their tickets (Barrett and Weinstein 2015). Also, there is a steady rise in the use of internet and online shopping services in China. Therefore, the destination should opt for the big selling websites like taobao.com to help it reach a variety f various visitors from both within and outside China.

The best way to also communicate and promote the stipulated products and image of the destination according to Pine and Gilmore’s progression value is that the destination should prove its products and cater for all visitors, offer quality product services as advertised and this will help create positive experiences (Quadri and Fiore 2016). As for that reason, the perceptions of the visitors will be significantly enhanced thereby instilling loyalty in them for the destination. Also, when the impressions of the touring visitors are excellent, they will be able to revisit the destination or tarnish the name of the site positively to their colleagues.

Conclusion

Both domestic and international visitors always consider the destination image before they settle on a particular destination for their tour. The destination image is usually broken into induced images and free images. The induced picture is the image the site that communicates the actual products and services offered in the destination while autonomous is that image entailed in other aspects like documentaries and books which contains both positive and negative perceptions of the destination. When visitors plans for a tour, they usually go for the induced image of the site that they desire to visit to have a general knowledge. They can do this through thematic analysis where they analyze the induced picture and then evaluate it with the reality of the destination upon visiting it. Therefore, touring destinations should implement techniques like new destination products and image and promotion-mix strategy to enhance a balance between the induced perception and the reality at the destination. This will encourage more touring visitors from both local and international grounds since the desire to visit the destination will have been enhanced through positive perceptions that are also realistic about the destination.

 

 

References

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