Reference no: EM132830900

Case Study: The Japanese Tourist Deal

As Sales and Marketing Manager you make it a rule to undertake a structured analysis of every marketing strategy you develop and implement. Over time you have found this to be a really effective way of learning lessons and avoiding repeating mistakes of the past.

You are currently reviewing and evaluating a marketing strategy and plan you developed for a new series of package tours where you entered into a joint-venture arrangement with a local travel agency to provide accommodation and meals for 1300 Japanese tourists over a 3 month-period. You agreed to provide accommodation, meals and tourist guide services to different age-groups who had reasons to visit Sydney: some came for the shopping, some to gamble, some to 'see a koala and a kangaroo' and some to venture further inland and 'see the bush'.

The joint-venture initiative was relatively successful, and you are keen to repeat the experience but feel things could have been done better last time and need to ensure they are done better next time. For example, the on-departure 'guest satisfaction survey' you conducted suggested they would have preferred Japanese-born tour guides, Japanese-style breakfasts, and Japanese newspapers - they also stated they would have loved to have had an 'Aussie barbie" while they were here.

As you further reflect on the whole experience and prepare to enter into negotiations for the next set of tours you think again about the deal you struck with the travel agent, especially the bit where you agreed to provide 'all transfers' for the visitors. You feel you may have agreed a bit too quickly to that part of the deal - and even though the Inn has its own fleet of small buses this service represented an unacceptably high cost against the income received from the groups.

In addition, you agreed to providing menus at meal times written in Japanese but forgot to do, and the agreement also stated you would provide fly repellent and sunscreen on the bus for all trips and transfers but this also was overlooked.

Question 1

What specialist advice should you have obtained when developing and preparing The Righteous Inn's contribution towards the Japanese visitors' stay?

Question 2

Who might you consult for specialist advice about the cost of the buses and the transfers for the next group of tourists?

Question 3

Why should you seek specialist advice on topics you are not totally familiar with when arranging such deals?