1. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com1 CUSTOMER RELATIONS IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY 6.03 Explain the critical aspects of business and destination image.

2. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com2 The perception or belief that people have about a business

3. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com3 FACTORS THAT AFFECT BUSINESS IMAGE Products & Services Customer mix Customer services Location Employees

4. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com4 Product/Service Characteristics Tangible Intangible Price and quality Selection

5. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com5 Customer Mix Combination of customers that use or are attracted to a particular hospitality and/or travel organization or destination Types of customers influence image. Certain types of customers attract or repel other customers. Actions and behavior of some customers are offensive to others. Nice, friendly customers enhance experiences of other customers. Hospitality/travel organizations may target specific groups of customers.

6. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com6 Customer Services *Service is the most important product of the industry. Provide amenities Examples: thick terry-cloth robes; phones for in-flight use

7. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com7 Personal attention/interaction Recognize guest/visitor Positive first impression Fulfill visitor’s expectations Reduce effort required of customer Facilitate customer decision-making Create memories Expect customers to remember bad experiences Follow-up Customer Services

8. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com8 Customer Services Service encounter: The period of time in which a customer directly interacts with hospitality industry services, personnel, or physical facilities Employees must respond favorably to customer complaints or disappointments. Employees must respond favorably to customer needs and requests. Employees’ actions must reflect favorably on the business.

9. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com9 Location Convenience Comfort Attractiveness Safety

10. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com10 Employees Well-trained Courteous Respectful Professional Behavior and Appearance

11. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com11 Destination Image The attitudes customers have towards destinations Major factor in determining travel location most people don’t have firsthand knowledge of destinations Every destination has an image. Destination images differ from person to person.

12. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com12 Sources of destination images Books Movies Television Postcards Songs Photographs News stories Induced images: Generated by promotions and advertisements

13. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com13 Destination image modification The process of examining a tourist’s overall travel experience Compares traveler expectations to actual experiences The tourist is satisfied when experiences live up to expectations. The tourist decides whether or not to return to a destination based on satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Travelers talk about experiences, which helps others form destination images.

14. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com14 Functional image: Image of a destination associated with specific activities and attractions at the destination. (Cape Hatteras = Beach) Symbolic image: Image of a destination which is related to the personality of the area as perceived by the visitor. Different destinations have different personalities. (Disney = Family) *Both functional and symbolic images help determine a traveler’s choice of destination.

15. 10/25/2015 www.brainybetty.com15 Overcoming a negative image Positive publicity Advertising campaigns designed to build positive images Incentives Tour packages Frequent flyer programs Frequent guest programs