The hospitality industry is a vast field and is constantly growing. It includes tertiary services like providing facilities to the customers for drinking, beverages, food, etc. Transportation, tourism, hotels, and many more come under the umbrella of the hospitality industry. There are different sectors in the hospitality industry. These sectors are Food and beverages, Travel and Tourism, lodging, and recreation or Entertainment. Food and Beverage Sector solves the issue of distribution of the products in the market. Travel and tourism business is consisted of travel agents, air transport, cruises, etc. Hotels come under the Lodging sector. Last, but not the least, Entertainment sector is the largest. It includes theme parks, malls, cinema halls, adventure parks, etc.
Since the hospitality industry directly deals with the customers, it requires proper communication with them. For this, marketing becomes essential for the hospitality industry in India. The hospitality market grows on good contacts on professional and personal levels. One should know all the positive aspects of a business or a service provider before taking its services. Hence, marketing plays an important role here. The product or service which is advertised well enough is always able to attract more customers towards it and enhances the sale.
Though marketing is done at different levels and in numerous ways, it is essential to reach the customers to attract them. In the recent time, digital marketing is done at a large level. It includes the online promotion of the products and services through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms. In the digital world, people usually believe what they see on these platforms and make their decisions accordingly. Hence, one should have a good presence on the internet to garner the maximum attention. This results in a gradual increase in the number of customers and enhanced sales.
The need to promote the products and services becomes essential as the seller can reach to the customer directly through it. To understand it better, one must keep the following points in mind so that one could understand marketing is very important in the hospitality industry. The food and beverage sector receives much attention through influencers and food bloggers. The travel sector is promoted by several travel junkies. These bloggers and influencers promote these facilities and then reach the maximum number of people and convince them to visit. People tend to visit the places already visited by bloggers and influencers.
- Customers: Through marketing, it becomes easier to get the customers attracted. The promotion can be done online, or offline. Offline or traditional marketing includes advertising, hoardings, etc.
- Profit: Better results demand good advertising. The businesses in hospitality industry have invested a lot and wait for huge profits. Marketing plays an important role in this. Through different types of promotion and advertising, it makes good money.
- Services: The customers get to know the facilities and services provided by the management through marketing only. They get a chance to discover different hotels, theme parks, etc. at their respective websites. Here, a wide description of all the services provided should be given.
- Duration: One must make their clients and customers well informed about the timing of the facilities. For example, the check in and check out timings of a particular hotel must be disclosed earlier.
- Prices: The hospitality industry works on better prices with the maximum number of facilities. Through marketing, the prices are disclosed to the customers to attract them. It should also be noticed that the marketing cost must be included in the price availed by the customers.
These are some of the points which make clear that marketing is necessary in the hospitality industry. By observing and following these things, a person or organization indulged in the same industry can become successful.
The different sectors of the hospitality industry start with food and beverage industry. Taking it individually, marketing in the food and beverage sector includes purchasing raw materials, cutlery, utensils, and other related products. Through a proper marketing channel, the businesses involved in the sector get proper knowledge of the most appropriate markets and people can get their stuff at the cheapest prices. Be it vegetables, or chicken, it is very important to get fresh and high quality products as these can affect human health. On the other hand, using alcohol of good quality should be kept in mind before purchasing it at low prices.
The next sector of the hospitality industry is travel and tourism. This sector is responsible for the commute and travel in the domestic and international tourism. It includes travels through trains, air, waterways, and through land transport. Usually, many travel agencies and agents create travel trips and prepare fares accordingly. The sector also ensures the customers visit the maximum places so that there is circulation of visitors in each part of the country, and the world.
Hospitality industry’s third sector is lodging. The major responsibilities fulfilled by it are providing hotels to the people with adequate facilities. There are several big brands which have top notch services. The middle ranged hotels and lodges are also in a large number in India catering the needs of many people. Recently, the industry is working through different online networking system. People book rooms through apps and avail the maximum discounts. There are hotels and lodges according to the needs of people. Through apps, they get to choose the rooms they are going to book beforehand and then pay for only what they use.
The last sector of the industry is Entertainment, or recreation. Malls, theme parks, cinema halls, etc. fall into this category. This sector ensures the safety of people and their entertainment in the country. Through proper marketing, the complete services are disclosed to the customers who attract them and increase sales. Tickets of several events are also booked through online booking websites.
Hence, the above mentioned details are the proof of why marketing is important in the hospitality industry. One should know the importance of correct advertising and promotional activities to get the best results.