COURSE UNIT TITLE

: DESTINATION MARKETING

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
TMT 4019 DESTINATION MARKETING COMPULSORY 3 0 0 4

Offered By

Tourism Management (English)

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

PROFESSOR DOCTOR GÜRHAN AKTAŞ

Offered to

Tourism Management (English)

Course Objective

This course aims to portray tourist destinations as manageable and marketable products, and deals with a range of topics related to tourism marketing, including strategic marketing, destination marketing organisations, and product development in tourist destinations.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Classify the components of destination product packages to be able to explain their interdependence within a destination system
2   Describe the scope and complexity of destination management and marketing to be able to identify differences in practice between tourism and other economic sectors
3   Analyse tourism planning problems to project the outcome of various solutions that can be proposed.
4   Assess existing marketing strategies in tourism to be able to prepare strategic marketing plans for tourist destinations
5   Examine the characteristics of visitors in tourist destinations to develop marketing strategies suiting visitor needs, expectations and trends.
6   Apply planning process steps onto destination marketing practices where the impacts of tourism are taken into consideration.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Destination as a Tourist Product Package
2 Tourism Types in Destinations
3 Product Development in Destinations
4 Destination Marketing Organisations and Other Key Actors
5 Strategic Marketing in Tourist Destinations
6 Managing the Marketing of Tourist Destinations
7 Branding and Image in Destination Marketing
8 Visitors as Customers of Tourist Destinations
9 Presentations: Group 1 and 2
10 Presentations: Group 3 and 4
11 Presentations: Group 5 and 6
12 Presentations: Group 7 and 8
13 Presentations: Group 9 and 10
14 Presentations: Group 11 and 12

Recomended or Required Reading

1. Destination Marketing Organisations by S.Pike, 2004, Elsevier, Oxford.
2. Managing Destination Marketing Organizations by R.C. Ford and W.C. Peeper, 2008, ForPer Publications, Orlando.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lectures: The first six weeks of the term, students will be taught on various aspects of destination management and marketing. During these lectures, they will also be informed about the destination marketing plan process, and the content of a strategic marketing plan.
Presentations: Using the informative lectures as guidelines, students will prepare strategic marketing plans for a specific destination in teams. Students will choose their destination at the beginning of the term, and then will start collecting data through organizing field trips to their destinations. While the plans will be submitted in a written format, the teams will also present their assignment to the class in the last six weeks of the term.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 PRJ Project
2 PRS Presentation
3 BNS BNS PRJ * 0.80 + PRS * 0.20


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

Presentations
The team works will be submitted in a written format, and will also be presented in the class. The content of the strategic marketing plans developed for the selected destination, data collection methods used for analysis, and team effort will be the main criteria for grading.



Assessment Criteria

Students' presentation skills will be assessed together with the suitability of group projects' content to the course objectives. Student participation in class discussions and during group presentations will be encouraged. Their participation, attendance and involvement in class will be assessed accordingly.

In group projects, students will prepare a Strategic Tourism Plan for a selected destination. The assessment of project contents will be made according to the following criteria and grading scale:

Criterion 1 - General introduction to the tourism sector in the destination: A brief summary of the tourism sector's evolution in the selected destination should be provided along with its current status supported with statistical data (20 points).

The topic is absent or falls short of expectations and/or does not relate to the overall content of the project (Poor, 0%)
The topic is dealt with briefly and with not enough information (Fair, 40%)
The topic is dealt with in light of adequate information and/or fits the overall content of the project at an acceptable standard (Good, 60%)
The topic covers all aspects and evolves in a logical flow (Very good, 80%)
The topic is presented with all available information and is discussed thoroughly and sucessfully (Excellent, 100%)

Criterion 2 - Management strategies for the Strategic Tourism Plan: For the selected destination, groups should first develep mission and vision statements for a leader destination marketing organisation considering its overall strategic tourism goals and aims. Based on these, new management strategies should be proposed (30 points).

The topic is absent or falls short of expectations and/or does not relate to the overall content of the project (Poor, 0%)
The topic is dealt with briefly and with not enough information (Fair, 40%)
The topic is dealt with in light of adequate information and/or fits the overall content of the project at an acceptable standard (Good, 60%)
The topic covers all aspects and evolves in a logical flow (Very good, 80%)
The topic is presented with all available information and is discussed thoroughly and sucessfully (Excellent, 100%)

Criterion 3 - Product and marketing strategies for the Strategic Tourism Plan: Considering the existing tourism forms and products/services, groups should suggest developing new tourism forms and products/services in the destination. The project should propose such product and marketing strategies according to target markets, product/service characteristics, marketing mix and promotion tools (50 points).

The topic is absent or falls short of expectations and/or does not relate to the overall content of the project (Poor, 0%)
The topic is dealt with briefly and with not enough information (Fair, 40%)
The topic is dealt with in light of adequate information and/or fits the overall content of the project at an acceptable standard (Good, 60%)
The topic covers all aspects and evolves in a logical flow (Very good, 80%)
The topic is presented with all available information and is discussed thoroughly and sucessfully (Excellent, 100%)

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

1. Attending at least 70 percent of lectures is mandatory.
2. Plagiarism of any type will result in disciplinary action.
3. Students need to submit their presentation reports prior to the presentation taking place, and are obliged to share their reports with the whole class.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Asst.Prof.Dr.Gurhan AKTAS
gurhan.aktas@deu.edu.tr
Office: (232) 301 8238

Office Hours

To be announced.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 8 2 16
Tutorials 0 0 0
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 8 2 16
Preparing Individual Assignments 0 0 0
Preparing Presentations 1 24 24
Other : Please Indicate 0 0 0
Preparation for quiz etc. 0 0 0
Preparing Group Assignments 1 40 40
Preparation for midterm exam 0 0 0
Preparation for final exam 0 0 0
Project Assignment 1 1,5 2
Midterm 0 0 0
Final 0 0 0
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 98

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13PO.14PO.15PO.16PO.17PO.18PO.19
LO.155
LO.245
LO.335
LO.455
LO.545
LO.64444