In the tourism product development policy of Prahova, an important aspect is organizing tours of thematic paths such as the Wine Route, Road Princes, and Way Fruit. To this end, this paper proposes developing a marketing program to promote the natural, ethno-cultural, historical, and wine attractions of the localities situated on the “Wine Road” path. By implementing this marketing program, it is expected to increase both the number of tourists who choose such a tourist circuit as their vacation destination or weekend getaway and its reputation.
World tourism has entered a period of very sharp international competition. If competition used to revolve around prices, with a tendency to equalize market share, today there are very heterogeneous elements such as tourism product differentiation, advertisement, and marketing actions.[1]
According to J. Krippendorf, the tourism product is a very complex structure, with the main component that can attract potential tourists being the natural tourism resources, cultural, religious, and human history of the area.[2] In this regard, the tourist path Prahova Wine Road, where the beauty of natural, historical, and architectural elements blend harmoniously, has been marked out.
Starting from these premises, this paper aims to develop a marketing program to promote the natural, ethno-cultural, historical, and wine attractions on the thematic path of the Wine Road in Prahova county. Why a marketing program? Marketing is the key factor in creating a successful tourism business.
The purpose of this program is to enhance the local tourism resources and evaluate the impacts of tourism activities on the development of the area. The program contains these chapters: justification of the tourism product, SWOT analysis of tourism in the area, current market analysis, marketing objectives, strategies, action plan, and budget plan.
Justification of the tourism product
The Wine Road tourist path passes through the famous vineyards of Prahova County and includes stops at mansions, the royal court, and monasteries. The route passes through the localities of Filipeștii de Târg, Urlați, and Pietroșita.
The resources in these villages, ancient churches and monasteries hundreds of years old, where the Romanian spirit is kept alive by the efforts of the locals and their pastoral life, ruins of castles, and other signs of Prahova County’s historic heritage, represent an attraction particularly for tourists eager to learn about the traditions and cultural treasures of this area.
Besides, the practice of wine tourism allows tourists to taste traditional wines but also gain knowledge about traditional fables and historical figures who made their mark on the places. Cellars, some historic memorials, allow visitors to savor the treasures hidden in them, either privately or as part of events.
Tourists can visit the Tohani wineries, located on the estate of Prince Nicholas, famous for red wine made from grapes dried on Valea CalugareascA? Research Institute in wine, the only one of its kind in the country. Tourists can visit the place and accompany the process of obtaining wine and also have the opportunity to evaluate the results of this effort.
By promoting the tourist circuit, it will provide historical and cultural heritage of the towns on this path, will increase the visibility and attraction of wine tourism, thereby easing the promotion of wineries in the county, which will enable the development of tourism in the area and attract investors. This will stimulate the development area, new jobs, increase foreign exchange earnings, all resulting in long-term quality of life.
SWOT analysis of tourism in the country
SWOT analysis is one of the most popular tools of strategic management[3] that identifies strengths and weaknesses of the tourist product, threats, and opportunities in the external environment. The SWOT analysis provides information that is helpful in matching the tourism resources and capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates.
Identification of SWOTs is essential because subsequent steps in the process of planning for achievement of the selected objectives may be derived from the SWOTs. The purpose of any SWOT analysis is to identify the key internal and external factors that are important to achieving the objectives.
Strengths
- Wine Road localities offer exceptional tourist potential due to the natural and highly valuable heritages in terms of their senior status;
- Each winery that has “Wine Road” path running through it offers tales and historical figures who made their mark on places;
- In this way, tourists can visit several winemakers and wine tasting with scintillating reputation, being initiated into the traditions of wine making;
- The route runs through wooded hills and valleys, offering a landscape of unique beauty.
Failings
Sightseeing paths under the “Wine Road” are not well known to tourists due to a low level of publicity and underdeveloped tourist information centers and related services in this area of activity.
Vineyards and wine makers located on this path are not fully known and appreciated for their true historical value. Currently, the Wine Road does not benefit from online publicity. Tourist areas lack an appropriate network of multifunctional centers specializing in tourism, allowing tourists access to information, information services, and specific events.
Opportunities:
The area has a climate conducive to pursuing specific tourism throughout the year. The Wine Road passes through many wooded areas, providing a natural environment sought and appreciated by most tourists. The route is marked with signs. The Prahova authorities have obtained funds for upgrading areas and including sightseeing on this path.
Business authorities aim to promote tourism potential through an acute national campaign that will help increase the competitiveness of tourism in South-Muntenia.
Threats:
Known and busy tourist paths such as the Prahova Valley are strong competition to attract tourists to the Wine Road. Tourists’ preferences for the Prahova area focus particularly on mountain tourism and winter sports resorts like Azuga Busteni and Predeal. There is high competition from countries known for wine tourism such as France and Italy.
Weak business is found, particularly among the young, the knowledge, and values that marked the development country. Although much improved, infrastructure is not reflected in European standards.
Current Market Analysis:
The complex process of adapting supply to market demands requires an effort to identify, analyze, and quantify its. While addressing market analysis, products are heterogeneous, and they can achieve segmentation according to the tourist attractions included on the Wine Road path. Segmentation is an important tool for strategic planning. The emphasis is on efficiency and customer satisfaction levels of service.
Wine tourism:
Practicing this type of tourism in Prahova County is served by the existence of traditional varieties, unique soils, and unique wine production. The vineyard “Great Hill,” called “Motherland Red Wine” in the Southern Carpathians, is the Romanian wine region with climatic conditions very similar to the Bordeaux region.
Vineyard centers are Boldesti, Valea Calugareasca, Urlati-Ceptura, Tohani-Mizil, and Cricov. In these growing areas, tourists can participate in visiting vineyards and wine production processes, including serving professional wine tastings, organizing interactive competitions and celebrations with rustic traditional Romanian food. Here, tourists can participate in a number of specific events such as the Wine Festival from Valea Calugareas, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Prahova in coaction with County Council.
Weekend tourists and pilgrims in monasteries. Some sociological surveys conducted in the counties of Romania have stated preferences for an important section of tourists visiting the monasteries and places where traditions are being kept unchanged, foundations on which the world stands today.
The Romanian people are basically a Christian state – an Orthodox ancient spirituality that remained alive for centuries, standing as an informant to ancient churches and monasteries hundreds of years old.
Located in a natural setting of exceptional beauty, many of them surrounded by secular trees, these cultural heritage sites in Prahova county can serve as tourist attractions for weekend visitors from urban areas in the county and neighboring areas. In this respect, particular attention should be paid to this market section through targeted regional advertisement and information campaigns.
Mini-holidays. An important section of clients is the group of tourists who choose to spend mini-holidays organized by travel agencies and tour operators. This section is a highly competitive market, so the marketing strategy should be oriented towards comprehensive information for both potential tourists and travel agents and tour operators so that they form an overview of the possible area and include it in their vacation agenda.
Business Tourism. An important section of the market that could be explored is longer-term participants in events such as business conventions, conferences, meetings, scientific sessions. The possible development of tourism business premises situated on the “Wine Road” path may be the target of a future project because investment is needed to build conference suites equipped with equal facilities.
Setting marketing objectives
Objectives are what we want to achieve and demonstrate how to achieve them. A tourism marketing objective requires establishing a balance between tourism products and their markets.[5]
From the analysis of weaknesses and opportunities related to the cultural and historical development of tourism in Prahova County, a clear set of objectives is designed primarily to inform and attract potential tourists to the area to meet their needs and desires. This is a brief:
- Informing and exciting potential consumers about the existing tourism products, the thematic route of the Wine Road;
- Increasing visibility of tourist natural, ethno-cultural, historical, and wine attractions on the Wine Road path;
- Determining favorable changes in the expectations and habits of potential tourists;
- Evaluating the effectiveness of promotional and communication efforts.
Strategies for implementation of marketing objectives
The strategies identified have a character type of pull strategies involving advertising and promotional actions for the consumer market, targeted end-user, and aimed to encourage it to request products from travel agencies and tour operators.
The attraction strategy is focused on application, seeking the creation or increase of tourist attractions. The goal is to provide sufficient information to attract consumers.[6]
Aims
- Informing and exciting potential consumers about the tourism products of the thematic route “The Wine Road”.
- Making a set of promotional materials to project a positive image of tourism products.
- Establishing an initial set of standards for placing advertisements in various mediums of communication.
- Increasing visibility of tourist natural, ethno-cultural, historical, and wine attractions on the Wine Road path.
- Using electronic means to promote tourism products.
- Determining favorable changes in the outlook and habits of potential tourists.
- Ensuring maximum exposure for the touristic path “The Wine Road” and its tourism advantages.
- Measuring the effectiveness of promotional and communication efforts.
- Conducting marketing research using techniques such as tourist opinion surveys.
- Action plan for implementing general marketing strategies.
It is important to develop the overall marketing strategies into detailed plans and programs. Although these detailed plans may cover each of the 7 P’s, the focus will vary depending on specific strategies identified. These plans must, therefore, be clear, quantified, focused, realistic, and agreed.
Strategies Actions
- Making a set of promotional materials to project a positive image of tourism products.
- Creating promotional brochures and booklets containing a brief description of natural, ethno-cultural, historical, and wine attractions on the thematic path of the Wine Road.
- Creating travel itinerary circulars featuring the presentation of the “Wine Road” path.
- Producing a monographic album of the tourist path “Wine Road”.
- Creating a tour guide in English for international communication.
- Establishing a calendar of cultural events organized in the vicinities on the “Wine Road” path.
- Highlighting the wine centers in Prahova County.
- Producing a documentary film.
- Creating a video spot.
- Placing information panels in many vicinities: Filipestii de Padure, Floresti, Baicoi, Plopeni, Zamfira, Boldesti, Bucov, Varbila, Valea Calugareasca, Jercalai, Urlați, Ceptura, Tohani, Mizil located on the “Wine Road” path.
- Placing outdoor panels that will be mounted on the main roads of Romania.
- Establishing an initial set of standards for placing advertisements in various mediums of communication.
- Categorizing according to priority objectives of audience communication availability and cost.
- Establishing standards for measuring the impact of advertisements.
- Using electronic means to promote tourism products.
- Creating a website for the tourism itinerary “Wine Road”.
- Producing a DVD with interactive presentation on the tour attractions “The Wine Road”.
- Sending promotional materials to tour operators and tourist companies to promote the tourism potential of vicinities situated on the “Wine Road” path.
- Ensuring maximum exposure for touristic path “Wine Road” and its tourism advantages.
- Participating in tourism festivals organized in Romania and other countries.
- Organizing cultural and scientific events to promote the tourism potential of vicinities on the “Wine Road”.
- Organizing cultural and artistic events during grape harvesting in Tohani, Valea Calugareasca, Urlați, and Mizil.
- Conducting marketing research using techniques such as tourist opinion surveys.
- Developing a questionnaire to evaluate the satisfaction of tourists.
- Market study and analysis results.
Conclusion
The main recommendations of this marketing plan are to promote natural, ethno-cultural, and historical attractions on the thematic path “The Wine Road” in Prahova County, through advertising materials, development of electronic means of promotion, organization of scientific, cultural, participation in festivals and exhibitions. By implementing this marketing plan, tourism development in Prahova County is expected by attracting foreign and Romanian tourists, with the following expectations:
- Increasing the consciousness of touristry on the vino route path, at the national degree ;
- Increased communicating portion at least 10 % ;
- Increasing the figure of tourers at least 10 % during one twelvemonth.
- Deliverables will be transporting out studies to supervise satisfaction of tourers and an analysis of specific market sections of tourers.
