Positioning in recreation territories of west Lithuania

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Positioning in recreation territories of west Lithuania

Journal Title: Profesinės Studijos: Teorija ir Praktika - Year 2010, Vol 6, Issue 6

Abstract

Positioning is related to a part of marketing, i.e. branding, which means that with a powerful brand we will be able to achieve our goals: to become known and visible. According to Philip Kotler, companies (recreational areas, in this case) seeking to stand out among competitors should highlight their advantages by creating themselves an exceptiona l image that would linger in the subconscious of potential clients. Competition among rec reational te rritories r equ ir es p urposef ul ma rk et ing. Therefore, we first have to examine our current status. Recreational positioning of a territory means clearly and explicitly revealing its main recreational uses in order to form an adequate image to be embedded in the conscious (and the subconscious) of potential users. Purposeful marketing is only possible if we perceive the position we occupy (or not) in users’ consciousness. Their views are examined by applying a method for assessing perception and a Likert scale, and focusing on the particularity of recreational resources of the territory and its competitive and perspective aspects. This serves as the basis for further developing a touristic image of the territory and preparing a plan for its consolidation. As nationally integrated territories of average-representationality and high-functionality, most tourist destinations in Lithuania face a major methodological marketing challenge, i.e. to create an effective (optimal) marketing strategy and a complex that would best reflect their goals and objectives for sustainable long-term development. In Lithuania, there is still a huge lack of diverse and high-quality services offered at reasonable prices. Presumably, the word of such a “mirac le” would spread rapidly and then it would become difficult to fight the overflow of clients. The model of a perceptual maps (brandi ng matrix) has been chosen to generalise this data analysis. It allows for visually perceiving the differences and priorities of individual segments depending on the selected criteria. The distance shows how close a territory is. This paper aims to explore the position that recreational territories located in western Lithuania hold in the subconscious of potential visitors / residents of major cities (Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai). Quantitative research includes 10 recreational territories located in western Lithuania: Nemirseta, Darbėnai, Kartena, Salantai, Plateliai, Varniai, Priekulė, Rusnė, Mi ngė and Ventė. Questions provided are grouped according to two criteria: the level of service (functionality) and representationality. Study results show that selected areas are only important regionally, i.e. the further the area, the weaker its position in the subconscious. Recreational areas are respectively visited by region. Thus, it may be concluded that in Lithuania strong touristic regionalism prevails. Many respondents have emphasised Varniai for a national event “Bliuz o naktys” (“Nights of the Blues”). The paradox is that becoming significant regionally re quires becoming famous nationally or pa ying special attetion to a regional market (in this case, the selected 10 recreational territories should focus on their region and potential clients).

Authors and Affiliations

Anita Martutaitienė

Keywords

EP ID EP129220
DOI -
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