i.

The Namibian Tourism Board is using the four Quandrants of product and market
expansion known as the Ansoffs matrix model strategies to gain and sustain the
competitive advantage in the tourism industry. They also use this framework to
develop the marketing objectives and strategies that will assist in gaining the
competitive advantage. Namibia Tourism Boards main marketing objectives is to
enlarge the market, to increase the market share and to improve profitability in the
Namibia as a tourist destination.
NTB mostly focus on the two major elements which are products and markets
according to the Ansoffs framework model using the four categories for selection
which are market penetration, market development, product development and
diversification. By using this model, they focus on the main six objectives which are
market share growth, market share maintenance, cash flow maximization, sustaining
profitability and harvesting. These objectives are seen in the Ansoffs ideas of a
product/market matrix. As shown in the model stating that selling more existing
products to existing markets, extending existing products to new markets, developing
new products for existing markets and lastly developing new products for new
markets.
Namibia Tourism Board uses this model which explains that if more existing products
are supplied in the existing market, it is market penetration. It also suggests that NTB
go through the whole market where our products are sold or marketed such as in
Europe, Asia etc. So finding out new consumers within present market is one of the
strategies of a Tourism board. Namibia Tourism Board uses the market penetration
strategy as it involves the increasing of sales of an existing product and penetrating
the market further by promoting the product heavily or reducing prices to increase
sales which contribute to the economy of the country. Example of such is the NTB
campaign that they used to promote and create awareness on the domestic tourism
in order to encourage the locals to travel and tour around Namibia. Most of the
tourism companies such hotels and lodges started giving Namibians discounts and
making use of loyalty programmes. NTB promoted this in order to increase sales and
penetrate the market in the existing market with the current products.

The second concept is of market development where existing products are sold in
the new market for example in the Caribbean or USA. It searches out the new
market places. What Namibia Tourism Board did was to heavily focus on boosting
and creating awareness of the Namibia as the best choice for tourists destination
and they went on collaborated with MCA-Millennium Challenge Account to promote
Namibia to America.
The third strategy is product development in which new products are launched in the
existing markets. So here, product will be new but markets remain the same. NTB
promoted the heritage sites such as the Dead Vlei and Sossusvlei dunes as the
biggest attraction now currently that attracts a lot of tourists to Namibia.
And the last one is diversification in which new products are launched in the new
markets. At this situation, due to innovation and large scale production, any firm
becomes able to supply its products even in the international market. Namibia
Tourism Board used this strategy to promote Namibia as one of the biggest
conservancy country and tourists are now attracted to visit the rural areas where the
conservancies are based.
Ansoffs product/market matrix model
Present product

New Products

Present Market

Market Penetration

Product development

New Market

Market development

Diversification

New Product uses

Related products

New users of the product

Conglomeratic
Vertical integration
Internationalisation

Namibia Tourism Board has set up strategies based on the Ansoffs matrix
framework in order to sustain the competitive advantage in the tourism industry.
Tourism is the biggest sector in the Namibia, therefore the below are the strategies
that NTB has set up:

To grow the tourism sectors absolute contribution to the economy.

ii.

To provide excellent people development and decent work within the tourism

sector.
To increase domestic tourisms contribution to the tourism economy.
To contribute to the regional tourism economy.
To position Namibia as a globally recognized tourism destination brand.

The four unique services characteristics that affect the marketing of a service in the
tourism industry and the additional marketing considerations that services require
are as follows: Intangibility, Inseparability, Heterogeneity and Perishability, they are
the main differences between the marketing of goods and services in the tourism
industry.
Firstly, a service is a form of product that consists of activities, benefits or
satisfactions offered for sale that are essentially intangible and do not result in the
ownership of anything. Tourism services are said to be intangible because they are
performances rather than objects. Intangibility is one of the key characteristics of
services. They cannot be touched or seen in the same manner as goods. Rather,
they are experienced, and consumers judgements about them tend to be more
subjective than objective.
The services are activities, benefits or satisfactions which are offered for sale or are
provided in connection with the sale of goods. An example of purchasing a flight
ticket that entitles you to an experience. Because a flight ticket is intangible, it is
subjectively evaluated, that is, consumers of services must rely on the judgements of
others who have previously experiences the service for pre-purchase information.
The inseparability of services reflects the interconnection among the service
provider, the customer involved in receiving the service, and other customers sharing
the same experience.Inseparability of production and consumption refers to the fact
that whereas goods are first produced, then sold and then consumed, services are
sold first, and then produced and consumed simultaneously. For example, an airline
passenger first purchases a ticket and then flies, consuming the in-flight service as it
is produced. (Zeithaml, 2005)
Heterogeneity of services refers to the potential for service performance to vary from
one service transaction to the next. Services are produced by people; consequently,
variability is inherent in the production process. This lack of consistency cannot be
eliminated as easily as it can be with goods.
Lastly, perishability of services means that services cannot be saved, unused
capacity in services cannot be reserved, and services themselves cannot be

inventoried. Consequently, perishability leads to formidable challenges relating to the

balancing of supply and demand.
The additional marketing considerations that organizations in the tourism industry or
the Namibia Tourism Board is spending a great deal of effort, time and money in
developing a strong organisational image/destination image to reduce the amount of
perceived risk associated with service purchases. It is in this effort that NTB uses
strategies of tangible clues to help tangibilising the services.
The marketing considerations that are required for consumer service products are
consumer buying behaviour, price distribution, promotion which are needed for the
tourism companies to consider. They all consider the convenience, shopping,
speciality and unsought.

iii.
A destination brand is the mix of the core characteristics of the place that make it
distinctive and memorable. It is the enduring essence of the place that makes it
different from all other places and competitors.
Branding is a means of increasing the efficiency of marketing and it is appropriate for
Namibia as a tourist destination that seek to create destination awareness and
destination image within the consumer market. Destination branding is not new but
its importance has grown exponentially since tourism became one the worlds largest
industries in Namibia. (Zeithaml, 2005)
Tourism branding strategy involves mass marketing, including media advertising by
the government, industry associations and individual organisations and of course
Namibia Tourism Board. It is an abstract of the destinations identity, the way in which
the destination wants to project itself to the market so that it can be recognised. In
the tourism industry, the tourists consider a tourism brand to be a promise,
anticipation and an expectation. Namibia Tourism Board uses the branding strategy
to apply Namibias brand values in the marketing communications. The Namibia
Tourism Boards aim is to make all communications look Namibian in a sense of
place. This is to put Namibia on the map, to increase sales of Namibia and increase
sales of your products. NTB uses its branding strategy to enable tourists to identify a
destination and differentiate it from competitive offerings. Destination branding also
acts as a cue for the communication of benefits to the tourists.
Fundamentally, destination branding is premised on the conviction that country
names amount tobrands. Therefore, the name of a country conveys certain images,
values and cultures andcontributes to the evaluation of products and services.
Because brands are acombination of graphics, colour, logos/signs and images,
which represent certain qualities withinthe destination, they contribute towards
increasing brand equity. The Namibia Tourism Brand consist of Rugged, Natural,
Soulful and Liberating. Namibia is not a passive exhibit that is viewed from a
distance. Namibia happens to you, it engulfs you.
Namibia is an experience: the result of the individuals relationship with the dramatic
and distinctive landscape and wildlife. Namibia is an experience rather than a place.

The major brand strategy decisions used in the tourism services in building and
managing destinations are brand positioning, brand name selection, brand
sponsorship and brand development.
Brands have benefits beyond being merely a sign or a symbol. They bring
awareness and demand a reaction by persuading customers to take note of the
destination. This characteristic of a brand could result in customer loyalty as
customers become strongly associated with the brand values, tangible assets and
emotional benefits. The effect thereof could be an increase in commercial value as
the brand becomes a catalyst for the intention to travel. The main benefits of the
Namibian brand are personality, distinctive, memorable, distinguish from the
competitors and to build loyalty. (Zeithaml, 2005)
The product and service decisions that NTB is using in building and managing
Namibia as a tourists destination of choice are as follows:
Product attributes of tourism services should have quality which is the performance
and satisfaction including level and consistency. Products should have features, they
should differentiate a product from the competition and assessed based on the value
and cost. Style and design also contribute to tourism services, styles should equal
appearance and design is the heart of the product.
The second decision is branding which is one the most decisions that NTB is using
the name, term, sign, symbol, design or combination of these that identifies the
maker or seller of a product or service. The Namibia Tourism Board uses thhe
branding as a marketing decision to build strong brands.
Packing is another decision which is developing a good wrapper for a product, it
involves all the packing concept, elements, product safety and environmental
concerns.
One important decision is Labelling, which identifies the products form its
competitors, all the descriptions and instructions. The last decision is the product
support services which is customer care. Very important one in the tourism services.

iv.
The Service Marketing Mix involves Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People,
Process and Physical Evidence. Firms marketing a service need to get each of these
elements correct. The 7ps of Service marketing mix concepts are the best described
as the specific components required to reach its potential customers or guests either
directly or indirectly. the marketing mix of a product the service marketing mix
comprises of Product, Price, Place and Promotion. However, as a service is not
tangible the marketing mix for a service has three additional elements: People,
Process and Physical Evidence. The tourism marketing mix for services are as
follows:
Product, the range of product and service mix offered to customers or tourists. In the
tourism industry examples are the tours, flight tickets, game view activities etc. And
these producing and processing are all done at the same time, which means that
tourism companies strive their best to provide the best quality experiences and
services for repeat businesses.
Place, this is how the product is made available to consumers in the market,
selection of distribution channels and all partners involved in the tourism industry
such as the travel agents, tour operators, lodges and hotels.
Promotion is specific combination of marketing techniques such as advertising,
personal sales, public relations etc. This where NTB promotes the products through
its brand.
Pricing is part of a comprehensive revenue management and pricing plan. In the
tourism sector, its difficult to put a price on a service. Because tourism services are
not tangibles.
People is a developing human resources plans and strategies to support positive
interactions between hosts and guests. People are an essential ingredient in service
provision; recruiting and training the right staff is required to create a competitive
advantage. Customers make judgments about service provision and delivery based
on the people representing your organisation. This is because people are one of the
few elements of the service that customers can see and interact with. Staff require

appropriate interpersonal skills, aptitude, and service knowledge in order to deliver a

quality service.
Process is customer-oriented activities such as special events, festivals, or special
activities designed to increase customer spending or length of stay, or to add to the
appeal of packages. This element of the marketing mix looks at the systems used to
deliver the service. An efficient service that replaces that a customer receives when
one walks in an airline office and receive the best efficient service will foster
consumer loyalty and confidence in the company. All services need to be
underpinned by clearly defined and efficient processes. This will avoid confusion and
promote a consistent service. In other words, processes mean that everybody knows
what to do and how to do it. (Zeithaml, 2005)
Physical evidence are ways in which tourism business can demonstrate their
marketing claims and customers can document their experience such as stories,
reviews, blog spots, or in-location signage and components. Physical evidence is
about where the service is being delivered from. It is particularly relevant to retailers
operating out of shops. This element of the marketing mix will distinguish a company
from its competitors. Physical evidence can be used to charge a premium price for a
service and establish a positive experience. For example, all hotels provide a bed to
sleep on but one of the things affecting the price charged, is the condition of the
room (physical evidence) holding the bed. Customers will make judgments about the
organisation based on the physical evidence. For example, if you walk into a
restaurant you expect a clean and friendly environment, if the restaurant is smelly or
dirty, customers are likely to walk out. This is before they have even received the
service.
Using all the marketing mix for services and the philosophy of customer focus, the
organisations involved in the tourism industry would manage to build a solid
customer base through the following:
Developing a solid foundation in customer service skills and how to effectively build
products and service knowledge in order to provide relevant information to
customers.

v.
Yes, I fully agree with this assertion that state for Namibia to be successful and be
competitive in the SADC region as a number one choice for tourists destination, it
need to develop and implement special services marketing concepts and practices.
Service marketing concepts and practices are very important and needed for
Namibia to be a successful and competitive destination in SADC. In the service
marketing the customer is always the king in every tourism business. Marketing
strategies and concepts for service business.
One of the very crucial service marketing concepts is the Internal Marketing, which
involves the task of training and motiving employees to provide good customer
service in the tourism industry. Customer contact employees, supportive employees
are a critical part of the product and marketing mix. Happy employees will always
create Happy customers, there is a need for internal and external marketing. Tourism
companies need to first look after their employees, by motivating them and giving
them rewards for jobs well done.
The next crucial concept is Interactive marketing which is about perceived service
quality which heavily depends on the quality of the buyer-seller interaction during the
service encounter. This is for example when a client is purchasing a flight ticket and
being helped by a friendly staff of Air Namibia. Service quality depends on both the
service deliverer and the quality of the delivery. Most of the tourists or customers in
the tourism industry always judges the quality and value for their money and not just
on the technical quality, but also its functional quality. Examples are the services
provided on board (Air Namibia flight) or in the restaurant. NTB strive to promote
customer service and service quality. Managing service quality and delivering
consistently higher quality than its competitors. The key is to exceed the customer
service quality expectations and to identify the expectations of target customers. To
empower frontline employees, develop a set of common virtues for service quality
and to set high service-quality standards. (Zeithaml, 2005)
Next one which is also very crucial is the Augmented service offering, which is ice
offering is an approach to understand what adds value to the core service. It is also
defined as a means to provide external quality or to create the perception of external

quality. Hence, as an approach the augmented service offering defines practices or

processes that must be taken into consideration by an establishment in order to be
able to enhance the offering in a way that creates value for the external customers
Next one is managing the Customer Relationship (CRM). CRM is a managerial
philosophy and practice, it combines marketing, business strategy, and information
technology to better understand the customers, to custom-developed products for
key customers. CRM focuses on managing revenue opportunities from customers,
retaining customers, and enjoying a stream of income from them over their lifetime.
The last one is the concept of managing differentiation, need to develop a
differentiated offer, delivery and image. Offer innovative features Airlines offer inflight movie, advance seating, frequent flyer award programs QSR offers fast
delivery services Differentiate service delivery through: People Physical Environment
Process. (Zeithaml, 2005)

REFERENCES:

Cook, S. (Latest Edition) Customer care excellence: How to Create an Effective

customer focus, London: Kogan Page Limited.
Zeithaml, V.A. and Bitner, M.J. (2005). Services Marketing, New York, New York:
McGraw Hill.

Internet sources:
www.marketing91.com
www.product2market.com
www.marketingprofs.com
http://www.namibiatourism.com.na/
http://www.travelnamibia.co.uk/
https://opentextbc.ca/introtourism/chapter/chapter-9-customer-service/