Investigating and Identifying the most Effective Incentives based on Service Marketing in the Tendency to Choose Ecotourism (Case study: Sisangan Forest Park)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Maziar Institute of Higher Education, Royan, Iran.

Abstract

Context and Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the most effective incentives based on service marketing in the intention for ecotourism in the Sisangan Forest Park of Nowshahr.
Design/methodology/approach: The statistical population of the study was tourists entering the Sisangan Forest Park, and 384 tourists were selected as a sample. Questionnaires were distributed using the convenience sampling method. The questionnaire on product design and development, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence was obtained from Eshete et al. (2020), the partnership and programming was obtained from Tshukudu (2012), and the ecotourism intention questionnaire was obtained from the research of Christian et al. (2023). Then, the data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling method.
Findings: The results showed that the most effective incentives based on service marketing in creating a desire for ecotourism in Sisangan Forest Park are product design and development, location, price, people, promotion, and physical evidence, respectively, and factors such as planning, participation, and process did not have a significant effect. Among them, the variables of product development and design, and location had the greatest impact on the desire for ecotourism.
Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, policymakers and tourism managers of Sisangan Park should focus more on designing comprehensive tourism packages, improving employee services, and developing advertising and communication infrastructures. Also, applying flexible pricing and creating online reservation and payment platforms can improve customer experience and turn ecotourism in the region into a sustainable competitive advantage.
Originality/value: This research is one of the few studies that has comprehensively examined the factors affecting the development of ecotourism in one of the forest areas of northern Iran using various types of service marketing mixes. Also, focusing simultaneously on nine marketing indicators has provided a multidimensional and interdisciplinary view of the subject.

Keywords

References

Aprianingsih, A. (2023). The effect of service quality and 7P marketing mix on repurchase intention with customer satisfaction as intervening variable (Study at Perihal Kopi). International Journal of Current Science Research and Review. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v6-i12-92
Björk, P. (2000). Ecotourism from a conceptual perspective, an extended definition of a unique tourism form. International journal of tourism research, 2(3), 189-202. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1522-1970(200005/06)2:3%3C189::AID-JTR195%3E3.0.CO;2-T
Boley, B. B., & Green, G. T. (2015). Ecotourism and natural resource conservation: the ‘potential’ for a sustainable symbiotic relationship. Journal of Ecotourism, 15(1), 36–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2015.1094080
Bordian, M., Gil-Saura, I., Šerić, M., & Berenguer-Contri, G. (2023). Effects of integrated marketing communication for sustainability and ecological knowledge: A cross-cultural approach in hospitality. European Journal of Tourism Research, 35, 3508-3508. https://doi.org/10.54055/ejtr.v35i.3070
Brochado, A. (2019). Nature-based experiences in tree houses: guests’ online reviews. Tourism Review, 74(3), 310-326. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-10-2017-0162
Carvache-Franco, M., Alvarez-Risco, A., Carvache-Franco, W., Carvache-Franco, O., & Del-Aguila-Arcentales, S. (2022). Post-COVID-19 pandemic motivations and segmentation in coastal cities: a study in Lima, Peru. Journal of Tourism Futures. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-09-2021-0219
Christian, O. O., Nwaizugbo, C. E. E. I. C., & Nwaizugbo, I. C. (2023). Effect of Environmental Values on Ecotourism Visit Intention: Evidence from a Sub-Saharan African Context. International Journal of Management, Accounting & Economics, 10(9). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10123891
Chua, J., & Ayoko, O. B. (2021). Employees’ self-determined motivation, transformational leadership and work engagement. Journal of Management & Organization, 27(3), 523–543. doi:10.1017/jmo.2018.74
Chi, N. T. K., & Pham, H. (2024). The moderating role of eco-destination image in the travel motivations and ecotourism intention nexus. Journal of Tourism Futures, 10(2), 317-333. Doi: 10.1108/JTF-01-2022-0014
Dorofeeva, A. A., Shamayeva, N., & Nyurenberger, L. B. (2020). Ecotourism as a factor of the development of off-season tourism in southern Russia. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 421, No. 6, p. 062016). IOP Publishing. doi: 10.1088/
1755-1315/421/6/062016.
ElGarhy, S., & Mohamed, L. M. (2022). The Influences of Services Marketing Mix (7ps) on Loyalty, Intentions, and Profitability in the Egyptian Travel Agencies: The Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction. 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008x.2022.2080148
Eshete, S. K., Teressa, D. K., Wubie, W. K., & Sharma, S. (2020). Influences of marketing mix elements on ecotourism clientele-Jimma Zone, southwest Ethiopia. Journal of Indonesian Tourism and Development Studies, 8(3), 190-198. doi: 10.21776/ub.jitode.2020.008.03.09
Fletcher, R. (2015). Nature is a nice place to save but I wouldn’t want to live there: environmental education and the ecotourist gaze. Environmental Education Research, 21(3), 338–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.993930
Holden, A., & Sparrowhawk, J. (2002). Understanding the motivations of ecotourists: the case of trekkers in Annapurna, Nepal. International Journal of Tourism Research, 4(6), 435-446. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.402
Hultman, M., Kazeminia, A., & Ghasemi, V. (2015). Intention to visit and willingness to pay premium for ecotourism: The impact of attitude, materialism, and motivation. Journal of Business Research, 68(9), 1854-1861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.01.013
Huang, Y. C., & Liu, C. H. S. (2017). Moderating and mediating roles of environmental concern and ecotourism experience for revisit intention. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(7), 1854-1872. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-12-2015-0677
Koçoğlu, C. M., & Yaşarsoy, E. (2023). The Influence of Marketing Mix Elements on Behavioral Intentions Towards The Destination: The Case of Safranbolu. Uluslararası İktisadi ve İdari İncelemeler Dergisi, (39), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.18092/ulikidince.1133260
 
Grönroos, C. (1989). Defining marketing: a market‐oriented approach. European journal of marketing, 23(1), 52-60. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000000541
Morrison, A.M. (2022). Hospitality and Travel Marketing (5th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003292616
Nematpour, M., & Faraji, A. (2019). Structural analysis of the tourism impacts in the form of future study in developing countries (case study: Iran). Journal of tourism futures, 5(3), 259-282. doi: 10.1108/JTF- 05-2018-0028.
Onyejiaku, C. C., Ghasi, N. C. & Okwor, H. (2018). Does Promotional Strategy Affect Sales Growth of Manufacturing Firms in South East Nigeria? European Journal of Management and Marketing Studies, 3(1). doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1188302.
Pham, H. S. T., & Khanh, C. N. T. (2021). Ecotourism intention: the roles of environmental concern, time perspective and destination image. Tourism Review, 76(5), 1141-1153. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-09-2019-0363
Schaffer, V., & Tham, A. (2019). Engaging tourists as citizen scientists in marine tourism. Tourism Review, 75(2), 333-346. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-10-2018-0151
Sadiq, M., & Adil, M. (2021). Ecotourism related search for information over the internet: A technology acceptance model perspective. Journal of Ecotourism, 20(1), 70-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2020.1785480
Thi Khanh, C. N., & Phong, L. T. (2020). Impact of environmental belief and nature-based destination image on ecotourism attitude. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 3(4), 489-505. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-03-2020-0027
Tshukudu, M. (2012). Marketing Strategies in Ecotourism: The Case of Thailand and Botswana (Doctoral dissertation, Prince of Songkla University). https://kb.psu.ac.th/psukb/bitstream/2010/9253/1/374207.pdf
Tseng, M. L., Lin, C., Lin, C. W. R., Wu, K. J., & Sriphon, T. (2019). Ecotourism development in Thailand: Community participation leads to the value of attractions using linguistic preferences. Journal of cleaner production, 231, 1319-1329. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.305.
Teeroovengadum, V. (2019). Environmental identity and ecotourism behaviours: examination of the direct and indirect effects. Tourism Review, 74(2), 280-292. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-11-2017-0190
Ziaei, M. and Mirzaei, R. (2009). Management challenges and tourism development in protected areas of the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Journal of Tourism Management Studies, 3(10), 1-34 https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.23223294.1384.3.10.1.9.
ZandMoghadam, M. and Habibi Kotnaei, S. (2013). An analysis of ecotourism planning and development in Mazandaran province using the SWOT strategic analysis table. Second National Conference on Tourism and Nature Tourism of Iran, Hamadan. https://civilica.com/doc/276604
Weeden, C. (2002). Ethical tourism: An opportunity for competitive advantage?. Journal of vacation marketing, 8(2), 141-153. https://doi.org/10.1177/135676670200800204
Winet, Y. K., & O'Brien, E. (2023). Ending on a familiar note: Perceived endings motivate repeat consumption. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 124(4), 707.  Doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000321
Weerasekera, D., & Assella, A. P. N. (2024). Will ecotourists pay premium prices? An explanatory study on motivations, ecotourism intention and willingness to pay premium for ecotourism. Asian Journal of Marketing Management, 3(01). DOI: https://doi.org/10.31357/ajmm.v3i01.730
Tourism and hospitality marketing research
Volume 3, Issue 1 - Serial Number 4
Spring and Summer
March 2025
Pages 281-306

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics