Challenges in Marketing the Horse Ranch Tourism

Abstract or Introduction

This paper treats challenges for marketing a horse farm concerning the tourism product's characteristics.

A stay on a horse ranch as a complex tourism product is defined like all services by the four key attributes such as intangibility, perishability, inseparability and variability, which have major impact on how the product is marketed and sold. Selling an intangible product prompts up challenges in marketing. Therefore it is crucial for the horse rancher to improve his selling strategies by dealing with different options such as tangibilization of the product and managing Word-of-Mouth communications. The consumer can't touch, experience or consume the stay on the horse ranch until the purchase is made. Having no ability to go and visit the place before pay, it is just possible to imagine how the holiday will be.

The quality of services is likely to vary because parts like provider, location and timing play an important role. The quality of a stay on a horse ranch as a complex tourism product varies each time the product is produced and consumed. Different staff and different tourists influence the consumer tremendously in his holiday experience. In order to ensure a constant high rate of visitors, the rancher should put a lot of effort in demonstrating consistency and professionalism by offering personnel advance training, establishing standard procedures and checklists.