ABSTRACT
Positioning has its roots in segmentation theory. The first task in developing profitable customer relationships is the identification of target markets. The DMO marketing approach differs to the gener ally accepted definition of the marketing orientation as presented in general marketing theory in at least one significant way. A marketing orientation was defined in Chapter 1 as a philosophy that recognises the achievement of organisational goals that requires an understand ing of the needs and wants of the target market, and then delivering satisfaction more effectively than rivals. With such an orientation, all marketing decisions are made with the customer in mind. Most DMOs have no control over the tourism services they represent, and devote relatively few resources to new product development tailored to meet identified consumer needs. Therefore, the marketing process is not one of designing products to meet market needs, but of attempting to find markets that are likely to be interested in the destination’s current products and then communicating an attractive proposition. Identify ing market segments that may have an interest in the destination’s product range is a critical task for DMOs.
