TH2013

TH2013

REVIEW OF THE TOURISM PRODUCT

Definition
A tourism product is a concept that is made up of many components, such as tourist attractions, provision of
means of transport, lodging, and its associated facilities and sources of entertainment (Morton, 2018).
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) (n.d.), a tourism product is a
combination of tangible and intangible elements such as natural, cultural and man-made resources,
attractions, facilities, services, and activities around a specific center of interest, which represents the core of
the destination marketing mix and creates an overall visitor experience including emotional aspects for the
potential customer.
Components
These components may be provided by one company or a group of companies in the tourism industry. It also
involves the tourist enjoying these products from the time they step out of their houses until the time they
get back home (Badilla, 2015).
These are the components of tourism products (Haneef, 2017):

• Attractions – These are in varying forms and types, ranging from natural to man-made, but it is
important to ensure that the attractions remain constantly updated with the amenities of the
destinations.
• Accommodation – This refer to any settlement or a convenient arrangement where the tourists can
stay.
• Accessibility – This encompasses roads, railway, airports, and various transport facilities.
• Amenities – These are structures and facilities that need to be built for the comfort and convenience
of tourists during their trips.
• Activities – These are the leisures and amusements done by the tourists.
Five (5) A’s Example: Manila City/ Municipality
Attractions Intramuros
Accommodation Manila Hotel
Accessibility Major transportations like

Light Rail Transit (LRT),
Metro Rail Transit (MRT),
Philippine National
Railways (PNR), Grab,
jeepneys, buses
Amenities Automated teller machine

(ATM), convenience stores
Activities Historical tour in

Intramuros, museum tours
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Characteristics
Unlike consumer products that can be availed off the shelf, tourism and hospitality products have unique
characteristics that make their marketing and promotions quite challenging (Badilla, 2015).
These are the unique characteristics of tourism and hospitality products (Badilla, 2015):
• Intangible – Tourism products cannot be touched, smelled, tasted, felt, nor heard prior to purchase.
They cannot be subjected to prior scrutiny. One cannot examine nor test them before purchase, unlike
consumer products that can be sampled.
• Inseparable – When tourists avail of products and services, they have to personally go where the
products are. Since what is being sold is the experience, the product and the consumer have to be in
the same place.
• Variable – Tourism experience is likely to be different depending on when the product is availed, who
one is with, and how the service providers deliver the service at the time of consumption.
• Perishable – Tourism product is one of the most highly perishable products. Perishability, as used in
this context, refers to not being able to forward inventory to the next day.
• Seasonal – Seasonality does not only refer to seasons of the year or the weather conditions; it also
refers to the behavioral patterns of the travel market. The seasonality of the tourism product hinders
it from maximizing its profits all year round.
• Substitutable – With new destinations emerging and competing in the global marketplace, one
destination can be easily substituted for another. This also applies to hotels and restaurants.
References:
Badilla, M. G. (2015). Tourism marketing. Rex Bookstore, Inc.
Haneef, S. K. (2017). A model to explore the impact of tourism infrastructure on destination image for effective
tourism marketing. https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/42201/1/PhD%20Thesis%20-%20Sunitha.pdf
Morton, C. (2018). The characteristics of tourism products.
https://www.virtualkollage.com/2018/05/the-characteristics-of-tourism-products.html
United Nations World Tourism Organization. (n.d.). Tourism development products.
https://www.unwto.org/tourism-development-products
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TH2013

REVIEW OF THE TOURISM PRODUCT

These are the components of tourism products (Haneef, 2017):

Five (5) A’s Example: Manila City/ Municipality

Accommodation Manila Hotel

Accessibility Major transportations like

Amenities Automated teller machine

Activities Historical tour in

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

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