INFORMATION SHEET NUMBER 3.

3-1:
SPECIFIC PRODUCT INFORMATION

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, you must able to:

1. Know the Specific product information

2. Understand the Required and essential scope and depth of the
information that is appropriate to customer needs
3. Know the Enterprise preference for specific products and services
4. Understand the Basic information of Child-wise Tourism and related
topics
5. Know the Environmental protection and conservation practices in the
locality

Identifying customer needs

Before you start promoting your business you need to know what your
customers want and why. Good customer research helps you work out how to
convince your customers that they need your products and services.

Identify your customers

The first step of customer research is identifying your customers. Your market
research should help you understand your potential customers. Further
customer research can help you develop a more detailed picture of them and
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understand how to target them. It will also highlight key characteristics your
customers share, such as:

• gender
• age
• occupation
• disposable income
• residential location
• recreational activities.

Tourists frequently engage with local children when visiting

the Region and are generally happy to do so. While such
interactions may be positive experiences for tourists, they can also leave
lasting negative impressions in travelers’ minds. For instance, meetings
with local children were positively described by those travelers who
indicated that they had gained a unique insight into the country or local
culture through the children they encountered, who enjoyed talking
and playing with local children, or who felt that local children were
especially welcoming. On the other hand, when encounters with local
children highlighted poverty, their vulnerability, or were perceived as
existing within a broader context of abuse or exploitation they were
generally described negatively by survey participants. Such experiences
not only impacted tourists at an emotional level but in many cases
they also appeared to impact their perception of the local culture and
destination.

ASEAN and Child Wise: Regional Solutions for a Global Problem –

ASEAN and Child Wise towards the Sustainable Prevention of SECT

Founded in 1967, ASEAN is a geo-political and economic organization

comprising of ten Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam, driven by the objective of accelerating economic growth, social
progress and cultural development, as well as promoting regional peace and
stability, collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common
interest. Tourism is a fast-growing sector in the region with 85 million
international visitor arrivals in 2012 and a rapid growth forecast for the
forthcoming years. Recognizing that child sex offenders travel across
national borders, ASEAN countries exhibit a positive recent history of
collaboration in addressing the problem of SECT by way of putting into
effect the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the adoption of child
protection laws, intensifying law enforcement and national and regional
child-sex tourism (CST) prevention and training programmes.

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 In 1999, the Australian Government, through AusAID, committed to
addressing the issue of child sexual exploitation in the tourism sector in
South East Asia. The government appointed Child Wise, an Australian non-
governmental organization, to deliver programmes designed to address the
emerging threat of CST as identified by governments and the tourism
industry in a number of South East Asian countries. In 2005, the Child
Wise Tourism programme received endorsement from the ASEAN Secretariat
and expanded to include full support from all ten ASEAN member countries.
This new phase called for partnerships with Tourism Ministries, law
enforcement agencies, private sector companies, local communities and
NGOs.

Between 2005 and 2009, the programme successfully encouraged national

governments to take the lead in establishing policies and practices to
prevent child sex tourism and other forms of child sexual exploitation.
Meanwhile, the ASEAN Regional Taskforce was established involving senior
government officials from key agencies. A primary function of the Taskforce
was to undertake annual reporting of key data relating to child sex tourism,
which was then collated and published annually in the format of an ASEAN
Child Sex Tourism Review. It is worth noting that all governments backed
the Child Wise Tourism Training programme which consisted of a specially
designed curriculum for the tourism sector – prepared in all ASEAN
languages – extending to thousands of frontline tourism staff in tourist
hotspots across South East Asia. The year 2006 marked a world-first
initiative with Grey Worldwide (a leading global social marketing agency)
designing an ASEAN Regional Education Campaign. This campaign was
embraced and disseminated by all ten countries in an effort to create greater
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 awareness and promote public reporting of the issue of child sexual
exploitation in tourism destinations. The campaign aimed to motivate
responsible travelers and local citizens to report suspicious behavior, deter
child sex offenders and establish a culture of condemnation towards child
sexual exploitation by sending a clear, stern message that child sex
offenders are not welcome in the region.

A series of business breakfasts were held in the ASEAN region, with all
services donated by Accor, to invite the private sector to contribute funds
towards the running of the campaign. As a consequence of the investment
from the private sector and the Australian Government, the campaign was
effectively disseminated across the region in popular tourist locations
including hotels, taxis, airplanes (e.g. in-flight videos), ferry terminals, tour
companies, airports and tourist sites, resulting in a significant increase in
reports to national hotline numbers. In 2009, following the success of
previous actions, the Australian Government announced a five-year South

East Asian Plan which formalized the commitment of all ten ASEAN
governments. This plan served to build upon the foundation of child
protection infrastructure and address critical gaps which rely on the
collaboration of all committed partners. Its key aims include increasing the
reach of CST prevention programmes, strengthening law enforcement and
legal responses, enhancing support for children affected by CST and
building better cooperation and coordination.

INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization, fights

crimes against children on an international scale, channeling significant
energy into combatting travelling child sex offenders and online child
exploitation. Numerous tools have been developed to facilitate these
activities. The Crimes against Children Team resides under the Trafficking
in Human Beings Sub-Directorate at the INTERPOL General Secretariat
(IPSG) in Lyon. They are responsible for the day-to-day running of the
programmes and projects that afford capacity building, operational support
and best practice advice to INTERPOL’s 190 member countries. Collectively
known as the INTERPOL Specialists Group on Crimes against Children,
they comprise international, multi-disciplinary teams, located across the
world, devoted to preventing the abuse of children. Through research,
education, shared intelligence and learning, it promotes evidence-based
practice, public policy, community and law enforcement strategies that lead
to the effective prosecution, assessment, treatment and management of
individuals who have abused or are in danger of abusing children

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 INFORMATION SHEET NUMBER 3.3-2
REQUIRED AND ESSENTIAL SCOPE AND DEPTH OF THE
INFORMATION THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO CUSTOMER NEEDS

Identifying customer needs

Before you start promoting your business you need to know what your
customers want and why. Good customer research helps you work out how to
convince your customers that they need your products and services.

Identify your customers

The first step of customer research is identifying your customers. Your market
research should help you understand your potential customers. Further
customer research can help you develop a more detailed picture of them and
understand how to target them. It will also highlight key characteristics your
customers share, such as:

• gender
• age
• occupation
• disposable income
• residential location
• recreational activities.

Understand why they shop

Once you've identified who your customers are, you can find out what
motivates them to buy products and services. For example, consider if they
make decisions based on:

• work demands
• family needs
• budget pressures
• social or emotional needs
• brand preferences.

Identify preferred shopping methods

As well as understanding why they shop, you will also want to understand how
they shop. To learn about your customers' preferred method and means of
shopping, consider if they:

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 • shop online, over the phone or in stores
• make spontaneous or carefully considered buying decisions.

Consider their spending habits

Different types of customers will be willing to spend different amounts. Find

out what financial capacity and spending habits your customers have. For
example, consider:

• their average income

• the portion of their income they spend on the type of products or services
you sell
• if they budget.

Find out what they think of you

Learn about your customers' views and expectations of your business and
rivals. For example, find out what they think of your:

• products and services

• customer service
• competitors.

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 INFORMATION SHEET NUMBER 3.3-3
ENTERPRISE PREFERENCE FOR SPECIFIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Tourism demand is the total number of persons who travel or wish to travel to
use the tourist facilities away from their places of work and residence.
(Mathieson and Wall, 1982)
Tourism is a dynamic field. It varies on the number of factors related to the
tourists; the country of destination, the market from which the tourists emerge,
and market of the destination. The tourism managers and researchers study a
lot about tourists’ motivations and cultures, their changing behavior, and the
driving and affecting factors of tourism. They also study the destinations
investigating the amenities and attractions they provide or any prospective ways
to attract the tourists.
The tourism businesses can figure out the demand of tourism in a particular
area, by identifying the types of various tourists, their behaviors, and create
right offerings for the right market.
Let us see, the types of tourists and how tourist behavior varies with respect to
various factors.
Types of Tourists
There are different types of tourists −
• Intrinsic Tourists − They are into holidaying for the sake of enjoyment.
• Extrinsic Tourists − They have reward oriented motivation. These
tourists are susceptible to the activities where performance is evaluated.
• Adventurers − They give very little importance to relaxation. They are
always up to exploring places and taking challenges. Mainly youths and
singles from both genders carrying zest of life largely contribute to this
type of tourism.

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 • Budget Travelers − They are economy-oriented tourists. Their touring
decisions about places, travelling mode, and other related factors are
largely dependent on their financial status.
• Homebodies − They are mainly relaxed tourists. They do not get into
adventure. The tourists aged above 45 to 50 years belong to this type. The
busy professionals under 45 years also belong to this type.
• Moderates − They plan their tour ahead, have a high inclination towards
tourism but they do not get into sports or adventure activities.
• Vacationers − They plan touring during vacations such as summer break
or Christmas break. They are not always sure of where and why they wish
to visit.

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 INFORMATION SHEET NUMBER 3.3-3
BASIC INFORMATION OF CHILD-WISE TOURISM PROGRAM AND
RELATED TOPICS

Tourists frequently engage with local children when visiting the Region and are
generally happy to do so. While such interactions may be positive experiences
for tourists, they can also leave lasting negative impressions in travellers’
minds. For instance, meetings with local children were positively described by
those travellers who indicated that they had gained a unique insight into the
country or local culture through the children they encountered, who enjoyed
talking and playing with local children, or who felt that local children were
especially welcoming. On the other hand, when encounters with local children
highlighted poverty, their vulnerability, or were perceived as existing within a
broader context of abuse or exploitation they were generally described
negatively by survey participants. Such experiences not only impacted tourists
at an emotional level but in many cases they also appeared to impact their
perception of the local culture and destination.

Over half (57.1%) of the participants indicated that they had witnessed
situations involving the exploitation or abuse of children while travelling in the
Region. Respondents described situations where they had come across children
selling goods or begging or where they were being used by adults (in some
cases their parents) to play on tourist sympathies. They also expressed concern
over children not being in school, being forced to perform for tourists, and
children being subject to sexual exploitation. 85% of survey participants
reported being approached by young people selling souvenirs and 81.2%
reported being approached by children or youth (under the age of 18) who were
begging. Many survey participants also reported seeing children

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 INFORMATION SHEET NUMBER 3.3-4
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION PRACTICES IN THE
LOCALITY

Environmental Issues of the Tourism Sector

Environmental aspects, pressures and impacts

Reducing the environmental impact of tourism is key to ensuring it remains

a major source of economic activity. ECORYS (2009) note: 'Given the
importance of human capital and the strong dependency of tourism on
natural resources, further development of the industry in a sustainable way
is key to remaining competitive.

The tourism services within the sectors that are the focus of this technical
report – accommodation, food and beverage and tour operators and travel
agents – involve a wide range of activities that give rise to various
environmental pressures, and, ultimately, impacts (Figure 1.4).

Figure 1.4: Tourism service inputs and outputs

According to EMAS Regulation (EC 1221/2009), an 'environmental aspect'

is an element of an organization’s activities, products or services that has or

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 can incur an impact on the environment, both the natural environment and
people. Environmental impacts arise from pressures generated by
environmental aspects, such as the emission of greenhouse gases or air
pollution (Table 1.5). Environmental aspects may be classified accordingly

• Direct environmental aspects are elements of an organization’s

activities, products or services over which the organization has full
management control, and can thus influence directly
• Indirect environmental aspects are elements of an organization’s
activities, products or services over which the organization does not
have full management control, and thus cannot influence directly.
These may include aspects related to products used, transportation,
and other factors in the supply chain. Although these aspects may not
be within direct control of the accommodation facility operators, they
can still have significant implications for the environmental impacts of
the services, seen from a lifecycle perspective. Tourist behaviors,
including customer choice, is an important indirect aspect over which
tourism actors may have some control (e.g. through provision of
information, incentives, facilities, etc.). Indirect aspects can be
addressed via dialogue with the responsible actors.

Figure 1.5 provides examples of direct and indirect environmental

aspects arising from two important processes within the tourism sector:
laundry and food preparation. These examples highlight how both
upstream and downstream indirect effects may be greater than direct
effects, thus emphasizing the importance of a lifecycle perspective and
implementation of management practices that influence key up- or
down- stream actors.

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 Figure 1.5: Examples of important direct (oval) and indirect (rectangular)
aspects for: (top) laundry detergent use; (bottom) restaurant food
preparation and waste management associated environmental activities,
as these are highly dependent upon the specific operations performed by
the enterprise.

Table 1.5: Activities in tourism enterprises (hotels, restaurants and tour

operators) and associated environmental aspects and pressures

Service Main
/ environmental Main environmental
Activity Office Management
Administra aspe Energy, pressures
water and raw materials
tion cts
Reception of clients (mainly paper)
consumption
Generation of municipal waste
Techni Producing of hot (large amounts
Energy and waterofconsumption
paper) and
cal water and space hazardous waste (e.g.
Consumption of a range toner
of hazardous
servic heating/cooling cartridges)
products
es Lighting In some cases use of CFCs and HCFCs
Elevators Air emissions
Swimming pools Generation of a wide range of
Green areas potentially hazardous waste types
Pest and rodent such as empty chemical containers
control Generation of waste-water
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maintenance
 Restaurant Breakfast, dinner, Supply chain pressures (see
/bar lunch 'Purchasing')
Beverages and Energy, water and raw materials
snacks consumption
Kitchen Food conservation Supply chain
Generation of pressures
municipal(see
waste
Food preparation (especially food waste and packaging
'Purchasing')
Dish washing waste)
Important consumption of energy and
water
Generation of municipal waste
(especially food waste and packaging
Room use Use by guests waste) water and raw materials
Energy,
Products for guests’ consumptionof vegetable oil waste
Generation
use Generation
Use of a wideof range
odoursof hazardous
Housekeeping products
Generation of waste packaging and
Laundry Washing and small amounts
Important of municipal
consumption waste
of energy and
ironing of Generation of wastewater
water
guests’ clothes Use of hazardous products
Purchasin Selection and
Washing of Generation
Supply chainof pressures
waste-water
(land
g ironing of and
products occupation, degradation or
suppliers destruction of ecosystems,
Storage of products disturbance of wildlife,
energy and water
consumption, air and water
emissions, waste generation)
Activities Indoor activities Energy, water and raw materials
Generation of packaging waste
Outdoor activities consumption
Hazardous substance leakages
Local impacts on ecosystems
Noise
Generation of municipal waste
Infrastructure pressures (see
'Building
Transport Transport of guests Energy andconsumption
(fuel) construction')
Transport of Air emissions
employees Infrastructure pressures (see
Transport by 'Building and construction')
Additio E.g. medical
suppliers Energy, water and raw materials
nal services, consumption
servic supermarkets, Generation of municipal waste, and
es souvenir some specific hazardous waste types
shops, spa and (e.g. sanitary waste)
wellness,
hairdresser, etc.
Buildin Construction of Land occupation
g and new areas or Degradation or destruction of
services ecosystems
Repair of existing Disturbance of wildlife
areas or services Energy and water consumption
Significant consumption of raw
materials and hazardous
products
Significant generation of construction
waste
13 | P a g e Generation of hazardous waste
Global and local environmental burdens

Biodiversity Tourism is concentrated in areas of high nature value, such as

national parks, coastal zones and mountain regions that support rich or
unique biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) define
biodiversity as 'the variability among living organisms from all sources
including, inter-alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the
ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within
species, between species and of ecosystems' (SCBD, 2010a). Biodiversity may
be categorised into three levels: (i) genetic diversity; (ii) species diversity; (iii)
ecosystem level diversity referring to habitats and landscapes (Haberl et al.,
2009). Thus, biodiversity is integral to the ecosystems and natural features
that underpin tourism, and the long-term success of many tourism
destinations is critically dependent upon good planning and biodiversity
conservation. Yet there are many examples of poorly managed tourism
development leading to negative impacts on biodiversity via the following
mechanisms:

• infrastructure-related development, mainly financed and managed at the

governmental level, including roads, railways, airports, trails, water
sourcing and treatment facilities, energy production and distribution,
and waste management;
• construction of tourism facilities, such as accommodation and meeting
structures, catering, shopping centres, marinas, and administrative
facilities;
• indirect developments from tourism, such as urban development for
employee housing; secondary real estate, such as tourist homes; and
urban sprawl;
• indirect influences on economic trade, such as changes in trade flows
and economic activity, changes in management practices, changes in
conservation-related investments.

In relation to accommodation, outside of cities, luxury and resort hotels may

also occupy large land areas. Gössling (2002) refers to the example of the five-
star Lemuria Resort hotel in the Seychelles that covers an area of 110 ha
(including a golf course). This equates to more than 4 580 m2 per bed space (2
290 m2 excluding the golf course). Globally, hotels abnd campsites were
estimated to occupy over 45 000 hectares each in the 1990s (Table 1.6 ), and
this is likely to have increased substantially since. The most space demanding
accommodation types, per bed space, are holiday villages and individual
holiday homes, requiring 130 and 200 m2 per bed space, respectively.

Table 1.6: Estimated area requirements for different types of

accommodation 1995-1999

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 Accomm. Area per Bed Total
type bed m s area
hectares
Hotel 2
3 15 980 000 47 940
s
Campsites 0
5 9 050 000 45 250
Pensions 0
2 4 060 000 10 150
Self-catering 5
5 3 620 000 18 100
Holiday 0
13 750 000 9 750
villages
Holiday 0
20 680 000 13 600
homes
Tota 0 34 140 000 144 790
Source: lGössling (2002).

Golf courses, theme parks and other tourism-related activities can occupy large
land areas, and support low biodiversity. However, the areas of land affected by
tourism are much greater than the land directly appropriated for tourism
activities. The greatest impacts arise from fragmentation of, and disturbances
within, HNV areas, in part related to supporting services.

Figure 1.7: Ecosystem connectivity (arrows) across mangroves, seagrasses and

coral reefs, and potential feedbacks arising from human induced impacts
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Research priorities for biodiversity in relation to tourism

− Further investigate the roles of biodiversity, climate, environmental quality

and policy in determining levels and types of tourism at different destinations.
− Determine the contribution of biodiversity and ecosystem functions to the
economic benefits, employment and social cohesion arising from the tourism
industry, using participatory methods to ensure stakeholder knowledge and
values are taken fully into account.
− Further develop research and indicators of biodiversity, ecosystem function
and resilience in tourism areas, considering the direct and indirect pressures
on biodiversity and ecosystems resulting from tourism (e.g. use of water and
other natural resources, waste and sewage, infrastructure and habitat
fragmentation, transport-related infrastructure and emissions).
− Model changes in tourism pressures in relation to changes in components of
biodiversity, ecosystem function and resilience.
− Develop and implement techniques for estimating limits of acceptable change
for different tourism areas and ecosystems.
− Assess effectiveness of different policies and management practices in
moderating the effects of tourism on biodiversity and ecosystem function,
including participatory research and management processes.
− Undertake, analyses and disseminate results of case studies in the
application of the Ecosystem Approach to sustainable development of tourism,
from local to global scales.
− Further investigate how tourists and tourism businesses respond to
information provision, codes of conduct, industry accreditation and other
measures aimed at influencing behaviors

On the other hand, by generating an income from non-destructive use of

natural resources, tourism can, when well-managed, contribute to the
conservation of biodiversity – especially in less economically developed parts of
the world where low value destructive uses would otherwise be profitable.

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 INFORMATION SHEET NUMBER 3.3-6
POSITIVE PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION ON THE PRODUCT OR
SERVICES TO THE CUSTOMER-HIGHLIGHT THE FEATURES AND THE
BENEFITS

Product/Service Features and Benefits

Benefits are the reasons customers buy the product or service. For example,
the benefits of some ovens to buyers include safety, ease of use, affordability,
or—in the case of many ovens that feature stainless steel casings—prestige.

Just like products, services differ from one another in having distinctive
features and benefits, though these differences may not always be so obvious
to potential customers. One building contractor may use master painters while
a second uses laborers to paint. Both will tell you they do painting, but one has
master painters (a feature) and produces a better-looking paint job (a definite
benefit).

Every product or service has a purpose. For example, the purpose of an oven is
to bake raw food, but not all ovens have the same features and benefits.

The uniqueness of a product or service can set it apart from the competition.
Features can communicate the capability of a product or service. But features
are only valuable if customers see those particular features as valuable. You
want products or services with features which customers perceive as valuable
benefits. By highlighting benefits in marketing and sales efforts, you’ll increase
your sales and profits.

It’s important to remember that customers buy products and services because
they want to solve a problem or meet a need. Consciously or unconsciously,
your customers will always be asking the question, “What’s in it for me?” Your
product and service offerings have to deliver solutions and satisfy needs, or
they won’t be successful.

Given that benefits are ultimately more important to your customers than
features, it is imperative that you understand the benefits your products and
services provide, emphasize these benefits in your sales efforts, and update
your products and services when new or additional benefits are desired by your
customers.

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 INFORMATION SHEET NUMBER 3.3-7
POSITIVE PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION ON THE PRODUCT OR
SERVICES TO THE CUSTOMER-HIGHLIGHT THE FEATURES AND THE
BENEFITS

When it comes to marketing, there are two primary approaches you can take.
The first focuses on what your product or service is or does – including all the
shiny bells and whistles you’ve worked so hard to develop. The other focuses
on how your product or service will improve users’ lives.

Which of these approaches do you think is more effective?

In today’s post, we’ll be taking a look at features versus benefits. Although

closely linked, these two concepts are completely different animals, and if you
don’t consider user intent from the outset, even the most innovative,
revolutionary products will fail to hit the mark.

We’ll be looking at real-world examples to highlight the often-subtle yet crucial

differences between features and benefits, as well as several important
considerations you should bear in mind before launching your next campaign.
For the sake of ease, we’ll be focusing primarily on product-based marketing,
rather than marketing a service-based business, although many of the
concepts covered will apply equally to both.

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