Agro-Tourist Boarding Houses in Romania: Is Their Online Positioning Designed To Be Effective?

Carmen Balan

Journal of Emerging Trends in Marketing and Management, 2016, vol. 1, issue 1, 247-258

Abstract: Do the Romanian agro-tourist boarding houses design online positioning able to have an effective impact on the target customers? The answer to this question may have critical consequences for the competitiveness, profitability and sustainability of these businesses. Systematic studies on this topic are rather few in Romania. The paper presents the findings of one of the first studies aiming to explore this research question. The main objectives of the research were the following: (i) to discern the types of customers targeted by these agro-tourist boarding houses; (ii) to search the main pillars on which positioning relies in this sector; (iii) to identify the points of parity; (iv) to find the types of points of differentiation communicated online; (v) to investigate the core brand promise of the agro-tourist boarding houses. The study was based on the analysis of secondary sources of information available in an online touchpoint such as a portal dedicated to the boarding houses. The online information analyzed focuses on the positioning strategies designed by the agro-tourist boarding houses, not on actual image forged among Romanian and foreign tourists. Based on the research findings, specific recommendations are formulated for the benefit of both the agro-tourist boarding houses and their customers.

Keywords: Marketing; positioning strategy; points of parity; points of differentiation; agro-tourist boarding houses. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M30 M31 Z33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aes:jetimm:v:1:y:2016:i:1:p:247-258

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