مدیریت نقاط تماس در گردشگری: گونه شناسی نقاط تماس گردشگران در مرحله پیش از سفر (مورد مطالعه: گردشگران ورودی ایران) (مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)
درجه علمی: نشریه علمی (وزارت علوم)
آرشیو
چکیده
طراحی و مدیریت دقیق تجربه گردشگران نیازمند شناخت نقاط تماس در هر مرحله از سفر مشتری است. در مرحله پیش از سفر نقاط تماس نقش تعیین کننده ای در انتخاب مقصد گردشگران دارند؛ بنابراین از منظر بازاریابی و تبلیغات اهمیت بسیار زیادی دارند. بر این اساس، محققان در پژوهش حاضر در تلاش هستند تا گونه های نقاط تماس در مرحله پیش از سفر را شناسایی و گزارشی آسیب شناسانه در این زمینه ارائه دهند. برای دستیابی به این هدف از گردشگران ورودی به کشور مصاحبه عمیق انجام و با استفاده از روش تحلیل مضمون تجزیه و تحلیل شد. درادامه، 45 تم فرعی شناسایی شده در قالب 7 تم اصلی دسته بندی شد. یافته های پژوهش نشان داد که گونه های نقاط تماس گردشگران ورودی به کشور بر اساس دو معیار کنترل و ماهیت قابل دسته بندی هستند. نقاط تماس تحت کنترل برند مقصد و تحت کنترل شرکا بسیار محدود و حضور آنلاین و آفلاین آنها ضعیف بوده است؛ اما نقاط تماس اجتماعی نقش پررنگی در تصمیم گیری گردشگران بالقوه برای سفر به ایران داشتند. رسانه های جمعی که درباره سفر به ایران هشدار می دهند و رسانه های اجتماعی و گردشگران با تجربه ای که ایران را به دیگران توصیه می کنند، اثرگذاری چشمگیری در تصمیم سفر داشتند. به علاوه، از منظر ماهیت، نیاز اساسی به نقاط تماس فیزیکی و انسانی وجود دارد؛ بنابراین تعامل مستقیم با ایرانیان می تواند محرکی مثبت برای تشویق گردشگران بالقوه خارجی برای سفر به ایران باشد. یافته های پژوهش می تواند بینش های ارزشمندی به پژوهشگران و مدیران مقصدها در طراحی سفر مشتری و خلق تجربه ماندگار به گردشگران ارائه دهد.Managing Touchpoints in Tourism: Typology of Tourist Touchpoints in the Pre-Travel Stage (Case of Iran's Inbound Tourists)
Effectively designing and managing tourist experiences requires a comprehensive understanding of touchpoints throughout the customer journey. In the pre-travel stage, these touchpoints play a critical role in shaping tourists' destination choices, making them particularly important from a marketing and advertising perspective. This study aimed to identify the various types of touchpoints present during the pre-travel stage and provide a diagnostic analysis of these interactions. To achieve this, in-depth interviews were conducted with inbound tourists to the country and the resulting data were analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of 45 sub-themes were identified and subsequently categorized into 7 main themes. The findings revealed that touchpoints experienced by inbound tourists could be classified based on 2 key criteria: control and nature. Touchpoints directly controlled by the destination brand and its partners were limited, demonstrating a weak online and offline presence. In contrast, social touchpoints significantly influenced the decision-making processes of potential tourists considering travel to Iran. Both mass media warnings about travel to Iran and social media recommendations from experienced travelers had a considerable impact on travel decisions. Furthermore, regarding the nature of touchpoints, there was a notable demand for physical and human interactions, with direct engagement with Iranian individuals serving as a positive catalyst for encouraging tourism. These findings provide valuable insights for researchers and destination managers in designing optimized customer journeys and creating memorable tourist experiences. Introduction In today's world, customers seek more than mere functionality from products and services; they desire emotional and memorable experiences. This is especially true in the tourism industry, where the essence of the offering is the "experience" itself. Designing these experiences is complex, particularly when considering the myriad tourist touchpoints during the pre-travel phase. Touchpoints encompass all interactions between customers and service providers throughout the customer journey, including the pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase stages. The pre-travel phase is critical in shaping tourists' perceptions and decisions as it is during this time that they first learn about a destination and begin gathering information. These interactions—through media, advertisements, and digital content—can significantly influence tourist intentions. Effectively managing touchpoints is essential for creating a positive tourist experience; however, the unpredictable nature of many touchpoints complicates this process. Various frameworks classify touchpoints by stage, nature (digital, human, physical), and control. In countries like Iran, rich in historical and cultural assets, managing pre-travel touchpoints becomes particularly crucial. This study aimed to develop a typology of pre-travel touchpoints, focusing on the interactions of foreign tourists, who had visited Iran. It sought to highlight the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in tourism marketing efforts. Materials & Methods This study employed in-depth interviews as a qualitative research method to gather data, allowing researchers to capture the voices of tourists directly. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling to ensure a diverse range of perspectives. Initially, individuals with sufficient English language skills were invited to participate and the interviews were conducted via online platforms. These interviews took place in 2022 in English and were subsequently translated into Persian. Each interview typically lasted between 45 to 60 min, during which participants shared their experiences from the pre-travel stage. A total of 19 interviews were conducted, comprising 10 men and 9 women. Data analysis followed Braun and Clarke's 6-phase approach: familiarizing with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and producing the final report. The aim of this process was to extract and analyze the main and sub-themes related to the tourists' experiences with the findings contextualized within the existing literature. Research Findings After reviewing the interviews, codes were extracted and categorized, leading to the identification of sub-themes that illuminated the touchpoints experienced by tourists. A total of 45 sub-themes were classified into 7 main themes: destination brand-controlled touchpoints, partner-controlled touchpoints, customer-controlled touchpoints, external/socially controlled touchpoints, human touchpoints, digital touchpoints, and physical touchpoints. This study categorized the touchpoints for incoming tourists to Iran based on control, nature, and stage, highlighting both prominent and overlooked interactions in the pre-trip phase. In the control category, destination brand-controlled touchpoints included official tourism websites, embassies, and staff behavior. Partner-controlled touchpoints encompassed information from online travel agencies, social media content, and customer reviews. Customer-controlled touchpoints involved activities, such as searching on Google, contacting travel agencies, reviewing social media, consulting with travelers or friends, watching YouTube videos, reading guidebooks, and checking news or media coverage. External/socially controlled touchpoints included negative media reports, family warnings, travel advisories, and negative perception of Iran, alongside positive content from travel influencers, educational videos on YouTube, and tourist reviews. Human touchpoints involved interactions with Iranians, embassy staff, and travel agency employees. Digital touchpoints comprised social media, emails, review sites, YouTube, and websites like Wikipedia. Lastly, physical touchpoints included Iranian restaurants, educational materials abroad, travel guidebooks, and embassy environments. Discussion of Results & Conclusion The findings indicated that destination brand-controlled touchpoints were limited with many potential promotional materials—such as billboards, films, and social media ads—not recalled by participants. Therefore, it is essential to capitalize on these opportunities to attract foreign tourists. Additionally, touchpoints provided by both government and private organizations can play a crucial role in informing tourists about safety and legal matters. Successful platforms in other countries have effectively addressed tourists' questions, enhancing their travel experiences. Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) have demonstrated that direct communication with tourists enhances awareness, facilitates interaction, and enables personalized services. The embassies and consulates of Iran also play a vital role by offering brochures and educational materials to inform potential visitors. Participating in international events, such as exhibitions and festivals, provides opportunities for direct interaction, helping to showcase Iran’s culture and attractions. Social media platforms serve as critical pre-travel touchpoints, allowing tourists to consult others and gather information. They also enable tourism companies to communicate directly with customers, aiding in decision-making. Experiences shared by past tourists on platforms like Instagram and Facebook can significantly influence prospective travelers. Finally, a major challenge beyond the brand's control is the negative image perpetuated by media coverage and travel warnings, which often portray Iran as unsafe. Overcoming these negative perceptions through targeted marketing and diplomatic efforts could help attract more tourists.
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