Danmarks image i Mexico - og et nyt potentielt marked for turisme

Abstract

Since WWII, tourism has been the subject of growth on a global scale. Differentiating the tourist destination and expanding marketing activities are widely recognized as necessities in attracting tourism, which is a highly competitive field where countries, regions and cities all compete for the same visitors. Our motivation for this master thesis is the potential of attracting Latin-American tourism, with Mexico as the center of our studies. Objective The objective of this master thesis is to analyze the level of knowledge regarding Denmark and the country’s image in Mexico, in order to attract more Mexican tourists to Denmark. Our investigational objective was formulated in the following question: how does a possible future Mexican segment regard Denmark, and how should Denmark be positioned and branded towards this segment? We conducted our own empirical investigation using a questionnaire in a theoretical framework consisting of nation branding, place marketing, and scientific articles on image building. Findings We established that the Danish image is generally positive, although Danish culture, companies and historical people were widely unknown. Our research showed that Denmark is culturally interesting and that the Danish population is positively rated. The society is thought to be modern and tolerant, with a low level of crime and corruption. As it turns out the Danish image does not differentiate notably from those of the other Scandinavian countries, and even slightly lags behind Sweden. Though Denmark is perceived as a very cold country, it is still seen as meeting the criteria for a future travel destination by 2 out of 3. This Mexican segment conforms to VisitDenmark’s vision for new emerging markets and value adding target groups, as the market so far hasn’t been cultivated and the segment is to have a high annual income. We proclaim that a multi-country travel form is the most competitive for Denmark and Copenhagen, and that Denmark should be branded as the centre of Scandinavian tourism, as the country is widely associated with its Scandinavian belonging. The country should be marketed primarily towards Mexicans who have already visited Europe. Of the respondents 40 % have visited Europe and 81 % consider visiting Europe in the not too distant future. Copenhagen should be branded as a highly cultured destination and the only city in Denmark. The respondents find culture, history and sightseeing to be amongst the most important criteria for a destination. More focus should be put on the reciprocal connection between company and nation brand, as many respondents recognize the Danish corporate brands without knowing their national affiliation. We recommend marketing Denmark in a way that will play down the connotations of a cold climate country, and instead market the city as a destination for a warmer period, e.g. May – October. VisitDenmark should consider branding the country as a destination for families, as 3 out of 4 respondents believe that it would be an appealing location for couples with children. Denmark is also seen as a safe place to travel, and 1 out of 3 respondents see this as an important criterion. The web page should be continuously developed as 97% of people surveyed use the Internet to search for information about destinations, and should preferably also be available in Spanish, as 15 % find it indispensable and 49 % find it fairly important. A basic challenge is to create awareness is a better word for this about Denmark, as the main reason for not visiting Denmark is a lack of knowledge of the country. Informing this group must therefore be one of the highly prioritized challenges to cope with.