Honors Theses

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Integrated Marketing Communication

First Advisor

Robert Magee

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Research reveals that Millennials are becoming one of the leading markets for tourism and travel industries. Because of this, tourism destinations have been forced to examine their current marketing strategies in order to appeal to this market. The purpose of this study is to examine the most effective marketing strategies for rural tourism destinations to reach the target market of Millennials. This thesis identifies small town destinations as a facet of the tourism industry and effects of the market on branding and marketing a destination. It further analyzes the current marketing strategies used by rural destinations to remain competitive in the industry. St. Francisville, Louisiana, was chosen as a rural tourism destination to develop an integrated marketing communications campaign targeting Millennials to increase awareness, encourage visits, and grow its digital media presence. The methodology used to reach insights about the target market and the branding of rural tourism destinations includes secondary and primary research that aided in the understanding of the effectiveness of communication strategies. In-depth interviews were conducted with members of the tourist commission in St. Francisville. This study identified elements of creating a competitive advantage for rural destinations and factors of travel and purchase decisions for Millennials. Insights were gained on the importance of creating marketing campaigns based on the market of the consumer. From these insights, an integrated marketing campaign for a rural destination was created.

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