24.4 Master Planned Beach Resort Destination Checklist – Part 4 – Development Products

This subject check list covers the third of the 5 main subjects from the Master Check List - Components of the Ideal Master Planned Beach Resort Destination.  These subject check lists are by no means comprehensive, but more like a shopping list with brief explanations as reminders.  This check list series actually goes hand in hand with an earlier series I posted on Integrated Master Planning for Destination Development.  This check list would actually be similar to some of the outlines for the phase of Product Development in the Integrated Master Planning methodology.    

International brand luxury hotels.

Local cottage hotels.

Unique local products / handicrafts shopping.

Unique F&B outlets making best use of the local landscape environment.

Nature and heritage tours unique to a destination enhance the visitor experience.

Of course once you have the beautiful environment, you have easy access there, you need to have facilities to help you enjoy this environment.  Those on the list about accommodations, F&B and retail are all quite standard and the more unique and site specific the better in making a memorable experience.  The parts that may be less familiar to planners of the destination are some of those that come under the category of Other Tourism.   For this we need to understand a bit of the Push and Pull factors of tourism. 

For the Pull factor, particularly long haul, long stay tourists, there needs to be a variety of activities that they can participate in to keep the tourist busy over the minimum 10 days they may stay in order to Pull them to a destination.  Ideally a good number of these are related to the natural and cultural heritage of the place and are unique to that location.   The more unique along with variety and choice as well as value for money the better.  On the other side the Push factor has to do with travel agents.  Travel agents play a major role in the success of any tourist destination and they basically are in business.  The more potential for them to generate income the better and more they are willing to Push your destination.  That’s not to say as long as they can make money they will push, but like any business they want to have happy customers.  So ideally good products that are value for money and the more abundant the more opportunities for the Push factor to come in and for travel agents to benefit.

All of these products are essentially man made and hence can be created anywhere.  The goal in creating a destination is to uniquely develop these and creatively integrate them for greatest synergy such that the destination can stand out in its physical appearance as well as user experience.

A.      DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTS

No.	Aspects	Features	Implications
1.	Accommodations	Budget	Hostels to budget hotels target young tourists that add “life” and value add by good “word of mouth” marketing.  Ties in with budget airlines.  Target price $5 to $25 per night per person.
		Cottage / Chalets	Home grown properties, “Mom and Pop” operations can range from $25 to $100 per night.  A very local touch and ideal for long stay visitors and repeat visitors, young professionals.
		Boutique	Good for exotic sites, ie. private coves or creating a unique internal environment.  The Rich looking for privacy, an escape and service.  Sky is the limit on price for quality and experience.
		Local / Regional Brands	3 to 5 star range catering to the local market familiar with the brand standard and product.  Good local / regional awareness building.
		International Brands	3 to 5 star range catering to the international market familiar with the brand standard and product.  Good international awareness marketing putting the destination on the world map.
2.	Food and Beverage	Hotel Dining	Main restaurant primarily for breakfast.  Creation of unique experience i.e. beachfront location can generate good out of hotel traffic.
		Exotic Specialty Dining	Unique experience best if takes advantage of the natural landscape and food resources.  The type of product everyone is willing to splurge on once to remember the holiday.
		Cafes	Need to be abundant in both quality and cuisine in order to make a long stay destination and get repeat visitors.  Can be associated with accommodations, a mix of local and international.
		Food Courts / Fast Food	Familiar fast foods in a clean and simple environment suitable for all markets of tourists adds to attractiveness of long stay for mid markets.
		Local Street Food	Properly managed these add so much value to a destination giving both character and a place for an authentic local experience.  Ideal for long stay budget travelers as well as locals.
		Pubs	Range from cheap “watering holes” to more chic wine bars.  Ideal to spill out onto beach fronts and pedestrian walks.
		Dance Clubs /  Discos	Music night spots are the popular contrast to daytime beach activities.  Particular popular for the young western market live bands or DJ’s.
		Karaoke	A must have for any tourist destination catering to Asian and Asian business entertaining.
3.	Retail	Local Products	The cornerstone of all tourism shopping is being able to purchase a unique local fashion, food snacks or arts and crafts as a souvenir.
		Books / Music	Reading is a major pass time of any resort.  Variety of subjects such as local specific guides and novels in addition to best sellers.  Local music in CD is also desirable.
		Convenience / Sundries	Drug store, chemist, convenience store and snacks.
		Regional Shops	Regional products familiar to local markets and something different for international travelers.
		International Brands Duty Free	A must of any international tourist destination.  The latest name brand fashion added incentive to travel.  Best if open in town and pick up at site with airport refund.
4.	Other Tourism	Local Nature Tours	Unique features combined with a storyline could be more activity related such as rock climbing, rafting or horseback riding.  Helps increase length of stay and push factor.
		Local Heritage Tours	Unique architecture, history, culture especially related to buying products such as handicrafts or locals snacks makes a destination more unique. Increases length of stay and push factor.
		Theme Park / Water Park	Probably small scale unless the destination is located near a major city.  Unique to local environment and heritage is most ideal.
		Golf Course	At least one 18 hole championship caliber golf course.  Good for both local and tourist recreation and holding competitions.  Multiple courses can create a golfing destination.
		MICE Facilities	To become a mature destination, convention facilities would be required.  Most viable if built by the government and operated independently from a hotel.
		Marina / Leisure Boating	Necessary for private pleasure boating and to become a port of call.  Connects to other regional marinas and provides infrastructure for diving, fishing and other water activities.
		Shows	Quality, destination unique entertainment is best if night time to complement day beach activities. Increases length of stay and push factor.
		Events	Seasonal regular events add to the draw i.e. triathlons, surfing competitions, golf tournaments.

Copyright: Jiwa Studio Pte. Ltd. 2012

Link to other parts of the series:

Master Planned Beach Resort Destination Checklist

Part 1 – Overview

Part 2 – Natural Environment

Part 3 – Access / Proximity

Part 4 – Development Products
Part 5 – Supporting Infrastructure and Services
Part 6 – Destination Management

Jiwa Studio, Singapore
May 2012