Packaging enduring experiences : the marketing of international marathon tours in Japan (Reports of 2012 guest professor)

A number of destinations that depend on Japanese overseas visitors have recently experienced declining visitor arrivals from the record high levels of the 1990s. Popular tourist destinations like Hawaii and Guam are exploring ways to increase numbers of tourists by examining niche markets that involve the consumption of unique experiences, such as those associated with Sports Tourism. There are a number of international marathon events, including the Honolulu Marathon, Gold Coast Marathon, and New York City Marathon that fall into this category of Sports Tourism. These urban gatherings of runners from around the globe have incredibly large numbers of runners from Japan who travel to enjoy the experience of participating in a major sporting event. These events provide a positive economic impact on these destinations via direct and indirect spending from participants and their families (Agrusa, J., Lema, J., Botto, T., & Cho,Y. 2008). This study examines a niche market of Sports Tourism, particularly Japanese overseas travelers interested in international marathon participation. It provides a case analysis of online marketing literature from a major Japanese tour company, Club Tourism International (CTI), which specializes in marathon tours for Japanese consumers. By reviewing the menu items on the company website as well as other online elements used by CTI, (which are also commonly used by other Japanese overseas marathon tour companies) we are able to capture online marketing methods used to attract marathon tour participants from Japan. The latest trends in marketing these events, the types of amenities offered to tour participants, price level variations of tours, and methods used in differentiating tour experiences from other destinations will be examined. The results of this study may be used to assist community and event organizations interested in attracting and marketing similar events to Japanese sports tourism enthusiasts.

Japan

marathon

distance running

tourism

package tours

sports tourism