Moricetown tourism marketing plan: capitalizing on culture

Tourism is big business in British Columbia a $13.4 billion dollar industry. A small but fast emerging segment is aboriginal tourism. Although aboriginal cultural tourism accounts for a mere 0.3% of the market it translates to a $40 million dollar sector. In six short years aboriginal tourism has doubled from a $20 million dollar segment in 2006 to a $42 million dollar segment in 2012. It's no wonder a planned growth initiative is being spearheaded by Aboriginal Tourism BC and the provincial government. Expectations are ten percent annually, totally $68 million in 2017. Thirty-two kilometers west of Smithers is Moricetown, home to the Witsuwit'en people. The valley around the Moricetown canyon was once a traditional fishing ground visited by five clans of the area. Today, Moricetown continues to be a popular destination with hundreds of visitors lining the banks of the canyon eager to see the spawning salmon and traditional fishing methods. With the increased popularity of cultural tourism it is important that Moricetown market itself effectively to earn its share of this profitable and growing sector. Without a marketing plan to date, the band's marketing activities have been sporadic and without measure. This paper examines Moricetown's history and culture, its current marketing mix tourism product offerings, price, place and promotional activities questioning how Moricetown can capitalize on the culture to exploit its tourism opportunities. Through literature review, focus groups, stakeholder and tourist interviews, the research data collected helps to refine the target market and segments. Other tools used to examine the market include various strategy models such as PESTEL SWOT and VRIE. These serve to clarify competitive advantage and analyze the product-market fit. In the case of aboriginal tourism sites, those in the target market want to experience what it was like for aboriginal people before contact. The delivery of a valuable aboriginal tourism product that