An investigation into the real situation and some solutions for improving the service quality of the marketing department at phong nha ke bang tourism center

Wishing you all good health and success!Best regards,Duong Thi Quynh Nhu, Trang 5 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIPI hereby certify that the entire detailed content of the thesis with thetopic: "

DUONG THI QUYNH NHU

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATION AND SOME SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT AT PHONG NHA KE BANG TOURISM CENTER

GRADUATION PAPER IN ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

GRADUATION PAPER

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATION AND SOME SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT AT PHONG NHA KE BANG TOURISM CENTER

Major: English for Tourism

SUPERVISOR : NGUYEN THI BICH GIANG, M.A.

STUDENT CODE : 25203202045

COURSE : 2019 - 2023

DA NANG, 2023

First of all, I would like to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude

to Duy Tan University, our teachers of the Faculty of English for their endlessenthusiasm, especially, my supervisor, Ms Nguyen Thi Bich Giang,_M.A.She is the person who guided, supported and helped me enthusiastically tocomplete the graduation paper

Secondly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the supervisor,deputy director, and director of Phong Nha Ke Bang tourist center Thanks forthe company's consent, this is an opportunity to join as a full-time employeeand gain a lot of experience here

Last but not least, I would also like to thank the other employees fortheir collaborative support and the opportunity for me to gain hands-onexperience in this organization I am very fortunate to have such helpfulcolleagues and I do not have much difficulty in any situation

With the limited time and experience of a student, her graduation isinevitably flawed I look forward to receiving the guidance and comments ofthe teachers so that I have more conditions to improve my awareness

I am grateful to all of you Wishing you all good health and success!

Best regards,

Duong Thi Quynh Nhu,

Student at Faculty of English, DTU

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I hereby certify that the entire detailed content of the thesis with thetopic: "An Investigation into the Real Situation and Some Solutions forImproving the Service Quality of the Marketing Department at Phong Nha KeBang Tourism Center" has been carefully researched, collected and analyzedall documents related to the company by me, and received the dedicatedguidance and guidance of Nguyen Thi Bich Giang to complete the thesiscompletely

All data, analysis and results presented in the thesis are completelyhonest and not copied from any previously presented thesis

Danang, May 2023

Duong Thi Quynh Nhu

In this graduation paper, I will learn about the current situation as well assolutions to improve the service quality of the marketing department at PhongNha Ke Bang Tourism Center The advantages and disadvantages arepresented using facts and statistics about the company from various sources,

as well as the reviews of travelers after using the company's services

Then, I will propose some solutions to improve service quality to bringthe highest satisfaction to customers I hope that the company will improvethe service quality thanks to my suggestions

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 Heritage By Night hotel service price list 41

Table 4.1 Visitors to PNKB tourism center from 2020 to 2022 42

Table 4.2 Revenue - profit situation of the center from 2020 – 2022 43

Table 4.3 The guests’ information based on the questionnaire 45

Table 4.4 Facilities of marketing department 48

Table 4.5 Labors of structure of marketing department 49

LIST OF CHART Chart 4.1 Shows the revenue of PNKB tourism center from 2020 - 2022 44

LIST OF PICTURES Picture 3.1 View outside the Phong Nha Ke Bang tourism center 29

Picture 3.2 Phong Nha Cave 35

Picture 3.3 Xuyen Son Ho Tour 4500m in the Phong Nha cave 36

Picture 3.4 Tien Son Cave 38

Picture 3 5 Chay River - Dark Cave 39

Picture 3.6 Mooc spring 40

LIST OF DIAGRAMS Diagram 2.1 Basic steps in the new product development process 12

Diagram 2.2: The relationship of groups of factors in the process of serving tourists 19

Diagram 2.3 Service process of Marketing department at PNKB Tourism Center 27

Diagram 3.1 The organizational structure of Phong Nha Ke Bang Tourism Center 32

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

DTU: Duy Tan University

PNKB: Phong Nha Ke Bang

VND: Viet Nam Dong

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF TABLES, CHART, PICTURES, DIAGRAMS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims and objectives 2

2.1.1 Aims: 2

2.2.2 Objectives 2

3 Scope of the study 2

4 Method of the study 2

5 Research subjects 3

6 Research organization 3

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 4

2.1 Definition of Marketing and Tourism Marketing 4

2.1.1 Marketing 4

2.1.2 Marketing in tourism 5

2.1.3 The Role of Marketing in Tourism Business 6

2.2 Factors affecting marketing activities in the tourism business 7

2.2.1 Macro environment 7

2.2.2 Internal environment 8

2.2.3 The internal environment of the company 9

2.3 Tourism Marketing Policies 10

2.3.1 Product Policy 10

2.3.2 Price policy 13

2.3.3 Distribution Policy 13

2.3.4 Mixed promotion policy 15

2.3.5 Human resources policy 17

2.4 Material elements 17

2.5 Definition of tourism 18

2.5.1 Definition of tourism business 19

2.6 Service quality 21

2.6.1 Definition of service quality 21

2.6.2 Service quality evaluation criteria 21

2.6.3 The role of service quality improvement 22

2.6.4 Meaning of service quality improvement 23

2.7 Marketing Department 24

2.7.1 Marketing Department Duties and Functions 24

2.7.2 The process of serving 27

CHAPTER 3: SITUATION DESCRIPTION 29

3.1 Phong Nha Ke Bang Tourism Center Overview 29

3.1.1 General information 29

3.1.2 The process of formation and development 30

3.1.3 Facilities characteristics 30

3.1.4 Human Resources 31

3.1.5 Development Goals 31

3.1.6 Organizational structure and human resources of Phong Nha Ke Bang tourist center 31

3.1.6.1 Organizational structure diagram 31

3.1.6.2 Functions and duties of the departments 32

3.2.1 Tourist destinations and activities 34

3.2.2 Tourist services of PNKB Tourism Center 40

CHAPTER 4 : ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION 42

4.1 Analysis of the operation situation of PNKB tourism center in the 2020 – 2022 period 42

4.1.1 The number of visitors of the center 42

4.1.2 Revenue - profit situation of the center 43

4.2 Evaluation 45

4.2.1 Guests' Evaluation of Marketing service quality at Phong Nha Ke Bang tourism center 45

4.2.2 Customer reviews to Marketing department 47

4.2.3 Evaluation of the facilities of the Marketing Department 48

4.2.4 Evaluation of the staff of the Marketing Department 49

4.3 Strengths and Weaknesses of the Marketing Department 50

4.3.1 Strengths: 50

4.3.2 Weaknesses: 51

CHAPTER 5: DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS 53

5.1 Diffculties 53

5.2 Solutions 53

5.2.1 Improve the facilities of the Marketing department 53

5.2.2 Improve the quality of the Marketing department 54

5.2.3 Improve Marketing efficiency of Phong Nha Ke Bang Tourism Center 55

5.2.4 Service process solutions 56

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS 57

6.1 Conclusion 57

6.2 Suggestions 58

6.2.1 Proposal to the Department of Tourism of Quang Binh province 58 6.2.2 For local government 60

6.2.3 Recommend to PNKB tourism center 60

REFERENCE LIST 62

APPENDIX 63

SUPERVISOR COMMENT 65

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

Today our society is developing more and more, people's livingstandards are improving, and people are more and more enjoying life As lifeimproves, people's needs are increasing They not only have material needsbut also spiritual needs, want to rest, relax, play and entertain with relativesand friends in comfortable, quiet, and non-busy space like everyday life.Therefore, tourist destinations are usually the places people choose forvacation And Quang Binh is an attractive destination that tourists oftenchoose for their vacation Quang Binh is located in the central part ofVietnam, where the convergence of all kinds of terrain features plains,mountains, rivers, sea and islands, so its tourism is extremely rich andattractive with distinctive features compared to other places Quang Binhtourism is growing strongly in general and the tourist attractions of PhongNha Ke Bang Tourism Center in particular should require constantlychanging service and quality to satisfy tourists The Marketing departmentalso plays a very important role in attracting tourists, but through theinternship and customer survey, I found that there are still many limitations inthe service quality of the Marketing department, so that is also the reason Ichoose the topic “ AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATIONAND SOME SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY

OF THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT AT PHONG NHA KE BANGTOURISM CENTER”

2 Aims and objectives

2.1.1 Aims:

This study aims to

- Promote tourism in Quang Binh

- Assess the status and service quality of the Marketing department at

Phong Nha Ke Bang Tourism Center

- Propose some measures to help the Marketing department of Phong

Nha Ke Bang Tourism Center promote the good aspects and improvethe weak aspects in the process of customer service

2.2.2 Objectives

- Provide general information about Phong Nha Ke Bang Tourism Center

- Assess the business situation, advantages and disadvantages in the

process of serving customers of the Marketing department at PhongNha Ke Bang Tourism Center

- Propose some solutions to improve service quality in the Marketing

department

3 Scope of the study

This work was conducted to study the Marketing department of PhongNha Ke Bang Tourism Center in Quang Binh, specifically the service process,

as well as the quality of customer service of its Marketing department

4 Method of the study

In this work, I use two research methods, qualitative and quantitative Inthe case of the qualitative method, I use it to point out the specifics detail ofthe research topic; for the quantitative method, I use it to list the number of

5 Research subjects

- Research subject: Activities of the Marketing department of Phong Nha

Ke Bang Tourism Center

6 Research organization

In addition to the introduction, conclusion, table of contents, appendices,and list of references, the study is structured into 6 chapters:

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

CHAPTER 3: SITUATION DESCRIPTION

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION

CHAPTER 5: DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND2.1 Definition of Marketing and Tourism Marketing

2.1.1 Marketing

Today, competition is a common law in the market economy Theincreasingly fierce competition forces manufacturers to come up withsolutions to attract customers, survive and develop as well as get the mostoptimal profit Therefore, recognizing and properly meeting the needs anddesires of customers is an extremely important factor, and Marketing wasborn in that situation So, what is marketing?

The term Marketing began to appear in the world in the early 1990s andhas become one of the youngest social sciences at the present time Thehistory of the establishment and development of Marketing can besummarized into two periods, the first period from the early 20th century tothe early 1960s and the second period from the 60s to the early 21st century.The period of marketing is considered the application of economic science,and the period from 1960 onwards is the period of marketing as theapplication of behavioural science

From the very beginning, many marketing concepts were introduced Thefollowing are the most prominent concepts of leading experts because of theirgenerality and typicality: American Marketing Association (AMA)

“Marketing is a task within an organizational structure and a collectiveintegrate processes to create, communicate, and deliver value to customers,and to manage customer relationships in ways that benefit the organizationand its members move" [1]

According to Phillip Kotler, "Marketing is the process by which

providing, and freely exchanging value for products and services with oneanother." [2]

Thus, we can understand simply, Marketing is an applied science, thataffects the process of production, distribution and consumption: Taking themarket as the orientation to satisfy the needs and human desires through theexchange

2.1.2 Marketing in tourism

Definition of Tourism Marketing by the World Tourism Organization(UNWTO): Tourism marketing is a management philosophy that, throughresearch and selection on the basis of guest needs, can offer products andtourism services to the market in such a way that they are most suitable forthe profit purpose of that tourism organization [3]

Marketing is not the responsibility of a single department, but of alldepartments Tourism marketing is a marketing activity in the tourism market,

in the field of tourism and is applied to tourism businesses

Tourism is clearly a service which only develops when the economydevelops According to Phillip Kotter, a service is understood as follows: Aservice is any means or benefit by which one party can provide another partywith information through the provision or exchange of applications,essentially non-existent or does not result in ownership The performance of aservice can be tied to a physical product In addition to the commoncharacteristics of normal products and services, tourism products have thefollowing characteristics:

Intangibility or immateriality: Tourism products cannot be touchedbefore they are consumed A night at a hotel or a tour cannot predict the

quality of that product They can only judge after consuming them throughfeeling, satisfaction

- Indivisible: The production and consumption of tourism products take

place at the same time Tourism products cannot be formed and thenconsumed The tourism product cannot be separated from its origin

- Quality is unstable, difficult to determine: Service quality often

fluctuates in a wide range depending on the circumstances of servicecreation The same service is good for one person, not good for another.Therefore, service providers and service providers must regularlymonitor customer psychology to make the right decision

- Non-storage: Tourism services cannot be stocked or stored when the

customer has purchased the tour program, even though the customerdoes not go to the company, they still have to pay the cost for thatactivity That's why companies have to collect money from customers

in advance and give them high penalties if they break the contract.Tourism marketing needs to adhere to the specific principles of the field itoperates in to achieve high efficiency in business To strengthen the trust ofcustomers Tourism marketing needs to increase the product's tangibles byexpanding advertising, introducing programs or creating a company image

2.1.3 The Role of Marketing in Tourism Business

Marketing plays an important role in the operation of tourism businesses,especially in the market economy in our country today, the application ofMarketing in tourism is increasingly necessary Marketing shows the linkbetween the needs and wants of the target market with the resources of thebusiness, thereby best satisfying the needs of the target market On the otherhand, because the tourism supply is fixed and cannot be stored, tourism

services can only be consumed locally Tourism products are rigid, unable toconform to the changes in tourism demand in space and time Meanwhile,tourism demand is flexible, related to income and price levels, and sensitive

to political and social situations It is also represented by a seasonalimbalance, a lack of balance between vacations Therefore, tourism marketingperforms the function of connecting all activities of the business with themarket to achieve the goals that the business has set

2.2 Factors affecting marketing activities in the tourism business

The success or failure of the company's marketing activities to attractcustomers is influenced by many environmental factors Which is divided into

3 main environments: the macro environment, the internal environment (alsoknown as the industry environment), and the internal environment of thecompany

2.2.1 Macro environment

It is the environment in which the company looks for opportunities and alsothreats that have affected the company's business development This is afactor that the company cannot control, it is imperative that the companymonitor and adapt to it, including factors such as:

- Population-Environment: Population size and growth rate, age

distribution and ethnic structure, education level, household model

- Economic environment: These are economic indicators, the most

important are factors affecting the purchasing power of consumers such

as income, price, savings, consumption index, an inflation indexbroadcast…

- Technological environment: This is a place that can create profits as

well as cause difficulties for the company's production and business

activities Therefore, the company needs to monitor the developmenttrend of technology and adapt and master new technology to betterserve and improve business efficiency.

- Political environment: Including factors such as the legal system, law

enforcement apparatus

- Natural environment: Including factors such as landscape, level of

environmental pollution, weather conditions, etc

- Cultural environment: Marketers need to pay attention to cultural

changes so that they can anticipate new marketing opportunities andthreats

2.2.2 Internal environment

The tourism business is affected by the behaviour of suppliers, competitors,marketing intermediaries, the public and customers These are also factorsthat the company can hardly control

Specifically, the following factors are included:

- Competitors: Understanding the competitive situation and competitors

is extremely important to be able to build an effective marketingsolution

- Suppliers: The change from the supplier side greatly affects travel

companies, so the company needs to know important information to beable to anticipate difficulties and plans for timely improvisation

- Marketing intermediaries: These are service organizations, travel

agencies, hotels, and transportation companies these factors are veryimportant in finding customers and selling products and services to thecompany

- Direct public: The activities of travel agencies are surrounded and

affected by a series of public organizations To be successful, acompany must regularly analyze, categorize, and establish publicrelations with each of its immediate public

- Customers: Includes the set of past customers, current customers and

potential customers Marketers need to study their wants, perceptions,preferences and buying behaviour

2.2.3 The internal environment of the company

The internal environmental factors of the company greatly influence themarketing efforts company Specifically, those factors are:

- Financial capacity: This is an important factor for business activities in

general and tourist attraction activities in particular of a travel companybecause it decides for the marketing bank

- Facilities, techniques and technology: This factor makes an important

contribution to creating service quality and improving the businessefficiency of the company

- Human resources: This is a very important factor that not only directly

affects service quality but also creates the most elusive difference forcompetitors

- The next factor is the level of organization and management of all

departments in the company, which directly affects service provisionactivities and the company's ability to satisfy customers

- The last factor is the level of marketing activities, which determines the

business performance of the company It ensures that the needs andwants of customers are met

2.3 Tourism Marketing Policies

To enhance the attraction of domestic tourists to the company, in addition tomeasures in management, organizational structure, etc., marketing-relatedsolutions play an indispensable role in any company Marketing helpsbusinesses have an overview of the market that they business is pursuing andhow to attract customers to the business Marketing policies play an importantrole in creating the desired position and contributing to the improvement ofquality and satisfaction of target customers To do that, the company needs tohave marketing policies such as Product policy, price, distribution, promotionmix, and people, and at the same time create a packaged product and make aprogram Besides, there should also be a policy on partnerships with otherbusinesses We will go into detail about how each of these marketing policieshelps travel companies in improving the efficiency of attracting tourists

2.3.1 Product Policy

Some product concepts from the marketing point of view are all elementsthat can satisfy the needs and wants of customers, benefit them, and at thesame time can be offered in the market It consists of two elements, materialand immaterial Thus, products are understood as all goods and services thatcan be offered for sale and can satisfy a human need or want, attract attention,and stimulate shopping and consumption The tourism product is both aspecific and a non-specific item In other words, a tourism product is acombination of different elements to provide guests with the most completetravel experience and satisfaction

Product policy is understood as a set of rules that direct the creation andlaunch of products into the market to satisfy the needs of the market and thetastes of customers in each business period of the enterprise to ensure an

effective business Product policy is the backbone of the business strategy, ifthis policy is not correct, it means that the market offers tourism products that

do not match the needs and tastes of customers, even if the marketing policy

is not correct No matter how attractive it is, it doesn't make any sense.Tourism products are travel programs, accommodation services, and meals,…Therefore, the characteristic of tourism products is that they must be used to

know The tourism product must be sold to the visitor before they consume it

and see it Therefore, customers need to be thoroughly informed about all thatthey will buy, use, etc Therefore, cumulative experience is required On theother hand, tourism products cannot be stored or produced in advance, so it isvery difficult to regulate supply and demand Therefore, the company needs

to develop appropriate policies with the following contents:

* Product catalogue policy:

Today, businesses do not trade in a single product but usually include manydifferent products and services gathered into a product mix For businesses inthe tourism industry to satisfy the needs of their customers, having a diverseproduct mix is a must Service diversification is assessed through the length,breadth, depth and uniformity of the product portfolio

A product portfolio is a collection of groups of products and services that areoffered to buyers by specific sellers The different products and services ofthe enterprise's product portfolio affect each other in the sense of self-competition, but also complement each other, so determining the size of the

product portfolio is content the importance of product policy A range of

products and services that are closely related either because they are similar infunction, or because they are sold to the same customer group, or through thesame type of commercial organization, or within a price range Businesses

can expand or narrow their products in the market depending on the level ofcompetition or consumer demand.

* Decision to extend product range:

A firm can lengthen its product range by extending products within therange or by adding new products within its existing range Companies addlower-end, lower-priced products to attract customers The decision to extendthe range of products and services helps the company reach and attract morecustomers

* Research and develop new products:

New products can be brand new, improved products, improved products andnew brands that the company develops through its research efforts And to beable to develop new products, companies need to go through the followingsteps:

Diagram 2.1 Basic steps in the new product development process

When developing a new product, the company needs to strictly follow thesteps of creating a new product and bringing it to market Because the needs

of customers are always changing along with the advancement of science and

Idea

Drafting and evaluatingnew product projects

Tested under market

conditions New productdesign strategies for newDraft marketing

products

Deploy mass production

and launch to market

technology and fierce competition in the market, each product has its lifecycle, so it is necessary to improve, change and refresh the product to replaceobsolete products.

2.3.2 Price policy

Price greatly influences the sales volume and profit of the company Price is

a specific factor in marketing, price is also the basis for customers to choosetheir trip Pricing decisions affect all participants in the marketing channel(customers, competitors, distributors, and the public) so the company needs tohave a flexible and reasonable pricing policy to attract customers

Profit-maximizing pricing targets are often set with companies with greatreputations, good service quality, and prices that are often above the norm forpeers Dominate the market the first stage of market entry requires thecompany to have a secure foothold Therefore, the company chooses thesolution of setting prices equal to or lower than the average to approach themarket, attracting customers' attention For companies whose quality andservice are professional or have unique features, the price is often very high.Survival goal: Decline companies will choose to set prices to ensuresurvival As a result, prices are often much lower than normal levels andremain for a very short time Methods of cost-plus, target-return, value-for-money, and current-price pricing

2.3.3 Distribution Policy

Distribution is giving consumers the products they need at the time, time,quality, variety, and desire In other words, it is the direction that shows themeasures and tricks to bring products and services to the final customer toensure a civilized service element

A system of distribution channels in tourism is a collection of suppliers orindividuals engaged in activities aimed at bringing customers to tourismproducts or providing information about tourism products to tourists The

process of bringing the created tourism products to customers is called

product delivery The decisions associated with that process are the productdistribution strategy

Bases for building and selecting distribution channels:

- Guest location

- Customer characteristics

- Features of products and services

- Types of intermediaries

- Based on the competitive situation in the market

- Based on the characteristics of the company

From these bases, select distribution channels The distribution channelsystem in tourism includes two main types of distribution: direct distributionand indirect distribution

+ Direct distribution: Producer => Consumer

+ Indirect distribution: Producers => Intermediaries => Consumers

In the travel distribution system, there are 3 main channels:

2.3.4 Mixed promotion policy

Promotion is a specific and purposeful area of marketing activities that isoriented to the sale, promotion and establishment of the most favourablerelationship between a company and its customers and a key set of potentialcustomers to coordinate the dynamic implementation of the company's chosenmarketing strategy and program The promotion aims to bring informationabout the company to customers through communication tools to stimulatecustomer demand to buy products and services of the company, creating

conditions for customers to freely choose products consumption, creating

conditions for tourism products to be consumed many times, contributing toproduct improvement Plan a promotion involves 4 steps:

- Identify target markets

- Establish media relationships

- Reviewing and selecting promotion plans

- Set promotion time

Promotion must be timely and appropriate, after fixing, designing, printingand selecting other combined tools…

Some key promotion tools:

- Advertising: is a form of promotion to introduce products, ideas, goods

and services without personal payment by a company

- Promotion: is the application of a form of discount for a short time to

increase sales

- Direct marketing: is a form of promotion that does not go through an

intermediary company and conducts marketing activities through directcontact between customers and employees of the company

In addition, according to M Belch and A Belch and also Phillip Kotleradded the Internet, integrated communication and Phillip Kotler alone added

direct marketing In tourism, the promotion tools mix includes 6 main tools,which are:

- Advertisement

- Sales promotion

- Public relations/propaganda

- Direct marketing

- Direct selling / personal selling

- Integrated Internet/communication network

Advertising is intended to:

The advertising process includes:

- Define clearly what kind of products the advertising will target and

what the target market is

- Determine the budget for advertising activities in a specific and clear

way

- Choose content and advertising media that are appropriate and

effective

When choosing advertising media, it is necessary to pay attention todifferent forms of advertising such as newspapers, television, social networks,outdoor advertising or in the form of brochures, brochures about products from there Choose a suitable and effective advertising medium To achievehigh efficiency, it is necessary to choose one or two different advertisingmedia to stimulate consumers, after learning information about the productthrough distribution channels, will have an immediate need to buy thatproduct.

2.3.5 Human resources policy

Human resources are an indispensable factor in the process of implementing

a marketing strategy in every business to achieve the best results For thespecifics of the tourism industry, the sales staff's ability to market, introduceproducts, and convince customers is very important to businesses Helpingcustomers understand how the quality of the product, the price, the function

of the product, and the perceived value that the customer owns the productwill greatly affect their purchase decision Each customer will accept to buythe product when it meets the desired benefits, and this desired benefit isdifferent for each different customer, so the level of consumer psychology andunderstanding of staff dealing with products and services is an extremelyimportant factor to sell goods

2.4 Material elements

Physical factors also play an important role in service industry enterprises Aproduct production space is the environment where the exchange betweenbusinesses and customers takes place It is the physical environment of thebusiness such as transaction place, logo, employee uniforms, machinery, etc.,where products and services are created, and where customers and service

providers communicate In addition, there are tangible elements used tosupport the role of the service Because the characteristics of tourism productsare intangible, in the service business, marketers must try to provide physicalclues to support the location and enhance the surrounding service to reducethe intangible product image.

2.5 Definition of tourism

Currently, on a world scale, tourism has become an indispensable need insocio-cultural life and tourism activities are being developed strongly,becoming an important economic sector in many countries in the world

The term tourism became very popular, it was derived from the French word

"Tour" which means to go around, to take a walk Tourism is associated withrest and recreation in order to recover, and improve people's health and workcapacity, but first of all, it is closely related to their relocation

The past time has proved that: tourism not only creates the movement ofmillions of people from one place to another but also generates many socio-economic phenomena associated with it

Thus, tourism is a concept containing "dual" content, on the one hand, it

carries the common meaning of the word "human travel" for the purpose of

rest and entertainment Tourism, on the other hand, is seen from a perspective

as an activity closely tied to economic results for itself

Michell Coldman's definition of tourism: Tourism is an interactivecombination of four groups of factors in the process of serving tourists

The definition of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality at National

Economics University is as follows: Tourism is a business that includes

activities, organizations, tour guides, production and exchange of goods and

services businesses to meet the needs of travel, accommodation, dining,

sightseeing, and entertainment, and learn about the needs of tourists Theseactivities bring practical economic, political and social benefits to the tourismcountry and the business enterprises themselves.

Diagram 2.2 The relationship of groups of factors in the process of

serving tourists

Therefore, the definition of tourism can be understood as follows: Tourism

is a form of human activity in leisure time, related to the movement andtemporary stay outside the usual place of residence for rest healing, physicaland mental development, and cultural or sports awareness raising,accompanied by the consumption of natural, economic, and cultural values.[4]

2.5.1 Definition of tourism business

It can be said that a tourism enterprise is an organization with its name, andhead office, established or registered for establishment in accordance with thelaw for trading in products such as organizing, building, selling andconducting tourism programs for visitors, providing tourism products or carryout other business activities, ensuring to serve the needs of visitors frombeginning to end in their travel process for-profit purposes

Tourists

Travel business

According to Clause 1, Article 3 of the Law on Tourism 2017: “ Tourism isactivities related to a person's trip outside his/her regular place of residencefor a period of no more than 1 consecutive year to meet the demand forsightseeing, valuable resort, learn, explore tourism resources or combine withother lawful purposes" [5]

2.5.2 Products of tourism enterprises

- Products provided by tourism businesses: in this activity agents do not

directly produce products, but act as representatives of othermanufacturers' sales of tourism products Intermediary productsinclude: booking agencies, selling airline tickets and means oftransportation, brokerage services for vehicle rental, travel insurancebrokerage, booking and selling travel programs schedules,accommodation services, meals…

- Package tour program: characteristic for tourism activities Tourism

businesses combine the products of individual manufacturers to form afinished product and sell it to tourists at a combined price

- General products: in the process of development, tourism businesses

can expand their scope of activities to become direct producers oftourism products

- The world's major tourism businesses operate mostly in tourism-related

fields, including the hotel business, the business of entertainmentservices, travel transportation services, and travel services Bankingservice for tourists,…

2.6 Service quality

2.6.1 Definition of service quality

In every field, every industry and every business activity, service qualityplays an extremely important role To create competition, the service qualityfactor helps businesses a lot in bringing trust to customers High servicequality, attracts many customers, brings high profits, and creates prestige forthe business Service quality and customer satisfaction are always accuratelyassessed, service quality is associated with service delivery and customersatisfaction is assessed after using the service Factors affecting servicequality also affect customer satisfaction Therefore, service quality isconsidered the first factor and determines whether customers are satisfied or

not.

2.6.2 Service quality evaluation criteria

Based on the documents of the National Library of Vietnam, there are 10criteria to evaluate service quality according to the Servqual evaluationmodel:

- Reliability: Refers to the ability to perform the right service on time the

first time

- Responsiveness: Expresses the desire and willingness of service staff to

provide services to customers

- Service capacity (Competence): Speaking of professional qualifications

to perform services Serviceability is manifested when employeesinteract with customers, employees directly perform services, ability toresearch to capture relevant information necessary for customer service

- Access: Related to making it easy for customers to access the service,

such as shortening the customer's waiting time, service locations andopening hours favourable to customers

- Courtesy: Expresses the staff's warm, respectful and friendly service

quality

- Communication (Communication): is related to communicating,

informing customers in easy-to-understand language and listening toissues related to them such as explaining services, and costs, andresolving complaints and questions

- Credibility: Talking about the ability to create trust for customers, and

make customers trust the company This ability is reflected in the nameand reputation of the company, and the personality of the service staffwho communicate directly with customers

- Security: Related to the ability to ensure the safety of customers,

expressed through physical and financial safety, as well as informationsecurity

- Understanding customer: Shown through the ability to understand and

capture customers' needs through understanding customerrequirements, paying personal attention to them, and identifying regularcustomers

- Tangibles: Shown in appearance, service staff's clothing, and

supporting equipment for the service

2.6.3 The role of service quality improvement

The role of service quality is considered for businesses and customers

- For businesses: Service quality has a strong influence on increasing

market share, increasing return on investment, increasing labor

productivity, lowering production costs and ultimately increasingprofits Those are long-term strategic benefits to a service business.

- For customers: Service quality has a great impact on customer

satisfaction, thereby firmly building their trust and loyalty to the serviceand the business [6]

2.6.4 Meaning of service quality improvement

In any service business, especially tourism, improving service quality is akey factor to satisfy visitors Customer satisfaction is always a necessaryfactor to achieve business performance

- Improving service quality will help increase profits for businesses

Travel customers not only feel about the tourist landscape but also feel andevaluate the service of that tourist destination Good service quality andcustomer psychology will want to come many times, not only that, but oldcustomers will also introduce to customers who have never been, therebyincreasing revenue for businesses

- Increase competitiveness with other businesses

Tourists accept to pay large sums of money for their travel The fact that goodservice gives them a good experience will surely pay any price Investing inservice quality has contributed to competing with other businesses, partlykeeping a good relationship with old customers, and partly being able toreceive more potential customers than other businesses with poor servicequality

- Reduce unreasonable costs of human resources

Businesses that maintain good service quality will provide employees with apositive working environment Employees tend to stay longer and more loyal

to the business Therefore, the labor turnover ratio of the enterprise will

decrease, and the cost of recruiting and selecting employees due to frequentdisturbances will decrease.

Employees often feel proud to work in reputable and reputable enterprises inthe market, they realize that the benefits of the business are closely linked tothe interests of each employee himself In order to be attached to the business,employees are often more self-disciplined in their work, at the same timelearn and improve their professional skills, and self-improve the missingaspects to meet the requirements of reality Thus, the good service quality ofemployees will help reduce the costs of training and training employees forbusinesses [7]

2.7 Marketing Department

This is a decisive part of the business's ability to attract customers Thisdivision is often organized by specific market regions or by customers.Marketing Department is the diplomatic agency of the company, doingmarket research, advertising propaganda, participating in the tourism andculinary markets, and establishing relationships with travel companies to sendguests This is the department dealing with customers, building the image ofthe company in the eyes of customers and other objects

Concerning organizational structure, the Marketing Department has a closerelationship with other departments, especially the guidance department of thecompany, from which to learn the needs of customers about psychologicalcharacteristics, preferences out the best service methods for customers,especially the regular customers of the company.[8]

2.7.1 Marketing Department Duties and Functions

The marketing department has a very important role because it has a

business in generating revenue In addition, this department must also workclosely with other departments to help achieve the company's large and smallgoals.

- Build and develop a brand image

Building and developing a brand is an important activity of a businessbecause it helps businesses achieve success and create a competitive position

in the market Right from the beginning, businesses need to pay attention tobuilding a consistent and transparent brand image, all images and messagesneed to be conveyed clearly, accurately, and attractively to attract theattention of customers targeted customer This will help businesses build trustwith customers and enhance the brand value

To build and develop a brand, the marketing department needs to perform aseries of the following common tasks: Build and manage a professionalcustomer care system Design after-sales programs and product warranties forbusinesses Actively participate in sponsoring social activities to promotebrand image

- Research, product development, and market expansion

To identify market needs, target markets, and expand markets, businessesneed to collect all the necessary market information Determining the scopeand market segmentation is very important because through it the businesswill determine the direction of product consumption, see opportunities in themarket and conduct new product development activities to be effective mosteffective and cost-effective The marketing department in the enterprise willperform the following tasks to complete the research, product development,and market expansion It is responsible for building a system to collect andsynthesize information on prices, products, and competitors, analyzing andevaluating information collected, thereby making decisions to improve

existing products or developing completely new products, proposing ideas fornew products, product design orientation, branding, and product packagingand developing a market expansion strategy in line with businessdevelopment goals.

- Developing and implementing marketing strategies

The main task of the marketing department is to develop a marketing strategyfor the business; manage the implementation of marketing strategies; monitorand supervise the implementation process, and promptly adjust, evaluate, andreport on the results of marketing strategies All these tasks are aimed atbringing understanding to the customers of the business, and the businesssector, and promoting the company's products and brand to the market

- Advise the Board of Directors on marketing strategies, products, and

customers

The marketing department is responsible for advising the Board of Directors

on issues related to brand development, distribution channel development,building new product brands, identifying target customers, and supportingother departments in the business The company implements marketing plans

- Establish a relationship with the media

To ensure that the company's image is presented in the best way to the public,the marketing department needs to pay attention to building goodrelationships with the media and the press The media is an effective partner

to help businesses build brands as well as support businesses to handleunexpected crises

Once working in the field of marketing means that media relationships willfollow you throughout your career Therefore, there is absolutely nomisunderstanding with the media If there is a conflict, you need to stay calmand handle it in the sincerest way

- Manage the work of employees under the management of the department

In addition to performing marketing-related tasks for the whole company, themarketing department is also responsible for managing the work ofemployees in its department such as Planning activities, and assigning andassigning tasks to employees Department staff Have the plan to check andmonitor the work performance of employees Review, evaluate, and makedecisions on rewards, discipline, salary increases, and promotion inaccordance with the company's regulations Carry out the transfer and transfer

of personnel within the department.[9]

2.7.2 The process of serving

With many years of experience in the tourism industry, PNKB tourism centerhas built its service process to create the most convenience and comfort forcustomers That process is shown in the diagram below:

Diagram 2.3 Service process of Marketing department at PNKB

Tourism Center