”Marketing little-known destinations: the island of Saaremaa: Estonia”

Write a  1,500 word limit assessment is to respond to the challenges, thinking and planning behind marketing of little known destinations; the islands of Saaremaa, Estonia. The assessment is to present the challenge for written evidence of critical strategic thinking, effective communicative and persuasive writing. This is an initial assessment of individual application submitted as an academic essay using report format. Full and accurate Harvard referencing is expected to be demonstrated throughout the essay and the work must include a Reference list or Bibliography (at least 15 journal articles and books and some websites) employing full and accurate Harvard protocol.

Case Study source: Holloway, J. Christopher (2004) Marketing for Tourism 4th edition 471-477. UK, Prentice Hall. ?Marketing little-known destinations: the island of Saaremaa: Estonia?

The case study suggests a number of opportunities and threats to the area?s future development. It is required to research and critically demonstrate their arguments, using appropriate marketing theories, models or concepts as how the island should be strategically developed and successfully marketed to a targeted segment of the market. (It is recommended to provide a mission statement. To do this, you need to research the market and the topic, using market research reports, market data, academic articles etc. This stage is the situation analysis, which in turn will enable you to write a SWOT and analysis and, as a result, the mission statement [include the mission statement in the Introduction; and to refer to situational factors later, in each of the three questions, as appropriate]).

Suitable response to the three questions and the structure of the assignment is structured as:
1. Introduction
2. Future market development
3. Links with the mainland
4. Saaremaa as a cruise destination
5. 5. Strategic conclusions

Answer the following three questions:
1. Given what is known from this case study, would you recommend to the island authorities that they prioritize their marketing to attract Nordic and Russian Markets, which already constitute a firm base, or attempt to build new markets in more distant European countries?
2. Should Saaremaa improve access by ferry or plan on the construction of a bridge to the mainland, as a means of expanding tourism? Or, conversely, should the island authorities aim to limit the appeal of the island in its existing isolation, by aiming to boost income from a smaller base of visitors to this island destination?
3. The case study briefly touches on the appeal of the island as a port of call on Baltic cruises. At present, this is very limited. Could the port and island be made to appeal to more cruise companies, and how would this appeal be phrased? What development and support would a cruise company require if it were to consider introducing the island as a port of call