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Assignment 2 – Situation, Positioning, and Branding Analysis of the Assigned Destination
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Name
Instructor's Name
Submission Date
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Selected Destination and Rationale
The tourism destination considered for this assessment is the regional competitor 3,
Destination Southern NSW. It is one of the seven destination networks located on the southern
coast of New South Wales (TRC Tourism, 2023). This competitor offers a strong competitive
force against the main case, Coffs Harbour, because it provides similar tourism services.
According to TRC Tourism (2023), the Destination Southern NSW is a strong destination rivalry
with diverse experiences and attractions such as wineries, coastal parks, picturesque coastal
towns, Mt. Kosciuszko, rail trails, Montague Island, unspoiled beaches, sea pools, seafood,
beaches, the iconic Big Banana and rainforests (TRC Tourism, 2023). The selected tourism
destination competes with Coffs Harbour because both destinations are located along the New
South Wales coastline. Tourists can choose either Southern NSW or Coffs Harbour because they
share accessibility to the Pacific Highway. Destination Southern NSW is a competitor because,
like Coffs Harbour, it boasts beautiful beaches and nature reserves.
Most importantly, it offers similar tourism services and strives towards a common goal of
offering seamless, sustainable, high-quality customer services to travelers and tourists. The
similarity in services and geographical proximity to the coastline makes Southern NSW and
Coffs Harbour direct competitors for tourists or travelers seeking natural beauty or outdoor
activities. They both coordinate tourism-related projects and strategies that promote the visitor
economy's prominence and growth (George, 2021). Destination Southern NSW threatens the
operations of Coffs Harbour because this tourist destination lies in the diverse nature of
its5Southern Tablelands, Snowies, and South Coast, which offer different but complementary
experiences (TRC Tourism, 2023). Like Coffs Harbour, Destination Southern NSW has
vineyards and wineries, attracting wine enthusiasts (Chen et al., 2022). This competitor features
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its lineup of cultural events, making it a potential threat to Coffs Harbour's operations (Mair &
Weber, 2019). The case and competitor destinations have spectacular landscapes and coastal
beaches that visitors can choose from, making Destination Southern NSW a competitor.
Environmental Analysis and Comparison
Coffs Harbour has spectacular landscapes, including beaches such as Park, Jetty, and
Diggers, and offers multiple and diverse accommodation options for visitors from diverse
backgrounds (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). This strength gives Coffs Harbour a
competitive advantage because the competitor, Destination Southern NSW, lacks quality
accommodation options (TRC Tourism, 2020). Its city location and positioning, which is close to
the Jetty foreshore and Harbour, provides a slightly different coastal orientation compared to
Destination Southern NSW and other destinations along the East Coast of Australia (Coffs
Harbour City Council, 2016). Most importantly, Coffs Harbour has rainforests and is close to 21
national parks along the Coffs Coast (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). These beautiful
sceneries make Coffs Harbour a more appealing destination for nature lovers than Destination
Southern NSW, whose national parks have basic infrastructure upgrades (Adamo et al., 2019).
While Coffs Harbour and the Destination Southern NSW are renowned visitor
destinations with recreational areas such as coastlines, wildlife reserves, water parks, restaurants,
and water parks, Coffs Harbor beats its rivalries with the iconic Dolphin Marine Mag and Big
Banana (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). Unlike Destination Southern NSW, with staff
accommodation and employment shortages, Coffs Harbour provides diverse mid-level visitor
and staff accommodation options (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016; TRC Tourism, 2023).
Despite these strengths, Coffs Harbour has limited cultural events, dragging it behind visitor
areas like Destination Southern NSW (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). Additionally, Coffs
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Harbour experiences off-peak challenges because visitation is highly seasonal. In this case, peak
visitation happens during school holidays and vacations. According to Chen et al. (2022), the
proximity and identical services offered by two competing destinations pose a challenge in
attracting visitors who choose either. In the long run, one destination must lose tourists to
another. Furthermore, Coffs Harbour and other destinations faced challenges such as natural
calamities, climate change, and changes in travel policies and regulations (Coffs Harbour City
Council, 2016; Nicholls et al., 2021). Growth opportunities include collaboration or
amalgamation with reputable destinations like Port Stephens and Destination Southern NSW.
Competitive Strengths for the Selected Region
Coffs Harbour and Destination Southern NSW offer a wide range of similar services but
have unique weaknesses and strengths influenced by their tourism infrastructure, accessibility,
and natural attractions. However, Coffs Harbour is a great coastal holiday destination, providing
families and visitors with beautiful tourist attractions, including beaches such as Park, Jetty, and
Diggers (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). Its proximity to Coff Coast, highway routes, Jetty
foreshore, and Harbour is an accessibility advantage over other tourist harbors in Australia. This
proximity provides a unique coastal setting that places Coffs Harbour above its rivalries. Coffs
Harbour's visitors, particularly mature enthusiasts, and adventure seekers, enjoy its lush
hinterland and stunning coastline, especially Jetty Beach, sea pools, and Solitary Island Marine
Park (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). It is known for its major tourist attractions, the
impressive Bonville Golf Resort, Dolphin Marine Magic, the Big Banana, aquariums, wildlife
sanctuaries, adventure parks, and museums (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016).
The diversity in natural beauty offers Coffs Harbour different experiences and outdoor
activities, including skiing, surfing, mountain biking, and wildlife encounters. In addition, Coffs
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Harbour has a competitive advantage in providing various midrange accommodation options. It
is located almost halfway between Brisbane and Sydney, giving tourists a view of the
surrounding mountains and coastlines. Moreover, Coffs Harbour has a well-established brand as
a family-friendly destination for visitors worldwide. Most villages and towns of Coffs Harbour
are close to the Solitary Island Marine Park shores, which offer diverse marine life, recreational
water-based activities, and attractive island vistas (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). Like other
reputable tourism regions, Coffs Harbour has recreational facilities, dining options, and
restaurants (Chen et al., 2022; Knollenberg et al., 2021). However, its competitive strength over
Destination Southern NSW for offering ample accommodation options. The region's rich
historical sites and cultural heritage offer visitors an educational and unique experience (Adamo
et al., 2019). Also, Coffs Harbour acquired some flagship sporting events like FFA National
Youth and FIA World Rally Championships, placing this destination above its competitors.
Nonetheless, Coffs Harbour has a well-connected transport network. It is a regional
airport and road network. The roads connect to the Pacific Highway (Coffs Harbour City
Council, 2016). These transport networks give Coffs Harbour an accessibility advantage over
other regions like Destination Southern NWS. Apart from providing multiple accommodation
options, Coffs Harbour is unique because it focuses on customer needs and accommodation
quality (Adamo et al., 2019). While competitors like Destination Southern NWS have parks with
basic infrastructure upgrades, Coffs Harbour, in collaboration with Australian governments,
upgraded the Pacific Highway, promoting easy access to the region. Meanwhile, Coffs Harbour
Regional Airport is the busiest and largest regional airport, accommodating the greatest number
of passengers compared to other destinations, particularly Destination Southern NWS. Similarly,
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the region benefits from the Coffs Harbour International Marina, which offers water transport
services. However, these vessels require upgrades to suit the needs of modern-day boating.
Comparison with Assigned Marketing Plan
The competitive strengths of Coffs Harbour align with the strategies and suggestions
outlined in the assigned marketing plan for Coffs Harbour. For instance, unique attractions such
as the Solitary Islands Marine Park and the Big Banana are central to the destination's marketing
plan. It is worth noting that the strengths and benefits enjoyed by Coffs Harbour are present in
the assignment marketing plan. The plan seeks to develop a strategic marketing approach that
identifies strengths and available expansion opportunities to increase the region's tourist base
(Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). Another identified strength requiring improvement is the
accessibility of the destination (Johar et al., 2022). The marketing plan recognizes that
accessibility is a strong selling point for Coffs Harbour. In other words, Coffs Harbour's location
along the Pacific Highway and well-connected roads and Coffs Harbour Regional Airport makes
it a convenient stop for visitors traveling between Brisbane and Sydney (Coffs Harbour City
Council, 2016).
In the marketing plan, the accessibility strength is prioritized, requiring upgrades of
transport infrastructure (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). These upgrades and renovations aim
to increase accessibility and gain a larger market share than competing destinations (Johar et al.,
2022). Meanwhile, this strength appears in the assigned plan's aim: to improve the Coffs Coast
visitor economy by positioning it as a regional destination leader for cultural experiences, nature-
based tourism events, and leisure (Spasojevic & Lohmann, 2022). The plan identifies family-
friendly amenities such as natural reserves, amusement parks, and spectacular beaches as crucial
for targeting family travelers (Adamo et al., 2019; Aktas et al., 2021). In line with this content,
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Coffs Harbour uses the mentioned attraction sites and recreational facilities to survive in the
competitive tourism industry in Australia (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016).
The plan focuses on Coffs Harbour's primary domestic visitor markets, including SE
Queensland, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Regional NSW, and Sydney (Coffs Harbour City
Council, 2016; Jeong & Kim, 2020). This target appreciates Coffs Harbour's competitive strength
of proximity to key markets such as Brisbane and Sydney (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016).
As mentioned earlier, Coffs Harbour's distinctive cultural identity and additional diverse
accommodation and dining options differentiate it from competing destinations such as Port
Stephens and Destination Southern NSW. According to Johar et al. (2022), a destination's value-
for-money and quality accommodations are among its key competitive strengths. The plan
highlights that ongoing investments should mend, refurbish, and refresh accommodation
facilities to meet changing visitor expectations (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016). Nonetheless,
the plan supports Coffs Harbour's brand and image by supporting accommodation development
that matches Coffs Harbour's image and brand (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016; Wisker,
2023).
While this strength is central to the plan's marketing strategy, the plan focuses more on
addressing threats and weaknesses by exploiting all possible and realistic opportunities. The
existing tourism infrastructure in Coffs Harbour is a strength appearing in the assigned marketing
plan. This plan supports the development of key facilities and tourism infrastructures to position
the Coffs Coast as an attractive destination (Spasojevic & Lohmann, 2022). Although the
available experiences and products put Coffs Harbour alive and successful, the plan emphasizes
the development of new and refreshed tourism experiences and products to satisfy the changing
visitor needs and improve cultural visitor markets (Wisker et al., 2023; Coffs Harbour City
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Council, 2016). According to Aktas et al. (2021), a destination or region providing a diverse
range of brand-aligned and visitor experiences has a better competitive ground over destinations
with a limited mix of visitor activities. The plan recognizes the need to provide brand-aligned
experiences that are visitor-based to establish quality and innovative experiences (Coffs Harbour
City Council, 2016).
Destination Positioning and Branding
Branding and positioning are crucial for destination marketing (George, 2021; Saqib,
2019). Drawing insights from Coffs Harbour's competitive strength, the region should use the
position statement, ultimate family and regional destination with vibrant events, festivals, and
beautiful sceneries, matched with contemporary cultural experiences for diverse visitors and
nature enthusiasts (Kotsi & Pike, 2021; Mair & Weber, 2019). According to Adamo et al. (2019)
and Seraphin et al. (2023), infrastructure development and diverse tourism experiences give
destinations the competitive advantages to flourish in the tourism industry. For this reason, Coffs
Harbour should leverage infrastructural management and diverse tourism offerings. These
approaches matter most because they will position Coffs Harbour as the ultimate regional
destination for tourists and adventurers (George, 2021). Coffs Harbour should brand itself as a
nature oasis because it deals with nature-based tourism. This branding will help the region, in
relation to its competitors like Destination Southern NSW, appeal to eco-conscious adventurers
seeking sustainable tourism practices, lush hinterlands, and pristine beaches.
Additionally, the destination's commitment to innovative festivals and events should
position Coffs Harbour as Australia's regional events and festival hub (Mair & Weber, 2019). The
positioning and branding will attract cultural explorers and event enthusiasts, placing Coffs
Harbour in the spotlight (Aktas et al., 2021). Coffs Harbour's competitive strength lies in its
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location, closeness to Jetty foreshore and Harbour, providing a slightly different coastal
orientation compared to Destination Southern NSW and other destinations along the East Coast
of Australia (Coffs Harbour City Council, 2016; TRC Tourism, 2023). The statement, family
adventurers emphasize the diverse outdoor activities such as skating, hiking, diving, skiing,
surfing, and many more (Saqib, 2019; Seraphin et al., 2023). It portrays Coffs Harbour as an
adventure hub where enthusiasts and adventure-seekers bond over thrilling experiences, fostering
an image of adventure and excitement.
Furthermore, Coffs Harbour should position and brand itself as a family-friendly region
to capture the attention of families going for vacations (Aktas et al., 2021). This branding
includes family-friendly attractions and other services such as dining and accommodation
options, entertainment, and outdoor games (Chen et al., 2022; Knollenberg et al., 2021; Lai et al.,
2020). Moreover, Coffs Harbour's convenient location brands an ideal stopover for families
traveling between major markets, Sydney and Brisbane (Gorchakova & Antchak, 2020).
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