Jacob Langhamer

RPTS 331
01/04/16
Project #1: Critique of the Galveston, Texas Marketing Plan
After thoroughly reviewing the 2013-2014 fiscal year marketing plan for Galveston,
Texas, one can conclude that the island is growing more popular as each year passes. The
marketing segments appear to be properly aligned, the target markets are appropriate given the
location of the city, and tourist attractions are widely diversified, able to meet the satisfaction of
all types of visitors. The many sources of advertisement, as well as the popular slogan and brand
identity of Galveston, have also played an imperative role in increased attendance to the island,
considering that Galveston is within close range of the fourth largest city in the United States.
Therefore, hotel revenues, hotel occupancy and daily average rate have significantly increased,
creating ample employment opportunities for the residents of Galveston, as well as continued
growth and popularity.
The intent of the marketing plan is to not only outline the ratings, strengths and market
segments of Galveston, but also to be kept as a guide to refer back to and possibly edit as time
presents new challenges and new opportunities. A successful marketing plan should always
include a conducted marketing audit, selected profitable target markets, positioning and property,
established objectives and action plans, and carefully overseen by the leading board of the
chosen destination that is being marketed. The marketing plan is primarily used to the benefit of
the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, Tourism Development Advisory Committee, and the
Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. However, because this marketing plan is
developed, all visitors to Galveston are able to benefit from it. Based upon the results of
increased visitor attendance, hotel revenue, hotel occupancy, and employment for the residents
of Galveston from the previous years, it is evident that the marketing plan is quite successful. As
far as positioning, it would appear that Galveston, thanks to its location, is most known for its

Jacob Langhamer
RPTS 331
01/04/16
relaxed, island atmosphere at the beach. However, due to the growing popularity of the beach,
the branding for Galveston is consisted of other additions that are beginning to become key
elements for the islands visitors, such as award-winning culinary venues, growing arts scene and
numerous outdoor activities.
Overall, I liked the marketing plan developed for the city of Galveston. There were
numerous statistics, insight on employment opportunities, and very detailed market targets and
segments. I also liked how the goals and objectives were specifically listed throughout the
marketing plan, showing consistency and high expectations that are probable to lead to success.
The order of the marketing plan is also neatly developed, outlining the vision, mission, and
acknowledging results and highlights from the previous year prior to displaying the information
regarding the current fiscal year.
Although the Galveston marketing plan was well-rounded, I was most intrigued by the
demographic profiles that were listed within the marketing plan. I thought having three different
personas code-named by the three types of people they like to target, as well as listing strategies
that will enable Galveston to draw in these types of visitors, were spot-on and well-approached.
However, I also believe that this particular marketing plan could have benefitted from increasing
the marketing plan to a three year period, allowing the destination to target new, more profitable
market segments that could take two to three years to develop.
According to the marketing plan, Galvestons primary competition consists of South
Padre Island, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington, whom
Galveston has surpassed in the daily average rate in the year 2013. I believe these are the most
competitive cities for Galveston due to their location and population. South Padre Island and
Corpus Christi are competitive markets for their beaches, while the remainder of competition are

Jacob Langhamer
RPTS 331
01/04/16
large, heavily populated cities that have many job opportunities, as well as numerous forms of
entertainment to attract visitors, such as rodeos, professional sports teams and theme parks. Due
to the action plan set for Galveston, the city is among the top homeport to visit in the state of
Texas. Realistic and measurable action plans have been set, such as promoting the Passport to
Holiday Magic campaign to increase hotel occupancy and visitor attraction, newly renovated
Navigator of Seas to set sail in February 2014 year-round, and the promotion of the Galveston
Island Pass discount attraction package to showcase the diverse attractions and encourage
overnight stays.
One plan that generates more opportunity for visitors to visit and/or relocate to is the
Texas marketing plan. One step that the state of Texas includes in its marketing plan that could
benefit Galveston if utilized is the tour that the state goes on to generate more interest and create
brand awareness to help encourage visitors from several different locations to visit. Given that
Galveston has numerous attractions and appealing destination amenities, the city could greatly
benefit from partaking in tours and influencing visitors to visit its destination. Although
Galveston has a more detailed marketing plan, I believe that the Texas marketing plan is the
greater marketing plan due to having much more real estate, various regions of location, and
much more entertainment opportunities than Galveston. The state of Texas also has much more
amenities to work with, considering it is large enough to be its own country as it once was
before, and has much larger budgeting system to work with than that of Galveston.
Although I have learned a vast amount of information from the Galveston marketing
plan, I would have to say the most interesting thing I learned is how much support and success
the island is able to endure from primarily local efforts, generating much more visitation than
most beaches located in the state of Texas. I also was not aware of the numerous attractions and

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RPTS 331
01/04/16
amenities the city of Galveston had to offer, which has encouraged me to visit the city in the near
future as well.