The term “same same, but different” is a famous expression from Thai English (Tinglishi), which means similar, but different in some ways (Kravanja, 2011). If you have the opportunity to visit South East Asian countries, like Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, you cannot escape from hearing street vendors loudly proclaiming “same same, but different” in an attempt to convince tourists that their products are different from the next stall.

Like the Thai street vendor, one of the global tourism industry’s main challenges is to develop tourism products¹ that are different in some way: Porter (1985), the father of the competitive advantage, defined three main strategies to differentiate a company from its competitors: "Cost Leadership" (no frills), "Differentiation" (creating uniquely desirable products and services) and "Focus" (offering a specialized service in a niche market).

In his Theory of Monopolistic Competition Edward Chamberlin (1962) proposed the concept of differentiation, defined as the process of distinguishing a product or service from others, to make it more attractive to a particular target market respectively target group (Kotler & Keller, 2012). In tourism, product differentiation is a strategy in which tourism companies or destinations attempt to create and exploit differences between their products and those offered by competitors. These differences may lead to competitive advantage if customers perceive the difference and have a preference for it (Yang, 2010).

A differentiation strategy is based on persuading customers that a tourism product or service is superior in some way to that offered by competitors (Evans et al., 2003; Riege & Perry, 2000). To develop competitive products is the inevitable course for tourism companies or destinations to solve the problem of product homogenization and to create tourism products or services, different from the habitual by means of unique consumer benefits, supply, organization and the human resource involved. Therefore, differentiation is directly linked with other terms such as “product development” and “product diversification”.

Ansoff (1965) distinguished a company´s existing products from new products and markets by proposing two product policy strategies: “Product Development” (developing new products or improved versions of an existing product to offer to an existing market) and “Diversification” (entering new markets with new products).

• “Product development” includes “Innovation” (new products) and “Modification” (different or new variants of existing products). Innovation is the introduction of a product or service that is “new” to the company or destination or it can be new to the market or customer with respect to its intended uses, characteristics or customer benefits. Modification is to offer different or new product variants of an existing product or service. Improvement of customer quality and value-added services are examples of product modification.
• Unlike product development, where the products are offered only to the existing markets, “diversification” allows a company or destination to enter additional lines of business that are different from the current products, services and markets and are not connected with the company’s core business (Kenny, 2009; Konstantinova, 2016). The diversification strategy implies the simultaneous development of new tourist products and of the new markets (e.g., a hotel company can enlarge its mix of products by offering also catering services in external venues or by starting its own car rental business). Today, diversification of services is one of the instruments of the tourist enterprise’s growth strategy, due to which it can extend its services and spheres of activity. Nevertheless, diversification is the most risky strategy because both market and product development is required.

Note that these differentiation strategies (innovation, modification and diversification) are often difficult to distinguish as the transition point from one product or market to another is not clear and they are usually complementary to one another. Most important here is that tourism companies and destinations may only survive in the market if they can demonstrate the unique aspects of their product or service and create a sense of value. The value-added service and fine sentiments service are the embodiment of the “exclusive” element in the market competition. Market demand is changing all the time. Consequently, products should be constantly revitalized to ensure competitiveness and differentiation. Besides this, quality assurance, good marketing practices, and customer and employee satisfaction are among the most important areas or fields for product innovation and differentiation (Yang, 2010).

Ultimately, product differentiation is an attempt to develop an alternative product or service, and at the same time, it is a tribute to a creative thinking. Same same, but different!

¹⁾ In the following, “tourism product” is meant in a broader sense that also includes tourism services.

References

Ansoff, H.I. (1965). Corporate Strategy. US: McGraw-Hill Inc.

Chamberlin, E.H. (1962). The Theory of Monopolistic Competition: A Re-orientation of the Theory of Value. [8th ed.]. Harvard: Harvard University Press.

Evans, N.; Campbell, D. & Stonehouse, G. (2003). Strategic Management for Travel and Tourism. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Kenny, G. (2009). Diversification strategy: How to grow a business by diversifying successfully. UK: Kogan Page.

Konstantinova, S.S. (2013). Diversification in Tourism. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304581927_DIVERSIFICATION_IN_TOURISM?enrichId=rgreq-f7d53241d727a738ebc58c6825324420-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzMwNDU4MTkyNztBUzozNzg0Mzc4Nzg0Njg2MDhAMTQ2NzIzODAyOTM2Ng%3D%3D&el=1_x_2&_esc=publicationCoverPdf

Kotler, P. & Keller, K.L. (2012). Marketing Management. [14th ed.]. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Kravanja, B. (2011). Same same, but different: An inquiry into paradise imagery of tourism industry and tourist practices. EthnoAntrophoZoom, 9, pp. 73-107.

Porter, M.E. (1985). Competitive Advantage. New York: The Free Press.

Riege, A.M. & Perry, C. (2000). National marketing strategies in international travel and tourism, European Journal of Marketing, 34(11), pp. 1290-1305.

Yang, Z. (2010). Analysis on Product Differentiation Strategy and Product Innovation of Travel Agency in China. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Innovation & Management, pp. 593-596.