The analysis of main elements of marketing mix in Serbian agritourism

Abstract

This paper deals with the core elements of the marketing mix in Serbian agritourism: product, price, promotion and distribution. In order to achieve profitability and sustainability of agritourist products, it is necessary to carry out several activities such as market research and segmentation, purchase as an additional source of income, classification and labeling as quality guarantee. The price as the most important element depends on the attractiveness of the product and its quality. Additionally, external factors on the tourism market (e.g. entire rural area) as well as internal factors (e.g. farm-stay accommodation) at the local level should be taken into account. On the other hand, promotion has an important role when introducing a product on the market. The major forms of promotion are: advertising with graphic, audio-visual and other means (brochures, souvenirs, Internet pages, stock exchange participation etc.), public relations (contact with market participants) and sales promotion oriented towards sales markets in order to improve business. Besides these forms of promotion, the personal selling, publicity, oral advertising and sponsorship are also pointed out. Finally, distribution channels allow the placement of products to end consumers. In this sense, the role of tourist agencies is to unify the offer of Serbian agritourism. Bearing in mind all the above, we can conclude that marketing may influence market positioning of a product. Therefore, in the future we should work on removing the marketing barriers that Serbian agritourism encounters.