,Preface
Dear Sir/Madam,
This research thesis is the end assignment for the graduation process for the Business
Administration study at Hoge Hotelschool Leeuwarden. The goal of this thesis was to
analyse APB and its tour company IMT to determine its marketing strategy.
This thesis was not simple to write, since the author was located in Cape Town. Therefore,
many thanks to Ms. Mulder. Despite the distance, she always made sure she had the
patience and time to help when needed. Therefore, the communication went well due to her
flexibility. Her calm approach of coaching also helped to keep having faith.
Besides that, special thanks to my mom for helping at any time of the day. It was certainly not
easy to write a thesis while located on what felt like the other side of the world, but she made
me believe in myself at every step of the process.
Upon sending this document to the management, all of the results will be
anonymized, in order to preserve the interviewees privacy.
It was a very special time for me and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.
,Summary
The aim for this thesis, titled X, is to establish the marketing strategy for In X, the new trip
activity of X (AP), in order to provide a good basis for the introduction of this activity, with the
purpose to increase revenue.
As of right now, AP sells trips to guests from other trip operators. This makes them miss out
on revenue. By offering trips as a company itself, AP can offer trips directly to its guests
without missing out on revenue. That’s why IMT was introduced. To be able to make IMT a
successful company, however, a marketing strategy has to be determined, since currently,
the managers of AP have no clue where to start.
Before being able to do so, AP has to improve its internal organization. The company has not
determined a theoretical management style, vision, mission and overall strategy.
The external analysis revealed the target group of IMT, which is similar to the target group of
AP due to convenience and costs of marketing. This target group is based on the persona
Sarah; a young solo traveler from Germany with a budget of 600 Rand per trip. Further
analysis about the target group showed a big desire for unique, local, sustainable trips
based on education and adventure.
Besides that, the external analysis showed a ‘blank’ spot for tailor-made products.
The competition was entirely focused on convenience products.
The conclusion is based on which marketing strategy should be chosen. This was a logical
choice, which is apparent from the analysis. First of all, it has been recommended to
combine the customer intimacy with product leadership when the Value strategy was
discussed. Besides that, product development was picked when focusing on the Ansoff
matrix.
A further recommendation provides implementations about this marketing strategy.
The recommendation is divided in multiple logical steps.
1. Define a vision and mission. A proposed vision is:
We see a world in which young travellers discover other cultures in a safe way.
A proposed mission is: A safe personal travel challenge.
2. Introduce a product based on these strategies, the opportunities in the market
and the needs of the target group. This product is tailor-made. The proposed
trip is: ‘X’. This trip is a tailor-made trip for young travellers who want to see
how locals live, but want to have a secure and safe feeling doing so.
3. Create a promotion plan with the focus on social media.
The essential part of the start of IMT is to match all the implementations to the goal (vision)
and method (mission).
,Samenvatting
Het doel van deze thesis, met als titel: ‘X’, is het bepalen van de marketingstrategie voor In
X, de nieuwe reisactiviteit van X (AP). De marketingstrategie moet een goede basis vormen
voor de introductie van deze activiteit, met als doel: omzetverhoging.
Nu verkoopt AP reizen van andere reisorganisaties. Hierdoor lopen ze omzet mis. Door deze
reizen aan te bieden vanuit In X, kan AP haar gasten rechtstreeks tours aanbieden zonder
inkomsten mis te lopen. Dat is het bestaansrecht van In X (IMT). Om van IMT een succesvol
bedrijf te maken, moet echter een marketingstrategie bepaald worden. De managers van AP
hebben geen idee waar te beginnen.
Echter, voordat dit kan, moet AP de interne organisatie verbeteren. Het bedrijf heeft geen
theoretische managementstijl, geen visie, geen missie en geen algemene strategie bepaald.
De externe analyse heeft geleid tot een doelgroep bepaling. Gekozen is voor
dezelfde doelgroep als AP vanwege gemakkelijke bereikbaarheid en beperking van
de
marketingkosten. De doelgroep is tot uiting gekomen in de persona Sarah: een jonge reiziger
uit Duitsland, met een budget van 600 Rand per tour. Verdere analyse van de doelgroep
toonde een grote behoefte aan unieke, lokale, duurzame tours met als basis onderwijs en
avontuur.
Daarnaast toonde de externe analyse een niche voor op maat gemaakte producten. De
concurrentie is volledig gericht op gemak producten.
De conclusie gaat uit van een marketingstrategie. Die keuze wordt volledig onderbouwd door
de analyse: Allereerst wordt geadviseerd om Customer Intimacy te combineren met Product
Leadership. Vervolgens wordt gekozen voor Product Development van Ansoff.
Uiteraard is de volgende aanbeveling de implementatie van de gekozen marketingstrategie.
Deze is verdeeld in meerdere logische stappen:
1. Definieer een visie en missie. De voorgestelde visie: We zien een wereld waarin
jonge reizigers andere culturen op een veilige manier ontdekken. De
voorgestelde missie: een veilige, persoonlijke reisuitdaging.
2. Introduceer een product op basis van de aanbevolen strategie, de kansen in de markt
en de behoeften van de doelgroep. Dit product is op maat gemaakt. De voorgestelde
reis: ‘X’. Deze tour is op maat gemaakt voor jonge reizigers die willen zien hoe de
lokale bevolking leeft, maar toch een veilig gevoel willen hebben.
3. Maak een promotieplan met de focus op sociale media.
Het essentiële deel van de start van IMT is om alle implementatiestappen af te stemmen
op het doel (visie) en de methode (missie).
,
, 1. Introduction
1.1 Short company description
After months of traveling together, two friends decided to open a hostel in Cape Town. They
wanted to create a lodge that gave guests the guarantee of a great experience, an idea from
which X Backpackers (further referred to as APB) emerged. The hostel is in the centre of
Cape Town. Since the start of APB, the goal was to create a convenient, safe and enjoyable
holiday for guests.
It didn’t take long before both invested in more leisurely activities. They opened Dalberry, a
guest villa in Johannesburg, and Blouberg, holiday apartments in Blouberg. At that moment
APB became the mother-company, called AP, for multiple leisure accommodations. The core
business of AP is providing accommodations and food and beverages. But since October
2025, both partners are planning a new activity providing trips, called In X (further referred to
as IMT).
At this moment, AP uses external trip operators for their guests. If guests want to book a
trip, employees of the accommodation call an external company to provide a trip. AP earns
commission via this service; however, this is only a certain percentage of the total tour
revenue.
Figur
e1
AP AP
Activit
ies
APB Blouberg Dalberry IMT
1.2 Short introduction of the assignment
X has the goal to create a good and relaxed holiday for guests (Louw, Financial Manager,
2026). The strategy is to provide all the services guests need. This means food and
beverages, a bed to sleep in and a company that provides entertainment. The first two
factors are arranged by the hostel. The last factor is arranged by a new company of X called
In X.
This new addition to the X company is relatively new. The strategy hasn’t been decided
yet. That is why this assignment will be focused on the marketing strategy of the new
activity of X, called In X.
The assignment is focussed on the introduction of IMT in the market.
1.3 Reading Guide
This thesis is divided in 8 chapters. The first chapter is focused on the introduction of the
company. In the second chapter the problem is described. The third chapters show the
different methods used and it’s methodology. The fourth chapter is focused on the theoretical
research, this forms the background for the analysis. Chapter five includes the analysis.
Dear Sir/Madam,
This research thesis is the end assignment for the graduation process for the Business
Administration study at Hoge Hotelschool Leeuwarden. The goal of this thesis was to
analyse APB and its tour company IMT to determine its marketing strategy.
This thesis was not simple to write, since the author was located in Cape Town. Therefore,
many thanks to Ms. Mulder. Despite the distance, she always made sure she had the
patience and time to help when needed. Therefore, the communication went well due to her
flexibility. Her calm approach of coaching also helped to keep having faith.
Besides that, special thanks to my mom for helping at any time of the day. It was certainly not
easy to write a thesis while located on what felt like the other side of the world, but she made
me believe in myself at every step of the process.
Upon sending this document to the management, all of the results will be
anonymized, in order to preserve the interviewees privacy.
It was a very special time for me and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.
,Summary
The aim for this thesis, titled X, is to establish the marketing strategy for In X, the new trip
activity of X (AP), in order to provide a good basis for the introduction of this activity, with the
purpose to increase revenue.
As of right now, AP sells trips to guests from other trip operators. This makes them miss out
on revenue. By offering trips as a company itself, AP can offer trips directly to its guests
without missing out on revenue. That’s why IMT was introduced. To be able to make IMT a
successful company, however, a marketing strategy has to be determined, since currently,
the managers of AP have no clue where to start.
Before being able to do so, AP has to improve its internal organization. The company has not
determined a theoretical management style, vision, mission and overall strategy.
The external analysis revealed the target group of IMT, which is similar to the target group of
AP due to convenience and costs of marketing. This target group is based on the persona
Sarah; a young solo traveler from Germany with a budget of 600 Rand per trip. Further
analysis about the target group showed a big desire for unique, local, sustainable trips
based on education and adventure.
Besides that, the external analysis showed a ‘blank’ spot for tailor-made products.
The competition was entirely focused on convenience products.
The conclusion is based on which marketing strategy should be chosen. This was a logical
choice, which is apparent from the analysis. First of all, it has been recommended to
combine the customer intimacy with product leadership when the Value strategy was
discussed. Besides that, product development was picked when focusing on the Ansoff
matrix.
A further recommendation provides implementations about this marketing strategy.
The recommendation is divided in multiple logical steps.
1. Define a vision and mission. A proposed vision is:
We see a world in which young travellers discover other cultures in a safe way.
A proposed mission is: A safe personal travel challenge.
2. Introduce a product based on these strategies, the opportunities in the market
and the needs of the target group. This product is tailor-made. The proposed
trip is: ‘X’. This trip is a tailor-made trip for young travellers who want to see
how locals live, but want to have a secure and safe feeling doing so.
3. Create a promotion plan with the focus on social media.
The essential part of the start of IMT is to match all the implementations to the goal (vision)
and method (mission).
,Samenvatting
Het doel van deze thesis, met als titel: ‘X’, is het bepalen van de marketingstrategie voor In
X, de nieuwe reisactiviteit van X (AP). De marketingstrategie moet een goede basis vormen
voor de introductie van deze activiteit, met als doel: omzetverhoging.
Nu verkoopt AP reizen van andere reisorganisaties. Hierdoor lopen ze omzet mis. Door deze
reizen aan te bieden vanuit In X, kan AP haar gasten rechtstreeks tours aanbieden zonder
inkomsten mis te lopen. Dat is het bestaansrecht van In X (IMT). Om van IMT een succesvol
bedrijf te maken, moet echter een marketingstrategie bepaald worden. De managers van AP
hebben geen idee waar te beginnen.
Echter, voordat dit kan, moet AP de interne organisatie verbeteren. Het bedrijf heeft geen
theoretische managementstijl, geen visie, geen missie en geen algemene strategie bepaald.
De externe analyse heeft geleid tot een doelgroep bepaling. Gekozen is voor
dezelfde doelgroep als AP vanwege gemakkelijke bereikbaarheid en beperking van
de
marketingkosten. De doelgroep is tot uiting gekomen in de persona Sarah: een jonge reiziger
uit Duitsland, met een budget van 600 Rand per tour. Verdere analyse van de doelgroep
toonde een grote behoefte aan unieke, lokale, duurzame tours met als basis onderwijs en
avontuur.
Daarnaast toonde de externe analyse een niche voor op maat gemaakte producten. De
concurrentie is volledig gericht op gemak producten.
De conclusie gaat uit van een marketingstrategie. Die keuze wordt volledig onderbouwd door
de analyse: Allereerst wordt geadviseerd om Customer Intimacy te combineren met Product
Leadership. Vervolgens wordt gekozen voor Product Development van Ansoff.
Uiteraard is de volgende aanbeveling de implementatie van de gekozen marketingstrategie.
Deze is verdeeld in meerdere logische stappen:
1. Definieer een visie en missie. De voorgestelde visie: We zien een wereld waarin
jonge reizigers andere culturen op een veilige manier ontdekken. De
voorgestelde missie: een veilige, persoonlijke reisuitdaging.
2. Introduceer een product op basis van de aanbevolen strategie, de kansen in de markt
en de behoeften van de doelgroep. Dit product is op maat gemaakt. De voorgestelde
reis: ‘X’. Deze tour is op maat gemaakt voor jonge reizigers die willen zien hoe de
lokale bevolking leeft, maar toch een veilig gevoel willen hebben.
3. Maak een promotieplan met de focus op sociale media.
Het essentiële deel van de start van IMT is om alle implementatiestappen af te stemmen
op het doel (visie) en de methode (missie).
,
, 1. Introduction
1.1 Short company description
After months of traveling together, two friends decided to open a hostel in Cape Town. They
wanted to create a lodge that gave guests the guarantee of a great experience, an idea from
which X Backpackers (further referred to as APB) emerged. The hostel is in the centre of
Cape Town. Since the start of APB, the goal was to create a convenient, safe and enjoyable
holiday for guests.
It didn’t take long before both invested in more leisurely activities. They opened Dalberry, a
guest villa in Johannesburg, and Blouberg, holiday apartments in Blouberg. At that moment
APB became the mother-company, called AP, for multiple leisure accommodations. The core
business of AP is providing accommodations and food and beverages. But since October
2025, both partners are planning a new activity providing trips, called In X (further referred to
as IMT).
At this moment, AP uses external trip operators for their guests. If guests want to book a
trip, employees of the accommodation call an external company to provide a trip. AP earns
commission via this service; however, this is only a certain percentage of the total tour
revenue.
Figur
e1
AP AP
Activit
ies
APB Blouberg Dalberry IMT
1.2 Short introduction of the assignment
X has the goal to create a good and relaxed holiday for guests (Louw, Financial Manager,
2026). The strategy is to provide all the services guests need. This means food and
beverages, a bed to sleep in and a company that provides entertainment. The first two
factors are arranged by the hostel. The last factor is arranged by a new company of X called
In X.
This new addition to the X company is relatively new. The strategy hasn’t been decided
yet. That is why this assignment will be focused on the marketing strategy of the new
activity of X, called In X.
The assignment is focussed on the introduction of IMT in the market.
1.3 Reading Guide
This thesis is divided in 8 chapters. The first chapter is focused on the introduction of the
company. In the second chapter the problem is described. The third chapters show the
different methods used and it’s methodology. The fourth chapter is focused on the theoretical
research, this forms the background for the analysis. Chapter five includes the analysis.
