Introduction

Tourism marketing considers the needs and wants of the visitors and proceeds to create experiences to satisfy those needs. It also entails communication, pricing and relationship building in the long term (GeeksforGeeks, 2024). The tourism services offering a place of production and consumption of the experience make it a product (Blythe and Martin, 2023). This implies that the entire resort, including rides and personnel, is included in the package. The Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park, wildlife park and hotel resort located near London. It has become a family resort, including numerous themed areas and on-site accommodation of what was once an old country zoo (ALVA, 2023; Tripadvisor, 2025). The primary audience is comprised of families with children; however, school groups and short break visitors will also matter.

This report is meant to examine the marketing mix of Chessington in order to analyse it using the seven Ps framework. It concentrates on product and place, followed by two factors, promotion and people (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023). The report initially examines the product and the value that the product generates. It then looks at the place and the avenues that provide access to services. Then it deals with promotion and people. It concludes and gives suggestions on how it can be improved.

Product analysis

The promotion of a product is regarded as a series of advantages that can address a problem or fulfil a need of a customer (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023). In the case of service businesses, intangibility, inseparability, variability and perishability have a substantial influence on this product (Blythe and Martin, 2023). These are evident in theme parks and resorts. The core product is a visit or short stay, which is only in existence as long as the guest is on the ground. Nothing remains after the visit except memories.

The three levels of product model are useful in disaggregating the offer at Chessington. The essence product is the promise of spending some time with a family in a secure and thrilling environment. Parents are in search of fun and common memories. Children are interested in mild thrills, tales and an opportunity to visit animals. Such an emotional value is relevant to tourism when individuals purchase experiences, but not simple goods (GeeksforGeeks, 2024; Tuffe et al., 2024). The essence product encompasses a sense of being out of the ordinary.

The visible features at the resort are the real product. Chessington has themed lands, over thirty rides, live performances, a zoo, an aquarium and hotel rooms adjacent to the park (ALVA, 2023; Tripadvisor, 2025). The combination of ride-based theme and a huge array of animals makes the resort unlike some of the thrill parks. The hotels enable the families to spend longer than one day at the hotels and base their journey into London and the rest of the region at the resort. Room designs, restaurants and open areas contour the movement, expenditure and rest of the customers staying (McKercher, Prideaux and Thompson, 2023).

The augmented product is composed of all the additional services that promote the visit. They are online booking, mobile ticket, car parking, annual pass, special events, school resources and after-sales contact. The resort can use digital tools to interact with guests before and after the visit (including the site and e-mail) and give them specialised offers (Ahmet and Hancer, 2022; Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2023). In this layer also lies health and safety information, clear maps and support for guests with access needs. The product at Chessington is rich and flexible in general. This diversity is observed by visitors. This makes it a strength as it is capable of attracting a wide range of segments. It is also risky in the sense that complex products may not be easily comprehensible and contrastable by families when they plan to visit (Blythe and Martin, 2023).

Place analysis

Place in services marketing refers to the availability of the offer made by the organisation to customers. It encompasses the geographic place of service provision and the means by which the customers search, book and consume the product (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023). It also encompasses how these people circulate within the site, since production, consumption occur simultaneously in tourism (Blythe and Martin, 2023). In the case of a theme park and a resort, it means that the site selection and transport access, reservation systems and park design all count.

Chessington is well located in Surrey, adjacent to London. It is within the access of the huge populations in Greater London and the South East of England. The resort can be reached by many visitors in a period of approximately two hours through the use of car. The area is connected by rail and some local buses, which cater to those guests who do not drive (ALVA, 2023). The environment surrounding the park, being a green park, is coupled with high-traffic roads, making the resort isolated yet easy to access. This helps in day trips and short breaks of various portions of the market (Tripadvisor, 2025; Tuffe et al., 2024).

The resort has a multichannel distribution channel. The site allows visitors to purchase tickets and packages via the website and associated Merlin channels. Online travel agents and intermediaries can also be utilised by them. This combination of channels enhances coverage and a degree of selection among the families on where they plan and book their visit (Ahmet and Hancer, 2022; Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2023). Direct digital channels are significant as they enables the collection of data and an opportunity to deliver follow-up messages and offers. They tie the place with the product by displaying pictures of rides, animals and rooms at the time of reservation.

The place also deals with the interior environmental design. Routes, markings, walkways and the connections between car parks, hotels and entrances are all aids and hindrances to the guest experience. Due to the inseparability of the service to the site, the ease of access and movement is one of the ways visitors evaluate the quality (Blythe and Martin, 2023). The stress of families with young children can also be reduced through clear indications and staff guidance. But the peak days cause long queues, congested walks and strains in transportation and parking space. This will diminish the worth of the product and cause the price not to be as fair to guests. The place element could be enhanced in better ways by using digital tools to promote live updates, maps and recommended routes (Ahmet and Hancer, 2022).

People analysis and promotion

The aspect of the marketing mix that takes care of communication to the selected audiences is promotion. It notifies individuals about the deal and tries to convince them to select it (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023). Storeys and images are frequently used in the process of tourism promotion since the product is an experience (GeeksforGeeks, 2024; Blythe and Martin, 2023). The importance of social media and online reviews is in the fact that they demonstrate what a visit can be like (Ahmet and Hancer, 2022).

Chessington employs a number of methods of promotion. It has seasonal campaigns that are aimed at new rides, animal and themed seasons during school holidays. It is featured in the advertising of the broader Merlin group and on joint deals with other attractions. On the official site, one can find images of rides, animals, hotels and food and information about the type of tickets and offers (ALVA, 2023; Tripadvisor, 2025). There are competitions and guest stories and posts that are published in social media channels. This combination of the tools assists the resort in bringing out its product strengths and its location in the proximity of London. It portrays Chessington as a family-oriented resort that takes a combination of rides and wildlife.

Problems can also be experienced with promotion, whereby messages have an excessively high expectancy. Certain guests complain of long lines and broken rides or high prices that they did not anticipate (Tripadvisor, 2025). When the promise is not fulfilled in the on-site experience, the trust is destroyed, and the place and product elements are considered to be weak. The high frequency of discounts can also condition the families to wait until the vouchers appear and decrease the value of quality (Blythe and Martin, 2023; Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2023). Better communication on the issue of crowding and cost, and what is included, may help the better fit between promotion and reality.

Another important element of the extended marketing mix is people. Staff significantly contribute to the evaluation of the quality of services by guests since they are the ones who offer the service (Blythe and Martin, 2023). Chessington has various staff groups as ride operators, Zoo staff, hotel and restaurant staff and cleaners. Friendliness and helpful staff contribute to adding value to the core product by ensuring that they feel safe and welcome by the staff. They describe the rules, answer questions, narrate about animals and assist visitors at the location to navigate the site. Employees are also associated with promotion as they prompt the guests to leave positive reviews on social media or to visit the hotel during the subsequent seasons (Tuffe et al., 2024). During training, the people element helps product and place because the levels of staffing and morale are high. The strategy of weak people damages the service and the brand.

 

Conclusion and recommendations

Product, place, promotion and people analysis reveals that Chessington has assets and threats. This product is full as it offers rides, animals, as well as accommodation in a single family resort. The place component upholds this aspect by having a location that is near to London and proximity to a huge local population (ALVA, 2023). Online reservations and multichannel booking systems. This is a stance supported by promotion and people, but they do not always take place with the complex product and busy days (Tripadvisor, 2025). In any long queue, high prices, or pressure on the staff, visitors will question value and will be less likely to come back (Blythe and Martin, 2023).

The marketing mix is partially effective and requires some changes. It is followed by three recommendations. To start with, the resort should display product packages and additional expenses better on online platforms to make them planning (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023; Bhasin, 2017). Second, it must increase digital solutions that aid place, including live information about the queues, and the distribution of guests across the site (Ahmet and Hancer, 2022). Third, it ought to spend on employee training and internal communication to ensure that the quality of service becomes more uniform and facilitates repeat visits (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2023; Tufft et al., 2024).

References

Ahmet, O. and Hancer, M. (2022) Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategies for Tourism and Hospitality. London: Goodfellow Publishers Limited.

ALVA (2023). ALVA | Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. Available at: https://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=413&codeid=351552 (Accessed: 07 December 2025).

Bhasin, H. (2017) ‘4 types of Market segmentation and how to segment with them?’, Marketing91.com. Available at: https://www.marketing91.com/4-types-market-segmentation-segment (Accessed: 07 December 2025).

Blythe, J. and Martin, J. (2023) Essentials of Marketing. 8th edn. London: Pearson Education Limited.

GeeksforGeeks (2024). Tourism Marketing: Meaning, Importance, Types and Strategies. Available at: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/marketing/tourism-marketing-meaning-importance-types-and-strategies/ (Accessed: 07 December 2025).

Jobber, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2023). Principles and Practice of Marketing. 10th edn. London: McGraw-Hill.

Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. and Balasubramanian, S. (2023). Principles of Marketing, Global Edition. 19th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

McKercher, B., Prideaux, B. and Thompson, M. (2023) ‘The relationship between accommodation type and tourists’ in-destination behaviour’, Tourism Recreation Research, pp. 1–10. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2023.2221070 (Accessed: 07 December 2025).

TripAdvisor (2025) ‘Chessington World of Adventures Resort’. Available at: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g580409-d216483-Reviews-Chessington_World_of_Adventures_Resort-Chessington_Surrey_England.html (Accessed: 07 December 2025).

Tufft, C., Constantin, M., Matteo Pacca and Mann, R. (2024). Now boarding: Faces, places, and trends shaping tourism in 2024. McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel/our-insights/now-boarding-faces-places-and-trends-shaping-tourism-in-2024 (Accessed: 07 December 2025).