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Home / Business Operations / Marketing / Market Research and Planning
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Market Research and Planning

Understanding your visitor market’s characteristics can assist business managers in understanding their current visitor’s demands and needs, identifying potential new target markets and developing effective marketing strategies to encourage visitation. Read more
Understanding your visitor market’s characteristics can assist business managers in understanding their current visitor’s demands and needs, identifying potential new target markets and developing effective marketing strategies to encourage visitation. A visitor’s choice of destination, product or experience can be influenced by:

  • Marketing variables – product, price, promotion and place;
  • Traveller variables – previous experience, demographics, lifestyle and values;
  • Travel purpose and motivations;
  • Destination / product awareness, image and brand.

Business Operation Tip

Regional, State and National Tourism Organisations provide a wealth of information to assist businesses to research and plan for business marketing.

Key learnings for tourism businesses in incorporating market research into their ‘Marketing Plan’ include:

  • Dedicated market research programs are generally not time or cost effective for tourism businesses. Generally there is enough information available in the public domain to allow tourism businesses to analyse and understand visitor markets;
  • Tourism Organisations provide a range of publications and resources to assist tourism businesses in understanding visitor market characteristics and identifying appropriate target markets;
  • Evaluating potential visitor market segments should include assessing size, potential yield, geographic proximity, business growth potential, visitor needs, wants and values;
  • Traditionally market segments have been determined by demographics. Current research has suggested that a more effective way to segment visitor markets is through a psychographic assessment ie. Visitor values and desires;
  • Changes in consumer behaviour may be influenced by demographics, economic trends or social and environmental factors. An assessment of industry and market trends can be useful in identifying current influences on visitor markets however is not necessarily a good indication of future trends;
  • Social and economic trend analysis and forecasting is one of the best ways for businesses to identify future market opportunities ahead of competitors;
  • Simple customer surveys can assist businesses in assessing visitor satisfaction and identifying future product development opportunities or required quality and service improvements.

One of the key reports produced by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre How do Australians Choose Holiday Destinations and Experiences? Modelling Consumer Choice provides an insight into understanding the visitor decision-making process for selecting destinations and tourism products.


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