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Destination Marketing
Input
provided by marketing research is playing an ever-expanding role in the
strategic planning efforts of organizations concerned with destination
marketing. With a broad range of project experience, the professionals
at Pioneer have been assisting clients in the destination marketing
leisure travel industry for nearly 20 years.
As
our experience in the industry has grown, many of our assignments have
focused on providing information in condensed formats so that strategic
planners can concentrate on actually making decisions rather than just
trying to understand/organize the data upon which those decisions are
based.
Today, most of our clients in destination marketing are facing
similar issues.
-
Among
many travel destinations, traditional measures of economic success
are being re-examined.
The challenge is to position the overall success and
continued growth of an entire area against potential downturns in
business in historically strong segments
-
Recent
national and international events have depressed travel demand for
quite a while. Different
segments have been affected in different ways, and it is important
to understand how each segment is reacting to several key variables:
the cost of gasoline, family income reduction, other cost factors
including lodging, activities, shopping, and food
-
More
and more, destinations need to determine what image they want to
present to the traveling public in order to increase visitation.
The results of this type of research allows marketing staffs
to develop new approaches which can successfully entice new visitor
segments without damaging the current visitor base.
-
To
fully understand the motivations of visitors to their destination,
decision-makers must separate why people come to a
destination from what they do after they arrive.
-
Increasingly,
potential visitors are using the Internet to make important leisure
travel decisions. Webmasters
must insure that their websites are not only current, but also
reflect an image that is consistent with the destination’s overall
promotional and advertising strategies.
The key to successfully managing a destination’s website is
to fully understanding the visitor’s experience in order to
develop content strategies which entice visitors to return and to recommend
the destination to others.
TYPICAL
RESEARCH PROJECTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
-
Image
and Awareness Studies:
The objective of this research is to identify how the
traveling public perceives a destination.
This information is used to analyze the effectiveness of
current marketing strategies/advertising programs and to develop new
strategies for use in promotion and advertising programs.
-
Visitor
Satisfaction Surveys:
The objective of this research is to understand and measure
the visitor’s experience. Usually
conducted on-site, areas of inquiries typically include type of
visiting party, length of trip, reasons for visit, activities while
in the area, aspect of the trip liked most, suggestions for
improvement, likelihood of returning or recommending, as well as
selected demographic and psychographic questions. A major
outcome of this research is the development of a profile of
the "typical visitor."
-
Market
Segmentation Studies:
The
overall goal of these research programs is to develop marketing
strategies for increasing a destination’s appeal among a wider
variety of potential leisure travelers while, at the same time,
maintaining its current visitor base.
There are a number of different methods for identifying and
classifying visitors, including:
generational cohorts (millenials, Gen-Xers, baby boomers,
matures) and type of traveling party (family, adults only <55,
adults only 55+). In
addition, psychographic
information is gathered to fine tune strategic planning efforts.
-
Economic
Analyses Studies:
It is becoming increasingly vital for destinations to
demonstrate that their efforts to promote tourism are worth
substantial investment of dollars.
Timely and accurate economic impact studies -- including
return on investment (ROI) statistics -- may be the most critical
research currently being conducted by destination marketing
organizations.
-
Advertising
Research Studies:
When budgets are available, advertising research is a key
aspect in the development of a destination's overall promotional
strategies and plans. Research
findings are used during nearly every phase of the process -- from
conducting focus groups during initial concept testing/development
through peer-to-peer telephone interviews to measure advertising
exposure, tracking, and impact.
-
Inquiry
Conversion Studies:
The results of conversion research are designed to give the
marketing staff and committees specific information on the overall
impact of a destination's advertising program.
Among the topics typically covered are visitation (inquiry
conversion), economic impact, reactions to promotional materials,
overnight stays, choice of accommodations, and selected visitor
demographics. In
addition, the sources of inquiries (toll-free numbers, mail
inquiries, print ads) and fluctuations in conversion rates among
target markets are tracked.
-
Feasibility
Research:
This type of project generally involves analyzing the
likelihood of success for proposed meeting and convention
facilities. Specific areas of
investigation include descriptions of meetings held, average costs,
types of meeting rooms needed, recreational facilities needed,
amenities desired, facilities currently used, and the likelihood of
using the proposed facility. Study
results are often used in both the design and marketing stages of
new facility development.
-
Welcome/Visitors
Center Research:
Marketing research conducted among visitors to welcome
centers helps a destination evaluate the services it is providing
for the traveling public -- especially for new arrivals and
first-time visitors. Topics
covered during the short intercepts include impressions of the
facility itself, satisfaction with the quality of information
received, perceptions of the friendliness and knowledge of the
staff, quality of maps and directions, and impressions of other
services provided at the welcome center.
-
Special
Events:
Many destinations conduct on-site interviewing during holiday
celebrations, special events, festivals, and other special
occasions. The results
of these studies help profile visitors to an event and provide a
means of comparing/contrasting the needs/wants of an event’s
visitors with those of visitors during other events/seasons.
Moreover, research at a special event supplies first-hand
data for use in developing estimates of the event’s overall impact
on the destination's economy.
CLIENTS
SERVED
Atlantic Hospitality Advisors
Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention &
Visitors Bureau
Chambers Group, Inc
Chattanooga
Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Cobb
County
(GA) Historic Tourism Committee
Cobb Chamber of Commerce/Convention and Visitors Bureau
Dixie
Stampede
Florida
Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
Herschend Family Entertainment
Gatlinburg Department of Tourism
Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau
Jim Stafford Theater
Landauer and Associates
MARTA (
Atlanta
)
Missouri
Division of Tourism
Pannell Kerr Forster (PKF)
Peddlers Restaurants/Mountain Grill (Gatlinburg)
Presleys’ Country Jubilee
Silver Dollar City, Inc.
Stone
Mountain
Park
Tennessee
Tourism Roundtable
The Biltmore Estate and Gardens
The Vacation Channel – Branson
Welk Family Resorts
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