making the numbers work for you...a guide to tourism research . 2 . ... periods in campervans. these...

Making the

numbers work

for you

A guide to tourism

research

Where can research be used?

RESEARCH IS A TOOL

It can be used anywhere

State level – Destination NSW

Regional level – Regional Tourism Organisations (RTO’s), local council

Business level – Tourism businesses

• Planning

• Grow business

• Maximise profit and yield

• Advertising / Marketing

• Attracting new markets

• Understand and solve problems

3

Research is a process

1. Purpose – Why are you doing research?

2. Information Needs – What information do you need?

3. Sources – Where can you get this information?

4. Execution – How are you going to obtain this information?

5. Analysis – What does this information tell you?

WHAT NEXT?

4

Four ways to use research

Planning Investment Product and

Service

Understand who your

market is

Know what your

market is looking for

Refining your service

to account for market

preferences or cultural

differences

Tailor your product

offering to meet market

needs

Targeting your

marketing to maximise

your return on

investment

Choosing the right

marketing channels

Marketing

Applying for

government funds

Approaching a bank

for a loan

5

What is already out there?

Secondary research

Destination NSW

Destination NSW website

www.destinationnsw.com.au

7 What is already out there?

Who is coming to my region?



Tourism statistics for:

*Local government areas with extremely low visitation have been excluded on the basis of data reliability

NSW

All Tourism Regions

All regional Local

Government Areas*

All major International Markets

All regions that have conducted

a Destination Visitor Survey

project


Regional NSW


Capital Country


Queanbeyan


Who is coming to NSW?

REGIONAL NSW

CAPITAL COUNTRY

QUEANBEYAN

74% of domestic

overnight visitors come

from NSW

72% of domestic


from NSW

81% of domestic


from NSW

38% of domestic nights

spent in friends or

relatives property


spent in friends or

relatives property


spent in friends or

relatives property

47% of domestic

visitors come for the

purpose of a Holiday or

Leisure

41% of domestic



Leisure

37% of domestic



Leisure


Destination Visitor Survey Program


Market Segments



Backpackers

Working Holiday Makers

Over 55’s

Students

Youth

Food and Wine

Nature

Culture and Heritage

Short Breaks


Market Segment – Over 55’s Travel

- A large part of this market are “empty nesters” –

those who are free to travel because their children

are now adults.

- “Empty nesters” like to travel with people like

themselves – active and without kids. They will

often seek out opportunities to travel in a group with

other “empty nesters”.

- A small segment of the baby boomers market

engage in online travel purchasing though most still

prefer store-based retailing.

- Many in this segment choose to travel for long

periods in campervans. These “grey nomads” prefer

campsites to other forms of accommodation.

- There is also a large group of over 55’s who travel

by themselves.

- This age group likes to travel with a little bit of style

but they do not want to break the budget to do so.


Other Sources

Tourism Australia

www.tourism.australia.com.au

Tourism Research Australia

www.tra.gov.au

Local Regional Tourism Organisation

www.inlandnswtourism.com.au


http://www.tourism.australia.com.au/

http://www.tra.gov.au/

http://www.inlandnswtourism.com.au/

Activity

Look at the snapshot you have been

provided for the Capital Country region.

Pick out some points that relate to your

business and share them with the

room.

- They do not have to be ‘ground-

breaking’

- You do not have to read the whole

snapshot – just pick one section that

you believe is relevant to your

business.

What did you find?


Key points about Capital Country

The core markets for Capital Country

are Sydney and Regional NSW

International visitors make up a tiny

portion of overall visitation

True travellers and wanderers

account for more than half of all

domestic overnight visitors to the

region

These groups want deep

experiences and discovery


Key points about Outback NSW

Friends or relatives property is the

most popular accommodation type

followed by hotel/motels and then

caravan/camping

Private vehicle is by far the most

popular form of transport for visitors

coming to Capital Country

Visitors to the region are most likely

to visit friends and relatives and eat

out at restaurants


What can you do yourself?

Primary research

A few things to consider

You should have an objective in mind

You can choose between numbers and opinions

You may like to target a certain market segment

You may want to seek advice on samples

You may want to set a timeframe and budget for your research

You may want to test your research method before you begin

21 What can you do yourself?

The good news is…

You may already have much of the data you need

Even more good news…

Much of it is free


Research you can do yourself

Observation and Interaction

- Talk to your customers

- Talk to your staff

- Observe how your customers interact with your product or service



Booking/Payment - Ask a question at point of sale (e.g. postcode, how did you find us, etc)

- Examine bookings/transactions (e.g. singles, families, etc)

- Where are people booking and purchasing?



Online - Google Analytics

- Who is coming to your website and how are they finding it

- How are people booking if you have multiple online points of sale



Surveys - During the visit (e.g. feedback forms)

- Post visit (e.g. online survey using free survey websites – Survey Monkey)



Surveys – tips for a good survey

- Keep it short and timely

- Try to limit open ended questions

- Use a scale instead of yes/no questions

(1 = very dissatisfied, 3 = neutral, 5 = very satisfied)

- Chronological question order

(how they found you, booking process, stay, recommend to others?)

- Get basic demographics

- Nice to know VS Need to know

- Use the opportunity to form a customer database

(would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?)

- Test your survey form



Commissioned Research

- Contract a company to conduct some research for you

- University/College Students - Source of free research on a particular topic

area

- Partnerships – Join forces with other businesses and organisations


Examples

Example #1

Product Service Marketing

The Business

- A motel with 20 rooms and a café located close to the centre of town

The Purpose

- To increase the appeal and overall success of the business

The Research

- The Destination NSW fact sheet indicated that the region is becoming more

family focused.

- Sales data indicates that parents with children are accounting for an increasingly

large proportion of the clientele.

Kids meals in the cafe

Better kitchen facilities for

families who want to

make their own meals

Installing play equipment

on motel grounds

Kids club or crèche

Service to organise

babysitters on request

Video hire from reception

– kids movies

Free Wi-Fi

Advertising in ‘Holidays

With Kids’ magazine

Offering school holiday

packages/deals

Partner with local family

friendly businesses

IS THAT THE ONLY OPTION?

30

Example #2

The Business

- A day tour company taking groups of 15-20 people to a national park

located 90 mins from town

The Problem

- The number of customers is declining leading to decreased revenue

The Research

- Secondary data shows that visitation to the region is mostly steady with

a small increase in the number of older Australians visiting the region

- Sales data indicates that the decline is mostly among the backpacker

youth segment – a core market for the business

- A survey of young guests shows that they find the tour ‘boring’. They

feel that visiting lookouts and other scenic spots is not engaging enough

to hold their attention.

31

Product Service Marketing

Include an interactive

element on the tour (e.g.

bushwalk, kayak, etc)

Upgrade the

entertainment offering on

the bus

Create a theme or

competitive element for

the tour (e.g. photography

competition with prize)

Improve tour commentary

to make it more

interesting

Offer a greater selection

of options for the tour –

add on activities, etc

Provide training for tour

guides to better engage

with the market

Offer pickup service from

local caravan park (for

over 55’s market)

Offer more bathroom

breaks and rest stops to

meet the needs of the

over 55’s market

Target the over 55’s

market

Pool resources and

advertise with local

businesses whose

services you offer on the

tour

Shift promotion to focus

on the interactive

elements of the business

Advertise in more

traditional channels to

target grey nomads (e.g.

caravan magazines)

Example #2

32

Have a look at the examples provided to you

Write down and discuss:

- What information you would need to solve

the problem

- How you can obtain that information (your

research method)

You will be asked to share your responses

Activity


making the numbers work for you...a guide to tourism research . 2 . ... periods in campervans. these...

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