Published Wednesday, 03 December, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry
The Honourable Desley Boyle
Calling all Social Fun-Seekers, Connectors, Unwinders, Active Explorers, Stylish Travellers and Self Discoverers – QLD Tourism wants you!
How being on holiday makes people feel is set to change the way the Tourism Queensland positions the state as a domestic tourism destination, Tourism Minister Desley Boyle announced today.
Ms Boyle said the revolutionary research, which looked at what consumers needed from a holiday experience and then matched it with a destination’s attributes and experiences, was a completely new approach to tourism marketing and development.
“When we looked at the breakdown of experiences available in Queensland, we realised that while a whole range of visitors might do similar things, what they personally needed to get out of those experiences differed widely,” she said.
“Similar activities appeal to a variety of people but for different reasons and it’s important that we recognise what the underlying feeling that consumers are looking for in a Queensland holiday.”
She said by using the research, holidaymakers could be categorised into six main segments: Social Fun-Seekers, Connectors, Unwinders, Active Explorers, Stylish Travellers and Self Discoverers.
“When we look at a Queensland holiday experience we need to look at it from the perspective of each of these segments and what those visitors who fit into, each of these segments would want to get out of it.”
She gave the example of an activity such as visiting a national park.
“Visiting a national park might appeal to ‘Active Explorers’ who want to push the boundaries through participating in a physically challenging activity, where as ‘Connectors’ may see the visit as an opportunity to spend time with those they care about, while ‘Self-Discoverers’ just might want to get away and enjoy some peace and quiet.
“An Active Explorer might want to hike the most challenging track; a Connector might want to have a family picnic and play with their kids; and a Self-Discoverer might want to immerse themselves in the natural environment and take some time out for personal reflection.
“They may all be visiting the same national park but what they need to get out of the experience is different.
“This means that when operators are looking at new products and marketing opportunities, they should consider what the appeal may be to different segments and tailor their product accordingly.”
Ms Boyle said 6000 Australians from all walks of life took part in the research, which would provide Queensland destinations with a powerful way of understanding how consumers chose their holiday.
“By better understanding consumers’ motivations our tourism regions and operators can now offer experiences tailored to visitors’ holiday needs and customise how they develop their product and the types of communication tools they use,” she said.
She said Tourism Queensland had identified Social Fun-Seekers as the key interstate market to target and Connectors as the focus for intrastate marketing and development.
“One of the key benefits of marketing Queensland destinations in this way is that it provides guidance to regional tourism organisations on what Australian consumers are looking for from their ideal Queensland holiday,” she said.
“We have recently completed a series of workshops with regional tourism organisations to tell them about the research and get their feedback.
“Each destination will then be able to use their main attractions and tourism experiences to appeal to several of the target segments.
“It’s important that we steer away from pigeon-holing people by assuming everyone in the same age group or with the same income is looking for the same things in a holiday.
“Instead we are moving towards a more sophisticated needs-based approach which looks at what people want to get from a holiday and how it makes them feel.
“The segmentation research will provide a competitive edge in our aim to increase the number of Australians visiting Queensland.”
For more information on the new domestic segmentation market research visit www.tq.com.au
Further information
Minister’s Office - 3225 1005 or 0419 025 326
Tourism Queensland - 3535 5010
Background: Six domestic market segments
Active Explorers - Holidays are about pushing boundaries through challenging themselves via physical activity. They enjoy the company of others, but their focus is on exploring the extremes of their physical environment and themselves. It’s about feeling alive.
Stylish Travellers - A holiday is a chance to demonstrate their achievements both to themselves and others, they do this by seeking out unique and exotic experiences and products, making them feel discerning, stylish and successful.
Self Discoverers - Holidays are about discovery, nourishment and enrichment. They seek to immerse themselves in holiday experiences that deliver this, gaining insight or a sense of well-being.
Unwinders - For unwinders, holidays are all about relaxation and release, focussing on themselves as an escape from their busy lives. They seek an unstructured holiday. Decisions are made when at the destination. This allows them to catch their breath, feel calm and peaceful and gain perspective.
Connectors - They see holidays as a chance to connect with the people they care most about. They will often compromise their own preferences in terms of activities to ensure everyone has a good time. It’s about what is real and what’s important.
Social Fun-seekers - The essence of their holiday is having a fun time. While they do a lot of different activities, it’s sharing the experience with friends and other holidaymakers that makes the difference.
Ms Boyle said the revolutionary research, which looked at what consumers needed from a holiday experience and then matched it with a destination’s attributes and experiences, was a completely new approach to tourism marketing and development.
“When we looked at the breakdown of experiences available in Queensland, we realised that while a whole range of visitors might do similar things, what they personally needed to get out of those experiences differed widely,” she said.
“Similar activities appeal to a variety of people but for different reasons and it’s important that we recognise what the underlying feeling that consumers are looking for in a Queensland holiday.”
She said by using the research, holidaymakers could be categorised into six main segments: Social Fun-Seekers, Connectors, Unwinders, Active Explorers, Stylish Travellers and Self Discoverers.
“When we look at a Queensland holiday experience we need to look at it from the perspective of each of these segments and what those visitors who fit into, each of these segments would want to get out of it.”
She gave the example of an activity such as visiting a national park.
“Visiting a national park might appeal to ‘Active Explorers’ who want to push the boundaries through participating in a physically challenging activity, where as ‘Connectors’ may see the visit as an opportunity to spend time with those they care about, while ‘Self-Discoverers’ just might want to get away and enjoy some peace and quiet.
“An Active Explorer might want to hike the most challenging track; a Connector might want to have a family picnic and play with their kids; and a Self-Discoverer might want to immerse themselves in the natural environment and take some time out for personal reflection.
“They may all be visiting the same national park but what they need to get out of the experience is different.
“This means that when operators are looking at new products and marketing opportunities, they should consider what the appeal may be to different segments and tailor their product accordingly.”
Ms Boyle said 6000 Australians from all walks of life took part in the research, which would provide Queensland destinations with a powerful way of understanding how consumers chose their holiday.
“By better understanding consumers’ motivations our tourism regions and operators can now offer experiences tailored to visitors’ holiday needs and customise how they develop their product and the types of communication tools they use,” she said.
She said Tourism Queensland had identified Social Fun-Seekers as the key interstate market to target and Connectors as the focus for intrastate marketing and development.
“One of the key benefits of marketing Queensland destinations in this way is that it provides guidance to regional tourism organisations on what Australian consumers are looking for from their ideal Queensland holiday,” she said.
“We have recently completed a series of workshops with regional tourism organisations to tell them about the research and get their feedback.
“Each destination will then be able to use their main attractions and tourism experiences to appeal to several of the target segments.
“It’s important that we steer away from pigeon-holing people by assuming everyone in the same age group or with the same income is looking for the same things in a holiday.
“Instead we are moving towards a more sophisticated needs-based approach which looks at what people want to get from a holiday and how it makes them feel.
“The segmentation research will provide a competitive edge in our aim to increase the number of Australians visiting Queensland.”
For more information on the new domestic segmentation market research visit www.tq.com.au
Further information
Minister’s Office - 3225 1005 or 0419 025 326
Tourism Queensland - 3535 5010
Background: Six domestic market segments
Active Explorers - Holidays are about pushing boundaries through challenging themselves via physical activity. They enjoy the company of others, but their focus is on exploring the extremes of their physical environment and themselves. It’s about feeling alive.
Stylish Travellers - A holiday is a chance to demonstrate their achievements both to themselves and others, they do this by seeking out unique and exotic experiences and products, making them feel discerning, stylish and successful.
Self Discoverers - Holidays are about discovery, nourishment and enrichment. They seek to immerse themselves in holiday experiences that deliver this, gaining insight or a sense of well-being.
Unwinders - For unwinders, holidays are all about relaxation and release, focussing on themselves as an escape from their busy lives. They seek an unstructured holiday. Decisions are made when at the destination. This allows them to catch their breath, feel calm and peaceful and gain perspective.
Connectors - They see holidays as a chance to connect with the people they care most about. They will often compromise their own preferences in terms of activities to ensure everyone has a good time. It’s about what is real and what’s important.
Social Fun-seekers - The essence of their holiday is having a fun time. While they do a lot of different activities, it’s sharing the experience with friends and other holidaymakers that makes the difference.