Who makes up your target market? Knowing the kinds of customers
you want to attract to your business will enable you to tailor your
product to meet their needs, and help make sure your marketing
reaches the right people.
Understanding your potential customers will help you tailor the
experience you offer to best suit their expectations and
preferences. You want to create a product that will delight your
customers and encourage them to rave about it to their friends. So
you need to know a little about who they are and what they're
looking for in a holiday experience.
This knowledge will also help you plan when your business will
be busiest, how many customers you can expect to attract, where you
need to target your marketing and how to price your product.
Ask yourself a few questions:
- Are you looking to attract domestic visitors (fellow Kiwis) or
international visitors?
- What regions of New Zealand or what countries do they come
from?
- What is their average daily expenditure when holidaying?
- How do they pre-purchase their travel and activities?
Do they use a travel agency? Go online? Or do they ring and book
direct with the operator after they've arrived?
- What is their average age?
- Do they travel in organised tour groups or independently?
- How many days do they spend in your region?
- When do they visit your region?
- What activities do they do?
- Where do they stay?
- How do they travel while in New Zealand?
- Do they speak English, or will they need assistance in their
own language?
Do Your Research
Some of the answers to the above questions can be found in the
Markets and
Statistics section of this website. Our market guides include
latest visitor statistics and commentary, advice on working in
these markets and guidance on where to go for more information.
New Zealand's Ministry of Tourism has a wide range of research
and statistics that are available to tourism operators. Their
research website - www.tourismresearch.govt.nz - is one of the
best places to start when researching the types of travellers that
come to New Zealand.
Talk to your local Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) to find
out more about the types of visitors that regularly travel to your
region, what attracts them to the region and what they do once they
arrive. Many RTOs hold regular seminars for new tourism businesses
or will be willing to meet with you to discuss your new
venture.
Tourism New Zealand's Visitor Experience Monitor (VEM) is
another useful source of information on the kinds of activities,
transport and accommodation options that are most satisfying for
visitors from different countries.
Read more about
research available through the Ministry of Tourism
Find contact details for your local RTO
Acess the Visitor Experience
Monitor research