Segmentation: A tourism stakeholder view

Abstract

Tourism segmentation research has focused on (1) developing tourist segment profiles using primary and secondary tourist data and (2) understanding which segmentation bases can accurately predict future tourist behaviour. Researchers have not considered how tourism stakeholders are segmenting their tourist markets. This paper presents evidence to suggest that the use of combined segmentation variables to develop tourism profiles is warranted and that a 'one size fits all' approach is not suitable because different tourism stakeholders within a single destination attract different tourists.Furthermore, this research identified that the segments used by the destination marketing organisation failed to holistically describe the tourist groups using the different services provided by tourism stakeholders within a single destination.Destination marketing is complex involving many stakeholders each likely to be attracting different tourist segments and future research endeavours must acknowledge this complexity.

Visitor segmentation for a park system using research and managerial judgement

“…Segmentation was developed in the field of marketing as a way of framing management thinking given that it is impossible to satisfy the needs of every individual customer (Choi, Murray, & Kwan, 2011;Tkaczynski, Rundle-Thiele, & Beaumont, 2009). It involves partitioning heterogeneous markets into smaller, more homogeneous segments that can then be distinguished through differing customer needs, characteristics or behaviours (Marques et al, 2010;McCool & Reilly, 1993;Tkaczynski et al, 2009).…”

Season-Oriented Destination Positioning for Visitors in the Mediterranean

“…Benefit segmentation is recognized to be a better predictor of buying behavior than more traditional segmentation techniques (Haley, 1968). Johns and Gyimóthy (2002) and Tkaczynski, Rundle-Thiele, and Beaumont (2009) focus on the behavior of tourists and argue that while demographic and geographic segmentation cannot predict tourists' demand for particular tourism products, the benefit segmentation analysis is far more useful in providing more accurate predictions. Kim (1998) argues that the development of destination competitive position should match the visitors' season-oriented motives.…”

Market segmentation and the changing budget hotel industry in urban South Africa

“…In tourism scholarship, the concept of market segmentation has been accepted and used in a range of studies. Currently, research on segmentation in the tourism industry mainly concentrates on the construction of tourist segment profiles and interpreting which bases of segmentation can most accurately predict tourist behaviour (Tkaczynski et al, 2007).…”