Tourism Segmentation by Consumer-Based Variables

Abstract

The basis for successful marketing is to understand and satisfy consumer needs. Sometimes it is even possible to satisfy one individual customer's needs. In the tourism industry an individually customized tourism experience can be developed, but the market for such high-end tourism products is small. This does not, however, mean that the only alternative is to appeal to the mass market. The intermediate solution is to understand which groups of tourists have similar needs and develop tourism products that match group needs. This approach is referred to as market segmentation. The aim of this chapter is to analyze market segmentation studies in tourism research over the past decade, review recent prototypical examples of different segmentation approaches and discuss theoretical and methodological issues related to market segmentation studies. Recommendations are presented that provide guidance to researchers and students with respect to how to best avoid potential pitfalls that may lead to misinterpretations of segmentation solutions and, consequently, sub-optimal strategic decisions.

Profiling and segmentation of international tourists in India

“…It was found that some tourists' motives differed between nationalities and places visited. Dolnicar and Kemp (2009), have expressed that in the tourism industry it is very important to understand which groups of tourists have similar needs and then to develop tourism products that meet particular groups' needs. It is interesting to note the methodological approaches used in the research reported here.…”

How do Europeans travel in Australia? Examining cultural convergence in travel behaviour

“…International marketing research and practice has utilised cultural distinctions to understand consumer behaviour, and national-border segmentation bases have been used to better target specific consumer groups (Dolnicar and Kemp, 2009; Hassan and Katsanis, 1994; Helsen et al, 1993). Initially, benefits of national border’s segmentation might seem evident: there is little or no coordination of tourism marketing activities necessary between European countries (Yip, 1995).…”

“…In the field of tourism research, there is evidence that studies still support the argument that national cultures form a distinctive base for distinguishing travel behaviour, and researchers agree that those geographical segmentations are still frequently applied (Dolnicar and Kemp, 2009; Moscardo et al, 2000; Tkaczynski et al, 2009). According to Pearce (2005: 133), most tourism research argues for diverging and heterogeneous cultures: ‘An implicit conceptual approach underlies much of the international market segmentation research in tourism.…”

“…In the past, national cultures have often been using segmentation base (Dolnicar and Kemp, 2009; Tkaczynski et al, 2009), assuming that the distinction of national cultures forms a valid segmentation base. In tourism, the visitors’ place-of-origin, for example, is either used as a single layer of segmentation or within a multiple-layered segmentation approach; it is mostly oriented along national borders, distinguishing between location, place of residence or country of origin (Crotts and Litvin, 2003; Tkaczynski et al, 2009).…”

Segmentation by Experiential Familiarity and Travel Mode of the Chinese Outbound Market to Spain

“…Despite the enormous body of research on tourism motivation and satisfaction regarding the Chinese market, research on marketing segments that consider a priori segmentation has not been conducted yet. The basis for successful marketing segmentation is to understand and satisfy the differences in consumer needs through different variables (Dolnicar & Kemp, 2009). An a priori segmentation leads to the identification of different groups of tourists according to prior knowledge, it has been used widely in tourism research (Dolnicar, 2004a(Dolnicar, , 2004bWedel & Kamakura, 2012).…”