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Before planning a new product, one of the most important tasks is to determine the target audience and write a “portrait” of the consumer. The target audience is the people who are most likely to become consumers of the service offered. The main characteristics of the target audience are: gender, age and income. In the future, the target audience can be determined by social status, lifestyle, habits and other factors. A qualitative determination of the target audience will allow you to choose exactly those types of advertising that can most effectively influence the selected audience.

Market research for resort services will allow you to create a portrait of a vacationer. It is necessary to consider the distribution of visitors by gender, age, social composition, income, and form of payment for the voucher (trip). There is a completely understandable connection between the form of payment for travel vouchers and the level of income. Among those who bought a trip with their own funds, there will likely be more people with a higher income level. The social composition of people with different forms of payment for their holidays is also likely to differ. Primarily employees, workers and pensioners travel on discounted vouchers; for their own money - more entrepreneurs and managers. Data on the respondents’ previous experience, that is, indicators of the frequency of visiting a particular resort, may be very important for analysis.

In order to attract visitors, you need to know what Russians want: what sanatoriums, services, food, leisure should be like. You should find out why they are going to the resort, what comes first: rest or treatment.

Implementation of a successful marketing activities involves taking into account individual preferences various categories consumers. This is the basis of market segmentation. Using segmentation from total number potential consumers, certain types (market segments) are selected that present more or less homogeneous requirements for the tourism product. The main goal of segmentation is to ensure that the tourism product is targeted, since it cannot meet the needs of all consumers at once.

When analyzing resort visitors, the method of surveying the target audience through questionnaires was chosen as the main method of marketing research. We developed a questionnaire containing 13 questions, including direct and alternative questions (Appendix). The total sample size of potential consumers made on the basis of a targeted search was 100 people. Taking into account the level of refusals to participate in research for this category of respondents, the minimum required degree of representativeness of the sample, reflecting the views of the target population, was determined. At the same time, the procedure for producing a representative sample was based on a combination of a standard method (the most “typical” representatives of the target population were selected). Thus, the size of the representative sample was 30 people.

By analyzing the respondents’ answers, we will form a portrait of a guest at the Gelendzhik resort.

According to our research, the main purpose of coming to the resort of Gelendzhik is a vacation with family - 32%, with friends - 18%, entertainment - 31%, treatment - 15% and 4% something else.

To the question From what sources did you learn about the Gelendzhik resort? The respondents' answers were distributed as follows: 50% - reviews of relatives and friends; 16% - information from travel agencies and tour operators; 12% - from the Internet; 10% - from advertising and media; 12% - other sources.

Answering the question, what influenced your choice to purchase a ticket to the Gelendzhik resort? the majority of respondents responded as follows: 70% said that they were concerned about their health, so they tried to regularly see doctors and undergo a course of health-improving procedures. The remaining 30% believe that health is not the most important thing in life, so they visit doctors only in extreme cases. 65% of respondents are absolutely sure that good health is an integral part of a modern business person, 10% did not share this idea, and for 25% how they look is extremely important.

To achieve success, respondents identified the following factors:

• · 40% think the most in an efficient way keeping the body in excellent shape sports health centers and clubs (swimming pools, gyms);
• · 35% are confident that the maximum effect can be achieved by visiting comprehensive health centers where a combination is used various methods;
• · 12% expect success from visiting beauty salons (massage, masks, mud wraps);
• · 8% believe in the effectiveness of visiting medical institutions where medical and health procedures are used;
• · 5% believe in the success of regular exercise at home.

To the question “When did you come to the Gelendzhik resort?” The respondents' answers were distributed as follows: the first segment - 43%, the second - 25%, the third - 13%, the fourth - 6%, the fifth - 4%, the sixth - 9%. It’s great that 57% of guests come to us not for the first time. And this suggests that they need to be retained by introducing some new products.

To the question What attracts you to Gelendzhik as a resort? Thus, of all respondents surveyed, 26% answered - treatment; 24% - entertainment facilities; 18% - liked everything; 16% - embankment; 6% - excursions, 5% - cleanliness, 3% - service and 2% did not like anything.

When answering the question, How often do you use health services? The answers were given as follows: 15% are regular users of health services; 30% are beginners; 20% - do not use health services; 20% are former users; 15% are potential users.

When answering the question, How often do you use active wellness services? The answers were given as follows: 15% are regular users of health services; 30% are beginners; 20% - do not use health services; 20% are former users; 15% are potential users. Respondents' answers to the question “How many times have you vacationed at domestic resorts?” are presented in Figure 2.6. When determining the share, 100% was taken as the basis - the entire segment.

Fig.2.6

From Figure 2.6. it can be seen that the respondents’ answers were distributed as follows: the first segment - 43%, the second - 25%, the third - 13%, the fourth - 6%, the fifth - 4%, the sixth - 9%. Thus, 57% of guests come to us not for the first time. And this suggests that they need to be retained by introducing some new products.

To assess the stage of readiness of the interviewed respondents to accept the new proposal, the following question was asked: Are you ready to undergo a course of wellness treatments at this moment?

All surveyed respondents, according to the degree of their readiness to accept the new offer, can be divided into the following groups:

• “intending” (expressing a specific intention) - 20%
• · “interested” (the idea itself seems attractive to them, but at this stage, for various reasons, they consider it unfeasible) - 50%
• · indifferent (they are indifferent to this proposal, since this problem does not concern them) - 25%

“not accepting” (do not believe in the success of this business) - 5%

Assessing the level of awareness of respondents when creating a new service, the following question was asked - Do you know what constitutes fitness services? How respondents' answers were distributed can be seen from Figure 2.7.

Rice. 2.7

According to Figure 2.7. we can say that the level of awareness of respondents in terms of the degree of their knowledge about fitness services is different. Thus, respondents can be divided into the following groups:

• § orientation - 12%
• § well oriented - 18%
• § moderately oriented - 35%
• § poorly oriented - 26%
• § uninformed - 9%

When answering the question, What, in your opinion, needs to be changed at domestic resorts? 22% said that everything is fine, nothing needs to be changed. 18% complained about high prices; 16% suggested creating health or sports centers in sanatoriums; 13% were dissatisfied due to the lack of air conditioning in the rooms; 12% - low service; 9% - asked to increase the number of entertainment; 10% are dissatisfied with utility problems.

And finally, the answer to the question, Would you like to come to the Gelendzhik resort again? The data is presented in Figure 2.8.

From the data in Figure 2.8, it is clear that 55% of vacationers have intentions of returning to the resort, which means that there is no need to rest on our laurels - there is still a lot of work to do, it is necessary to create new services, improve living conditions, and improve service.

Rice. 2.8

The study found that the main consumers of the Gelendzhik resort are, first of all, people who are attracted to the Gelendzhik resort as a place for active recreation and treatment.

So, let’s highlight the main consumers of the resort. The share of men is 45%, and women 55%. All respondents are representatives of the age group from 25 to 54 years old, have traveled a lot, have their own idea of ​​​​rest, know the quality and are willing to pay a certain amount.

Table 2.3 data. determine the characteristics of each social class.

Table 2.3 Segmentation by main consumers

Note. When determining the share of each class, 100% was taken as the basis - the entire segment.

Based on this, we can conclude that the main consumers of the Gelendzhik resort are representatives of the second class, whose share of the entire segment is 37%, the income level is 10-15 thousand per month and whose age does not exceed 40 years. This level of income allows them to pay for a trip, the cost of which is present moment is 12,470 rubles for 14 days of stay in the sanatorium.

The share of the upper class is 12%. These are people with higher education who receive a stable income and want to get away from everyday worries and hustle and bustle, so the main purpose of their trip is to enjoy active recreation and sports.

The share of the middle class is 26%, the income level does not exceed 10 thousand rubles per month, the age of people exceeds 40 years. This class is characterized by the use of natural healing factors at the resort and the confidence that this particular resort will contribute to the treatment of their disease. In addition, people over 40 years of age are more conservative in choosing a place of treatment, and are more likely to be guided by established priorities. The average income level of this class does not allow them to pay the full cost of travel (accommodation, food, treatment), the amount of which is 19,110 rubles for 21 days of stay.

As marketing research has shown, clients are people coming from Central Russia - 24%, 18% - from Moscow (which means that a fifth of the total number of vacationers is a rather demanding public), 15% - from the North Caucasus, 12% - from North, 8% - from Krasnodar region and Rostov region, 5% from St. Petersburg, 18% from other regions. When determining the duration of the trip, it became clear that 10% of guests come for 7 days, 12% for 10, 15% for 12, 37% for 14, 26% for a longer period.

To attract potential consumers to the Gelendzhik resort, attention should be paid to describing the exoticism of the local landscape, the healing climatic conditions, and cultural and historical attractions.

A fundamentally new direction in the strategy for promoting one’s services to the health tourism market should be the strategy of attracting people who are more tourists than patients. We need to stop focusing solely on people in need of treatment. Marketing research has repeatedly shown that large group vacationers on sanatorium-resort vouchers used this opportunity not so much for the purpose of full-fledged treatment, but for the purpose of relaxation, a change of familiar surroundings and finding new acquaintances. The majority of people surveyed pay great attention to their health and appearance, considering them one of the most important factors in achieving success. According to the majority, only comprehensive health centers can keep the body in good shape. During the survey, there was a clear tendency that people in the 31-40 age group were the most informed in the field of fitness services. Of the total number of respondents surveyed, 65% know about fitness services, which suggests that people regularly look after themselves and take care of their health. However, 35% are poorly versed in fitness services due to the fact that they pay little attention to wellness services.

Based on the results of research, in order to improve the conditions of recreation at domestic resorts, the current solution is to create a fitness club as a new service, which will offer sports and fitness services, which will help enter a new segment of the consumer market and attract additional customers.

PR campaign in a travel agency as a tool for promoting a new trade offer

1.8 Specifics of the target audience of tourism services

Target group, target audience is a term used in marketing or advertising to designate a group of people united by common characteristics, or defined for the sake of some goal or objective. General characteristics can be understood as any characteristics required by the organizers (for example, working married women from 25 to 35 years old, wearing glasses).

In advertising, the target audience is the group of people to whom the advertising message and promotional activities are directed. The main and most important category for the advertiser is the recipients of the advertising message. The vast majority of the target group or audience are potential buyers of the advertised product.

Another characteristic of the target group can be the number of people, expressed in thousands or as a percentage of the sample (total number), who saw the advertisement or marketing information at least once.

Tourists visit certain tourist centers, making various trips (depending on the latter, tourist centers can be classified). According to the American scientist V. Smith, there are six categories of tourism.

1. Ethnic tourism is travel made with the aim of studying the culture and lifestyle of rare or exotic peoples. These include visits to homes, religious ceremonies and possible participation in religious rituals.

2. Cultural tourism - travel carried out for the purpose of studying, and if possible, participating in the life of endangered tribes. In this case, the tourist center organizes food tastings in rural hotels, costume festivals, folk dances, and demonstrations of arts and crafts.

3. Historical tourism - tours that include acquaintance with the sights of countries, museums, cathedrals. For example, it covers the world famous historical monuments of Rome, Egypt or Greece. The tasks of this type of tourism are facilitated by the fact that cultural attractions are located in large cities or in close proximity to them. Some attractions, in particular, are equipped for organizing mass tourism.

4. Ecotourism attracts travelers to pristine, sometimes remote places in the world. It is similar to ethnic tourism, but the emphasis here is on natural attractions. Travel made for the purpose of “communication with nature” is mainly geographical in nature. Locally, tourists are offered hiking or horseback riding, mountaineering, canoeing, accommodation in camp towns, photographing beautiful views of nature, etc.

5. Recreational tourism is travel made for the purpose of recreation, i.e. taking sunbathing, swimming, social contacts in a calm environment, participation in sports games. Such recreation areas are often located at sea, where there are developed beaches, shores covered with palm trees, or on mountain slopes covered with snow, etc.

6. Business tourism is travel undertaken for the purpose of participating in congresses, meetings, seminars and other important events. Travel for business purposes can be combined with other types of tourism listed above.

Different tourist destinations may attract tourists from different market sectors. For example, the famous American gambling center Las Vegas, in addition to serving the recreational tourism market, is known as a major center for the convention business. At the same time, from a variety of tourist centers, a tourist can choose one that offers only one type of tourism. Thus, a tourist interested in skiing spends his vacation in Alpine resorts.

According to Western experts, the main factors determining the attractiveness of a tourist region are: accessibility of the region; its nature and climate; attitude of the local population towards visitors; regional infrastructure; price level; state retail; sports, recreational and educational opportunities; cultural and social characteristics. The last factor, in turn, attracts tourists for the following reasons: work, national clothing, architecture, crafts, history, language, religion, education, traditions, recreation, painting, music, gastronomy.

Many international travelers are interested in the economic state of a particular country, i.e. industry, trade, welfare of the people, etc. Travel companies organize special tours to factories of the country, which facilitate the exchange of experience. Such events in tourist centers are promoted and supported by the local chamber of commerce, hotels, restaurants or other service organizations.

Chambers of Commerce organize group tours to establish close contacts with potential markets and attract attention to their products. Other interested organizations are shopping centers and large stores that want to sell as many goods as possible to tourists. There are several large centers in the world where tourists go for shopping.

Guests may also be attracted to the country's agricultural culture. Farmers' markets or small roadside stands selling fresh produce from nearby villages can be an important part of the tourist experience in many places. In some countries, special group tours of agricultural workers are organized to familiarize themselves with the achievements of colleagues from other countries. For example, winemakers from all over the globe visit the vineyards of France and study the achievements of French winemakers.

An important reflection of a country's culture is its food and drink. Tourists enjoy tasting national dishes and drinks. Therefore, hotels and restaurants naturally take an active part here, offering tourists a rich menu of national cuisine, and their employees talk about the secrets of preparing this or that dish.

The cultural heritage of a region is expressed in its historical monuments, and some tourist centers are directly related to history. Interest in the history of a region can be the most powerful motivator for visiting it and, therefore, form a significant market segment. Therefore, saving historical monuments architecture, as well as museum values, is very important for the success of tourism (the necessary promotion of museums is carried out by organizations that directly communicate with tourists, for example, tourist information centers at resorts, hotels, restaurants, etc.).

Until recently, the marketing and sales literature emphasized acquiring new customers, traditionally focusing on sales techniques rather than building customer loyalty. However, more and more companies are beginning to recognize the growing importance of consumer loyalty. In one study, it was noted that due to a 5% reduction in consumer departures from the queue, company profits increased from 25 to 85%.

Loyalty programs are usually based on material or moral rewards for regular customers. The goal of non-price loyalty programs is to focus the company’s attention on the client himself, namely, to obtain maximum information about the buyer and surround him with “care.” As a result, the client is sold not so much a product as an accompanying service.

A loyalty program, if properly developed and managed, provides what is now fashionable to call “syncretism of benefits.” These benefits can be summarized as follows:

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An in-depth knowledge of the tourism market begins with the basic concept of “tourist demand”, which, along with the category of “tourist supply”, is fundamental for understanding both the individual problems of tourism as an economic system and the mechanism of its functioning as a whole.

In the concept of tourism demand, priority is given to the consumer. It's no coincidence that's why special attention deserves study of the visitors whose needs and desires are intended to be satisfied.

§ 1. Segmentation of the tourist market. Types of tourists

The concept of market segmentation. The vast majority of consumer markets are heterogeneous. Buyers have different tastes, aspirations, habits, capabilities, etc. presenting unequal demand. The more consumers differ from each other, the more difficult it is to create a product (service) that would satisfy absolutely everyone and the more useless advertising becomes that targets all buyers at once. With increasing competition, manufacturers are striving to capture the slightest nuances of consumer demand in order to offer a product that is in demand in the market. However, it is not profitable for the manufacturer to produce goods (services) for each person individually, focusing on his individual desires and requests. Instead, the seller identifies broad groups of consumers with similar characteristics and characterized by relatively homogeneous demand. Such groups are called segments, and the process of identifying them is called segmentation. It is considered a key marketing technology.

Using the example of a market of six buyers, we will consider three marketing technologies. In the first case, there is no market segmentation. The second case is diametrically opposite, corresponding to the extreme degree of market segmentation. Here, each buyer represents a separate segment. In the third case, the market is divided according to a selected criterion (for example, by income level). With this division, three segments are formed. Moreover, the group of buyers with an income level indicated by one is the largest.

Segments in varying degrees interested in the same product. According to classical law marketing, 20-30% of buyers provide sales of 70-80% of the product (service). The correct identification of promising consumers who make up the target segment (audience) is the main task of segmentation and at the same time its main difficulty.

The picture of the market, divided into a number of segments, clarifies the choice of direction for the company. Market segmentation determines the adoption of strategic decisions and the direct development of the marketing mix.

Requirements for the market segment. Segmentation limitations. The success or, conversely, defeat of a company in the market depends on how correctly it managed to identify consumer groups. The market segment must meet a number of conditions.

Intergroup heterogeneity. All segments must be different from each other and have different needs.

Homogeneity. Within each group, consumers should have certain similarities that will allow an appropriate marketing plan to be developed for the entire segment.

Measurability. To form a market audience, the characteristics of consumers, as well as their requirements, must be measurable. Some variables, especially those related to lifestyle, are very difficult to measure.

Capacity. The segment must be large enough to generate sales and cover costs. Sometimes the selected audience is too narrow, i.e. The production of goods (services) exceeds the volume of purchases made by this group of consumers. While in megacities many different ethnic restaurants coexist, in small towns Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Moroccan restaurants are unlikely to survive due to insufficient capacity of the segments.

Availability for the company. It shows whether and to what extent a segment is influenced by advertising, and whether it can be served. We must strive to ensure that consumers in groups are easily reached. Thus, American college students should be reached through college newspapers. They are the best means of communicating with this category of buyers, since over 80% of students read them regularly.

Other requirements for the segment are also discussed: sustainability, growth prospects, ability to develop, etc.

Although segmentation is considered the heart of marketing efforts, it should not be overused. There is a danger of selecting segments that are too small. Firms often try, but fail, to compete in many, very different segments. They may misinterpret buyer similarities and differences, confuse consumers, or become bogged down in a shrinking market segment.

Segmentation is carried out using a number of criteria (parameters) characterizing the volume and quality of demand of a certain group of consumers for a particular product (service). In tourism science and in practice, it is common to divide the tourism market according to various criteria (geographical, demographic, socio-economic, psychographic and behavioral), as well as based on their combination.

Geographical segmentation is often used by statistical agencies. They divide the general population of tourists into homogeneous groups according to the regions (countries) of their origin. Tourists united in one group are characterized by a certain stereotype of behavior. They are close in their preferences, expectations, and sought benefits.

Americans are willing to spend large sums of money on vacations, but they also expect to get a lot. They are demanding about the level of service. Sometimes they complain if their expectations are not met.

The British are a very difficult segment of the tourist market. Some people are naive. They never complain right away, but they may complain later.

The French are a sophisticated market. They are jealous of the English language and do not understand why the whole world speaks English and not French. Often unrestrained. They only love their national food.

The Germans are a difficult market. They are very picky, often complain, punctual in everything and require clarity in organizing the trip.

The Japanese are an easier market. They can be programmed and organized for any event. Extremely accurate. They have a very rough idea of ​​the traditions and culture of the country they are visiting, but want to learn as much as possible. Fans of photography: they photograph everything that moves and does not move, that casts a shadow and even the shadow itself. They do not like to mix with representatives of other nationalities.

Each selected market segment has a different model of tourist behavior and requires a special approach.

Segmentation by geodemographic basis. The regional breakdown is often supplemented by segmentation based on “urban-rural” or by level of urbanization (size of settlements). Although recently there has been a blurring of differences between the demands of urban and rural population, residents of large and small cities and all of them are actively involved in the sphere of tourist exchanges, the size and nature of tourist demand still depend on the location of consumers.

A modern large city has a dual impact on human life and adaptive capabilities. On the one hand, he receives a number of economic, social, and cultural advantages, on the other hand, being cut off from nature, he finds himself in an alien environment with a high population density, an accelerated pace of life, polluted air, etc.

Urbanization with its increased risk for human health plays a significant role in the formation of recreational needs and tourism demand. How larger city, the greater the desire of its residents to return to a natural state and the wider the circle of people who spend their vacations outside their permanent residence, regularly escaping from environmental aggression. A survey carried out in France in the early 1990s found that the national average holiday departure rate was 59%, ranging from 42% in rural communes (less than 2,000 inhabitants) to 73% in the Parisian metropolitan area and 77% in Paris. The recreational mobility of people in urban centers is higher than in small towns or rural areas. The relationship between the size of a settlement and the volume of demand for country holidays can be traced throughout the civilized world.

Demographic segmentation involves dividing the market into groups based on age, gender of consumers, their marital status, family composition, etc. These and other demographic characteristics are the most common segmentation factors. One of the reasons for this popularity lies in the fact that needs and preferences, as well as the intensity of consumption of a product (service) are closely related to demographic characteristics. Another reason is that demographic characteristics are relatively easy to measure. Even in cases where the market is described from a different perspective (for example, based on the existence of different personality types), demographic parameters are still taken into account.

When segmenting the tourism market by demographics, the WTO recommends identifying five age groups.

The first group from 0 to 14 years old includes children. They usually travel with their parents, who make travel decisions for them. Many tourist services are provided to them at preferential rates. The size of the discounts often serves as the basis for further gradation of this category of travelers into smaller and more homogeneous parts: infants up to one year old, who can be transported free of charge, children from one to 5 years old, from 6 to 11 years old and from 12 to 14 years old.

The second group from 15 to 24 years old is formed by young people. Unlike children, young people travel without parents. They have their own, usually very limited, funds for the trip.

The third segment of the tourist market consists of relatively young people, from 25 to 44 years old economically active people. They have families and spend their free time with them. The model of tourist behavior of people in this group is largely influenced by the needs and interests of their children.

The fourth category includes middle-aged people from 45 to 64 years old. They still remain economically active, but, unlike the previous group, they are not burdened with caring for children who, having grown up, left their father's home. In the West, such families are often called “empty nests.”

The independent segment is formed by older people, mainly non-working pensioners. The tourism market for seniors over 65 years of age has undergone profound changes over the past 10-20 years and is characterized by high rates of growth in tourist travel.

Each age group has its own distinct behavior pattern and sets tourism priorities differently.

The classification of visitors by age proposed by the WTO can be taken as a basis by national tourism administrations, statistical bodies, and tourism enterprises and used by them, taking into account local characteristics (Table 14).

Segmentation based on socio-economic characteristics has long been known and used in marketing research travel market. Among the socio-economic characteristics of potential tourists, the most important are income level, as well as social status, occupation (profession) and level of education.

When creating a tourism product, the manufacturer must answer, among others, the following queries: “Who can afford to purchase this tour?”, “Who will be interested in it?” If we approach the solution of the questions posed from a historical point of view, it will become obvious that at each stage of social development there were one or several social strata that determined the picture of travel.

Table 14
Tourist priorities of different age groups of the population (from sociological survey population, conducted by the English travel agency "Lanne Poly")

Until the beginning of the 20th century. tourism was aristocratic in nature. The earliest information about individual embryonic forms of tourism and its social base dates back to the era of Antiquity. The ancient Greeks and Romans - senior government officials, clan nobility, large landowners, wealthy merchants, etc. - were probably the first to regularly undertake long-distance sea and land voyages.

In the late Middle Ages, a new social phenomenon arose in the aristocratic circles of English society - grand tours - trips of young wealthy Englishmen to the continent to complete their education. The trip, undertaken with the aim of visiting France and Italy and becoming familiar with truly great works of art, was designed for two to three years and was an expensive pleasure. Only rich families could spend from 3 to 4 thousand pounds. Art. per year to study abroad. But from the second half of the 17th century, with the entry of England into the modern era, the social base of travel changed and expanded, and in the last third of the 18th century. The economically strengthened bourgeoisie, displacing the English aristocracy, poured onto the continent to join European culture.

Later, in the 19th century, the stratum of the monetary bourgeoisie - the rentier, living on interest from a loan of money capital or dividends from securities - became the trendsetter in the fashion for travel. Unrelated business activity, they had free time, as well as financial resources necessary for tourist trips. In 1899, the income of English rentiers amounted to 90-100 million pounds. Art. and five times the income from foreign trade of England, at that time the most trading country in the world.

In the 20th century social structure Western society is becoming more complex. becomes its support and guarantor of stability middle class. Appearing at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries. in England, by the middle of the 20th century. he took a dominant position in the hierarchy of Western societies; fundamentally changing their class structure. Today at developed countries 60-70% of the population are white collar workers.

According to the apt definition of the American historian, sociologist and journalist M. Lerner, “they do not own either state power or economic leadership, but they rule culture, set the tone in the sphere of consumption, and the “big press” addresses them as their main audience. light reading and illustrated magazines are addressed to them, a surrogate of culture is created for them. They do not know either the hardship or the pleasure of physical work, they do not know the excitement of those who dare to undertake a bold undertaking. These are average people, and their goals are also average. They want comfort, some kind of comfort. Some kind of prosperity and confidence in the future. The reluctance to take risks lies the reason for their conformity, both political and cultural. They look with respect at the top of the Big Business pyramid, where they themselves would dream of finding themselves, and look down on the workers located at the very bottom, hoping. that they will be able to avoid such a fate."

The middle class corresponds to a certain standard of living, in which travel is not the least important. This broadest segment of the population in a civilized society has become the main consumer of tourism goods and services, radically changing the nature of tourism. From an aristocratic one, it has turned into a mass, democratic phenomenon of our time.

A person's social status depends on his financial situation. Income level is one of the signs of belonging to the upper, middle or lower class of society. In travel marketing, it is often used as an independent socio-economic factor in segmenting the consumer market.

A person’s material well-being affects his needs, preferences and purchasing choices. Back in the 19th century. Prussian statistician and economist E. Engel proved that there is a direct connection between the type of goods (services) purchased and the amount of money income of the consumer. According to the law he discovered, as income increases, the share of funds spent on essential goods decreases, and the share of spending on luxury goods increases. These progressive changes in the structure of Consumption are expressed, in particular, in the rapid expansion of demand for tourism goods and services. If we take the indicator of gross national product (GNP) per capita as a criterion of wealth, then the distribution of countries in the world according to material well-being and tourist mobility of the population will be as follows (Table 15).

Table 15
Gross national product per capita and share of the population traveling on holiday in three industrialized and three developing countries, 1992.

The table shows that the main suppliers of tourists are countries with a high standard of living. But even in them there is differentiation of the population according to income. For example, in the USA, groups of Americans are distinguished with total family income for the year

Up to 10,000 am. Doll.,

From 10,000 to 14,999 am. Doll,

From 15,000 to 19,999 am. Doll.,

From 20,000 to 29,999 am. Doll.,

From 30,000 to 49,999 US. Doll.,

From 50,000 to 99,999 US. Doll.,

100,000 am. dollars and above.

Differences in the financial situation of the population give rise to heterogeneity in tourism demand. A relatively thin layer of wealthy individuals prefer expensive tours with a high class of service. They usually travel individually or in small special interest groups (VIPs). Populations with more modest incomes purchase tours at average and low prices, designed for the mass consumer.

According to a sociological survey, in the mid-80s in the USSR, the bulk of tourists from the United States were people with an annual family budget of 20 to 75 thousand US dollars. dollars (Table 16). In the mid-90s, due to a sharp increase in prices for tourist services in Russian Federation Such trips could be afforded mainly by families whose annual income exceeded 50 thousand. Doll.

Table 16
Distribution of American tourists who visited the USSR in 1984-1985 by income level

The income level, considered by marketers as the basis for market segmentation, does not always accurately outline the circle of consumers of a particular product (service).

In the US, some high-end downtown restaurants have opened branches in middle-class suburbs. They counted on the high paying ability of this category of the population. However, soon many of them were forced to close due to lack of clientele. Unlike city dwellers, suburban residents relatively rarely visit such establishments, preferring to dine at home.

Almost all marketers recognize and use geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic indicators of market segmentation. The information they collect about gender, age, family size, social status, level of education, property status, and place of residence allows them to comprehensively describe buyers and identify homogeneous groups among them. This approach to segmentation is sometimes called descriptive.

Initially, all segmentation was descriptive. It seemed that knowledge of the geographical, demographic and socio-economic characteristics of consumers was sufficient to gain a complete understanding of the market and its segments. However, it soon became clear that it does not make it possible to explain behavior and reveal the true motives driving customers. Traditional descriptive segmentation leaves many questions unanswered: “Why do some people travel while others, on the contrary, prefer to stay at home?”; “Why does a person choose this particular vacation spot and not any other?” In search of an answer to the questions posed, let us turn to motivational and psychological factors.

Segmentation based on psychographic characteristics organically complements descriptive segmentation. Psychographics studies the lifestyle of people, i.e. established forms of their existence in the world. These forms are expressed in activities, interests and opinions. Psychographics paints a portrait of a person in all the diversity of his actions and interactions with other people. Lifestyle, more than occupation, level of material wealth, or membership in a particular social class, helps to understand a person’s changing values ​​and purchasing behavior.

In tourism marketing, segmentation based on psychographic principles has become widespread. Marketers study how people spend their time (their hobbies, entertainment), why; the meaning they attach and what their attitudes are towards different types of holidays. The activities, interests and opinions of people are directly reflected in their tourism preferences. But not all psychographic characteristics equally determine tourist behavior. The following five have a particularly strong influence: the propensity for change, the readiness for adventure and risk, the degree of conservatism, the requirements for comfort while traveling and the intellectual level of tourist demands. Based on these signs, primarily the willingness to take risks, the American psychologist S. Plog identified two extreme types of tourists (Table 17) - psychocentrics and allocentrics. Each of these types of tourists is characterized by a certain behavior pattern. They choose different places for recreation, means of transport and accommodation.

Table 17
Comparative characteristics of psychocentrics and allocentrics

* The most comfortable and expensive hotels belong to the so-called chains - large hotel companies. They cover dozens of hotels in different countries and are known for their high level of service (for more details, see Chapter IX $ 2)

There are not many “pure” psychocentrics and allocentrics among tourists. The majority of travelers occupy an intermediate position, being “mid-centric”. Their actions can be traced characteristic features both behavior patterns. They travel to unfamiliar places, but in comfort. Some of them are more willing to take risks, others, on the contrary, strive to avoid unforeseen situations. The attraction of tourists to one of the two poles explains the specifics of their demand.

The psychographic approach is closely related to another type of market segmentation based on the characteristics of people's purchasing behavior. A number of experts consider behavioral parameters to be the most suitable for identifying consumer segments.

Behavioral segmentation allows us to identify relatively homogeneous groups of consumers depending on their attitude towards the company and its offer, awareness of the product (service), reaction to it and nature of use. If psychographic segmentation is focused on the consumer's personal characteristics and lifestyle, then behavioral segmentation considers the client in connection with the product. In this case, especially close attention is paid to two categories of persons who are already using the product or are its potential buyers.

In tourism, when researching the consumer market, mainly three types of behavioral segmentation are used. One of them is segmentation according to the desired benefits (advantages). In tourism, the largest division of the market according to the benefits sought is considered to be the division into visitors for entertainment and business purposes. These two main visitor segments can in turn be divided into smaller market audiences. For example, many of those who go on vacation seek to break away from everyday reality and compensate for the lack of physical activity. Others view tourism as a means of interpersonal communication. Their leisure activities are aimed at establishing closer communicative relationships with other vacationers. Particularly inquisitive tourists, united under the motto “Culture, discovery, life,” want to receive new information, enrich themselves intellectually, or temporarily change their occupation. A wide range of vacationers need peace and rehabilitation after stressful situations in everyday life. There are also tourists who are looking for an opportunity to realize their creative potential while traveling.

Of course, the given list of benefits sought cannot be considered exhaustive. However, it gives an idea of ​​the variety of benefits expected by tourists when traveling, and the types of leisure activities in which they are realized to one degree or another.

Another type of behavioral segmentation is segmenting the market according to the degree of consumer commitment to brands, and in tourism, most often to tourist centers or areas. Based on this criterion, consumers can be divided into three groups. Some tourists do not show commitment to any of the tourist centers, changing the direction of their trips. They either buy a tour that is currently available, or want to purchase something different from what is on sale. This type of consumer is called "wanderer".

The second market segment consists of travelers with a certain degree of commitment. They give preference to several tourist centers, rarely change them and usually do not strive to develop new ones.

Finally, complete, or unconditional, adherents always rest in the same place. They are not attracted to other, often cheaper resorts.

When segmenting, it should be remembered that buyer behavior, which would seem to be; explained by stable preferences, in fact it may be a manifestation of habit or indifference, serve as a reaction to low price or lack of alternative offers. Segmenting by adherence requires caution.

Another approach to dividing the market - segmentation by consumption intensity - is based on different volumes of goods (services) purchased by customers. In the 60s of the XX century. In marketing, the term “heavy half” has emerged to describe the market audience that accounts for a disproportionate share of the total sales of a product or service. It was established that there is a mass user segment in the markets for carbonated drinks and shampoos.

The theory of the “heavy half” is also applied in the tourism sector. Research shows that in the tourism business, a high percentage of turnover is achieved by serving a small proportion of the clientele. Thus, 4.1% of airline passengers provide aircraft load on 70.4% of flights, and 59.4% of people per day in hotels and motels account for 7.9% of visitors.

Naturally, most firms focus their efforts on the “heavy half.” They prefer to attract one active customer rather than several weak customers. For this purpose, tourism industry enterprises have developed and are implementing programs such as “Regular Guest”, which provide preferential services to regular customers. Despite the relatively high costs and the far-from-ambiguous attitude of specialists, such programs encourage tourists to resort to the services of the same companies, and help firms conquer and retain the most profitable market segments.

In all cases" when a company focuses on the "heavy half", one should be wary of the factor of deceptiveness of the value. The "light half" may turn out to be insufficiently developed.

Multidimensional segmentation. As a rule, the market is divided not by one, but by several variables. It allows you to more accurately describe consumer needs. Any of the segments indicated on it can be chosen by the company as a target depending on its available resources, the positions of competitors and other circumstances.

In our example of large American restaurant branches located in the suburbs, mass bankruptcy could have been avoided if segmentation had been carried out not only by the income level of potential customers, but also by their location and marital status.

Among the groups of consumers of restaurant services, the most active are residents of large cities, single, with an average level of income (marked in color). They spend more than half their budget on food, including frequent dining out, according to the National Restaurant Association.

The six main types of consumer segmentation considered are widely used in various areas of business, including tourism. At the same time, the tourism market has a number of features that must be taken into account when identifying separate market audiences.

In tourism, the role of direct consumer of services and buyer (customer) is often played by different faces. For example, a company books a hotel room for a traveling employee, but the needs of the parties do not always coincide.

In addition, the decision to purchase tourism services may vary depending on the purpose of the trip - vacation, business trip, visiting relatives and friends, etc. It is also influenced by the availability of free time, duration and frequency of rest.

When traveling is done in groups, the common interest often differs from the needs and desires of each member.

Finally, when segmenting the travel market, the timing of purchasing and booking decisions should be taken into account. It can be said with a certain degree of confidence that people who purchase “last minute tours” are looking for different benefits than those who bought a ticket in advance.

Paying attention to these circumstances, experts discuss the feasibility of using, along with generally accepted geographic, demographic, geodemographic, socio-economic, psychographic and behavioral characteristics, other specific criteria for segmenting the tourism market. These include distance covered, type of recreation, means of transportation, etc.

Segmentation methods. Market segmentation is carried out using different methods. Among the most famous and widespread, especially in tourism marketing activities, is a set of mathematical methods called cluster analysis. They allow you to divide the analyzed set of objects into a small number of classes (clusters), homogeneous within and extremely different from each other.

Cluster analysis methods are divided into two types depending on whether clusters are found simultaneously or sequentially. During simultaneous search, variational and agglomerative methods are widely used. When further classifying, methods are used that are based on defining the concept of a cluster in special terms - the maximum permissible radius or the threshold of significance of connections. Within the framework of cluster analysis, each source object (person, enterprise, region, etc.) is described using a system of m indicators and is specified as a point in m-dimensional space. When depicted graphically, the proximity of two or more checks means the homogeneity of the corresponding objects and their belonging to the same class.

Suppose you need to divide n objects into a given number of classes r. The cluster analysis procedure for a sequential army of classes is performed in two stages. First, the primary centers of r classes are established as a system of r points most striking from each other. At the second stage, sequentially for each of the remaining (n-r) points, the class is determined, to the center of which it is located least of all. The point is included in the class, after which the new center of the cluster is found as the arithmetic mean of the checks included in it.

We will consider the practical application of cluster analysis using the example of segmenting the Belgian holiday travel market. The formation of clusters was preceded by a sociological survey of potential tourists. They were presented with a list of 29 main benefits expected from vacation: the opportunity to spend time passively, get to know the rich cultural heritage, enjoy the beauty of the natural landscape, good food, etc. Respondents were asked to rank them. Depending on the score that each position received, the person being surveyed fell into one class or another. As a result, seven clusters were identified, differing in the desired benefits on vacation:

1. People focused on family holidays on the warm seashore. This is the largest cluster of the Belgian leisure travel market - 27% of potential tourists. A beautiful landscape, communication with other people, a hospitable welcome, good food, and entertainment for children are important to them. They prefer to spend their holidays in the countries of Southern Europe according to the “sea - sun - beach” scheme.

2. Supporters of passive recreation (26% of potential tourists). In the proposed list of benefits, they singled out one - peace.

3. Nature lovers (12%). They are attracted by picturesque landscapes.

4. "Discoverers" (10%). Tourists in this cluster expect to receive three benefits from their vacation: to experience the unknown, to establish close contact with other people, and to touch cultural heritage.

5. Followers of traditions (10%). They especially value safety, peace, and good food when traveling. On vacation, “traditionalists” like to spend time with their family.

6. "Contactors" (10%). They attach great importance to communication, being in pleasant company, and a hospitable welcome.

7. Fans of active recreation at sea (5%). Indispensable conditions for a good holiday for them are the presence of the sea and the beach, the opportunity to play sports, and have entertainment.

The described clusters differ in the priority and “weight” of the benefits sought. For some tourists, the main thing on vacation is being surrounded by family, for others - beautiful landscapes. Essentially, all the differences come down to two things: the unequal degree of physical activity, as well as the sociability of Belgians on vacation. These generalized indicators define a plane that can be used to graphically represent clusters.

Clusters are represented as circles. Their diameter is directly proportional to the size of the classes. The distance between clusters serves as a measure of their heterogeneity. For example, the second and fourth clusters are polar, while the first and third are closely related.

In the example given, tourism centers developing active forms of leisure should target the fourth and seventh segments, which represent 15% of the Belgian leisure tourism market.

The results of cluster analysis are of great practical importance. Knowing them, a company can choose a target audience, offer services in accordance with the needs of potential consumers, more accurately determine the market capacity, and conduct targeted advertising. In all cases, gain a good reputation and consolidate competitive advantages Only those companies that study not their production capabilities, but the needs of customers and develop plans to satisfy them, will be able to enter the market.

Travel agency: where to start, how to succeed Mokhov Georgy Avtondilovich

Determining the target audience of buyers

It is necessary to determine the target audience of buyers at the stage of creating the project concept, since the characteristics and preferences of your potential buyers will influence the choice of office location, the range of tours, very likely the name of the travel agency, and then the means and methods of promoting services.

This example will be useful for those who already have an office in mind. Assess its location, the characteristics of the area, the potential surrounding audience and use this data when developing your travel agency project. Tourists often buy tours on a territorial basis - so as not to go far, so the surrounding population is your main clientele, which is the easiest to attract. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the interiors of the premises and the entire environment can both attract and repel potential buyers.

Table 5

Signs by which you can create a portrait of future clients - the target audience

Selling trips around the world in a shabby office on the working outskirts is unlikely to succeed, and the population of this outskirts will not find affordable offers in your office!

The more detailed you describe the target audience, the greater the understanding of the client’s needs, and as a result, the effectiveness of the advertising policy will increase. The portrait of the target audience can be corrected if you initially made a mistake in assessing the potential buyer; it is never too late to adjust or expand the range of offers taking into account the existing consumer interest.