Creating pathways for youth travel Jenny Mitchell Industry Services Specialist Tourism NSW February 10, 2011
Tourism NSW Tourism NSW promotes and supports the development of sustainable tourist destinations and experiences, by: – marketing NSW destinations and holiday experiences to domestic and international markets – working with, and providing advice to, industry, other government agencies and key stakeholders about the development of sustainable destinations – sharing our knowledge and expertise with industry to stimulate investment – developing private and public sector partnerships to grow and manage tourism
Tourism NSW business units Visit Sydney: Sydney marketing, working with products and precincts, international marketing Regional Tourism: Marketing campaigns in partnership with regions, working with RTOs Marketing and Communications: advertising, public relations, digital marketing, brand marketing Tourism Operations: media and corporate communications, industry communications, strategic insights and research reports Strategy & Alliances: policy advice, the Tourism Industry Plan , relationships with industry associations, development resources and assistance for the tourism industry
Targeting youth travellers Who are the youth travellers in South Coast NSW…and what do they want? - Domestic and international - Experiences they love - Messages that resonate Opportunities to reach youth travellers - Appealing to ITOs
Youth Travellers: South Coast • 748,000 domestic 15-30 year olds – Sydney Regional NSW, ACT, Vic, QLD – 2 million nights • 75,539 international 18-30 year olds – Top markets: UK, USA, Germany, NZ, China, other Europe – 2.4 million nights (influenced by student market) *NVS & IVS 2009 - 2010
Youth travel accommodation: South Coast Domestic International • 42% friends or relatives property • 27% Home of friend or relative • 19% Hotel, resort, motel or • 26% Caravan motor inn • 13% Hotel, resort, motel or • 16% Caravan park or motor inn commercial camping ground • 11% Backpacker hostel • 9% Caravan or camping near • 11% Rented road or on private property house/apartment/flat • 8% Rented house, flat or • 9% Educational institution apartment • 2% Guest House/B & B • 4% Own property (e.g. holiday • 2% Homestay house) • 2% Other • 1% Guest house or B&B • 1% Other *NVS & IVS 2009 - 2010
What experiences appeal to youth travellers? • Nature • Coastal • Cities • Aboriginal • Journeys • Outback and Food & Wine *Tourism Australia, The Youth Market
What are youth travellers doing on the South Coast? • 41% of international visitors to the South Coast are on their second, third, fourth trip (etc) to Australia. This indicates a knowledgeable and experienced market. • Only 7% of these visitors said that they did activities relating to local attractions and tourist activities , while 35% said they did outdoor/nature activities and 35% said they did social/other activities and 10% did arts/heritage activities. • For domestic youth visitors the figures were similar but with higher participation in social activities and outdoor/nature activities and slightly lower participation in arts/culture. • The youth travellers visiting this area are not broadly engaging with tourism products – but there is an interest in activities the South Coast has to offer. There is an opportunity here to create more appeal and access to the tourism products and experiences on offer for this market.
How are they researching their trips? • Domestic : – 42% did not get any information – 29 % used the internet – 23% used friends and relatives for advice. – 17 % cited a previous visit – NOTE: not using brochures (3%) or Visitor Information centres (1%) nor travel agents (1%) to any great extent. • International: – 54% used the internet – 24% referred to a guide-book – 23% consulted a travel agent – 22% used friends and relatives living in Australia – 17% used friends or relatives who had visited *NVS & IVS 2009 - 2010
What messages resonate? • Adventure – Australia is an adventure holiday destination • Immersion – Holidays in Australia are about participating in life, not observing it • Transformation – A holiday to Australia would give me a fresh perspective • Welcoming – Australia is a welcoming destination • Nature – Australia offers involving experiences in the natural environment *Tourism Australia, The Youth Segment
Appealing to ITOs Get ready for inbound Make sure you do your research and spend some time on your product and your back-end administration to ensure you’re ready for the next step. See Planning for inbound success on www.tourism.australia.com for more information. Think big picture You are not alone as a product or experience – your product is more than likely part of a bigger journey or a group of experiences in your region and your customers are looking at the destination experience when making a choice to travel. It’s important to think about the bigger picture when you consider how you market to ITOs individually and as a group. One export-ready product alone is more difficult for an ITO to sell than a range of relevant, well-developed and delivered export ready products that can be packaged or developed as an itinerary. Know your assets Look at your own business, think about what your strong, appealing experiences for the youth market are. Then look at the surrounding region. Identify products and destinations in your region that currently or could appeal by offering youth-oriented experiences. *Tourism Australia, The Youth Market
Appealing to ITOs Get behind the big drawcards The South Coast is a big destination, so to make it more easy for ITOs to understand, package and sell it, it can be more effective to communicate your strongest selling points first, then back it up with a solid range of product. Look at your hero destinations or experiences for this market, then build, package and communicate satellite experiences from centres, and journeys that connect them, so you can communicate the regional experience in a meaningful, relevant way. Be part of the journey It can be valuable to position destinations and experiences as part of wider itineraries that might interest your market. If products are seen in the context of a wider, relevant itinerary, it is easier for an ITO to package and sell these on. Create a buzz Be strategic and united in the way you communicate your message. Simple common messages communicated by the operators across the region can help create cohesion, a better understanding of the destination and increase appeal. E.g. as a group, build a series of regional itineraries that focus on the youth market, highlighting appropriate product. This can support ITO sales, publicity and become an online resource.
For information on product development, marketing and Tourism NSW programs, visit www.tourism.nsw.gov.au/resources
Image credits • Old Lorry, Jamberoo - Paul Blackmore; Tourism NSW • Sign, Mollymook - Hamilton Lund; Tourism NSW • Kameruka, Bega - North Sullivan; Tourism NSW • Pub sign, Huskisson - Hamilton Lund; Tourism NSW • Tilba Tilba, Eurobodalla - Nick Rains; Tourism NSW • Couple, Sussex Inlet - Hamilton Lund; Tourism NSW • Pambula, Sapphire Coast - Andrew Brown; Tourism NSW • Architectural detail, Berry - Hamilton Lund; Tourism NSW • Leather Jacket Bay, Ben Boyd NPD - Jeffrey Drewitz; Tourism • Kangaroo Valley, Shoalhaven - North Sullivan; Tourism NSW NSW • Meroo Lake, South Coast - Naomi Dampney • Mollymook, Shoalhaven - Hamilton Lund; Tourism NSW • Suzanne's Bakery and Café - James Pipino;Tourism NSW • Pebbly Beach, Shoalhaven - Sally Mayman; Tourism NSW • Kayaking, Booderee National Park - James Pipino;Tourism • Hang gliding, Stanwell Park - Tourism Illawarra NSW • Fishing in Kiama - James Pipino;Tourism NSW • Sign, Tuross Heads - Mike Newling; Tourism NSW • Palm frond, Byron Bay - Sharyn Cairns; Tourism NSW
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