Market research on rural wellbeing tourists - prowell project
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Transcript of Market research on rural wellbeing tourists - prowell project
Rural wellbeing tourism services – market research results from Prowell-project Juho Pesonen, Ph. D., University of Eastern Finland, Centre for Tourism Studies [email protected]
Managerial summary:
•An online survey was conducted to study the preferences of rural wellbeing tourists, mostly located in Baltic countries.
•550 useful responses were obtained.
•Respondents prefer a rural holiday of 3-4 nights in neighboring countries in beautiful and quiet surroundings.
•A rural wellbeing holiday must also be sustainable and environmentally friendly.
•Swimming, local food and walking in nature are essential for rural wellbeing holiday.
•Rural wellbeing holiday is very often a family holiday.
•Search engine marketing should be top priority for rural businesses.
•14 rural wellbeing products were identified, each consisting of variety of core and ancillary services.
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Research goals: Market research for identifying the appeal of the products and the right distribution channels.
•Aim is to gather information about customers interested in Rural Wellbeing tourism offering and find most attractive and suitable distribution channels to support promotional activities.
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Creating the survey
•Literature review in April and May 2015
•Focus group in Hardanger among project participants
– Identified central themes and questions:
• Past behavior
• Rural destination attributes
• Wellbeing activities
• Travel motivations
• Information sources
• Socio-demographics
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Distributing the survey
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•Partner websites with banners •Also social media and e-mail marketing were used
•Data collection method limits respondent group!
Results
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Who answered the survey?
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550 completed questionnaires
21.9.2015 8 Juho Pesonen
22 %
78 %
Gender
Men
Women
7 %
28 %
33 %
23 %
8 %
1 %
Age groups
18-25
26-35
36-45
46-55
56-65
More than 65 years old
Nationality
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10 % 1 %
64 %
19 %
0 %
1 % 0 % 3 % 2 %
Nationality of the respondents
Finnish
Norwegian
Latvian
Lithuanian
Estonian
Danish
German
Russian
Other, what?
Rural tourism holidays
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68 %
17 %
8 %
3 % 2 % 1 % 1 %
How many times during the past
three years have you been on a
rural holiday in Norway,
Denmark, Sweden or Finland
0
1
2
3
4-5
6-10
More than 10 times
17 %
12 %
11 %
17 %
13 %
12 %
18 %
How many times during the past
three years have you been on a
rural holiday in Estonia, Latvia or
Lithuania
0
1
2
3
4-5
6-10
More than 10 times
Preferred duration for a rural wellbeing holiday
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28 %
41 %
22 %
5 %
2 % 2 %
How long rural holiday would you prefer?
1-2 nights
3-4 nights
5-7 nights
8-10 nights
11-14 nights
More than 14 nights
Living area
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20 %
12 %
13 %
10 %
28 %
14 %
3 %
How would you describe the area you live in (Choose
only one):
A large city (100,000 or more
inhabitants)
A medium-sized city (10 000 to 99 000
inhabitants)
A smaller city (from 2000 to 9999
inhabitants)
A village (under 2,000 inhabitants)
A rural area
Do not know
Prefer not to answer
Preferred rural wellbeing holiday company
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47 %
19 %
24 %
4 % 6 %
Preferred rural holiday travel group
Family
Partner
Friends
Alone
Work group
What kind of destination rural wellbeing tourists prefer?
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Important rural wellbeing destination attributes (0:not important at all, 4: very important)
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2,09
2,30
2,34
2,38
2,46
2,49
2,54
2,54
2,71
2,72
2,82
2,84
2,98
3,26
0,00 0,50 1,00 1,50 2,00 2,50 3,00 3,50
Protected areas
Geology (rocks, glaciers, dunes etc )
History of the region
Long rural traditions
Wilderness
Mountain landscapes
Open spaces
Plants and animals
Coastal landscapes
Free access to natural resources
Forest landscapes
Farm landscapes
Quiet places
Lake and river landscapes
When you think about your perfect rural wellbeing
destination, how important are the following attributes?
Most interesting rural wellbeing activities (0:not important at all, 4: very important)
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2,01
2,03
2,06
2,07
2,09
2,27
2,28
2,28
2,37
2,48
2,51
2,83
2,86
2,92
0,00 0,50 1,00 1,50 2,00 2,50 3,00 3,50
Visiting spa (relaxation, special saunas, yoga, treatments etc )
Berry or mushroom picking
Visiting recreational spa (swimming, hot tubs, slides etc )
Forest therapy
Taking alternative treatments (e g sauna therapy, reiki, peat therapy)
Study local flora / fauna
Finnish sauna
Go boating
Cycling
Sauna treatments
Hiking
Traditional local food
Walk in nature trails
Swimming
How important are the possibilities to enjoy following activities
during your rural holiday?
Least interesting rural wellbeing activities (0:not important at all, 4: very important)
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,57
,62
,82
,84
,87
,90
,91
,96
,99
1,04
1,06
1,08
1,11
1,12
1,13
1,14
1,17
1,20
1,21
1,22
1,29
1,32
1,33
,00 ,20 ,40 ,60 ,80 1,00 1,20 1,40
Indoor group exercises
Going to a gym
Chiropractic care
Doing yoga
Jogging
Outdoor group exercises
Reflexology
Nordic walking
Acupuncture
Spiritual training
Meditating
Participate in fitness- and well being seminars
Taking part in personal development course (for example mindfulness)
Yoga
Physical research or fitness test
Exercise with personal trainer
Fitness exercise
Volunteer work for local community
Balance exercises
Technology enhanced tourism experiences
Charity work / events
Muscle therapies
Doing handicrafts
How important are the possibilities to enjoy following activities
during your rural holiday?
What motivates rural wellbeing holidays?
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Importance of travel motivations (-3: completely disagree, 3: completely agree
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-,82
,60
1,03
1,06
1,07
1,49
1,63
1,64
1,68
1,73
1,82
1,87
2,01
2,04
2,07
2,11
-1,00 -,50 ,00 ,50 1,00 1,50 2,00 2,50
I travel only during school holidays
I want to be a part of the local community during my holidays
Being one with the nature, connectivity between earth and water
I prefer warm climates for my holidays
I like to meet new people
I want to strengthen my physical wellbeing
I am always looking for good deals
I go for destinations that can offer a good deal of relaxation
I want to escape from the ordinary
I am curious and seek information about the culture of the area that I visit
I want to strengthen my mental wellbeing
I want to recharge my batteries
I like to experience something new and different
I want to be closer to nature
I am environmentally conscious when on holidays
For me wellbeing is about being together with family/relatives/friends
When you think of yourself as a tourist, what characterizes you?
Where do rural wellbeing tourists find information?
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Most important information sources (scale 0-4)
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1,33
1,37
1,41
1,46
1,48
1,50
1,50
1,54
1,64
1,95
2,02
2,10
2,11
2,24
2,27
2,28
2,55
2,57
2,63
2,96
3,08
3,09
0,00 0,50 1,00 1,50 2,00 2,50 3,00 3,50
Radio
Newspapers
Newsletters
E-mail newsletters and advertisements
Magazines
Visiting travel agency / other expert
Television
Travel fairs
Newspaper and magazine websites
Brochures and tour operator travel catalogues
Social media (eg Facebook)
Travel agents' website
Discussion boards / blogs
Portals (eg GoFinland fi)
Review websites (eg Tripadvisor)
Guide books
Local tourism organisation websites (eg www visitfinland com)
Company website
Online travel agencies (e g booking com, hotels com)
Talking with family / friends
Your own experience from previous visits
Search engine (eg Google com)
How important are the following information sources for you
when you are planning a holiday?
Daily smartphone & Internet use
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3 %
17 %
9 %
18 %
19 %
14 %
20 %
Daily smartphone use
I don't know
I don’t have smart phone
Less than 15 minutes
15- 30 minutes
30-60 minutes
1-2 hours
More than 2 hours
8 %
37 %
33 %
13 %
9 %
Time spent online daily on
avarage
Less than 1 hour
1-2 hours
3-4 hours
5-6 hours
At least 7 hours
14 rural wellbeing products Principal component analysis with Varimax rotation
This analysis groups together wellbeing services that the tourists regard as similar to each other, creating a combination of
wellbeing services that together for a wellbeing product.
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•Products are divided into core services and ancillary services •Most of the tourists preferring one core service among product category are very likely to prefer all other core services. •Most of the tourists preferring core services also prefer some of the ancillary services. •Core services should be marketed and offered together with the option of choosing also ancillary services. •The higher the loadings, the more connected the services are together (1.000 is max) •Cronbach alphas confirm the reliability of the majority of the products (α>0,700)
1st Product family: Treatments and spa (α=0,964)
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Core services Loadings
Visiting spa (relaxation, special saunas, yoga,
treatments etc )
,836
Massage ,823
Taking traditional treatments (e g foot care, facial
treatments, cupping therapy)
,723
Taking alternative treatments (e g sauna therapy,
reiki, peat therapy)
,717
Hot stone massage ,664
Visiting recreational spa (swimming, hot tubs,
slides etc )
,647
Muscle therapies ,627
Sauna treatments ,608
Thalassotherapy ,596
Finnish sauna ,595
Physical research or fitness test ,595
Balance exercises ,573
Participate in fitness- and well being seminars ,567
Fitness exercise ,552
Exercise with personal trainer ,548
Local fruit-based treatments ,546
Ancillary services
Stress coaching ,416
Forest therapy ,367
Reflexology ,431
Chiropractic care ,420
Acupuncture ,464
Folk medicine ,376
Taking part in personal development course (for
example mindfulness)
,304
2nd Product family: Slow living (α=0,937)
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Core services Loadings
Slow living studies ,725
Participating in growing your own
food
,716
Charity work / events ,699
Volunteer work for local community ,678
Silence tour ,666
Protection of local resources ,659
Digital detox ,648
Collect your own herbs ,612
Ancillary services
Forest therapy ,400
Doing handicrafts ,355
Meditating ,353
Spiritual training ,385
Staying in an eco-villages ,443
Visiting an eco-village ,446
Technology enhanced tourism
experiences
,383
Photography tours ,401
Local fruit-based treatments ,306
3rd Product family: Exercises (α=0,933) Core services Loadings
Indoor group exercises ,811
Outdoor group exercises ,699
Nordic walking ,650
Going to a gym ,638
Ancillary services
Jogging ,474
Meditating ,335
Taking part in personal development
course (for example mindfulness)
,374
Doing yoga ,455
Muscle therapies ,337
Physical research or fitness test ,383
Balance exercises ,340
Participate in fitness- and well being
seminars
,356
Fitness exercise ,450
Exercise with personal trainer ,444
21.9.2015 26 Juho Pesonen
4th Product family: Alternative medicine (α=0,944)
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Core services Loadings
Reflexology ,723
Chiropractic care ,723
Acupuncture ,692
Folk medicine ,537
Ancillary services
Spiritual training ,410
Hot stone massage ,409
Muscle therapies ,381
Thalassotherapy ,407
Balance exercises ,376
Stress coaching ,403
5th Product Family: Local Life (α=0,816)
Core services Loadings
Doing handicrafts ,694
Buying local handicrafts
and other local products
,678
Study local traditions (like
weaving, embroidery)
,562
Cooking classes ,553
Traditional local food ,543
Ancillary services
Collect your own herbs ,372
21.9.2015 28 Juho Pesonen
6th Product family: Wilderness (α=0,678) Core services Loadings
Go boating ,744
Fishing ,679
Berry or mushroom
picking
,625
Swimming ,581
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7th Product family: Outdoor adventure (α=0,880) Core services Loadings
Kayaking ,859
Canoeing ,846
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8th Product family: Meditation (α=0,864)
Core services Loadings
Meditating ,628
Taking part in personal
development course (for
example mindfulness)
,596
Doing yoga ,556
Ancillary services
Spiritual training ,412
Folk medicine ,315
Stress coaching ,331
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9th Product family: Eco-village (α=0,869) Core services Loadings
Staying in an eco-villages ,617
Visiting an eco-village ,569
Ancillary services
Forest therapy ,367
Local fruit-based
treatments
,395
Finnish sauna ,422
Sauna treatments ,451
21.9.2015 32 Juho Pesonen
10th Product family: Outdoor activities (α=0,608) Core services Loadings
Hiking ,716
Cycling ,563
Ancillary services
Riding therapy ,394
Jogging ,338
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11th Product family: Learning nature (α=0,742)
Core services Loadings
Study local flora / fauna ,699
Ancillary services
Walk in nature trails ,306
Protection of local
resources
,424
Silence tour ,325
Study local traditions (like
weaving, embroidery)
,449
21.9.2015 34 Juho Pesonen
12th Product family: Walking in nature (α=0,560)
21.9.2015 35
Core services Loadings
Walk in nature trails ,532
Traditional local food ,527
Ancillary services
Trekking ,489
Juho Pesonen
13. Product family: Museums (α=0,628)
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Core services Loadings
Visiting museums ,664
Technology enhanced
tourism experiences
,517
Ancillary services
Photography tours ,452
Visiting recreational spa
(swimming, hot tubs,
slides etc )
,353
14. Product family: Sleeping
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Core services Loadings
Sleep more than at home ,828
Marketing channels for rural wellbeing activities Correlation analysis
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Five categories of information sources (PCA) 1. Traditional media
– Magazines, Newspapers, Radio, Television, Newspaper and magazine websites, Guide books, Brochures and tour operator travel catalogues
2. Experts
– Visiting travel agency / other expert, Newsletters, Travel fairs, E-mail newsletters and advertisements, Travel agents' website
3. Social Media
– Discussion boards / blogs, Social media (eg Facebook), Review websites (eg Tripadvisor), Online travel agencies (e g booking com, hotels com)
4. Destination information
– Local tourism organisation websites (eg www.visitfinland.com), Portals (eg GoFinland fi), Search engine (eg Google com)
5. Personal information
– Your own experience from previous visits, Talking with family / friends, Company website
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Correlations between information channels and rural wellbeing products
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Correlations
Treatments
and spa Slow living Exercises
Alternative
medicine Local life Wilderness
Outdoor
adventure Meditation Eco-village
Outdoor
sports
Learning
nature
Walking in
nature Museums Sleep
Traditional
media
Pearson
Correlation
,041 ,245** ,158
* ,290
** ,091 ,098 ,000 ,073 -,042 -,240
** ,116 ,065 ,200
** -,007
Sig. (2-
tailed)
,545 ,000 ,020 ,000 ,182 ,151 ,996 ,283 ,543 ,000 ,087 ,342 ,003 ,919
N 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217
Experts Pearson
Correlation
,327** ,175
** ,334
** ,154
* ,125 ,005 ,016 -,039 ,072 ,022 ,071 ,019 ,141
* -,050
Sig. (2-
tailed)
,000 ,010 ,000 ,023 ,067 ,947 ,814 ,567 ,293 ,747 ,296 ,778 ,037 ,465
N 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217
Social
media
Pearson
Correlation
,120 ,078 ,147* ,034 ,052 ,040 ,083 -,040 ,047 ,115 -,144
* ,026 -,037 ,051
Sig. (2-
tailed)
,077 ,252 ,030 ,613 ,449 ,560 ,221 ,562 ,489 ,092 ,033 ,701 ,590 ,453
N 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217
Destination
information
Pearson
Correlation
,031 ,109 -,066 ,148* -,030 ,098 -,004 ,074 -,062 -,008 ,121 ,232
** ,201
** -,017
Sig. (2-
tailed)
,647 ,108 ,331 ,029 ,664 ,151 ,950 ,276 ,367 ,909 ,075 ,001 ,003 ,807
N 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217
Personal
information
Pearson
Correlation
,101 ,093 -,059 ,005 ,086 ,257** -,063 ,012 ,053 ,177
** ,111 ,152
* ,056 ,062
Sig. (2-
tailed)
,139 ,174 ,386 ,945 ,207 ,000 ,358 ,859 ,435 ,009 ,104 ,025 ,414 ,367
N 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217 217
Yellow: Very good marketing channel for the product category(top row), Orange: Good, Red: Bad
Analysing the correlations:
•People preferring treatments and spas use experts to find information.
•Slow living services are best marketed through experts and traditional media.
•Experts are also important in marketing exercise services.
•Alternative medicine services should be marketed through traditional media.
•Museums should be marketed in traditional media and destination websites.
•Nonetheless, seach engines are most often used information channel.
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Conclusions:
•Transnational rural wellbeing products are viable.
– People still prefer to travel to near-by countries.
– Short holidays up to four nights are preferred.
– Family is most popular travel party.
•Rural wellbeing tourism is also connected to water and quietness.
– Moving around in the nature, eating local food.
– Environmental friendliness is a must for rural wellbeing companies and should be actively promoted.
•Rural wellbeing tourists can take holidays outside school holidays, but only for longer weekends.
•Search engines are most often used information channel and should be focused on.
– Also personal information is very important, meaning that the quality of the rural wellbeing services must be very high.
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Conclusions (cont.)
•The rural tourism services should be considered as categories.
– 14 rural wellbeing product families.
• Core services should almost always be offered and marketed together
• Ancillary services should support core services and be an option for tourists.
•For some services special attention need to be paid to information channels used.
– Traditional media is good for slow living, alternative medicine and museum products
– Experts should be used in marketing of treatments and spas, exercies and slow living.
– Personal information is important for those enjoying wilderness services and outdoor sports.
21.9.2015 Juho Pesonen 43
For more information see www.uef.fi/mot/prowell www.matkailututkimus.fi www.facebook.com/uef.mot
www.uef.fi