In this presentation we will illustrate by numerous examples how exhaustive market research and the development of practical research based marketing tools can be of great help for tourism and leisure organizations to regain consumers and maximize their marketing investments return.

Many tourism and leisure organizations are facing tough times: reduced numbers of visitors, smaller marketing budgets, unfavorable demographic shifts, economic situation that impact their natural clientele, etc.  In periods like that, keen marketing research combined with the development of creative and innovative marketing tools can be of enormous help to recover and create new and innovative marketing initiatives.

The presentation will cover many cases in which market research has proven itself the starting element of very performing and innovating marketing strategies and tactics that changed the course of things!

We will present creative and performing research approaches that made a difference, such as:

• Tourism market factorial analysis that open the way to acute, relevant and attractive destination positioning and communication strategies
• Tourism, travel and leisure market segmentations that provide precise and intimate understanding of the consumers’ new state of mind
• Creative new research approaches that allow the finding of valuable insights, determinant in the development of recovery strategies
• New research approaches, aiming at understanding and exhaustively determining the fast changing universe of travelers’ information sources and travel shopping process
• The conversion of advanced travel market research insights into action oriented powerful marketing tools.

The scope and exhaustiveness of the data collected in the studies that we will present as well as the originality of the data processing and relevance of the findings for the tourism industry will certainly be of interest for most participants. However, what we think will make this presentation unique are the tangible and highly usable tools that will be presented.  Whatever the size of the tourism organization or their familiarity with research and marketing techniques, these tools proved to be very useful and at the starting point of great marketing initiatives, based on a perfect understanding of the diverse clientele, their needs and expectations.

Author:

Luc Durand, Vice President at Ipsos, is a well-known research and marketing expert in the tourism industry.

Mr. Durandhas completed a Baccalaureate Degree in Mathematics at the Université de Montréal, specialized in Actuarial Sciences and Statistics, he also achieved a Master’s degree in Marketing at the École des hautes études commerciales de Montréal (Business College).

Mr. Durand possesses a wide experience in the field of marketing research, most particularly in the tourism and travel sector.  He has conducted a great number of studies in the field, on behalf of major organizations from the private and public sectors.

Mr. Durand also possesses tangible expertise in destination marketing due to his previous tenure as general manager of Marketing with Intrawest at the Tremblant Resort.  His expertise in the field of research is therefore strengthened by a strategic and tactical experience garnered in the tourism industry.