REPORT – 55th PATA CONFERENCE – THAILAND: There is huge potential in niche marketing, but trends can change quickly and operators targeting individual niches need to do their homework properly. During a…
REPORT – 55th PATA CONFERENCE – THAILAND: There is huge potential in niche marketing, but trends can change quickly and operators targeting individual niches need to do their homework properly. During a session entitled, Significant Niche Markets – Optimising the Potential, delegates to the 55th PATA Annual Conference heard about five promising market niches: adventure tourism, movie location tourism, volunteerism, gay tourism, and the youth market.
Director, Real Gap Experience, Mr David Stitt said people of all age groups were now joining the trend to volunteerism – with over 75,000 Britons now partaking in volunteer travel each year, in fields such as the environment, community and wildlife.
Mr Jim Skiba CMP, President, World Incentive Nexus, said that gays and lesbians make up 10 to 15% of the world`s population, and they have high disposable incomes. He quoted a survey which showed that American gays and lesbians had an average household income of US$84,000 compared with US$41,000 for other households. He said they take many vacations, but: They need to know they will be welcome.
Mr Graeme Warring, Consultant, Base Packpackers, said that young travellers were a huge potential market in Asia, with 40% of the 11 million visitors to Thailand in 2004 under the age of 24. He said that young Asians didn`t fit into the same mould as traditional backpackers. The days of grungy old backpackers` hostels are dead, he said.
Mr Ian Brodie, Author Lord of the Rings Guidebooks, said that the movie Lord of the Rings was attracting huge numbers of people to see the movie locations and his book about the locations had become a best seller in New Zealand.
Mr A.J. Hackett, Founder, AJ Hackett Bungy, said that people of any age and almost any physical condition could engage in adventure tourism: They just have to have some spirit and spark.
Panellists agreed that there would often be a cross-over between different market niches, and that marketing needed to be highly targeted to attract different segments. They added, however, that clients could be unforgiving if a tourist operator failed to deliver as promised.
Mr Warring said text messages and e-mails make this an age of instant feedback. If someone doesn`t like something, within 20 minutes all their friends all over the world know it.
The session was moderated by Ms Keshini Navaratnam, International Communications Consultant, Broadcaster and Journalist.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
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