Data, research and analysis

The tourism industry is affected by the global environment, which is in a constant state of change. It is important to understand the micro- and macro-economic environments and stay abreast of developments that could affect your destination.

There is no single solution or recipe for success – destinations need to take account for their unique conditions, opportunities and challenges and plan accordingly.

Understand your visitors

Gather data and insights about who your visitors are, why they visit your destination and the value they add to your economy and community. Consider current and future trends, and set a baseline for measuring progress and performance. Use both quantitative and qualitative research.

Use sources such as:

• Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Tourism New Zealand (TNZ)(external link), New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)(external link), Department of Conservation (DOC)(external link), New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)(external link) and Statistics New Zealand(external link) for regional summaries and international visitor statistics
• Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA)(external link) for domestic visitors (DGiT)
• NZTE New Zealand Visitor Activity Forecast(external link)
• TIA & TNZ for the ‘Mood of the Nation’ survey(external link) and other quantitative research on community attitudes to tourism
• Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs), Economic Development Agencies (EDAs) and i-SITEs

Bespoke research could be required if there are information gaps. Working with partners is a cost-effective way of procuring research where there are common needs.

Understand the potential of your destination

Successful destinations differentiate themselves and offer compelling reasons to visit, fulfilling visitor needs and expectations (while also being vibrant places to live and work). A destination’s product offering should support the brand and be aligned to target markets and community aspirations.

Some places are destinations in their own right, others are part of the visitor journey between places, and some are part of a hub-and-spoke configuration connected to an urban centre. Identifying the type of destination that you are, and what you want to become will help you to focus on pragmatic strategies and realistic outcomes.

Useful analysis tools:

• SWOT – identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
• PESTEL – identifies the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors
• COMPETITOR ANALYSIS – identifies competitor destinations’ brands, product offerings and visitor markets/profiles, share of visitors, visitor nights and visitor expenditure.

Identify your destination’s comparative and competitive advantages. Comparative advantages are the resources within the destination, such as the people, environment, knowledge, economy, infrastructure and historic and cultural/indigenous aspects. A competitive advantage is the ability to use a destination’s resources efficiently and effectively over the long term (Crouch and Ritchie 1999). The goal is to turn your comparative advantages into competitive advantages.

In addition, identify whether your destination can work collaboratively with others, leveraging your comparative and competitive advantages to further maximise opportunities. This could include collaborations within and across products, sectors and regions/destinations.

Use this section to inform the Target Market, Experience & Product Development (Attractions) components of the plan.

Assess your destination’s product offering

Carry out a ‘product audit’ to find out what your destination has to offer (built, natural, heritage and cultural assets) including accommodation, attractions/activities and services such as cafes and restaurants. Also consider what events, meetings and conferences also attract visitors to the destination. Identify hero experiences that create demand for your destination, as well as supporting themes and experiences.

Assess whether these experiences are meeting visitor needs and expectations in your target markets, as well as whether they are increasing visitor spend, regional dispersal and off-peak visits.

Try to identify the scale and capacity of the experiences offered and any existing limitations and pressure points, particularly with regard to supporting infrastructure. GIS mapping can help with identifying and analysing types of geographic features and spatial data to inform planning and development.

< Define the vision | Strategic fit >