Tourism marketing research, audience development, and survey research Tourism Market Research and Audience Development Studies
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Tourism Market Research and Audience Development Study
Unlocking intelligence to help clients understand visitors and grow profitable programs

Forward Analytics offers tourism market research, audience development, custom survey research, and market segmentation studies to help clients understand the economic impact and visitor makeup of their marketplace. The following three "Tourism" pages will introduce you to our market research process and help you select a study that fits the current needs or your organization.
Forward Analytics conducts a wide-array of marketing research services for tourism-related companies, arts and cultural organizations, and government agencies promoting economic development. Our consulting experience with regards to travel & tourism market research includes quantitative measurement studies to determine tourism's economic impact on special events and facilities, as well as qualitative market studies used for gauging specific attraction factors of conventions and tourists destinations. Our products help our clients assess the effectiveness of entertainment concepts and pinpoint market needs for their new or enhanced tourism facilities.
The first product to be covered is our audience development study. This product is widely popular and always in demand by our clients. The aim of this product is to reveal a set of comprehensive strategies that strengthen relationships among audiences, the arts, cultural activities, and the organization itself.
Our forward-looking plans begin with a disciplined understanding of the client's target market. To this end, attendance is just one attribute that we use to gauge our clients' success. Forward Analytics provides an inclusive market research process that can increase awareness of, and participation in the activities of your organization at all levels. Involvement can and should manifest itself in ways that extend beyond ticket sales, to participation in the organization's leadership, volunteer core, membership, donor groups, or voicing support for the organization and its value in the community and on the Internet.

Differences Between Our Tourism Marketing Studies

Before moving into the phases of this program, we'd like to point out that we do offer an even more in-depth study for planning and feasibility testing. The main difference between the two products is that the audience development report is used more frequently and considered mainstream compared to the feasibility study, which is grander in scope and targeted to more specific situations. Here's an example of when it's necessary to elevate to a feasibility study. In many urban areas, there is a trend for the Arts to band together and pool resources. Here in Pittsburgh, we have a "Downtown Cultural District" that includes theaters, galleries, restaurants, and hotels. Developing a project of this magnitude requires more than an audience study. If the goal of your project is literally to reengineer civic, cultural, and commercial attitudes, then please skip ahead to our tourism market research section entitled, market feasibility and new concept testing research. Otherwise, read on!

PHASE I: Audience Development Research and Program Evaluation

Forward Analytics can measure how well your organization or venue is achieving its goals with respect to participant or member satisfaction. Our Firm will work with you to finalize the research objectives and develop a survey (telephone, mail, email, or intercept survey.) This exercise brings to light your strengths and weaknesses so you can plan for improved performance and programs in the future.
Specifically, our market research process will:
  • measure customer satisfaction of overall facility and specific elements
  • measure likelihood of frequency of visitation and participation
  • assess attendance motivators
  • better understand the demographics of current audience
  • evaluate the mix of activities undertaken by current audience
  • identify additional amenities, themes, facilities or activities that would enhance visitor appeal
  • test specific new concepts
  • identify target keywords for your web site

Phase II Market Segmentation Research

Forward Analytics utilizes a syndicated market segmentation system - PRIZM® - to create a demographic and psycho-graphic profile of your current audience. Further research gathered through visitor or member surveys can provide organizations with additional business intelligence such as an overview of lifestyles or the leisure patterns of your audience. PRIZM is the original and most widely used neighborhood target marketing system in the United States. PRIZM maintains a database of all US households segmented by lifestyle/behavior cluster. Here's a link to the PRIZM web site.
By utilizing this market segmentation tool, we will be able to take the datasets of your visitors or members and provide a profile of the lifestyle segments into which they fall. PRIZM will also be able to provide a list of all other households in the market area who fall into these same lifestyle segments. These additional households will form the base list for additional custom survey research and targeting. You can learn more about market segmentation research at our "Products" page.
Forward Analytics' Internet research consulting can also be a valuable resource for visitor demographics. Many of our clients overlook the fact that some of the richest data mining sources lie buried right under their web site. Not only is your web site a source of timely and quality information, but the cost savings compared to purchasing 3rd party data are significant. We provide a full range of web analytic services including keyword research, search engine optimization, and ROI tracking to help our clients unlock their full marketing potential across all integrated channels.

Phase III Audience Targeting and Custom Survey Research

In addition to collecting information about the existing audience, Forward Analytics can collect information about the general market and investigate potential audiences or user groups. Forward Analytics can identify households that have similar lifestyles and psycho-graphic profiles to your current members or visitors. Custom & online survey research is essential for lead generation and continued growth. By collecting Information about the non-visitor we can effectively assist our clients in designing audience development programs and packages that attract such potential participants and successfully communicate to non-visitors at their level.
The Internet offers a tremendous opportunity to reach semi-interested prospect members who may not yet have attended your attraction of joined your organization. Forward Analytics' strategic Internet marketing tools can be used to help you reach your audience targeting goals more quickly and affordably than ever before.
Whether you organization seeks to improve existing memberships or launch something entirely new, Forward Analytics can help unlock your market potential with our tourism market research products including audience development, economic impact, market segmentation studies, and custom survey research. Please contact us at 412-207-2114 for more information on how we may assist you.


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Succesful Tourism events & attractions use research to combat budget cuts and create regional growth:

Survey visitors

Gauge attraction factors

Test new concepts

Certify economic impact

View demographics

Understand non-visitors

Grow Internet presence