Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MARKET RESEARCH SOURCES
PRIMARY DATA
SECONDARY DATA
•
Surveys
•
Observation
•
Focus groups
INTERNAL SOURCES
• Sales records
• Customer database
• Gate receipts
• Visitor records
• Mailing lists
EXTERNAL SOURCES
• Trade directories
• The Internet
• Government departments
• Trade associations
• Annual reports
Fig 5.9 - Market research sources in travel and tourism
5.9 shows some of the main market research sources
used in travel and tourism.
tourism, from tourist attractions to holiday resorts.
Face-to-face interviews have a number of advantages
when compared with other survey methods:
There are three common types of primary research
used in the travel and tourism sector:
•
The interviewer is able to explain diffi cult questions;
•
Visual aids such as photographs can be used;
•
Surveys;
•
The interviewer can prompt the respondent for
•
Observation;
further detail;
•
Focus groups.
•
Initial interest on the part of the respondent is
aroused.
Surveys
The principal disadvantage of the face-to-face interview
is that it is expensive, since the interviewers have to be
fully trained and the administrative load is high. It can
also be time-consuming when compared with other
techniques, e.g. telephone interviews.
By far the most common method of collecting primary
data in travel and tourism is by conducting a survey,
which involves collecting information and views from
a cross-section of people. There are four main types of
survey that can be used to collect primary data:
•
Face-to-face interview survey;
•
Self-completed questionnaire survey;
•
Telephone survey;
•
E-mail survey.
Face-to-face interview survey
A face-to-face interview survey involves an interviewer
asking questions of a member of the general public,
known as the respondent, and recording his or her
answers and comments on a questionnaire. This type
of survey is very common in all sectors of travel and
Carrying out a face-to-face interview survey
