Examining the Markets

1. Examining the Markets TRMT 396 Lecture #6 Dan McDonald

2. The Generally Accepted Picture • Affluent • Spend more on vacation • Educated • 36% with grad degrees in one study • Mature • Though Australian study shows 55+ and 15-24 groupings • Well-travelled and on longer trip • Does prior research • Soft outdoor activity interest

3. A Niche or Add-on vs. Focus • Aboriginal tourism experiences often “part of the standard tourism consumption pattern” • One component of a product - seldom explicit focus • Souvenirs • A market even among those who don’t set foot in community • Niche or ‘select’ market • e.g. Prior engagement

4. One View of Market Segmentation • Active Northern focus • Young singles/Indigenous Introduction • Business meeting excursionists • Retired regional Self-Drive • Leisure Opportunists • Expand holiday to gain memorable experience Tourism Research Australia (2010)

5. The "Dual Track" • Blend & intertwining of interests in nature and in culture • Some evidence of seeing aboriginal people as ‘part of the natural landscape” [echoes initial parks notions] • Rural/remote focus with less product & experience in urban settings • U.S. tourists often combine interests with mountain parks, everglades, etc.

6. Domestic Markets • Often more critical, piqued by lack of authenticity or overt packaging • ‘Spatial distance ‘small • Are often “part of the story” and thus more potential for perceived social critique • “Tourism reflects and impacts pre-existing tensions and conflicts” (p.78) • Land & resources tensions Notzke (2006)

7. Meeting Expectations • Advertising can lead to frustration if gap perceived • The notion of “market ready” • How much should move to the market or can we alter expectation • Understanding the difficulties of life in some communities

8. Sub-culture Tourists • Indianism or Indian Hobbyists • European legacy of Karl May’s Winnetou stories and their sympathetic portrayal • New Age Travelers • Spiritual seekers and cultural consumers • Post-Modern Tourists • Impact aware and politically empathetic

9. Aboriginal People as Tourists • Relationship with hosts often differs • Access to the ‘backstage’ • Attune to cultural differences and nuances • Some come to rediscover and re-learn • Part of a long standing separate economy • Often visiting other indigenous people is the sole focus

10. Gaps in Knowledge & Perception • Tourists desire authentic, but have little knowledge to base notion on • Concerns about quality of service & reliability linger • Creates vulnerability to single bad experiences or operators • Accentuated often by inaccessibility of experiences, uncertainty about ethics, & artifact/art focus of consumption Notzke (2006); Tourism Research Australia (2010); Tremblay & Pitterle (2008)

11. Concluding Thoughts& Questions • The market reality is more subtle & segmented than the generally accepted picture • Should we reinforce the ‘dual track’ or move to broaden beyond? • Do we ‘entertain’ or ‘educate’ as a means to draw the domestic market ? • Intermediaries play a vital role and must reinforce the multiple community goals present

12. Additional Sources • BearingPoint LP, Goss Gilroy Inc. and Associates. (2003). Aboriginal Tourism in Canada, Part II: Trends, Issues, Constraints and Opportunities. For Aboriginal Tourism Team Canada. Retrieved from http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/pdf/ATCreportTrendsIssuesOpportunitiesConstraints.pdf • Tourism Research Australia. (2010). Indigenous Tourism in Australia: Profiling the domestic market.Retrieved from http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/tra/Documents/Domestic%20Analysis/Indigenous_Tourism_in_Australia_FINAL.pdf • Tl’atzt’en Nation & University of Northern British Columbia (2007). The Aboriginal Tourism Market. Prince George, BC: UNBC. • PWC Consulting. (n.d.). Alberta Aboriginal Tourism Product Opportunity Analysis. [PowerPoint slides] http://tpr.alberta.ca/tourism/research/docs/aborig_pres.pdf