Target groups for digital tourism marketing

The challenge: to develop a cross-border target group model for digital tourism marketing that can be applied to the entire Greater Region of Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. For this purpose, SINUS-Institut developed a customized target group segmentation based on survey data in the catchment area of the Greater Region. The result is six digital tourism types, each differing maximally from one another in their travel orientation and digital behavior. In addition to market-specific dimensions, this target group solution is based on the Sinus meta-milieus – an international target group and social typology that divides people into “groups of like-minded people” based on their lifeworld – in over 40 countries.

With the study, the Greater Region was able to identify core target groups that are already being reached very well, but also realistic potential target groups that can be inspired as visitors in the future. “We will focus our marketing and our tourism offers on these groups. However, we also want to continue to address our other visitors with focused individual offers,” says Grauvogel as head of the EU project.

The article “Wenn digitale Entdecker Urlaub machen” (When digital explorers go on vacation) summarizes the project. It is in the trade magazine Research&Results (issue 02/2019).