Page 189 - Tourism The International Business

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Exhibit 69: Tourists like a warm
welcome. (Courtesy Hong Kong Tourist
Association.)

Size and degree of sophistication of this arm depends upon the amount of resources the organization feels it can,
or wants, to devote to it. Small communities can use fairly simple ways of collecting information, but should keep in
mind that the results are likely to have some errors. The study of the section on data collection will reveal a number

of basic rules which can be employed to cut error in the results.
Likewise, the amount of analysis to be expected from the research arm depends upon the quality of personnel
working there. For many uses, the analysis can be quite simple. For others, this may not be true. Information is
basic to good decision making and every possible effort should be made to get the best information available and
have it delivered in the most usable form.
The following are illustrations of problems where good information is important to the solution:
• Promotion: the kinds of promotion, geographic areas in which it is done, and timing depend upon a

knowledge of the potential market for a community's attractions. It would not do much good to advertise in
a magazine having only national circulation, if your only chance to draw customers was from within 800
kilometers of your community. You do not usually advertise a ski area in the spring. Certain kinds of
attractions appeal to older people, so promotion of these in media they read gives you the best return on
advertising dollars.
• Visitor satisfaction: You always want to know if you are sending away satisfied customers. The only way
you can really find out is to devise some way of asking them or of keeping track of repeats and referrals.
• Changes in numbers of tourists: Season to season comparisons enable managers to determine how

much change to expect in the present year and when to increase promotion efforts. Expenditures by tourists

Tourism the International Business 189 A Global Text