Knowing where travellers come from is key to meeting their needs

 Tourists at Serena Beach in Mombasa. [File, Standard]

We live in an age of hyper-personalisation. Every ad you see online, every show you watch, and every book you read is recommended to you based on your tastes and preferences (however badly some companies may do it). The travel industry is no different. No destination or accommodation provider can cater to every person’s travel desires. 

It’s therefore critical that they know who they’re likely to appeal to and market themselves accordingly. A good starting point when it comes to doing so is identifying which countries make up the majority of guests and visitors. That’s because, while there’s obviously variation within countries, it is possible to pick up broad preferences and drill down to more individualised preferences from there.

But what do these preferences look like? McKinsey’s The state of travel and hospitality 2024 report provides some useful insights. The report, which reveals that the travel industry is on track for full recovery by the end of 2024 and that luxury travel is the fastest growing segment, also provides some interesting insights into what people from different countries are looking for in their travel experiences. 

Sixty nine per cent of Chinese tourists, for example, said they plan to visit a famous sight on their next trip, versus the 20 per cent of European and North American travellers who said the same. Respondents living in the UAE, meanwhile, also favour iconic destinations as well as shopping and outdoor activities.

In other words, city hotels might have an easier time attracting Chinese tourists if they’re close to a famous landmark, while somewhere that bills itself as a quiet retreat or which is centred around interesting food experiences may find it easier to attract European and North American tourists. 

Those are all important markets for the African travel sector, as are Germany and the UK. According to a report from SA Tourism, outbound travel to sub-Saharan Africa from Germany is growing by 21.2 per cent annually. In Kenya, UK and Germany were fourth and sixth in terms of 2023 tourist arrivals to the country, growing by 19 per cent and 46 per cent respectively. It’s therefore critical to know what the preferences for these markets are too. 

According to the McKinsey survey, both Germans (45 per cent) and UK citizens (38 per cent) place importance on “getting away from it all”. Both also like beach getaways, expressing “soaking in the sun” at twice the rate of American respondents as a main reason they travel.

A study from TGM Research, meanwhile, found that the top three needs for German tourists are quality and comfort, security, and competitive prices. Their favoured activities are beach and leisure, cultural and gastronomic, and shopping. While UK residents have the same top three needs, they’re more security conscious than Germans.

Another growing travel trend is sustainability. According to a 2022 report  by Opinium on behalf of the Spanish Tourist Office, 86 per cent of UK tourists value sustainability as either ‘important’ or ‘very important’ when selecting a holiday destination. Interestingly, neither value traditional hospitality marketing initiatives such as loyalty programmes and hotel branding as much as visitors from China, the UAE, and North America. 

Knowing what a country’s preferences are and marketing to those preferences are two different things. It’s therefore critical to choose marketing partners that don’t just know how to market effectively according to specific insights but also have deep knowledge and understanding of the markets you’re trying to reach.

That’s important for a few reasons. The first is that they can ensure that your messaging will actually land in those markets. They understand what tone and language to use and also which platforms to target with that messaging. Perhaps most importantly, however, they can take the insights around a particular market and drill deeper into them, providing additional levels of personalisation.