💍 Honeymoon Market
The honeymoon market is particularly lucrative, with couples often willing to spend more than usual for a special experience. Destinations like the Maldives, Santorini and Bali have built strong reputations as romantic getaways.
Types of Tourists » Couples, Families and Groups
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
- The characteristics and needs of different tourist types: couples, families and groups
- How tourism providers cater to each market segment
- The economic importance of each tourist type
- Case studies of successful tourism products for each segment
- How destinations adapt their offerings for different tourist types
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Unlock This CourseUnderstanding Different Tourist Types
Tourism providers need to understand who their customers are to create the right products and services. Couples, families and groups are three major market segments with different needs, expectations and spending patterns.
Key Definitions:
- Market segmentation: Dividing tourists into groups with similar characteristics and needs.
- Tourist profile: The typical characteristics of a particular type of tourist.
- Target market: The specific group of tourists a business aims to attract.
Couples as Tourists
Couples make up a significant portion of the tourism market, from young couples on weekend breaks to retired couples on extended holidays.
🍽 Romantic Experiences
Couples often seek intimate experiences like candlelit dinners, couples' spa treatments and private tours. Tourism providers can charge premium prices for these exclusive experiences.
What Couples Look For
- Privacy: Secluded accommodations away from crowds
- Adult-oriented activities: Wine tasting, fine dining, cultural experiences
- Flexibility: Freedom to create their own schedule
- Quality over quantity: Often willing to pay more for better experiences
- Romance: Scenic views, intimate settings, special moments
Case Study: Sandals Resorts
Sandals Resorts has built its entire business model around couples-only holidays. Their all-inclusive Caribbean resorts feature private beaches, luxury suites with personal butlers and romantic extras like beachside dinners. By focusing exclusively on couples, they've created a strong brand identity and can charge premium prices. Their "Love Nest Suites" with private plunge pools and ocean views can cost over £1,000 per night in peak season.
Family Tourism
Families represent one of the largest and most reliable tourism markets, especially during school holiday periods. This segment includes everything from nuclear families to multi-generational groups.
Characteristics of Family Tourism
- School holiday timing: Most families with school-age children travel during set periods, creating high seasonality
- Budget consciousness: Families often need to manage costs when travelling with multiple people
- Child-friendly requirements: Safety features, entertainment for different ages and practical facilities
- Need for space: Larger accommodation units or connecting rooms
- Varied interests: Activities that appeal to different age groups
🎡 Accommodation
Family rooms, self-catering options, kids-stay-free deals, swimming pools and safe play areas
🎮 Activities
Kids' clubs, family entertainment, child-friendly excursions and all-age attractions
🍴 Dining
Children's menus, early dining options, informal settings and all-inclusive packages
Case Study: Center Parcs UK
Center Parcs has become one of the UK's most successful family tourism brands by creating forest villages designed specifically for families. Their accommodation ranges from basic woodland lodges to luxury treehouses that can accommodate extended families. Activities include swimming in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, adventure playgrounds and outdoor pursuits like cycling and boating. The car-free environment allows children more freedom and restaurants offer family-friendly dining options. Their occupancy rates often exceed 95%, even in off-peak seasons, showing the strength of the family market.
Group Tourism
Group tourism covers a wide range of travellers who journey together, from school trips to special interest groups to corporate teams. This segment offers tourism providers the benefit of volume bookings.
🎓 Educational Groups
School trips, university field studies and educational tours require specialised itineraries with learning outcomes. They often travel during term time, helping to reduce seasonality issues for destinations.
🏆 Sports Teams
Sports teams need accommodation with suitable dining options, training facilities and transport for equipment. Major sporting events can bring thousands of participants and supporters to a destination.
Benefits of Group Tourism for Providers
- Volume business: Multiple bookings in one transaction
- Advance bookings: Groups often plan and book months ahead
- Reduced marketing costs: One successful sale brings multiple customers
- Off-peak potential: Many groups (especially corporate and educational) travel outside peak seasons
- Repeat business: Successful group trips often lead to annual bookings
Case Study: Coach Tourism in the UK
Coach tourism is a significant sector for group travel in the UK, particularly for the senior market. Companies like Shearings specialise in coach holidays that include transport, accommodation, excursions and often meals. Popular destinations include the Lake District, Scotland and seaside resorts. The coach tourism sector contributes approximately £2.35 billion to the UK economy annually. Destinations benefit from these groups visiting attractions, eating in restaurants and shopping for souvenirs. Many tourist attractions offer special group rates and dedicated coach parking to attract this market.
Comparing the Different Tourist Types
💍 Couples
Spending: High per person
Seasonality: Year-round, with peaks for Valentine's Day and wedding seasons
Stay length: Short breaks to two weeks
Decision factors: Romance, exclusivity, quality
👪 Families
Spending: Medium per person, high total
Seasonality: Highly seasonal (school holidays)
Stay length: One to two weeks
Decision factors: Child-friendly facilities, value, safety
👥 Groups
Spending: Lower per person, very high total
Seasonality: Varies by group type
Stay length: Often shorter (2-5 days)
Decision factors: Group facilities, package deals, accessibility
How Destinations Adapt to Different Tourist Types
Smart destinations develop different products and marketing approaches for each tourist type. For example:
- Venice, Italy promotes its romantic canals and intimate restaurants to couples, while offering family-friendly museum tours and group discounts for its famous attractions.
- Orlando, Florida is primarily marketed to families with its theme parks, but also offers luxury resorts for couples and convention facilities for groups.
- Barcelona, Spain attracts couples with its romantic architecture and dining, families with its beaches and attractions like Park Güell and groups with its sporting events and conference facilities.
Key Takeaways
Understanding the different needs and characteristics of couples, families and groups is essential for tourism businesses. Each segment requires specific products, pricing strategies and marketing approaches. The most successful tourism providers are those that clearly identify which segments they want to target and develop their offerings accordingly. Some businesses specialise in one segment (like Sandals for couples), while others create different products for each segment (like major hotel chains with various room types and packages).