Head of Research (eTourism) at the Centre for Tourism Studies in University of Eastern Finland Business School. Driving digital tourism forward. Interested in market research, rural tourism and technology in travel and tourism.
Information and communication technologies are major drivers of change. Also in tourism, business... more Information and communication technologies are major drivers of change. Also in tourism, businesses and entire destinations have to find new business models to stay competitive and relevant. Utilizing the possibilities of digital technologies in developing new business models is called digital transformation. This chapter examines what digital transformation in tourism is and how technology affects leadership and management in tourism organizations. Digital transformation is conceptualized as a creative process activated by knowledge management and knowledge transfer which, in turn, aims at creating new business possibilities and models, respectively. By drawing on extensive literature on topics connected to digital transformation, such as tourism management, leadership, knowledge and change management, as well as creativity, the chapter at hand discusses the current state of digital transformation management in tourism. A research outlook for the future of digital transformation management in tourism is finally proposed.
The tourism industry is currently dealing with the impacts of collaborative consumption, with tou... more The tourism industry is currently dealing with the impacts of collaborative consumption, with tourists increasingly using peer-to-peer (P2P) services such as Airbnb and Uber. This study aims to extend our knowledge of why P2P accommodation services are not just succeeding, but thriving, from the consumer perspective, and it contributes to an understanding of the reasons for the popularity of P2P accommodation services and how consumer heterogeneity affects consumer choices. In this study, the drivers of P2P accommodation services are examined in order to better understand consumer characteristics and behaviour. Based on a survey of Internet users in Finland, the major drivers affecting the use of P2P accommodation services are the age of consumers, active use of the Internet and online technologies, and the frequency of international travel. Cluster analysis identified two user profiles corresponding to consumer motivations for using P2P accommodation services. The first consumer group uses P2P accommodation services to make their trips more convenient, while the second uses them mostly for social reasons.
Information search and the decision-making process of tourists have received great attention in t... more Information search and the decision-making process of tourists have received great attention in tourism research literature and both are considered to be important theoretical and practical topics. This study contributes to these topics by studying international tourists during their trip in a destination using qualitative interviews and by focusing on the role of online marketing in tourists' decision-making process. Altogether 57 international tourists in Savonlinna, Finland were interviewed during summer 2016 to find out the factors that affected their decision to come to Savonlinna. The results demonstrate how important it is for destinations to understand their international customers and understand what is the destination they should actually be promoting. Banners and social media do not seem to play an important role in new customer acquisition, but search engine optimisation and content marketing as well as product quality are at the top of the list.
Tourism destinations have been one of the focus areas of tourism research and management and we a... more Tourism destinations have been one of the focus areas of tourism research and management and we are still witnessing considerable research and development on the topic. More research is emerging on tourism destinations with the demand side point-of-view. This study examines rural wellbeing destinations from the viewpoint of wellbeing activities tourists are interested in. A multinational survey data with 550 respondents were collected in northern Europe with an online questionnaire. Based on principal component analysis 14 dimensions of rural wellbeing tourism products were identified. These products and their meaning for destination management and marketing is discussed.
Technological progress and tourism have been gone hand in hand for years. The use of mobile devic... more Technological progress and tourism have been gone hand in hand for years. The use of mobile devices has increased at a phenomenal rate in recent years. An increasing number of devices is supporting Near-Field Communication (NFC), which is a short range and wireless technology for data transfer without physical touch. NFC technology will open up new opportunities for various stakeholders in destination management. In this article research on NFC technology is reviewed. In addition current and potential applications in ...
The explosive growth of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation service presents a potential transformat... more The explosive growth of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation service presents a potential transformation in the competitive landscape of accommodation sector. This research explores the market characteristics and the factors that drive and hinder the use of P2P accommodation to better explain the phenomenon of collaborative consumption in the tourism and hospitality marketplace. Using responses from travellers residing in the United States (US) and Finland, exploratory factor analyses revealed two factors that drive the use of P2P accommodation: social appeal (desire for community and sustainability) and economic appeal (cost savings). The barriers include issues of trust, efficacy and familiarity with the system, and cost. The empirical evidence from this study suggests several managerial implications for tourism and hospitality businesses and directions for future research.
Well-being and wellness are growing trends in tourism. They also have considerable potential for ... more Well-being and wellness are growing trends in tourism. They also have considerable potential for development of tourism in rural areas. The objective of this article is to look at the well-being tourists as a heterogeneous rural tourism market segment through activity based segmentation. Online information search behavior of segments is compared to ensure that segments can be targeted online and elaborate information search behavior of activity segments. Using cluster analysis, three tourist segments based on well-being activities could be identified among Finnish rural tourists. The results shows the possibilities of activity based segmentation for understanding the preferences for well-being services. The study demonstrates that the rural well-being activity segments differs from each other regarding their socio-demographics and how they use the internet to search for information, book their holidays and write online reviews. All these differences have managerial implications for development of rural well-being products and they also demonstrate the possibilities of activity segmentation of rural well-being tourists.
As a result of the phenomenal growth of the sharing economy in the travel industry, investigating... more As a result of the phenomenal growth of the sharing economy in the travel industry, investigating its potential impacts on travelers and tourism destinations is of paramount importance. The goal of this study was to identify how the use of peer-to-peer accommodation leads to changes in travelers’ behavior. Based on two online surveys targeting travelers from the United States and Finland, it was identified that the social and economic appeals of peer-to-peer accommodation significantly affect expansion in destination selection, increase in travel frequency, length of stay, and range of activities participated in tourism destinations. Travelers’ desires for more meaningful social interactions with locals and unique experiences in authentic settings drive them to travel more often, stay longer, and participate in more activities. Also, the reduction in accommodation cost allows travelers to consider and select destinations, trips, and tourism activities that are otherwise cost-prohibitive. Implications for tourism planning and management are provided.
The importance of senior travellers as a travel segment for the tourism industry is continuously ... more The importance of senior travellers as a travel segment for the tourism industry is continuously increasing as the number of pensioners increases in the Western world. These new senior travellers differ from earlier generations in many ways, one of which has to do with the increasing use of information and communication technologies as part of their information search process. This study examines senior travellers as users of tourism information technology. A qualitative approach was adopted to provide insights into the topic, and nine Finnish seniors were inter-viewed. The results were analysed using content analysis. The results show that senior travellers comprise a quite heterogeneous market with respect to the use of tourism information technology. However, there is no special marketing or website design that senior travellers really need: a good website will cater to both the needs of younger as well as older consumers. The study also presents a tentative typology of three different types of senior travellers based on their use of online travel services: Adventurous Experimenters, Meticulous Researchers and Fumbling Observers. This typology contributes to our understanding of the heterogeneous use of tourism information technology by senior travellers.
Destinations are amalgams of products and services delivered by a range of independent stakeholde... more Destinations are amalgams of products and services delivered by a range of independent stakeholders who have different interests, business models, practices and marketing strategies. Interestingly, the final consumer often perceives the destination holistically as a coordinated product branded as one entity. Within this context, tourism destination marketing is a rather challenging activity. The rapid development of technology and social media in the last few years exposes destination to dynamic interaction with consumers and demands new and innovative approaches to marketing management. Agile marketing develops as new methods for marketing management, where all stakeholders are coordinated, interconnected and take advantage of technology for developing dynamic marketing solutions in the marketplace. Destinations need to respond to the ever-changing internal and external stimuli to perform better in the marketplace.
This research analyses heterogeneous data from three different Swiss destinations towards assessing the impact of marketing and eMarketing campaigns on destination performance. Although marketing and eMarketing have an impact on conversion to overnight stays, this impact differs among examined destinations. Therefore, destinations should approach marketing dynamically by designing, running and testing agile campaigns in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to continuously fine-tune their efforts dynamically towards a maximization performance.
This paper examines the role of marketing of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in creat... more This paper examines the role of marketing of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in creating tourism flows from international markets.
This study aims to compare activity based segmentation and travel motivation segmentation from th... more This study aims to compare activity based segmentation and travel motivation segmentation from the perspective of information search behaviour and online use behaviour by comparing segment heterogeneity. The data were collected from users of three Finnish rural tourism websites with 1754 completed and usable questionnaires to create segmentation solutions based on travel activities and motivations using hierarchical cluster analysis and then comparing the results. The results indicate that travel activities are more useful than travel motivations in finding heterogeneous segmentation solutions, making the travel activity segments more heterogeneous than travel motivation segments as regards their information search behaviour and Internet use. The results suggest that in this era of Internet marketing travel activities are a better segmentation base than travel motivations in order to target different market segments as activities form more heterogeneous segmentation solution.
Tässä raportissa esitetään kootusti vuosina 2010–2012 Itä-Suomen yliopiston matkailualan opetus- ... more Tässä raportissa esitetään kootusti vuosina 2010–2012 Itä-Suomen yliopiston matkailualan opetus- ja tutkimuslaitoksella toteutetun ja maa- ja metsätalousministeriön maaseutupolitiikan yhteistyöryhmän rahoittaman hankkeen tuloksia ja toimintoja. Hankkeen tarkoituksena oli tutkia maaseutumatkailijoiden segmentointia asiakasarvon eri komponenttien kautta. Segmentoinnin lähtökohtana oli selvittää asiakkaiden odotuksia maaseutulomaa kohtaan ja muodostaa näiden odotusten perusteella segmentit. Hankkeen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa löydettiin neljä maaseutumatkailijasegmenttiä matkustusmotivaatioiden perusteella: Perhematkailijat, Hyvinvointimatkailijat, Sosiaaliset matkailijat ja Kotiseutumatkailijat. Hankkeen toisessa vaiheessa keskityttiin validoimaan ensimmäisen vaiheen tulokset ja vertailemaan etenkin segmenttien tiedonetsintätapoja, jotta mahdollistetaan tehokas markkinointi jokaiselle segmentille. Tässä raportissa kootaan yhteen koko tutkimushankkeen tulokset ja esitetään keskeisimmät johtopäätökset maaseutumatkailun kehittämisen kannalta.
Importance of senior travellers as travel segment for the tourism industry increases continuously... more Importance of senior travellers as travel segment for the tourism industry increases continuously as the number of pensioners increases. These new senior travellers differ from earlier generations in many ways, one being increasing use of Information and Communication Technologies as part of their information search process. This study examines senior travellers as users of online travel services such as websites. A qualitative approach is chosen to provide insights into the topic and nine Finnish pensioners are interviewed. The results are analysed using content analysis. The results show that the senior travellers are a very heterogeneous segment regarding online travel services. However, there is no special marketing or website design that senior travellers really need but a good website also caters for the needs of younger as well as older consumers. More attention has to be paid to use of pictures and colours on websites as well as instructions.
Different people have different response styles, some favour high scores whereas others low score... more Different people have different response styles, some favour high scores whereas others low scorers and some people avoid using extreme scores, especially in attitudinal research questions. This is called response style effect. The goal of segmentation is to group people into homogenous clusters that differ from each other significantly. According to a literature review of earlier segmentation studies, there is a possibility that response style effects can influence segmentation results. In this study, empirical data is used to examine how response style effects affect cluster formation in a single country context using k-means cluster analysis. Results show that especially when using cluster analysis, response style effects should be closely examined as the results can be drastically different.
The majority of earlier segmentation studies have focused on finding segmentation solutions rathe... more The majority of earlier segmentation studies have focused on finding segmentation solutions rather than on applying the results to practice, and testing the viability of the results. In this study a unique opportunity is used to test how the segmentation solutions of an earlier rural tourism segmentation study conducted in 2009 represent rural tourist segments in 2011, and how well rural tourists can relate to the segments found in the earlier study by using multiple choice questions. Also, different segmentation methods are compared regarding their accuracy to identify the segments. These results show that the four segments identified in the earlier study continue to exist two years later as respondents are able to relate to the segments quite well. However, segment sizes are crucially different and there is some overlap between segments. Travel motivations measured using binary scale produce more accurate segments than motivations measured using a Likert-type scale.
This dissertation explores options for improving the success of market segmentation research by t... more This dissertation explores options for improving the success of market segmentation research by testing different market segmentation methods and effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in tourism research. The purpose of this study is to increase the success of market segmentation research in the field of travel and tourism. The context of this study is rural tourism in Finland, which is
regarded as an important source of revenue for many rural areas and a field where information on data-driven market segmentation is practically non-existent. This dissertation consists of four papers, all discussing the topic of market segmentation
in tourism. The theoretical basis of this study lies within the discipline of marketing and relies on the assumption that markets are heterogeneous, and that through market research it is possible for businesses to diversify their offerings to suit the needs and wants of specific segments in a way that creates value both for the customer as well as the company. Market segmentation is one of the cornerstones of marketing the management paradigm and its usefulness has been demonstrated repeatedly both in the academic literature and by practitioners. This study adapts a postpositivistic research paradigm to study the possibilities for improving market segmentation theory and methodology. By means of a literature review and two surveys of Finnish rural tourism websites data is collected on the impact of ICTs on market segmentation in tourism as well as the needs and wants of Finnish rural tourists. This study provides evidence that the academic market segmentation literature does indeed identify segments that also exist in practice, thus bridging the gap between academic and practice, and contributes to the way market segmentation is conducted in travel and tourism.
Technological progress and tourism have been gone hand in hand for years. The use of mobile devic... more Technological progress and tourism have been gone hand in hand for years. The use of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers has increased at a phenomenal rate in recent years. With the increase in the number of mobile devices more and more devices will be supporting Near-Field Communication (NFC), which is a short range and wireless technology for data transfer without physical touch. NFC technology will open up new opportunities for various stakeholders in tourism from destination level to tourism researchers. In this article earlier research on NFC technology is reviewed and categorized into four different topics: business models and ecosystems, software and applications, security and hardware, and threats and issues. Current and potential applications of NFC in tourism are also reviewed using existing case studies. Also managerial contributions of the study are presented.
Purpose – Information and communication technologies (ICT) have had a profound impact on tourism ... more Purpose – Information and communication technologies (ICT) have had a profound impact on tourism marketing. For several decades one of the cornerstones of marketing has been market segmentation. The purpose of this paper is to examine how ICTs have affected market segmentation literature in tourism by the means of literature review.
Design/methodology/approach – All segmentation articles published in Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management and Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing since the year 2000 are reviewed by examining how ICTs have affected them. Content analysis is used to categorize the connection between ICTs and segmentation to seven categories.
Findings – Only three papers focusing on both ICT and segmentation were found among the 188 segmentation-related studies reviewed. Altogether 58 market segmentation studies found were affected by ICTs but in most cases the effects are very limited.
Research limitations/implications – Only three tourism journals were reviewed making it possible that some studies connected to the topic are not examined in this review.
Practical implications – This study provides practitioners with a review of central findings regarding ICT use in market segmentation process published in recent academic literature.
Originality/value – This is the first study to review how ICTs have affected market segmentation in tourism. It provides a review of central papers discussing the topic and directions for future research. Overall, this research highlights the lack of research on the topic, as well as its importance for the future of tourism marketing.
Information and communication technologies are major drivers of change. Also in tourism, business... more Information and communication technologies are major drivers of change. Also in tourism, businesses and entire destinations have to find new business models to stay competitive and relevant. Utilizing the possibilities of digital technologies in developing new business models is called digital transformation. This chapter examines what digital transformation in tourism is and how technology affects leadership and management in tourism organizations. Digital transformation is conceptualized as a creative process activated by knowledge management and knowledge transfer which, in turn, aims at creating new business possibilities and models, respectively. By drawing on extensive literature on topics connected to digital transformation, such as tourism management, leadership, knowledge and change management, as well as creativity, the chapter at hand discusses the current state of digital transformation management in tourism. A research outlook for the future of digital transformation management in tourism is finally proposed.
The tourism industry is currently dealing with the impacts of collaborative consumption, with tou... more The tourism industry is currently dealing with the impacts of collaborative consumption, with tourists increasingly using peer-to-peer (P2P) services such as Airbnb and Uber. This study aims to extend our knowledge of why P2P accommodation services are not just succeeding, but thriving, from the consumer perspective, and it contributes to an understanding of the reasons for the popularity of P2P accommodation services and how consumer heterogeneity affects consumer choices. In this study, the drivers of P2P accommodation services are examined in order to better understand consumer characteristics and behaviour. Based on a survey of Internet users in Finland, the major drivers affecting the use of P2P accommodation services are the age of consumers, active use of the Internet and online technologies, and the frequency of international travel. Cluster analysis identified two user profiles corresponding to consumer motivations for using P2P accommodation services. The first consumer group uses P2P accommodation services to make their trips more convenient, while the second uses them mostly for social reasons.
Information search and the decision-making process of tourists have received great attention in t... more Information search and the decision-making process of tourists have received great attention in tourism research literature and both are considered to be important theoretical and practical topics. This study contributes to these topics by studying international tourists during their trip in a destination using qualitative interviews and by focusing on the role of online marketing in tourists' decision-making process. Altogether 57 international tourists in Savonlinna, Finland were interviewed during summer 2016 to find out the factors that affected their decision to come to Savonlinna. The results demonstrate how important it is for destinations to understand their international customers and understand what is the destination they should actually be promoting. Banners and social media do not seem to play an important role in new customer acquisition, but search engine optimisation and content marketing as well as product quality are at the top of the list.
Tourism destinations have been one of the focus areas of tourism research and management and we a... more Tourism destinations have been one of the focus areas of tourism research and management and we are still witnessing considerable research and development on the topic. More research is emerging on tourism destinations with the demand side point-of-view. This study examines rural wellbeing destinations from the viewpoint of wellbeing activities tourists are interested in. A multinational survey data with 550 respondents were collected in northern Europe with an online questionnaire. Based on principal component analysis 14 dimensions of rural wellbeing tourism products were identified. These products and their meaning for destination management and marketing is discussed.
Technological progress and tourism have been gone hand in hand for years. The use of mobile devic... more Technological progress and tourism have been gone hand in hand for years. The use of mobile devices has increased at a phenomenal rate in recent years. An increasing number of devices is supporting Near-Field Communication (NFC), which is a short range and wireless technology for data transfer without physical touch. NFC technology will open up new opportunities for various stakeholders in destination management. In this article research on NFC technology is reviewed. In addition current and potential applications in ...
The explosive growth of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation service presents a potential transformat... more The explosive growth of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation service presents a potential transformation in the competitive landscape of accommodation sector. This research explores the market characteristics and the factors that drive and hinder the use of P2P accommodation to better explain the phenomenon of collaborative consumption in the tourism and hospitality marketplace. Using responses from travellers residing in the United States (US) and Finland, exploratory factor analyses revealed two factors that drive the use of P2P accommodation: social appeal (desire for community and sustainability) and economic appeal (cost savings). The barriers include issues of trust, efficacy and familiarity with the system, and cost. The empirical evidence from this study suggests several managerial implications for tourism and hospitality businesses and directions for future research.
Well-being and wellness are growing trends in tourism. They also have considerable potential for ... more Well-being and wellness are growing trends in tourism. They also have considerable potential for development of tourism in rural areas. The objective of this article is to look at the well-being tourists as a heterogeneous rural tourism market segment through activity based segmentation. Online information search behavior of segments is compared to ensure that segments can be targeted online and elaborate information search behavior of activity segments. Using cluster analysis, three tourist segments based on well-being activities could be identified among Finnish rural tourists. The results shows the possibilities of activity based segmentation for understanding the preferences for well-being services. The study demonstrates that the rural well-being activity segments differs from each other regarding their socio-demographics and how they use the internet to search for information, book their holidays and write online reviews. All these differences have managerial implications for development of rural well-being products and they also demonstrate the possibilities of activity segmentation of rural well-being tourists.
As a result of the phenomenal growth of the sharing economy in the travel industry, investigating... more As a result of the phenomenal growth of the sharing economy in the travel industry, investigating its potential impacts on travelers and tourism destinations is of paramount importance. The goal of this study was to identify how the use of peer-to-peer accommodation leads to changes in travelers’ behavior. Based on two online surveys targeting travelers from the United States and Finland, it was identified that the social and economic appeals of peer-to-peer accommodation significantly affect expansion in destination selection, increase in travel frequency, length of stay, and range of activities participated in tourism destinations. Travelers’ desires for more meaningful social interactions with locals and unique experiences in authentic settings drive them to travel more often, stay longer, and participate in more activities. Also, the reduction in accommodation cost allows travelers to consider and select destinations, trips, and tourism activities that are otherwise cost-prohibitive. Implications for tourism planning and management are provided.
The importance of senior travellers as a travel segment for the tourism industry is continuously ... more The importance of senior travellers as a travel segment for the tourism industry is continuously increasing as the number of pensioners increases in the Western world. These new senior travellers differ from earlier generations in many ways, one of which has to do with the increasing use of information and communication technologies as part of their information search process. This study examines senior travellers as users of tourism information technology. A qualitative approach was adopted to provide insights into the topic, and nine Finnish seniors were inter-viewed. The results were analysed using content analysis. The results show that senior travellers comprise a quite heterogeneous market with respect to the use of tourism information technology. However, there is no special marketing or website design that senior travellers really need: a good website will cater to both the needs of younger as well as older consumers. The study also presents a tentative typology of three different types of senior travellers based on their use of online travel services: Adventurous Experimenters, Meticulous Researchers and Fumbling Observers. This typology contributes to our understanding of the heterogeneous use of tourism information technology by senior travellers.
Destinations are amalgams of products and services delivered by a range of independent stakeholde... more Destinations are amalgams of products and services delivered by a range of independent stakeholders who have different interests, business models, practices and marketing strategies. Interestingly, the final consumer often perceives the destination holistically as a coordinated product branded as one entity. Within this context, tourism destination marketing is a rather challenging activity. The rapid development of technology and social media in the last few years exposes destination to dynamic interaction with consumers and demands new and innovative approaches to marketing management. Agile marketing develops as new methods for marketing management, where all stakeholders are coordinated, interconnected and take advantage of technology for developing dynamic marketing solutions in the marketplace. Destinations need to respond to the ever-changing internal and external stimuli to perform better in the marketplace.
This research analyses heterogeneous data from three different Swiss destinations towards assessing the impact of marketing and eMarketing campaigns on destination performance. Although marketing and eMarketing have an impact on conversion to overnight stays, this impact differs among examined destinations. Therefore, destinations should approach marketing dynamically by designing, running and testing agile campaigns in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to continuously fine-tune their efforts dynamically towards a maximization performance.
This paper examines the role of marketing of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in creat... more This paper examines the role of marketing of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in creating tourism flows from international markets.
This study aims to compare activity based segmentation and travel motivation segmentation from th... more This study aims to compare activity based segmentation and travel motivation segmentation from the perspective of information search behaviour and online use behaviour by comparing segment heterogeneity. The data were collected from users of three Finnish rural tourism websites with 1754 completed and usable questionnaires to create segmentation solutions based on travel activities and motivations using hierarchical cluster analysis and then comparing the results. The results indicate that travel activities are more useful than travel motivations in finding heterogeneous segmentation solutions, making the travel activity segments more heterogeneous than travel motivation segments as regards their information search behaviour and Internet use. The results suggest that in this era of Internet marketing travel activities are a better segmentation base than travel motivations in order to target different market segments as activities form more heterogeneous segmentation solution.
Tässä raportissa esitetään kootusti vuosina 2010–2012 Itä-Suomen yliopiston matkailualan opetus- ... more Tässä raportissa esitetään kootusti vuosina 2010–2012 Itä-Suomen yliopiston matkailualan opetus- ja tutkimuslaitoksella toteutetun ja maa- ja metsätalousministeriön maaseutupolitiikan yhteistyöryhmän rahoittaman hankkeen tuloksia ja toimintoja. Hankkeen tarkoituksena oli tutkia maaseutumatkailijoiden segmentointia asiakasarvon eri komponenttien kautta. Segmentoinnin lähtökohtana oli selvittää asiakkaiden odotuksia maaseutulomaa kohtaan ja muodostaa näiden odotusten perusteella segmentit. Hankkeen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa löydettiin neljä maaseutumatkailijasegmenttiä matkustusmotivaatioiden perusteella: Perhematkailijat, Hyvinvointimatkailijat, Sosiaaliset matkailijat ja Kotiseutumatkailijat. Hankkeen toisessa vaiheessa keskityttiin validoimaan ensimmäisen vaiheen tulokset ja vertailemaan etenkin segmenttien tiedonetsintätapoja, jotta mahdollistetaan tehokas markkinointi jokaiselle segmentille. Tässä raportissa kootaan yhteen koko tutkimushankkeen tulokset ja esitetään keskeisimmät johtopäätökset maaseutumatkailun kehittämisen kannalta.
Importance of senior travellers as travel segment for the tourism industry increases continuously... more Importance of senior travellers as travel segment for the tourism industry increases continuously as the number of pensioners increases. These new senior travellers differ from earlier generations in many ways, one being increasing use of Information and Communication Technologies as part of their information search process. This study examines senior travellers as users of online travel services such as websites. A qualitative approach is chosen to provide insights into the topic and nine Finnish pensioners are interviewed. The results are analysed using content analysis. The results show that the senior travellers are a very heterogeneous segment regarding online travel services. However, there is no special marketing or website design that senior travellers really need but a good website also caters for the needs of younger as well as older consumers. More attention has to be paid to use of pictures and colours on websites as well as instructions.
Different people have different response styles, some favour high scores whereas others low score... more Different people have different response styles, some favour high scores whereas others low scorers and some people avoid using extreme scores, especially in attitudinal research questions. This is called response style effect. The goal of segmentation is to group people into homogenous clusters that differ from each other significantly. According to a literature review of earlier segmentation studies, there is a possibility that response style effects can influence segmentation results. In this study, empirical data is used to examine how response style effects affect cluster formation in a single country context using k-means cluster analysis. Results show that especially when using cluster analysis, response style effects should be closely examined as the results can be drastically different.
The majority of earlier segmentation studies have focused on finding segmentation solutions rathe... more The majority of earlier segmentation studies have focused on finding segmentation solutions rather than on applying the results to practice, and testing the viability of the results. In this study a unique opportunity is used to test how the segmentation solutions of an earlier rural tourism segmentation study conducted in 2009 represent rural tourist segments in 2011, and how well rural tourists can relate to the segments found in the earlier study by using multiple choice questions. Also, different segmentation methods are compared regarding their accuracy to identify the segments. These results show that the four segments identified in the earlier study continue to exist two years later as respondents are able to relate to the segments quite well. However, segment sizes are crucially different and there is some overlap between segments. Travel motivations measured using binary scale produce more accurate segments than motivations measured using a Likert-type scale.
This dissertation explores options for improving the success of market segmentation research by t... more This dissertation explores options for improving the success of market segmentation research by testing different market segmentation methods and effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in tourism research. The purpose of this study is to increase the success of market segmentation research in the field of travel and tourism. The context of this study is rural tourism in Finland, which is
regarded as an important source of revenue for many rural areas and a field where information on data-driven market segmentation is practically non-existent. This dissertation consists of four papers, all discussing the topic of market segmentation
in tourism. The theoretical basis of this study lies within the discipline of marketing and relies on the assumption that markets are heterogeneous, and that through market research it is possible for businesses to diversify their offerings to suit the needs and wants of specific segments in a way that creates value both for the customer as well as the company. Market segmentation is one of the cornerstones of marketing the management paradigm and its usefulness has been demonstrated repeatedly both in the academic literature and by practitioners. This study adapts a postpositivistic research paradigm to study the possibilities for improving market segmentation theory and methodology. By means of a literature review and two surveys of Finnish rural tourism websites data is collected on the impact of ICTs on market segmentation in tourism as well as the needs and wants of Finnish rural tourists. This study provides evidence that the academic market segmentation literature does indeed identify segments that also exist in practice, thus bridging the gap between academic and practice, and contributes to the way market segmentation is conducted in travel and tourism.
Technological progress and tourism have been gone hand in hand for years. The use of mobile devic... more Technological progress and tourism have been gone hand in hand for years. The use of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers has increased at a phenomenal rate in recent years. With the increase in the number of mobile devices more and more devices will be supporting Near-Field Communication (NFC), which is a short range and wireless technology for data transfer without physical touch. NFC technology will open up new opportunities for various stakeholders in tourism from destination level to tourism researchers. In this article earlier research on NFC technology is reviewed and categorized into four different topics: business models and ecosystems, software and applications, security and hardware, and threats and issues. Current and potential applications of NFC in tourism are also reviewed using existing case studies. Also managerial contributions of the study are presented.
Purpose – Information and communication technologies (ICT) have had a profound impact on tourism ... more Purpose – Information and communication technologies (ICT) have had a profound impact on tourism marketing. For several decades one of the cornerstones of marketing has been market segmentation. The purpose of this paper is to examine how ICTs have affected market segmentation literature in tourism by the means of literature review.
Design/methodology/approach – All segmentation articles published in Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management and Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing since the year 2000 are reviewed by examining how ICTs have affected them. Content analysis is used to categorize the connection between ICTs and segmentation to seven categories.
Findings – Only three papers focusing on both ICT and segmentation were found among the 188 segmentation-related studies reviewed. Altogether 58 market segmentation studies found were affected by ICTs but in most cases the effects are very limited.
Research limitations/implications – Only three tourism journals were reviewed making it possible that some studies connected to the topic are not examined in this review.
Practical implications – This study provides practitioners with a review of central findings regarding ICT use in market segmentation process published in recent academic literature.
Originality/value – This is the first study to review how ICTs have affected market segmentation in tourism. It provides a review of central papers discussing the topic and directions for future research. Overall, this research highlights the lack of research on the topic, as well as its importance for the future of tourism marketing.
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Papers by Juho Pesonen
This research analyses heterogeneous data from three different Swiss destinations towards assessing the impact of marketing and eMarketing campaigns on destination performance. Although marketing and eMarketing have an impact on conversion to overnight stays, this impact differs among examined destinations. Therefore, destinations should approach marketing dynamically by designing, running and testing agile campaigns in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to continuously fine-tune their efforts dynamically towards a maximization performance.
maaseutumatkailijoiden segmentointia asiakasarvon eri komponenttien kautta. Segmentoinnin lähtökohtana oli selvittää asiakkaiden odotuksia maaseutulomaa kohtaan ja muodostaa näiden odotusten perusteella segmentit. Hankkeen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa löydettiin neljä maaseutumatkailijasegmenttiä matkustusmotivaatioiden perusteella: Perhematkailijat, Hyvinvointimatkailijat, Sosiaaliset matkailijat ja Kotiseutumatkailijat. Hankkeen toisessa vaiheessa keskityttiin
validoimaan ensimmäisen vaiheen tulokset ja vertailemaan etenkin segmenttien tiedonetsintätapoja, jotta mahdollistetaan tehokas markkinointi jokaiselle segmentille. Tässä raportissa kootaan yhteen koko tutkimushankkeen tulokset ja esitetään keskeisimmät johtopäätökset maaseutumatkailun kehittämisen kannalta.
to group people into homogenous clusters that differ from each
other significantly. According to a literature review of earlier
segmentation studies, there is a possibility that response style effects can influence segmentation results. In this study, empirical data is used to examine how response style effects affect cluster formation in a single country context using k-means cluster analysis. Results show that especially when using cluster analysis, response style effects should be closely examined as the results can be drastically different.
regarded as an important source of revenue for many rural areas and a field where information on data-driven market segmentation is practically non-existent. This dissertation consists of four papers, all discussing the topic of market segmentation
in tourism. The theoretical basis of this study lies within the discipline of marketing and relies on the assumption that markets are heterogeneous, and that through market research it is possible for businesses to diversify their offerings to suit the needs and wants of specific segments in a way that creates value both for the customer as well as the company. Market segmentation is one of the cornerstones of marketing the management paradigm and its usefulness has been demonstrated repeatedly both in the academic literature and by practitioners. This study adapts a postpositivistic research paradigm to study the possibilities for improving market segmentation theory and methodology. By means of a literature review and two surveys of Finnish rural tourism websites data is collected on the impact of ICTs on market segmentation in tourism as well as the needs and wants of Finnish rural tourists. This study provides evidence that the academic market segmentation literature does indeed identify segments that also exist in practice, thus bridging the gap between academic and practice, and contributes to the way market segmentation is conducted in travel and tourism.
Design/methodology/approach – All segmentation articles published in Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management and Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing since the year 2000 are reviewed by examining how ICTs have affected them. Content analysis is used to categorize the connection between ICTs and segmentation to seven categories.
Findings – Only three papers focusing on both ICT and segmentation were found among the 188 segmentation-related studies reviewed. Altogether 58 market segmentation studies found were affected by ICTs but in most cases the effects are very limited.
Research limitations/implications – Only three tourism journals were reviewed making it possible that some studies connected to the topic are not examined in this review.
Practical implications – This study provides practitioners with a review of central findings regarding ICT use in market segmentation process published in recent academic literature.
Originality/value – This is the first study to review how ICTs have affected market segmentation in tourism. It provides a review of central papers discussing the topic and directions for future research. Overall, this research highlights the lack of research on the topic, as well as its importance for the future of tourism marketing.
This research analyses heterogeneous data from three different Swiss destinations towards assessing the impact of marketing and eMarketing campaigns on destination performance. Although marketing and eMarketing have an impact on conversion to overnight stays, this impact differs among examined destinations. Therefore, destinations should approach marketing dynamically by designing, running and testing agile campaigns in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to continuously fine-tune their efforts dynamically towards a maximization performance.
maaseutumatkailijoiden segmentointia asiakasarvon eri komponenttien kautta. Segmentoinnin lähtökohtana oli selvittää asiakkaiden odotuksia maaseutulomaa kohtaan ja muodostaa näiden odotusten perusteella segmentit. Hankkeen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa löydettiin neljä maaseutumatkailijasegmenttiä matkustusmotivaatioiden perusteella: Perhematkailijat, Hyvinvointimatkailijat, Sosiaaliset matkailijat ja Kotiseutumatkailijat. Hankkeen toisessa vaiheessa keskityttiin
validoimaan ensimmäisen vaiheen tulokset ja vertailemaan etenkin segmenttien tiedonetsintätapoja, jotta mahdollistetaan tehokas markkinointi jokaiselle segmentille. Tässä raportissa kootaan yhteen koko tutkimushankkeen tulokset ja esitetään keskeisimmät johtopäätökset maaseutumatkailun kehittämisen kannalta.
to group people into homogenous clusters that differ from each
other significantly. According to a literature review of earlier
segmentation studies, there is a possibility that response style effects can influence segmentation results. In this study, empirical data is used to examine how response style effects affect cluster formation in a single country context using k-means cluster analysis. Results show that especially when using cluster analysis, response style effects should be closely examined as the results can be drastically different.
regarded as an important source of revenue for many rural areas and a field where information on data-driven market segmentation is practically non-existent. This dissertation consists of four papers, all discussing the topic of market segmentation
in tourism. The theoretical basis of this study lies within the discipline of marketing and relies on the assumption that markets are heterogeneous, and that through market research it is possible for businesses to diversify their offerings to suit the needs and wants of specific segments in a way that creates value both for the customer as well as the company. Market segmentation is one of the cornerstones of marketing the management paradigm and its usefulness has been demonstrated repeatedly both in the academic literature and by practitioners. This study adapts a postpositivistic research paradigm to study the possibilities for improving market segmentation theory and methodology. By means of a literature review and two surveys of Finnish rural tourism websites data is collected on the impact of ICTs on market segmentation in tourism as well as the needs and wants of Finnish rural tourists. This study provides evidence that the academic market segmentation literature does indeed identify segments that also exist in practice, thus bridging the gap between academic and practice, and contributes to the way market segmentation is conducted in travel and tourism.
Design/methodology/approach – All segmentation articles published in Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management and Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing since the year 2000 are reviewed by examining how ICTs have affected them. Content analysis is used to categorize the connection between ICTs and segmentation to seven categories.
Findings – Only three papers focusing on both ICT and segmentation were found among the 188 segmentation-related studies reviewed. Altogether 58 market segmentation studies found were affected by ICTs but in most cases the effects are very limited.
Research limitations/implications – Only three tourism journals were reviewed making it possible that some studies connected to the topic are not examined in this review.
Practical implications – This study provides practitioners with a review of central findings regarding ICT use in market segmentation process published in recent academic literature.
Originality/value – This is the first study to review how ICTs have affected market segmentation in tourism. It provides a review of central papers discussing the topic and directions for future research. Overall, this research highlights the lack of research on the topic, as well as its importance for the future of tourism marketing.