Goal 3: Enhance industry's competitive position with market-leading research and analysis

Annual Report 2014-15

Tourism Tasmania uses a range of research programs and sources to ensure its business decisions and those of the state's tourism industry are evidence-based.

It undertakes market research to measure Tasmania's tourism performance, examine the global tourism and travel environment, understand the characteristics and Aviation and access development travel behaviour of visitors to Tasmania, and to explore the motivations and desires of potential visitors.

Tourism Tasmania also coordinates the provision and analysis of transport data for the State Government's Director of Aviation and Access Development to support the formulation of business cases aimed at improving air services to Tasmania.

In addition to using the research for its own business purposes, Tourism Tasmania shares its research and insights with marketing partners and the state's tourism industry to help them better understand Tasmania's customers.

Tourism Tasmania publishes visitor statistics and customer insights on its corporate website for the public, media, regional tourism organisations and tourism businesses. Tourism Tasmania also publishes the statistics in written reports, links to external research providers and on Tourism Tasmania's TVS Analyser service.

Tasmanian Visitor Survey

Tourism Tasmania reports on the state's tourism performance and the characteristics and travel behaviour of visitors to Tasmania using statistics obtained from Tourism Tasmania's Tasmanian Visitor Survey (TVS) as well as Tourism Research Australia's International and National Visitor Surveys. The reports include a quarterly Tasmanian Tourism Snapshot and commentary from Tourism Tasmania, and a Fast Facts information sheet.

The TVS is an exit survey of around 9,000 visitors to Tasmania a year and provides a profile of the characteristics, travel behaviour and expenditure of international and domestic visitors to the state. Roy Morgan Research administers the TVS for Tourism Tasmania.

Tourism Info Monitor

Tourism Tasmania monitors the domestic travel marketplace to understand how Tasmania is performing as a holiday destination and identify potential marketing opportunities.

The Tourism Info Monitor (TIM) is a quarterly survey of around 1,500 travelling Australians. It monitors changes in their characteristics, behaviours, perceptions, motivations and intentions, to gain a deeper understanding of potential visitors to Tasmania.

Tourism Tasmania reports the results of the TIM survey every quarter. The report includes a summary of the findings accompanied by a two-page overview of the main survey insights.

The Tourism Info Monitor shows that among travelling Australians, Tasmania continues to rank as their second most appealing Australian holiday destination behind Queensland, and that around one third of travelling Australians are considering a holiday to Tasmania within the next three years.

With food and wine identified globally as an important part of people's holiday experiences, in 2014-15, Tourism Tasmania introduced new elements to the TIM survey to gain an understanding of Australians' perception of Tasmania's food and wine tourism experiences. One of the key aspects of Tasmania that quickly came to mind when travelling Australians were asked about Tasmania and holidays was its food and beverages.

Tourism Tasmania also included the category of indigenous tourism experiences in its list of preferred activities to understand the level of preference for this experience in domestic holidays. The Tourism Info Monitor shows results that around one out of every five travelling Australians likes to participate in indigenous tourism experiences while on holiday.

Campaign tracking

In addition to the regular visitor tracking and market monitoring research programs, Tourism Tasmania also uses research to evaluate the performance and outcomes of its marketing campaigns.

Tourism Tasmania engaged research company TNS to undertake consumer tracking of its two Go Behind the Scenery campaigns conducted during spring 2014 and autumn 2015 with the findings used to inform subsequent campaigns. In particular, the findings highlighted the increased role of print and online advertising in encouraging bookings and visits to Tasmania, and in stimulating conversations about Tasmanian holidays with friends, family and colleagues.

Student market

Tourism Tasmania also engaged research firm Instinct and Reason to examine the international student market in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. This segment was identified as a marketing opportunity to attract more international visitors to the state. The research was to understand the motivations and considerations of international students when deciding which areas of Australia they would like to visit during their holidays before returning home. The research contributed insights and input into a broader marketing strategy for this market segment.

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